Rockingham's blast-off from the past

The Coys Historic Festival will be held at Rockingham on May 26-28 and will use the 2.6-mile road course - as well the 1.5-mile oval track on which the 250mph American Champ Car series will race four months later.

"Although Rockingham is a brand new, state-of-the-art venue we're very aware that we're a part of Britain's extensive motor racing heritage," said Rockingham's marketing director Christopher Tate. "Our new venture with Coys of Kensington aligns us with the acknowledged experts in the field of historic racing.

"The combination of our joint resources will mean we can create some great events and great spectacles, not just for the historic racing experts, but also for a whole new generation of fans. We believe this event will rapidly become a key fixture on the calendar."

The race meeting will cater for American and European historic single-seaters, saloons and sports cars. The event will also include a demonstration of the pre-war racing machines last seen on a banked track in Britain at Brooklands, which closed on the eve of World War II.

"We are delighted to be able to announce this exciting joint venture with Rockingham" said Jeffrey Pattinson, Chairman of Coys. "We spend much of our time surrounded by past motor sports history - now we are actually making it.

"The event will have many old favourites, but also many exciting surprises - mixing US and British racing history, with oval racing as well as Grand Prix cars. We have some great races and terrific demonstrations planned, so we look forward to making many more exciting announcements, both on this first event and our new partnership as a whole."