Lord Charles March once again demonstrated his influence, and the power of motorsport in the U.K., when Central London came to a standstill on March 21st as 14 historically significant race and rally cars toured from Chelsea Hospital to Kensington, along the Thames Embankment, to provide the media a glimpse of what will be in store at this year’s Goodwood Festival and Revival.
The lead car was driven by no less than young F1 star Jenson Button, fresh from a fine drive in the Malaysia Grand Prix. However, this day he spent his time behind the wheel of a 1902 Renault Paris-Vienna Type K, a car in which Marcel Renault won the 1902 Paris-Vienna road race. Button spoke to VRJ, “ Driving that was quite an experience. First gear is very long, so as soon as you engage it, it’s going very quickly, and it does like going slowly. I really enjoyed it and hope I will get a chance to drive it again.”
Sir Stirling Moss was back behind the wheel of his Mille Miglia-winning Mercedes Benz 300SLR, this time accompanied by noted British F1 commentator Murray Walker. Walker said, “ It was my first ride in that car with Stirling. I had a ride in it at Mercedes, but if anyone had said before today I could have any car in the world with any driver, this is the combination I would have chosen…riding through London with Moss in the Mille Miglia Mercedes in Denis Jenkinson’s seat…it doesn’t get any better.”
Multiple Le Mans winner Derek Bell was behind the wheel of the Bentley EXP which was on the podium in June at the 24-Hour classic. Bell commented, “I haven’t driven the Bentley before, so that was a bit special. First gear is good for 108 mph so I couldn’t shift, and I just kept popping it into neutral. It powershifts up the gears by itself, but I was only doing about 8 mph.”
Another Le Mans winner, Dickie Attwood, was behind the wheel of Porsche’s 917, which seemed to be behaving itself, as was the Ferrari 250 LM handled by Lord March himself. British National Rally Champion Mark Higgins was piloting the Ford Focus which Carlos Sainz drove a few weeks earlier in Corsica, and gave the European Editor an extremely exciting ride back through the damp streets of Chelsea!
Honda, Renault and Mercedes will have a major presence at this year’s Festival of Speed, which will be held July 12-14. As in previous years, a host of racing stars will appear at what remains one of the best classic and historic car gatherings to be found anywhere.
Submitted by Ed McDonough
