Pre-63 GT

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Lotus Elite at the Donington Historic Festival

Lotus Elite at the Donington Historic Festival

Through relatively new in historic racing terms, the pre '63 GT race series has been a huge success. Beautiful GT cars from the late 1950s and early 1960s will grace the grid late on Friday afternoon to bring the curtain down on the opening day of the Donington Historic Festival. The ethos behind the series was to bring these sensational cars back into the racing limelight, with the focus on genuine cars in full race trim. Car owners reacted with enthusiasm and the 2013 calendar of high profile races start this weekend at the Donington Historic Festival with an hour-long, two-driver race with a packed grid. Heading the field is the winning car from 2012: the Ferarri 250 SWB driven by 1969 Le Mans winner Jackie Oliver and historic racing ace Gary Pearson. Though he turned 70 last summer, Oliver remains an accomplished racer and they make a formidable combination. A repeat victory seems very possible. In period, the 250 SWB was a very important GT race car and today the cars are extremely valuable. Yet there are five entered this weekend to deliver a real treat for fans, and joining the Oliver/Pearson car are the similar 250 SWBs of Clive Joy/Kilian Konig, Peter Neumark/David Franklin and Christian Dumolin/Christophe can Riet as well as the car of Swiss racer Conrad Ulrich and local legend Willie Green. The main opposition to the Ferraris is from British marques Jaguar and Aston Martin. At least seven Jaguar E-Types pack out the entry, headed by the cars of brother pairings Jon and Guy Minshaw and James and Jeremy Cottingham. The Cottinghams claimed a podium finish a year ago, while Jon Clark and Julian Bronson make another strong E-Type partnership. In a field of gems no less than sevem Lotus Elites and four Porsche 356s will battle over class glory. while Alfa Romeos, Morgans and Austin Healeys add yet more quality to this wonderful field.Tags: