N
o one could wish for a better
weekend than this. An electrifying
two days of racing at the sixth
annual Masters Historic Festival held at
the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.With
much excitement, adrenaline action and
the opportunity to see prestigious period
F1 and sports cars, the event held on the
26
th
and 27
th
May was definitely worth
attending.
This year, the festival was themed
around Formula 1, with cars dating back to
the 1930s. Thousands of touring car fans
joined organisers of the event to watch
Formula 1 racing veterans like Jackie Oliver,
Derek Bell and Howden Ganley compete
in cars that drove them to victory in
previous championships. The three star
drivers, who helped shaped racing history
in the 1970s, demonstrated their era on
the racing circuit.
Another veteran who attended the
weekend event, racing a Lotus Cortina on
the circuit was rally driver and racer John
Haugland. The Norwegian legend whose
career spans over four and a half decades
has rallied Skodas in Norway since the
mid-sixties. Through his successful racing
performances and classic wins on the RAC
Rally, Haugland helped repair the firm’s
reputation after Skoda was subjected to
negative criticism.
It was not just the veteran racing heroes
that took to the tracks.Twenty-two year old
New Zealander Brendon Hartley joined the
ranks in a variety of cars alongside fellow
countryman Roger Wills.The young racing
driver who got his first taste of Formula 1
at the age of 18 with Red Bull Racing, made
his GP Masters debut in RogerWills’ 1983
Lotus 92/5 and raced the 1967 McLaren
M1C in the Ocean Independence World
Sportscar Masters and the enormous 1965
Mercury Comet Cyclone in the Masters
Pre-66 Touring Cars race.
Walking around the paddock, the
atmosphere was alight with fascinating
cars, great racing and memory-provoking
sounds, especially for those who have
been around the racing circuit for years.
The event provided the chance to get up
close and personal with racing models
such as the pre-66 cars that produced a
spectacular and exciting performance in
the Gentlemen Drivers Pre-66 race and
prestigious cars like the Jaguar XJS and
XJ12C, and Rover Vitesse in the Masters
70
s Celebration/JD Classics Challenge.
These were the cars that had great success
in the ETCC as well as the British Saloon
Car Championship in the mid-1980s.
There was so much to see and enjoy
at the two day event with numerous
races such as the Nordea GP Masters,
the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association
Pre-66 F1 Cars, the CanAm Interserie
Challenge and the Royal Automobile Club
Woodcote Trophy.The GP Masters offered
a glimpse into the history of Formula 1 in
the 1970s and 1980s,while 1950s sport cars
added variety to the weekend. Fascinating
models were raced in the Nordea GP
Masters such as the March 701 and 721 in
the Jackie Stewart Class 1969-1971,Amon
F101 and Brabham BT44 in the Emerson
Fittipaldi Class 1972-1974, Shadow DN5
and McLaren M26 in the Niki Lauda Class
1975-1978,
and Arrows A3-3 and Lotus 80
in the Patrick Head Class Post 1978-1985
powered their way around the tracks in
their competing heats.
However, the race that got me really
excited was the CanAm Interserie
Challenge. Sport cars from the 1960s,
1970
s and 1980s and the invitation class for
C2 cars met together on the Grand Prix
circuit and presented a spectacular show as
well as a challenge. The series of McLaren,
Lola, Chevron, Lancia and Spice models
with their varied colours and monstrous
stature made the race a heart rendering
affair. The tension was high as each driver
pushed to beat their competitors. After
forty minutes of tearing around the tracks,
Roger Wills triumphed in his 1983 Lancia