MotoFest Coventry celebrates ten-year anniversary
The event takes place tomorrow and Sunday
MotoFest Coventry will celebrate its tenth anniversary year with a turbo charged programme on the unique city centre sprint circuit with Group B Rally cars, competitive time trialling, vintage race cars, and the return of the ‘One Big Alarm’ vehicle parade.
On the unique MotoFest Coventry Sprint Circuit, created from the city’s ring road, Rallying With Group B, a community of enthusiasts, car owners and service suppliers, will stage dynamic displays of cars from rallying’s golden era, including the iconic Group B cars.
The era of the Group B Rally cars began in1982 and ended in 1986, but in just a four-year period they assumed legendary status. The Group B class saw a relaxation of the rules that allowed manufacturers to truly go all out with zero restrictions on horsepower, torque output and wildly pronounced aero kits.
It resulted in a class of ultra-powerful and extremely lightweight race cars that were both dazzling and dangerous in equal measure. They helped define one of the most significant eras in motorsport and at MotoFest Coventry, cars from the Group B Class will take visitors back in time as these motoring monsters take to the track again.
Further sprint circuit highlights will include the British Automobile Racing Club’s (BARC) Connaught Speed Championship Rounds 8 and 9, a now established part of MotoFest’s competitive motorsports programme, with time-trialling taking place on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
As in previous years, the sprint will see one practice run and one competitive run during the first sessions on Saturday and Sunday, followed by two competitive runs during a second session later each day.
The ‘One Big Alarm’, billed by organisers last year as the city’s Sunday morning “wake-up call”, will also make a noisy return to the festival. It will again see 30-plus UK and US police and emergency heritage vehicles make their way through the city with full sirens blaring, before entering on to the MotoFest circuit for a parade lap.
Further sprint circuit highlights include the traditional motorcycle Ride In, starting this year from The Shilton Arms, in Coventry, which will again be the curtain raiser for the weekend’s main festival programme.
As part of its 90th anniversary year, The Vintage Sports-Car Club (VSCC), will appear at MotoFest Coventry, as a prelude to their main celebrations later in the year.
VSCC members and their cars will attend MotoFest 2024 to take part in a series of dynamic and static displays, in what is set to be one of the most spectacular highlights of the festival.
MotoFest Coventry Festival Director, James Noble, said: “We are marking our ten-year anniversary with an action-packed programme of closed roads motorsport, dynamic displays and vehicle parades on MotoFest’s unique Ring Road Sprint Circuit.
“There are the BARC sprint championship rounds, Group B rally cars, vintage race cars, the One Big Alarm vehicle parade, the Ride-In and some soon to be announced special guest drivers and cars. It’s a line-up designed to celebrate our unique Ring Road Sprint Circuit and its place at the heart of the event.
“There really is something for everyone to enjoy, as we get revved up for a fantastic weekend full of turbo charged thrills and high-octane entertainment.”
As well as the BARC Connaught Speed Championship, MotoFest Coventry will also host an official round of the British Autotest championship. There will also be an array of modern and historic race vehicles performing in dynamic displays on the 1.6 mile sprint circuit in the Sports and Performance section of the programme.
MotoFest Coventry is a two-day festival dedicated to the city of Coventry’s motoring heritage, taking place on Saturday 1 June and Sunday 2 June. It will feature a unique blend of racing demonstrations, static displays, live music and anything else with a connection to Coventry, transport and the city’s motoring heritage.