Following its cancellation in 2024 due to flooding, Race Retro – run by Clarion Events – bounced back to promote and showcase club and national motorsport including all forms of circuit racing, rallying, speed hill climbs, and much, much more.
Annually, this event offers enthusiasts a fantastic platform to display iconic cars from four capacious exhibition halls interwoven with over 150 specialist motorsport suppliers of almost every motorsport need, all based at central and rural Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire.
Perennial Race Retro favorite is the interview stage where motorsport legends share key career highlights with their interviewer. This year, celebrities being interrogated included, from Rallying: 1967 Monte Carlo Rally winner Rauno Aaltonen, WRC co-driver Nicky Grist (above right) and former twice British Rally Champion, David Llewellin.
While from racing, fans were able to listen to BTCC adversaries Matt Neal and Jason Plato, multi-TVR champion Ian Flux, and former BRM F1 and Sportscar driver Mike Wilds (above) who vividly recalled driving Nissan’s R88 1400 bhp Le Mans prototype sports racer at 240 mph, through fog! Other fascinating interviews included motorsport book authors and Don Wales, a member of the Campbell land and water speed heritage dynasty as well as being BMC’s final competitions manager at Abingdon.
For those looking for a new competition or classic steed, there was a hall dedicated exclusively to Iconic Auctioneers who had amassed a vast selection of high-quality race, rally and classic road cars for sale in an eclectic catalog of almost 150 lots which included a Bentley GT campaigned at Pikes Peak, several Ford Mustang historic Racers, a stunning race winning semi lightweight Jaguar E-Type and a Porsche 993 GT2R with meagre delivery mileage!
Among Collectors’ Cars were the first ever McLaren Senna having clocked just over 1,000 miles, a one owner Ford RS200S, and a Porsche 911 GT3 RS with just delivery mileage. All these cars presented unique and potentially lucrative opportunities to potential investors.
On Saturday and Sunday, outdoor demonstrations featured the Rally Stage and Historic Karting, both attractions being particularly popular with visitors and participants as was the multifarious Autojumble, especially as this year stallholders and shoppers were spoilt with fully heated halls! But Race Retro is also acknowledged as a great opportunity for event organizers to network, and competitors and teams the chance to preview season’s plans to the media, who are always well-represented at this annual show.
Each year, Race Retro provides an essential opportunity to around 40,000 visitors including those closely involved to showcase all categories and levels of motorsport. Competitors, teams and event organisers who are currently competing in a relatively deflated market of diminishing competitors. So long may exhibitions of this sort continue to inject optimism and enthusiasm into the season ahead!
© Words Ken Davies & images courtesy of: Retro Speed & Ken Davies
