Race Retro: Unprecedented Success

Stoneleigh Park welcomed almost 25,000 visitors to Race Retro, the International Historic Motorsport Show, on 23-25 March – 20% up on last year’s attendance. “We’re delighted with this evidence of the show’s growing popularity, particularly in the current tough market,” said Event Director Ian Williamson.

Exhibitors were similarly pleased with the outcome. Proteus Cars sold four of its superb all-aluminium Jaguar C-type re-creations at the show: two to UK customers, one to America and one to Austria. “The show gets bigger and better every year,” said Matt Beverley, Chairman of Proteus Cars Ltd. “It’s a great international event with visitors of all nationalities.”

Meanwhile Chevron Cars sold the first two production road cars ever made by the company, the stunning Chevron B1 Mk2; and Westfield Cars is following up some 100 sales leads gathered at the show. “Over the three days of Race Retro we assembled a Westfield XI on our stand,” says Managing Director of Westfield Sportscars, Julian Turner, “and we had several visitors on day one who came back again on days two and three, specifically to see how the build progressed.”

It wasn’t only the manufacturers who enjoyed a successful event. “The place was humming with interest,” said Sarah Hutchison, Chairman of the Classic Sports Car Club – a view repeated by exhibitors across the show. The Friday and Saturday proved particularly busy, with both trade and public flocking in to see the many highlights. Among these were:

Motorcycles
A breathtaking display of motorcycles on the TT Centenary stand, a superb number of ex-works bikes often accompanied by the heroes who rode them (such as Jim Redman and the Honda RC164-103 four-cylinder 250 on which he won the 1964 Lightweight TT), the recreation of the Ace Café which served food all through the weekend and, on the Saturday and Sunday, the Pre-’65 Motorcycle Trial in the indoor arena, with its rocks, logs and water. A final highlight was the reunion of British team riders with the original works bikes which represented Great Britain in the ISDT – the ‘Olympics’ of motorcycling.

Rallying
The 1953 and 1954 Alpine Rally cars displayed by the Sunbeam Talbot Alpine Register – with Stirling Moss’s MKV 21 in pride of place; and on the British Rallycross Drivers Association stand, the Porsche 911 in which Vic Elford won the very first 1967 Rallycross, 40 years ago. Vic Elford himself was also at the show, signing copies of his new book. On the outdoor arena, legends of the sport such as Michèle Mouton, Stig Blomqvist, Bjorn Waldegard, Russell Brookes and Pentti Airikkala thrilled the crowds driving Group B rally cars on the tarmac stage.

Racing
The race organisers came along in force – The Masters Racing Series, Motor Racing Legends, the HGPCA, HSCC, U2TC and many more, displaying some rare and valuable machinery on their stands. Exhibits included the 1955 Ferrari 500 Mondial on the Motor Racing Legends stand, loaned for the occasion by Gregor Fisken, and on the Masters Series stand, a fabulous pair of Ferraris: a 1970 Formula 1 Ferrari 312B and a 1972 World Sportscar Ferrari 312PB, both with 3-litre, 12-cylinder engines – and both ex-Jacky Ickx.


Celebrities
Pentti Airikkala, Richard Attwood, Derek Bell, Gordon Blakeway, Stig Blomqvist, Johnny Brittain, Russell Brookes, Willy Cave, John ‘Moon Eyes’ Cooper, Andrew Cowan, Vic Elford, Tony Fall, John Giles, Mick Grant, Paddy Hopkirk, Gordon Jackson, Tony Mason, Sammy Miller, Chas Mortimer, Michèle Mouton, Frank Perris, Phil Read, Jim Redman, Jack Sears, Colin Seeley, Rosemary Smith, Stuart Turner, Bjorn Waldegard, Barrie ‘Whizzo’ Williams, Charlie Williams, Mike Wood… these were just some of the famous names to be seen at the show this year.

The Industry
The Welsh Assembly Government showed great initiative in ‘bringing Wales to Race Retro’ with a spread of Welsh engineering and rallysport companies, relatively small businesses who benefited from being part of a larger group at the show. Meanwhile the Motorsport Academy’s classic and historic training initiative got off to a great start, with around 20 colleges bringing students from across the UK to see the whole industry under one roof.

“Our 440 exhibitors rose to the occasion,” concludes Event Director Ian Williamson, “with unprecedented standards of presentation and outstanding exhibits. We were thrilled to see so many enthusiastic visitors and we’re already looking forward to next year’s show.”

Race Retro, the fourth International Historic Motorsport Show, combined live action events with 440 stands covering 70 years of historic motorsport on both two wheels and four – on road, off road and on track. The organisers would like to thank the show’s sponsors: Bonhams, Proteus Cars, Hagerty (insurance sponsor), The History Channel, Octane magazine, Millers Oils and Footman James (motorcycle area sponsor).