National novelties: Onyx F1 car and Donnelly's Mondello return
There were some unusual Formula 1 cars in demo action at Brands Hatch's Festival Italia last weekend, while a former F1 driver made a popular racing return at Mondello Park
Back on track: Onyx outing on anniversary
The last Monteverdi Onyx ORE-2 Formula 1 car was the star of the demonstration programme at Brands Hatch’s Festival Italia last weekend, exactly 33 years since the team folded after failing to qualify either car for the 1990 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Chassis 007 was driven at Brands by Henry Pearman and traces its origins to the West Sussex workshop run by Mike Earle, the driving force behind the Onyx name and who had already won the F3000 championship but was no longer involved at the time of the team’s demise.
Other cars in action in Kent were the Suzuka-winning Benetton B190 of John Reaks, Lorina McLaughlin’s ex-Michael Schumacher B192, an ex-Emerson Fittipaldi 1978 Copersucar F5A handled by Robert Spencer and Mark McAllister’s 1987 Arrows A10, although this made contact with the pitwall when "something broke and it turned right".
Donnelly's Mondello return: Chevron appearance
Donnelly took a podium alongside Owen in the B8
Photo by: Michael Chester
Former Lotus Formula 1 driver Martin Donnelly made a popular return to Mondello Park at the weekend as he joined Mark Owen in a Chevron B8 for the Irish International Grand Prix race as part of the Historic Festival.
True to form, Donnelly led early on and, despite a jumped-start penalty, the delighted duo visited the podium with third place.
INSIGHT: Club racing with an ex-Formula 1 driver
Donnelly has raced a variety of cars in the UK in recent seasons including a Lotus Elise and BMW 116.
Drought among the demos: Spice sighting
Drought and Dunne both had runs in the Spice at Mondello Park
Photo by: Michael Chester
Nicole Drought, fresh from a second-place finish in the EnduroKa series at Snetterton the previous weekend, demonstrated a Group C2 Spice-Hart SE86 from the circuit’s Martin Birrane Collection on a number of occasions at the Mondello Park Historic Festival.
She was joined on circuit by David Kennedy in the rare Ford C100 and circuit sporting director Ian Beatty in a BMW M1 Procar, while GB3 star Alex Dunne also had a run in the glorious-sounding Spice.
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