for Welsh Classic
The most significant historic race meeting ever held in Wales will be the Historic Sports Car Club's Welsh Classic at Pembrey over the weekend of 12/13 July.
The race meeting at the Welsh Motorsport Centre is intended to be the first in a series of annual events aimed at cars of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s and an excellent entry of more than 150 cars will gather for a programme of 17 races, 14 of them throughout Sunday as most of the categories have a double-header weekend.
Some of the best action is likely to come from the ByBox Historic Racing Saloon Championship and a number of the racers will head to Pembrey fresh from contesting a support race at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone the previous weekend. Leading contenders include Robert Hartley (Ford Mustang), Dan Cox (Lotus Cortina), Neil Wood (Ford Anglia) and Roger Cope (BMW 1800), while five Mini Coopers will be chasing the more powerful cars, including local racer David Dunnell from Pentre Cwrt in Carmarthenshire.
The Formula 3 cars of the late 1970s will make a stunning sight in two of the fastest races of the weekend, with a double-header for the BP Ultimate Classic Formula 3 Championship. The lead battle is likely to feature another fine contest between Benn Simms (March 803B) and Bill Coombs (Argo JM6), while the entry also includes the ex-Nelson Piquet Ralt RT1 of Mike Simpson.
More top single-seater racing will come in rounds of the Millers Oils Historic Formula Junior Championship, the Grandstand Historic FF1600 Championship, the Chartland Classic Racing Car Championship and the new Historic FF2000 Series. Meanwhile, a modest field of spectacular single-seater racing cars will contest the Derek Bell Trophy race, including several Formula 5000 racing cars from the early 1970s. This is thought to be the first time that the 5-litre monsters have ever raced in Wales.
Production sports cars feature prominently, with rounds of the Historic Road Sports Championship for cars of the late 1950s and 1960s as well as a round of the 70s Road Sports Championship. Carrying local hopes will be Martin Edridge from Llantwit Major near Cardiff in his mighty 5.7-litre Ford Mustang of 1969 vintage.
Completing the programme is a race for the Guards Trophy Championship for sports and GT cars of the 1960s. With pit-stops and optional driver changes, the 45-minute race will close Saturday's programme and has a wonderfully varied entry covering classics like Jaguar E Types, Chevron B8s and Lotus 23Bs.
On Saturday, qualifying starts at 9.30am and the first of three races is at 3.15pm. On Sunday, the first of 14 races is at 9am.
