The Masters Festival, running over the Whitsun Bank Holiday weekend in May, was unveiled during the major pre-season media day at Brands Hatch yesterday (Thursday 14 February).
The three-day festival of historic motor racing is a highlight event on the 2008 Brands Hatch calendar and was promoted alongside events like the World Touring Car Championship and A1 GP race weekends.
The Masters Festival is, in fact, two events in one. On Saturday (24 May), competitors in the Top Hat Masters categories will be in action on the famous Indy circuit. Then, on Sunday and Monday (25/26 May), the focus switches to the mighty Grand Prix circuit with races for the full spectrum of Masters categories.
Headlining the racing will be Grand Prix Masters, which puts 3-litre F1 cars of the 1970s back onto a track that witnessed some of the most famous Formula 1 races of the decade. The rare spectacle of period Grand Prix cars in action on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix track will be an unforgettable experience for drivers and fans alike.
The event will feature an association with Lola Cars, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and who will now sponsor the World Sportscar Masters races at this meeting.
Off-track, the Coys Auction will be held on the Sunday afternoon, May 25th at 16.30 hours with a major catalogue of F1, sports and GT racing machinery, classic road cars, as well as a large automobilia selection.
“We are hugely excited to be holding the Masters Brands Hatch Festival again,” said Series Director Christopher Tate. “Last year’s event was a major success and we will be bigger and better this year. Saturday’s touring car-dominated Indy Circuit meeting gives our UK members great racing whilst keeping costs under control. Then we will showcase the best international historic racing over the remaining two days.
“Jonathan Palmer and the MSV team are hugely supportive of this event; it’s a major boost for us to be included in this media day alongside high-profile international events, but we are confident that our races will be just as good, if not better, than those for more modern machinery.
On show at the media day were four cars from the Masters series, giving a flavour of the cars that will be thrilling the fans in May. The ex-Ronnie Peterson March 761 was flanked by a mighty Lola T70, a Ford Falcon and an AC Cobra as the Masters cars grabbed plenty of media attention.
