The Blyton Park Driving Centre is now officially open following a successful launch on May 4 attended by 75 invited guests and hosted by the entrepreneur and enthusiast behind it, Richard Usher. The open day saw a wide range of cars take to the pristine new 1.5-mile asphalt circuit, which garnered much praise for its challenging yet safe nature. Read more…
“We have invited you to join us here in Olbia to announce Volkswagen’s entry in the World Rally Championship starting in 2013.” – These were the words used by Volkswagen Management Board Member Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg as he declared Volkswagen’s entry into the most versatile of the four automobile world championships (World Rally Championship, WRC). In front of 200 journalists he unveiled the concept of the Polo R WRC, the car with which Volkswagen will compete from 2013 onwards, together with Luca de Meo, Head of Marketing of Volkswagen AG, and Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. Luca de Meo: “Almost exactly two years ago, in May 2009, the most recent model of the Polo was presented here in Sardinia. Today we are proud to show you the hottest Polo of all time – the Polo R WRC.” For Kris Nissen and his team the World Rally Championship entry marks a new commitment. “We look forward to this new challenge and are working on this project with the same passion with which we won the Dakar Rally in the past three years,” said Kris Nissen. Read more…
The UK’s premier series for novice racing drivers, the Caterham Academy, will be backed by the leading weekly motor racing magazine, Autosport, for 2011.
Autosport, which has a weekly circulation of more than 31,000 readers, and a huge following on its acclaimed website, Autosport.com, has long been acknowledged as the ‘Bible’ for British motorsport fans.
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At the halfway point of the Dakar Rally, Volkswagen holds the top two positions overall and all four Race Touareg 3s continue to set the pace over each gruelling stage. The event, which covers more than 9,600 km though South America, is currently led by the 2010 Dakar winning duo of Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz, with Nasser Al-Attiyah and Timo Gottschalk less than three minutes behind.
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The latest thrilling addition to the Donington Historic Festival on 29 April to 1 May 2011 is the return of the legendary Group B rally cars. Over the weekend of the Festival, spectators will be treated to a full power demonstration of these iconic ‘too fast to race’ rally machines.
From 1972 until the 1990s, Donington was used, on and off, as a stage on the annual RAC Rally. This included the era of the stunning Group B rally cars of the 1980s, when the Group B rules allowed unlimited boost, along with low weight and high-tech materials. The result was genuinely staggering performance, so much so that in 1986 a series of fatal accidents saw the sudden withdrawal of Group B and the outrageously quick rally cars it had spawned.
At the Donington Historic Festival, a line-up of original works rally warriors will be put into action by the ‘Rallying with Group B’ club members, reviving the fire and fury of these spectacular machines. Spectators can expect to see and hear flame-spitting Audi quattros, MG Metro 6R4, Ford RS200, Lancia 037, Porsche 911 RSR, Peugeot 205 T16 – and even an example of the exotic Group B Ferrari 308 GTB. The rally cars will perform their spectacular stuff on a specially designed, all-Tarmac stage on the GP loop, with full, free spectator access.
This is just the latest attraction to complement three days of the very best in historic racing, ranging from pre-1960 Touring Cars to 1977-85 Touring Cars; from pre-War sports cars to Group C sports cars; and from pre-63 GTs to World Endurance Championship sports prototypes from 1968-71 – plus much, much more.
The first annual Donington Historic Festival will take place on the Bank Holiday weekend of 29 April to 1 May 2011. See www.doningtonhistoric.com
Leading historic race organiser, Motor Racing Legends, has launched an all-new race series for Groups 1 and 2, and Group A Touring Cars, such as raced in the British and European Touring Car Championships between 1977 and 1985.
The new series will be called the JD Classics Challenge, thanks to the help and support of the premier classic car dealership, JD Classics. As with all Motor Racing Legends’ series, the races will be for real race cars from the era, running to the correct period specification.
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