This year’s Phillip Island Classic-‘Festival of Motorsport’ will be an outstanding event with some of the finest historic cars from around the world competing on the world renowned Grand Prix Circuit at Phillip Island from 10 to 12 March.
Not only are there six classic Formula One cars from Europe including the 1972 Surtees TS16/02, the Shadow DN8, the Tyrrell 012, the Ensign N179, the Lotus 81, and the Hesketh 308-1, racing some of the finest historic race cars in Australia but there are four spectacular sports cars also from Europe.
The sports cars include Leon Ebeling’s 1962 Shelby Cobra 289, Steve Brooks Lola T70 Mk 3b, Ludovic Caron’s Chevron B31 and Andrew Newall’s 1966 Chevron B6- a multiple World Championship Car in which Andrew won the 2015 FIA Masters Historic Sports Car Championship.
The Chevron B24 driven by Tom Tweedie has the distinction of being the first type of Formula 5000 car to beat the Formula 1 machines in a combined event, this occurring at Brands Hatch in 1973 after Peter Gethin had also won the regular Formula 5000 race. With the entry of Tim Perryman in the 1979 Lola 332 Larrouse, in which Australian past World Champion Allan Jones finished 4th on 1979 Australian Grand Prix at Oram Park Raceway, we will see two of the fastest Formula 5000 cars in Australian competing against the international Formula 1’s.
Also competing will be the very rare 1962 Ferrari 196 SP Dino which was raced in the 1962 Sebring 12 Hours by the North American Racing Team. The first of the mid/rear-engine Ferrari’s, it was one of only five that were built and is the only one surviving. The car continued to race with success in major events in Europe and USA before passing into the hand of some of the prominent collectors before recently arriving in Australia.
From the USA, the well-known and highly competitive 1959 Old Yellar Mk 2 raced by Ernie Nagamatsu will once again make an appearance at the Phillip Island Circuit.
A feature race on the Sunday competitors in the Formula Ford category will race for the Perkins Cup in honour of legendary Australian driver Larry Perkins.
On the Sunday the Phillip Island Classic-‘Festival of Motorsport’ will feature two international events with more than forty Formula Fords on the grid with entrants from, New Zealand, Ireland, USA and UK competing against Australian drivers. The second international race on the Sunday we will see the six international Formula 1 cars racing against four of Australia’s Formula 1 cars.
On static display at the circuit will be a number of world famous feature cars including Allan Jones 1979 World Championship Williams; the March 701 driven by Italian past World Champion Mario Andretti; an Indy car driven by four times winner of the Indianapolis 500 Rick Mears and a 1985 Ferrari 156/85.