Huge Field Entered for 2015 Festival of Speed

A huge field of historic racing cars, dating from the 1930s to the 1980s, will battle it out at the 2015 Winton Festival of Speed, 8-9 August, at the nation’s action track.More than 270 entries have been received for this year’s sixth running of the annual historic racing spectacular, which runs on the full, 3.0km national Winton circuit and is organised by the Victorian Historic Racing Register.Festival of Speed Chairman Ian Ross, himself a competitor in the event, is delighted to again receive such strong interest from competitors.“The Festival of Speed started back in 2010, and it has grown in popularity each year,” Mr Ross said.“This year is shaping up to be a fine race meeting, and we’re very pleased with the entry numbers across all categories.“We’ve made a few changes to the format this year to increase excitement for spectators and enjoyment for competitors.“For the last few years, there was a compulsory pit stop for the Group N feature race, but we’ve abolished it this year to minimise confusion for everyone watching, and maximise track time for the drivers.“We’re also delighted to have the HQ Holdens as part of the program this year, it will be the first time they’ve run at the event and they always produce close and exciting racing at Winton.The category with the largest field is Group S, which features classic production sports cars from iconic manufacturers including Porsche, MG, Alfa Romeo, TVR, Lotus, Chevrolet, De Tomaso and Triumph. Some 50 cars are entered across all the Group Sa, Sb and Sc sub-classes, which will hold individual sprint races before they all join together for the Rose City Tourist Trophy feature race on the Sunday.Ross will race his Shelby 350 in Group S, while his son Fraser, normally a competitor in the Porsche Carrera Cup Championship, will drive a Mustang in Group N.The oldest cars in the meeting will be the pre-war Group J and K race cars, which date back to the 1930s, while some of the early prototype cars, including various Cooper, Lola and Elfin models, will compete in the Lb Sports and Racing events.Fans of historic open-wheelers will also be well served, with historic 1960s Brabhams and Elfins to race in Group M and O, while cars with distinctive ground-effect aerodynamic kits, such as the March, Cheetah and Ralt, will battle it out in Group Q and R.In addition to the on-track activity, spectators will also be able to view an assortment of cars up close, with more than 150 vehicles set to be parked in static displays around the circuit.The Winton Festival of Speed is on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 August with gates opening at 7:00am each day.Admission is $30 for Saturday and $35 for Sunday, with children under 16 free.For more information on the Winton Festival of Speed, please visit the Victorian Historic Racing Register website.Check out the 2015 Winton Festival of Speed TV advert below: