The 34th annual Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport roars back into life this weekend, with an incredible ensemble of exotica collated from around the world set to converge at the southern hemisphere’s biggest all-historic race meet.

Last year’s event was big, but this one is shaping up like the days of old, with international visitors dropping in Downunder to compete.

A sign of the scale of the festivities, it encompasses a full four-day program, with Thursday’s practice followed by qualifying on Friday morning, with two and a half days of racing kicking off on Friday afternoon.

The icing on the cake is that Victoria has called a public holiday for Monday so patrons can recover!

On track, action will consist of classes such as Q & R Racing, F5000 & Indy Cars, Including Historic F1 cars, Q & R Sports, M & O Sports & Racing, Formula Ford, Group C & A, Group S, Historic Touring Cars, J, K and Lb Sports & Racing and Invited Formula Vee, plus Regularities.

Picking a highlight is tough, but the Historic F1 Grand Prix race will be difficult to beat, with the 8-lap encounter scheduled for lunchtime Sunday.

There are plenty of imports to add to the local collection of GP machines, which will make for a surefire spectacle.

The international guests include Ian Simmonds (UK), who will be here in his Tyrell 012, Martin O’Connell (UK) Shadow DN8, Steve Boultbe Brooks (UK) Lotus 81, Marc Devis (Belgium) Surtees TS16, and Paul Tattersall (UK) Ensign MN09.

Period drivers of those machines include Derek Bell, Jean-Pierre Jabouille, Jochen Mass, Carlos Pace, Dieter Quester, John Watson, Alan Jones, Jean-Pierre Jarier, Jackie Oliver, Riccardo Patrese, Tom Pryce, Clay Regazzoni, Michele Alboreto, Stefan Bellof, Martin Brundle, Stefan Johansson, Danny Sullivan, Derek Daly, Marc Surer, Elio de Angelis, Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Guy Edwards, Harald Ertl, and James Hunt

So, it’s fair to say, they carry some significant history.

From the local ranks will be the likes of Josh Kean (Benetton F1), Guido Belgiorno-Nettis (1985 Ferrari) and Ian Ross (1985 Lola).

Adding to the topflight open wheel pedigree will be cars such as Jason Clements’ ex-Al Unser Jr Indycar, plus Thomas Tweedie behind the wheel of his family’s beastly Chevron B24/28, and Malcolm Oastler in his Ralt RT1.

Elsewhere, in the big banger sports cars, expect entries to include Le Mans legends like the Porsche 962, Chris Bowden’s BMW M1 Procar, Tim Macrow in a quick little Prosport 3000, Boultbe Brooks in a Lola T70, and Ludovic Caron from France in a Chevron B31.

If big-name drivers are your thing, then plenty of star power is on the entry list.

Starting at the top, Steven Richards and Greg Murphy will line up in Group A Nissan Skylines, with a quality field of originals, including Tony Karanfilovski in a Ford Sierra, and Paul Stubber in his Mazda RX-7.

Darcy Russell will mix it up in Historic Nc aboard his Mustang, alongside Brad and Jamie Tilley in Mustangs, Darren Hossack in a Mazda RX2, Tony Hubbard (Chevrolet Camaro), Paul Stubber (Camaro), Scotty Taylor (Holden Torana XU-1), while Aldo De Paoli (Camaro) will no doubt be a frontrunner.

Meanwhile, in the Group S ranks will be Porsche-mounted James Calvert-Jones and Geoff Morgan, in a class that genuinely turns on great racing from a diverse mix of marques.

These quick run-downs merely scratch the surface – if you are a race fan in the area over the weekend, it is well worth dropping by the Island.

Outside of the racing, there will be parades, plus a massive array of sideshows and attractions around the Phillip Island property that add genuine value for visitors.

Want more information? Head to the VHRR website for all of the details.