Report and photos by Tim Surman
Over the 2013 Easter weekend, Thruxton race circuit in Hampshire UK, held the inaugural Thruxton Easter Revival. It’s always special to be at the first of any event, it would be almost a badge of honour to say that you were at the first Goodwood Festival of Speed, or in this case the first race that was held at Thruxton.
The highlight or focus of the event would be the return of the Formula 2 cars, and thanks to HSCC, historic F2 cars raced and roared around the Hampshire based circuit once again. F2 cars originally raced at Thruxton in 1968, in only the circuit’s second meeting, a European Championship event. F2 back then attracted large crowds and top drivers, with many F1 drivers too. Jochen Rindt was the winner in 1968, then in 1969 and 1970 too. The final winner of this weekend’s fourteen races would be presented with the Jochen Rindt Memorial Trophy, orginally commissioned by the BARC after Jochen’s death in 1970.
Tiff Needell was reunited his Lotus 69 Formula Ford, the car that he had won when he was 19 years old, in an Autosport competition in 1973, and sold after 90 races in 1973. 40 year later he was back in the driving seat and in the Historic Formula Ford race to finally finish 3rd.
A full grid for the tin tops, with a 40-minute race, full of MGBs, Trimuph TR4s, TVRs and more in the Guards Trophy, continuing with the Super Touring Car races and Honda Accords, Alfa Romeo 156, Ford Sierra RS500 and a very sideways single Ford Mustang.
Bill Coombs, Managing Director of Thruxton, has been wanting to hold a Historic meeting at Thruxton for a while and with the history of the Easter F2 meeting, the first Thruxton Easter Revival was a great success. We can all look forward to another great annual historic meet to mark on our calendars — I’m already looking forward to next year.
Thruxton Easter Revival 2013 – Photo Gallery (click image for larger picture and description)
