Touring Car Celebration Set for Winton
The season of historic motorsport continues this weekend, with the VHRR’s Winton Festival of Speed set to not only celebrate 50 years of Ford versus Holden but also 60 years of the Ford Mustang.
Making an appearance at the event will be the Historic Group C & A Touring Cars, which are set to be joined by feature races for older generation Historic Group N machinery.
Last year, the Group N 50K Plate mini enduro attracted 40 entries, with the main prize claimed by Jamie Tilley.
The Group C & A field will feature Supercars team owner Peter Xibberas aboard the ex-Graeme Crosby VK Commodore, while the class will also include a smattering of Super Tourers, early-spec V8 Supercars and a Future Tourer.
The entry also includes Trevor Sheumack’s BMW Super Tourer, which has a storied history, both here and abroad.
The move to open up the field follows other trials for the concept, which included the Phillip Island Classic earlier this year.
Adding to the on-track roster will be a mix of contemporary and historic classes, including HQ Holdens, Historic Sports Sedans, MG and Alfa Romeo racing, Touring Car Tributes, Formula Ford, Formula Vee and other historic categories, such as Group S.
The Historic Sports Sedans, for pre-1986 cars, will be an interesting sight, with the prospective lineup featuring the ex-Bryan Thomson Mercedes Sports Sedan.
The 2024 event theme will be Ford versus Holden to celebrate 50 years of the mighty 1974 Ford Falcon XA Coupe, which won Bathurst with John Goss and the VHRR’s Kevin Bartlett, as well as the awesome Torana models such as the L34 and SLR/5000.
Gray’s Online will support various static displays, and many special vehicles are expected to take to the track in the different competition sections.
The Mustang celebration will focus on the early days of homegrown Mustang success, including Norm Beechey’s first Pony Car win in 1964, which was a world first for the nameplate.
In conjunction with VHRR supporter Shannon’s Insurance, there will be over 500 stunning car club vehicles on display around the venue’s parking lots, including a select group for the annual grand parade on Sunday.
Additionally, there will be plenty of hijinks just off the back straight, with Motorkhanas set to take over the skid pan on both days – a Group 5 event is slated for Saturday, followed by a Victorian State Championship round on Sunday.
As always with Winton, on-track camping is available for those looking to set up a swag.
Saturday or Sunday passes are $40 each, a weekend pass is $65, while children 17 and under are admitted free with a paying adult.
For those unable to be trackside, the event will be broadcast via V8 Sleuth.
Mark Walker (administrator)
A vastly experienced Motorsport Public Relations operator, journalist, commentator and photographer, Mark brings his unique angle to The Race Torque in both words and imagery. As well as serving as our key photographer on the ground at major events around Australia (and overseas), Walker will often chime in with his unique and pin-point sharp viewpoint of the racing world via the keyboard too.
