Photo: Giddings Maserati 250 F at Laguna SecaThe 2011 New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing celebrating the ultra-successful career of Kiwi ace Chris Amon blasts off this weekend at Hampton Downs and promises motorsport enthusiasts an unrivalled two weekends of classic racing and the best ever gathering of cars raced by Amon himself.
Amon himself will attend both weekends and will actually demonstrate several priceless cars that he raced or raced against in decades gone by. These will include iconic racers such as the Maserati 250F the Ferrari 246T and Formula One and Formula 5000 machinery. An ex F1 March driven by Chris will also be on display, and has been transported directly from the UK for the occasion, having spent the past quarter of a century on display on the wall at the world famous Donington Park Race Car Collection.
There will also daily lunchtime ‘Chris Amon Parades’ where Chris will be taken by the NZ Ferrari Owner’s Club cars to lead a brief on-track line up of his former cars. Chris will also be available to sign copies of the new book ‘Chris Amon – a celebration of a Kiwi Icon’ to be published and released at the Festival.
There is a huge entry of cars from abroad, with many coming from the USA, UK and Europe to honour one of the greats in motorsport. Amon is widely acknowledged as one of the all time greats despite not winning an F1 Grand Prix. He got close many times, but was dogged by bad luck and poor reliability, but he proved his worth in Sports Cars – winning all of the big races including the legendary Le Mans 24 hours.
Over the two weekends there will be a host of famous names attending or racing, including Howden Ganley, Brett Riley, Angus Fogg, Graeme Lawrence and Formula One designers Adrian Reynard and Malcolm Oastler. Bikes also feature this first weekend, and heading the entry is another Kiwi legend Andrew Stroud.
Eleven classes will race each weekend. A class for 1980s saloons and GTs has been added with several 1980s Group A cars - some of the most popular saloons ever to race - confirmed. Classic racing motorcycles will also compete over the first Hampton Downs weekend, with the ever popular Muscle Cars gracing the stage the following weekend.
"Bikes will attract special interest on the first weekend for people who follow classic pre ’63 bikes and who want to enjoy racing as it was in the 1950s early 60s when motorcycles were always part of a combined cars and bikes race programme," explained Festival organiser Jim Barclay. "The second weekend will be a chance to see Muscle cars in place of bikes, plus the other 10 classes from the previous weekend."
The choice of back-to-back weekends at one track is unusual, but an idea that is proving to be a popular with domestic and particularly international competitors.
"Competitors can tour our brilliant NZ scenery between meetings and come back to their cars still set up in the same pit garages and the overwhelming majority of domestic and international racers - we are expecting greater numbers all round that the first Festival - say that is great for them and their teams.
