Live events at Race Retro

Race Retro, the International Historic Motorsport Show, promises a better-than-ever spread of live action to entertain the expected 20,000 visitors at the 2007 event. To be held at Stoneleigh Park from 23-25 March, the live action will take place on the Saturday and Sunday of the Show and includes such exciting spectacles as:

Group B rally cars in high-speed displays on the special rally stage in the Park, featuring cars and stars from this most exciting of all rallying eras. See Lancia 037 and Delta S4, Porsche 911 and Audi quattro, Peugeot 205 T16 and Opel Manta, plus many, many more top rally cars from Fiat and Ford, to Triumph and Renault, slipping and sliding in the hands of the experts. Star drivers are likely to include Pentti Airikkala, Stig Blomqvist, Russell Brookes and Bjorn Waldegard.

Also on the outdoor rally stage, the historic karts which proved so popular at last year’s Show are back – but with double the number of entries. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of kart racing in the UK, some 40 karts from the 1960s will be put through their paces by such heroes as former World Champion Reg Gange, 1978 British Champion Bob Phair, and Martin Hines – multiple British, European and World Champion. Look out too for Barrie Williams, Dick Tarrant and Tony Keele.

For the first time, the championship-level autotests organised by the British Trials and Rally Drivers Association (BTRDA) will be held indoors. The drivers – both current and former champions of the sport – will display their car control skills on two, parallel courses in a variety of classic and classic-based cars. For those who’ve never seen autotests at this level, the displays offer a breathtaking demonstration of extreme precision driving.

Also indoors is the pre-1965 classic motorcycle trial – complete with a challenging array of rocks, logs and water. Visitors to the 2006 Show were impressed by the sight of these classic motorcycles, many with sidecar outfits, tackling a very demanding course… and this year will be no easier on the riders!

Access to the live action on the Saturday and Sunday of Race Retro is free to all ticket-holders, along with the 450 exhibition stands covering 70 years of historic motorsport on both two wheels and four – on road, off road and on track. Race Retro 2007 runs from 23-25 March at its usual venue of Stoneleigh Park, near Coventry. Advance one-day tickets cost £18.00 (and two-day tickets £32.00). See historicmotorsportshow.com or call the ticket hotline on 08701 262121.