CHOLMONDELEY BRACED FOR “BIGGEST AND BEST” PAGEANT OF POWER EVER

• Much more to see and do – on land, on the water and in the air
• New Supercar race category will herald battle for fastest-lap honours
• Interactive activities for all ages boost the fun factor
• Ace Cafe leads biggest-ever collection of motorcycles; fast laps performed by TT racer John McGuinness
• German Sinsheim Museum sends amphibious vehicle to brave the famous British summer!
• ‘Cobras at the Castle’ will be largest gathering of AC Cobras in the UK
• Red Arrows and Tri-Services Helicopter Agility competition lead airborne schedule

The Cholmondeley Pageant of Power (15-17 June, www.cpop.co.uk), the UK’s biggest celebration of power and speed, is gearing up for its biggest and best event yet in 2012 – with more race cars and supercars, more motorcycles, more helicopters, more powerboats, and more interactive features for visitors to grapple with than ever before.

The on-track action will again be a centrepiece for the three-day event, with a packed schedule of timed sprints and parade runs taking place on the venue’s 1.2-mile circuit. The four-wheeled machinery will be an eclectic mix of classic and modern. The noisiest, if not quite the fastest, of the 100 or more vehicles taking to the challenging Pageant circuit will be the weird and wonderful collection of early 20^th-century cars powered by aeroplane engines, with monsters such as the 500bhp 47-litre ‘Brutus’ taking centre stage.

The team at the Auto & Technik Museum in Sinsheim, Germany, which is home to Brutus, have been observing the recent spells of inclement weather sweeping the UK and are responding by sending to the Pageant another of their exhibits – the amphibious VW Type 166. Who says the Germans don’t have a sense of humour?!

Competition to set a new Cholmondeley circuit lap record will be intense this year, and the fastest time is expected to be set not by any of the legendary race and rally cars competing, but by one of the entrants in the new-for-this-year timed Supercar class. Entrants will include the brutally quick Lamborghini Aventador and new Porsche 911 Carrera S, and dedicated single-seat track weapons such as the British-built BAC Mono and Ariel Atom V8. Visitors can expect to witness some of the most exciting high-octane action ever to take place at the Pageant as a series of drivers make an assault on the 62.68-second lap record set by racer Nikki Faulkner in a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera LP570-4 in 2010.

The Pageant of Power will also give visitors the chance to see a large selection of modern and classic supercars during the many parade laps throughout the weekend, including the stunning Aston Martin One-77 – one of only five registered in the UK – and the beautiful race-inspired Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale.

To mark the 50^th anniversary of the iconic AC Cobra, the Pageant will host the largest gathering of the Anglo-American sports car in the UK this year, in a special display entitled ‘Cobras at the Castle’. The event is also introducing a special race category – the ‘AC Cobra 50^th Anniversary Class’ – that will see the most famous Cobras, including one of only three ‘Lightweight Cobras’ ever built, compete for top race honours.

Motorcycling will feature more prominently than before thanks to a new partnership with legendary petrolhead mecca, Ace Cafe London. There will be many more eye-catching hot rods and superbikes – classic and modern – on display, and the Ace Cafe will host a ‘Rockers Restaurant’, recreating the iconic rock ‘n’ roll atmosphere for which the venue in Stonebridge, North London is famed.

Taking to the track will be a host an exciting line-up of some of the most innovative and amazing motorcycles ever seen, including the famed 500cc Moto Guzzi V8 concept, which held the record for fastest Grand Prix motorcycle for 20 years, and which will be ridden throughout the weekend by Double European Trials Champion, Sammy Miller.

Fresh from the latest in a very long line of TT triumphs will be John McGuinness, who will take to the Cholmondeley sprint circuit on the latest incarnation of the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade. The 2012 model, raced by McGuinness for the Honda TT Legends team, celebrates 20 years as one of the world’s most iconic sports bikes.

James Bond fans are sure to be left shaken and stirred as Pageant organisers have partnered with the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, to display a thrilling line-up of genuine Bond cars. Cars on show will include the vanishing Aston Martin V12 Vanquish from ‘Die Another Day’, complete with its twin .50-calibre autocannons, rocket projectiles, dorsal target-seeking shotguns, and a passenger ejector seat. Also on show will be the Jaguar XKR and Ice Dragster driven by Bond-villains Zao and Gustav Graves in ‘Die Another Day’, and the beautiful BMW Z8 from ‘The World Is Not Enough’.

Taking to the skies will be the ever-popular Tri-Services Helicopter Agility competition, the only public demonstration of its type in the UK, together with an air-sea rescue display by RAF Valley. Bringing added thrills will be the famous Red Arrows, Breitling Wing Walkers, Abarth 300L stunt planes and the RedHawks Duo display team.

The Pageant isn’t just about spectating – this year’s event will be more interactive than ever. Passenger rides will be available throughout the three day event in helicopters, powerboats (taking to the venue’s lakes), hovercraft and even tanks. The event also features more in-field activities than ever before, with attractions ranging from a Top Gear Experience simulator and mini tank-driving arenas, to Segway hire, quad biking and assault courses. A crèche will also be available throughout the three-day event.

“There is simply no other event in the whole of the UK that is so packed with action – on land, on our lakes and in the skies above – and which has so much for visitors to experience first hand,” comments James Hall, Event Director at the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power. “This year’s Pageant will be the biggest and best ever, with even more for people to do and see. There will be continuous on-track action, water-based thrills and aerial displays, as well as over 40 different rides and activities for visitors to participate in for themselves. The Pageant has secured its place as Britain’s most thrilling and most interactive day out.”

In 2012, the Pageant of Power has teamed up with two charities – Remount, which helps Armed Forces re-adjust to civilian life, and the Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool. The Pageant has pledged support to both organisations, raising funds through visitor participation during the course of the Pageant.

Now in its fifth year, the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power will take place on the Cholmondeley Estate in Cheshire from Friday 15 to Sunday 17 June, with day passes for the event starting from just £26 for an adult and £5 for a child when ordered in advance. To buy tickets or find further information, visit www.cpop.co.uk.