IGNITION BRINGS THE SOUND AND FURY OF FORMULA 1 TO SCOTLAND

Press Release For Immediate Distribution: 13/06/16

IGNITION BRINGS THE SOUND AND FURY OF FORMULA 1 TO SCOTLAND   • F1 cars old and new take to the streets of Glasgow • See and hear Grand Prix cars in action • Red Bull, Williams, Benetton, Lotus and BAR star   Formula 1 cars formally driven by champions including Sebastian Vettel, Michael Schumacher, Nelson Piquet, Keke Rosberg and Jenson Button, will form the centrepiece of a remarkable history of Grand Prix racing at Scotland’s brand new IGNITION Festival of Motoring.   But the Grand Prix greats from Red Bull, Williams, Benetton, Lotus and BAR Honda won't be mere static exhibits. Visitors to the Festival, which runs from 5-7 August, will be able to see and hear the cars in action… the first time F1 cars have been driven through the streets in Scotland.   At set times throughout the three days of the Festival they will be powered around a special street circuit laid out on roads between Glasgow’s Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre and the nearby SSE Hydro Arena.   Among the cars will be a Camel Lotus 101 (below bottom left), as driven by three times champion Nelson Piquet in 1989, as well as the car that put Michael Schumacher on the F1 map – the Benetton 193B from 1993 (below top left).   They will be joined by 2011’s Red Bull RB7, which will be driven by Scotland’s own David Coulthard on Saturday and Sunday 6 and 7 August – and by Sergio Sette Camara from the Red Bull Junior team on the opening Friday.   The unique grid will be completed by Jenson Button’s 2004 BAR Honda (Main), which took the Brit to third in that year’s drivers’ championship, and the Williams FW08 that helped Keke Rosberg to the title in 1982 (below top right).   F1 anoraks, meanwhile, will be drawn to one of the rarest Grand Prix machines ever produced, the Tec-Mec. Essentially a much-modified Maserati 250F, the Tec-Mec F415 took part in just one Grand Prix, the 1959 USA race, where it was driven by little-known Brazilian Fritz d’Orey. The car completed just six laps before retiring (below bottom right).   “There’s nothing quite like the sound of an F1 car in full flight so we are delighted not just to have gathered together such a collection of significant Grand Prix cars for IGNITION but also to have found owners more than happy to put these priceless cars through their paces for the fans,” said Jeremy Vaughan, Ignition’s Event Director. “To have all these wonderful heart-pounding V8, V10 and V12 racing engines all revving up on the streets of Scotland for the first time really is going to be something very, very special.”   IGNITION Festival of Motoring promises three days of all action excitement as well as hall after hall of new cars and classic cars, supercars and super bikes. Among the attractions will be The Top Gear Magazine Performance Grid, which will bring together an array of performance cars including the McLaren P1, Ariel Nomad and Aston Martin DB11 for a series of power laps… with Top Gear’s very own tame racing driver The Stig heading the driver line-up. There will also be special displays paying tribute to Scotland’s world-beating motor sport heritage with Scottish motoring superstars to the fore. Alongside Grand Prix ace Coulthard, Jimmy McRae will be driving son Colin’s World Rally Championship winning Subaru. And there’ll be more live action at the arena where displays will include regular performances by the Top Gear Live Stunt Team and a drifting extravaganza headed by Boyzone star and racer Shane Lynch. IGNITION Festival of Motoring is staged by the team behind the globally successful Top Gear Live events, the London Classic Car Show, Top Gear Festivals and the Chris Evans-inspired CarFest North and South family shows. Advance tickets, with prices to suit every budget, are now on sale via the show’s website:www.ignitionfestival.co.uk. The site has full details on all ticket offers, including special VIP entry to the show’s star-studded opening evening, as well as all the latest news and show newsletter.

British GP winners join F1 legends on-track at Silverstone Classic   • See Jacques Villeneuve’s victorious Williams FW18 from 1996 • Hear Mika Hakkinen’s winning McLaren MP4-16A from 2001 • United Autosports entries enhance ‘Legends of Modern F1’ line-up • Jackie Stewart’s 1970 March 701 makes racing return at the Classic A trio of the most evocative and successful Grand Prix cars from recent Formula One history will add to the high-octane, on-track excitement at this summer’s Silverstone Classic (29-31 July). All three head-turners are proven winners, raced in period by World Champions.   Indeed, festival-goers can expect to experience a real assault on all of their senses, not least as two of these iconic, eye-catching machines are actual British Grand Prix winners. What’s more, adding to the fervour, both of these victors are powered by euphonic, high-revving V10 engines.   The first is the very Williams-Renault FW18 in which Jacques Villeneuve roared to victory at Silverstone exactly 20 years ago in 1996. A similar all-conquering FW18 took Villeneuve’s team-mate, Damon Hill, to the world title in the same season.    The second British Grand Prix winner is Mika Hakkinen’s equally illustrious McLaren-Mercedes MP4-16A, which took the coveted chequered flag five years later in 2001.   Today, both these Adrian Newey-designed world-beaters are owned by United Autosports, the Leeds-based team headed by American sponsorship and marketing guru Zak Brown and erstwhile British racer Richard Dean. The two cars have recently been restored to their former glories by those at Williams and McLaren and will be making their eagerly-anticipated Silverstone Classic debuts in July. Not only will they be revving up on track alongside a number of other F1 cars from the similar Mansell, Senna and Schumacher epoch, but additionally they will be on prominent public display in the paddock, giving all visitors a rare chance to see them up close.   “What a fantastic treat for visitors!” enthused Nick Wigley CEO of event organiser Goose Live Events. “Just hearing these V10s revving to 20,000rpm is going to be something no F1 fan is going to want to miss. And that both cars have true Silverstone pedigree makes their presence even more special. I must thank Zak for sharing their wonderful excesses and amazing provenance with all of those coming to the Classic in July.”        Brown will also be racing an evocative March 701 in the two FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship showdowns. This particular chassis was the very car – run by the Ken Tyrrell Organisation – in which triple World Champion Jackie Stewart won the 1970 Race of Champions at Brands Hatch – the March marque’s maiden Formula 1 race win – and followed up with an equally significant victory a month later in the Spanish GP. This special milestone March has some interesting Silverstone history, too – a week after winning in Spain, Stewart drove it to second place in the BRDC International Trophy, a non-championship race staged at the super-fast Northamptonshire circuit.   “I've yet to compete in the Silverstone Classic, which I've heard is a world class event,” said Brown. “To be able to share three World Champion race cars – two of which won the British Grand Prix–  with the spectators and competitors is awesome. I can’t think of a better track to showcase these cars!"   While this trio of star attractions will certainly be high on the list of crowd-pleasers, they are among illustrious company at the annual Classic – a not-to-be-missed record-breaking event which sees unrivalled numbers of historic racing cars still competing today.   Adding to the festival’s immense appeal, all tickets include free entrance to both racing paddocks and pit complexes, trackside grandstands and live music concerts on Friday and Saturday evenings. Adult admission is from just £42 and considerable savings are on offer for those festival-goers spending the full weekend at Silverstone. This year, there is also a special Family Ticket. Full details can be found on the official www.silverstoneclassic.com website.   Photo Captions: Main and top row below: Jacques Villeneuve’s victorious Williams FW18 from 1996 returns to Silverstone 20 years on Second row: Mika Hakkinen’s winning McLaren MP4-16A from 2001 will be back on track at the Silverstone Classic Third row: Jackie Stewart’s 1970 March 701 makes racing revival Photo Credit: LAT Photographic

Records start tumbling on Tin Top Sunday • Biggest ever HTCC grid brings new dimension to 2016 Classic • Rovers, Capris, CSLs, Camaros and Jaguars renew old rivalries  • Star drivers include Rob Huff, Jeff Allam and Patrick Watts The 2016 Silverstone Classic (29-31 July) is already confirmed as a record breaker with the flourishing Historic Touring Car Challenge fielding its biggest-ever grid on its debut at the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival.   More than 50 evocative cars as raced in European and British Touring Car Championships during the seventies and eighties will be reliving their glory days in a thrilling 40-minute showdown on Tin Top Sunday (31 July). Adding to the bumper-to-bumper excitement, the race will be for two drivers with compulsory pit-stops.   The unparalleled entry features no fewer than a dozen Ford Capris, eight Rover SD1s – including Andy Rouse’s 1984 BTCC title winner – plus a trio of giant-killing Metro Turbos. The amazing line-up also co-stars a host of other notable track classics from the same era such as BMW 3.0 CSLs and M3s, Triumph Dolomite Sprints, Alfa Romeo GTVs, Jaguar XJ12 and XJS, Ford Merkur XR4i, Datsun 240Z plus a pair of mighty V8 propelled Chevrolet Camaros.   There are some notable drivers renewing old rivalries, too. Multiple BTCC race winner Jeff Allam will be back behind the wheel of the BP sponsored Capri he first raced to victory in 1979. World Touring Car Champion Rob Huff is competing in another of the fastback Fords, while past BTCC favourite Patrick Watts is among those revving up in the trio of Metro Turbo pocket rockets.   The record HTCC grid is just one of four fabulous touring car races scheduled for the very special Tip Top Sunday at this year’s action-packed Silverstone Classic. With Under 2-Litre Touring Cars and Big Engined US muscle cars from the sixties as well as high-tech Super Tourers from the nineties also on the non-stop action bill, festival goers will be treated to the full spectrum of saloon/touring car racing history.   “No touring car fan will want to miss Tin Top Sunday at the Classic,” commented Nick Wigley, CEO of event organiser Goose Live Events. “We were delighted to add the HTCC to the bill for the very first time and they’ve responded in incredible style with a record grid that promises to be one of the event’s highlights. To see all these wonderful Rovers and Capris battling it out on the full Silverstone Grand Prix circuit will certainly add an exciting new dimension to this summer’s track action.”      Duncan Wiltshire, Chairman of Motor Racing Legends, the organisation behind the HTCC, is equally excited. He said: “This will be by far the biggest HTCC grid ever seen and we’re thrilled by the incredible turn-out. The cars come from an era many of us remember clearly and so I’m sure our very first race at the Silverstone Classic is not only going to be a true crowd-pleaser but also a great occasion for us all to remember.”             Adult admission for Tin Top Sunday is priced at £54 with £6 admission for accompanied children aged between six to 16 years old. A wide range of weekend, camping, VIP hospitality and Family Tickets – all of which must be purchased in advance – are also available. Adding to the festival’s immense appeal, tickets include free entrance to both racing paddocks and pit complexes, trackside grandstands and live music concerts on Friday and Saturday evenings. Full details can be found on the official www.silverstoneclassic.com websit  Records start tumbling on Tin Top Sunday

Shelsley Walsh and Prescott to headline another stunning summer of VSCC Hill Climbs

Shelsley Walsh and Prescott to headline another

stunning summer of VSCC Hill Climbs

 The Vintage Sports-Car Club will again be at the heart of this summer’s Historic motorsport season, with two long-celebrated Hill Climbs in the coming weeks, including the Shelsley Walsh Vintage Meeting on Sunday 3 July and the Club’s prestigious Prescott weekend, Friday 5 to Sunday 7 August.

Once again we are delighted that our friends at the Midlands Automobile Club (MAC) will host our annual Vintage Hill Climb at Shelsley Walsh on Sunday 3 July – the world’s oldest motorsport venue, where Pre-war machinery, history and nostalgia come together for one of the most popular events of the year.

The historic venue never fails to attract a wealth of VSCC Competitors eager to take on the challenge.  As the Club’s full class structure is represented, there will be a place for all Pre-war Sports and Racing Cars, while the Paddock will, no doubt, be filled with enthusiastic and knowledgeable spectators, who will have flocked to the stunning Worcestershire location.

This year’s event also coincides with the launch of Club Member, Mac Hulbert’s highly-anticipated book on the revered ERA R4D, published by Porter Press, a car that has enjoyed such an illustrious history, particularly at Shelsley Walsh, where it again will be competing in the hands of Nick Topliss, under the stewardship of current custodian, Brian Fidler.

As tradition, the first weekend of August will see the VSCC’s annual Prescott Speed Hill Climb at the Bugatti Owners’ Club’s idyllic Cotswold venue from Friday 5 to Sunday 7 August, which will again include a one-day event utilising the more modern ‘Long Course’ on the opening Friday, before the Club’s long-standing two-day event on the traditional ‘Short Course’ – an event first held in 1938. 

Over 300 Pre-war Racing and Sports-Cars will tackle the challenging Gloucestershire circuit throughout the weekend, widely regarded amongst the world’s premier Pre-war events, where the thrilling motorsport competition will headline a host of other attractions in a ‘garden party’ atmosphere.

Spectator cars will fill the Orchard to form perhaps the most stunning Pre-war gathering to be seen anywhere, whilst the popular Trade Village, Jazz Band, Children’s Entertainment, Camping and more will be sure to attract thousands of Vintage enthusiasts for one of the most social weekends of the season.

Both events will form rounds of the Club’s inaugural Speed Championship, supported by M&P Insurance, as the contest gathers pace at the busiest point of the season.

For more information about these and other upcoming VSCC events, visit www.vscc.co.uk. 

        

ERA R4D will be an undoubted star of this summer’s VSCC Hill Climbs, including Shelsley Walsh,

where former owner Mac Hulbert (pictured in 2011) will launch a new book on the revered voiturette.

Photo: Sue Ballard

MARK WEBBER JOINS STELLAR LINE UP AT IGNITION

MARK WEBBER JOINS STELLAR LINE UP AT IGNITION   • ‘Aussie Grit’ to be guest of honour at Friday VIP evening •  Webber to drive Porsche power laps on IGNITION’s specially constructed street circuit • Multiple GP winner to join David Coulthard, Jimmy McRae, Gordon Shedden and The Stig at Scottish motoring Festival     Mark Webber, the 2015 World Endurance Champion and winner of nine Grands Prix, is the latest special guest to join the line-up at Scotland’s brand new Festival of Motoring IGNITION. (Above). The three-day Festival runs from 5-7 August at Glasgow’s Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre.   Former Williams and Red Bull Racing driver and current Porsche factory WEC driver, Webber will be at the Festival on the opening day (Friday 5 August) where he will be meeting the crowds, signing autographs, and undertaking power laps around the specially constructed IGNITION street circuit, on roads snaking between the SECC and the nearby SSE Hydro Arena.   He will also be a guest of honour at the show’s VIP opening evening, a star-studded occasion open to all those purchasing premium plus and IGNITE Club tickets for Friday’s high octane action. Webber will be joining other motor sport personalities including two-time BTCC champion Gordon Shedden (below bottom left) and pro-drifter and Boyzone member Shane Lynch for exclusive on-stage interviews in the SECC’s Loch Suite plus what is certain to be a lively Q&A session with the audience.   Known by his Twitter handle @AussieGrit, Webber said: “I’m really looking forward to meeting the fans in Scotland. With the street circuit and other live action, IGNITION promises to be a fantastic new motoring event and it’ll be great to be a part of it.”   And with Le Mans taking place this weekend (18/19 June), Webber added: “We finished second there in the Porsche 919 Hybrid last year. If we can go one better this year, I will really be celebrating when I get to Glasgow.”   Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “We are delighted to support IGNITION through EventScotland’s International Programme on its first appearance in Scotland and are equally excited about the prospect of what’s shaping up to be a very entertaining festival programme.     “Over three days, IGNITION will provide an array of displays, performances and activities to electrify the crowds and the addition of fans-favourite Mark Webber to the already exciting line-up will prove to be very popular among motor sports lovers across the board.”   Joe Aitken, Head of Major Events at Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, added: “Today’s announcement that Mark Webber – one of the biggest names in world motorsport – will be joining an already stellar line-up of drivers and powering his way around the Glasgow street circuit as part of IGNITION will definitely excite fans and ticket-holders. With David Coulthard (below bottom right), Jimmy McRae, The Stig, Shane Lynch, Gordon Shedden the Top Gear Live Stunt Team – and now Mark – all confirmed, IGNITION is really revving up to be one of the standout highlights of Glasgow, and Scotland’s, major events calendar this year.   “Glasgow’s emergence as one of the world’s leading major events cities is thanks to our enviable portfolio and multi-million pound investment in new infrastructure – our award-winning SSE Hydro arena at the heart of our state-of-the-art SECC campus was built with events like IGNITION in mind.”     IGNITION Festival of Motoring promises three days of all action entertainment as well as hall after hall of new cars, classic cars, supercars and super bikes. Among the attractions will be a unique collection of iconic Grand Prix cars from Maserati, Lotus, Williams, Red Bull Racing, Benetton and BAR which, as well as being on static display, will be fired up at regular intervals for some power laps around the street circuit. Among those driving will be Mark Webber’s former team-mate, GP ace David Coulthard.   There will also be special displays paying tribute to Scotland’s world-beating motorsport heritage with Scottish motoring superstars to the fore. Alongside Coulthard, Jimmy McRae will be driving son Colin’s World Rally Championship winning Subaru.   And there’ll be more live action at the arena where displays will include regular performances by the Top Gear Live Stunt Team and a spectacular, tyre-burning drifting extravaganza from Lynch and other members of the crack Team Japspeed outfit.   As well as entry to Friday’s VIP evening entertainment, IGNITE Club ticket holders also benefit from  all day access to the Festival, access to the IGNITE Grandstand, exclusive Paddock access, event showguide and light refreshments throughout the day.   For more information and to book advance tickets visit the show’s website:www.ignitionfestival.co.uk. The site has full details on all ticket types, as well as all the latest news and the show newsletter.   • IGNITION Festival of Motoring is staged by the team behind the globally successful Top Gear Live events, the London Classic Car Show, Top Gear Festivals and the Chris Evans-inspired CarFest North and South family shows.

BIG NAME MANUFACTURERS AND DEALERS READY FOR IGNITION

 

BIG NAME MANUFACTURERS

AND DEALERS READY

FOR IGNITION

 

• Motor Show fever comes to Glasgow
• Low and zero emission new cars on display
• Test drives available for would-be buyers
 

 

Manufacturers and leading dealers are lining up to exhibit the latest new models and the newest technology at IGNITION, Scotland’s unique Festival of Motoring.

 

Family cars, performance cars, electric vehicles, hybrids and motorcycles will all be on display… and there’ll even be the opportunity for visitors to book test drives in models they are interested in buying.

 

Among the manufacturers already signed up are Lexus, Peugeot, Tesla and Triumph Motorcycles while leading brands such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Ford will be represented by some of Scotland’s biggest dealers including Arnold Clark, Stratstone, Glasgow Audi, Harry Fairbairn and the Parks Motor Group.

 

The rise of environmentally friendly low and zero emission vehicles will also be under the spotlight with BMW’s i8 and i3, the Tesla Model S, Nissan LEAF and VW’s Golf E and e-up! among the EVs and hybrids to the fore.

 

Other exhibitors at the Festival, which runs from 5-7 August at Glasgow’s Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, include top classic car dealer Border Reivers, Road Safety Scotland and Glasgow-based UltraXenon while Glasgow’s Riverside Museum will be displaying some of its top transport exhibits.

 

Other elements of IGNITION include classic car displays and new, classic and custom bikes. There will also be special displays paying tribute to Scotland’s world-beating motorsport heritage as well as a live action zone where displays will include regular performances by the Top Gear Live Stunt Team and a drifting extravaganza headed by Boyzone star and racer Shane Lynch.

 

And a specially designed and constructed street circuit will include laps on the track from Scottish motor sport stars David Coulthard and Jimmy McRae.

 

Coulthard will be demonstrating the Red Bull Racing RB7 Formula One car on Saturday and Sunday 6 and 7 August while McRae will be opening the event on Friday 5 August from behind the wheel of son’s Colin’s championship-winning Subaru Impreza. The RB7 will also be one of the major attractions on the opening day, when it will be driven by rising star Sergio Sette Camara from the Red Bull Junior team. The RB7 will also be one of the major attractions on the opening day, when it will be driven by rising star Sergio Sette Camara from the Red Bull Junior team.

 

The circuit will also host laps from Lamborghini, McLaren, Porsche and AMG Mercedes from a supercar display put together by Top Gear Magazine, aptly named the 'Top Gear Magazine Performance Grid'.   

“IGNITION has all the elements to appeal to anyone interested in cars and bikes. Motor sport and classic car fans will have scores of iconic machinery to look at and, in many instances, to see and hear in action. The new car buyer, meanwhile, will enjoy the motor show side of the Festival, knowing that all the latest models will be on hand for side-by-side comparisons and even a short test drive.

 

“Special displays highlighting the advantages of low and zero-emission vehicles will also help car buyers to make an informed future-proof purchase,” said Jeremy Vaughan, Ignition’s Event Director

 

IGNITION Festival of Motoring is staged by the team behind the globally successful Top Gear Live events, the London Classic Car Show, Top Gear Festivals and the Chris Evans-inspired CarFest North and South family shows.

 

Advance tickets, with prices to suit every pocket, are now on sale via the show’s website:www.ignitionfestival.co.uk. The site has full details on all ticket offers, including special VIP entry to the show’s star-studded opening evening, as well as all the latest news and show newsletter.

REGENT STREET MOTOR SHOW LOOKS AHEAD TO A LOW EMISSION FUTURE

REGENT STREET MOTOR SHOW LOOKS AHEAD TO A LOW EMISSION FUTURE   London’s free-to-view motor show promises cars from today and tomorrow as well as veterans from the past  Remember, remember the fifth of November… because that’s the date London’s premier shopping street will, once again, be turned into a glittering showcase of motoring’s past, present and future.  With the entire street closed to traffic from Piccadilly Circus to Oxford Circus, visitors can wander freely among the exhibits.  And they will come in their hundreds of thousands – the free-to-view Regent Street Motor Show, first held in 2005, goes from strength to strength and last year welcomed a record 450,000 visitors.  They were attracted not just by a display of veteran cars from the dawn of motoring, but also by today’s cars and tomorrow’s technologies from an increasing number of manufacturers keen to show city-friendly low and zero emission eco machines to visitors.  Many of them took time out to take short test drives from Regent Street, around Berkeley Square and back, in a selection of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The relevance of low-emission cars to modern city life saw that all the available test drive slots were quickly snapped up.  The great news is that for 2016 the initiative will not only continue but will also expand as more manufacturers appreciate the Show’s huge reach by joining the likes of Renault in Regent Street.  “With their innovative design and futuristic technologies, our latest Twizy and Zoe electric cars are designed for cities – that’s why we really relish the opportunity not only to display them to the huge numbers on Regent Street but also to offer some the chance to savour a brief test drive,” confirmed Mark Waller, Senior Communications Manager, Renault UK.    Part of the Regent Street Motor Show’s appeal lies in its variety. As well as advanced new cars, there will be many other attractions for the car enthusiast with classic car displays, historic racing cars, bikes, and even musical entertainment from a song and dance troupe.  And of course there are the veterans. The Regent Street Motor Show takes place the day before the famous Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run supported by Hiscox that leaves the nearby Hyde Park and at least 100 of these venerable machines will be displayed as part of the annual Veteran Car Concours d’Elegance.  The owners of these pioneering machines – every car was built before 1905 – will be competing for a number of different awards, including the Most Original or Unrestored Car and the Concours d’Equipe for drivers and passengers wearing period costume. Visitors will also be able to vote for their own People's Choice award.  Despite their undoubted value – and, in some cases, their fragility – Regent Street visitors are encouraged to inspect the cars at close quarters and quiz their ever-enthusiastic owners and drivers before they head off to Brighton at the crack of dawn on the following day.  “The Regent Street Motor Show started as a veteran car showcase but over the years it has grown to embrace all aspects of motoring from the past, the present and the future. “The success of our test drive initiative in 2015 shows the huge interest visitors to the Regent Street Motor Show have not just in the cars of yesteryear but also in the cars they will be driving tomorrow. There’s no better place for car companies to showcase their current and future models to a vast audience,” said Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club’s Steering Group for the Veteran Car Run, Ben Cussons.  “And, of course, all the fabulous stores along Regent Street will be open throughout the day so there’s ample opportunity for some early Christmas shopping, too.