Autosport International proves a big hit with Motorsport Fans

As starts to the Motorsport year go, Autosport International never disappoints with something new introduced every year

2018 Marked the first time a top-tier FIA World Championship had launched at the show in its 27-year history, crowds were treated to unveils of four new 2018 season World Rally Cars: the M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC, Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, Toyota Gazoo Racing Yaris WRC and Citroën Racing C3 WRC.

Interviews took place with all four team principals, Malcolm Wilson, Michel Nandan, Tommi Mäkinen and Yves Matton respectively. Reigning WRC champion and M-Sport Ford driver, Sébastien Ogier said: “It's fantastic to launch the new WRC series at Autosport International in front of so many true motorsport enthusiasts. Myself and the rest of the M-Sport team are really looking forward to Rallye Monte-Carlo later this month.”

Another major highlight of the 2018 show was Ferrari's main feature, which was revealed to the public for the first time on day one. Showcasing the range of cars available through Corse Clienti, Ferrari's exclusive client racing programme, this centrepiece was a must-see with the star of the stand being Ferrari's 2017 Ferrari F1 car, named SF70H to mark Scuderia Ferrari's 70th anniversary.

The car collected five race wins, 20 podiums, five pole positions on its way to scoring a total of 522 points between World Champion drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen in the 2017 season.

The SF70H joins the 2004 championship-winning F2004, 2017 LMGTE Pro World Endurance Championship-winning AF Corse 488 GTE, FXX-K Evo and the 488 Challenge cars.

There were some famous Ferrari faces too, with 2017 World Endurance Championship GTE Pro champions James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi making an appearance on the Autosport Stage.

Ginetta took the wraps off its LMP1 challenger that will race in the World Endurance Championship and Le Mans 24 Hours this year. Called the G60-LT-P1, it's Ginetta's “most advanced car in the company’s history”, producing 650bhp from its 3.4-litre V6 Mecachrome engine and has a maximum speed of 225mph.
Another major launch took place in the shape of Invictus Games Racing. A collaboration between James Holder, Co-Founder of the successful clothing brand Superdry, and the Invictus Games Foundation, it will see a select group of wounded, injured and sick (WIS) veterans of the British Armed Forces compete in the 2018 British GT Championship as part of a new motor racing team in specially-designed Jaguar sports cars.

Holder commissioned Jaguar's Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division to develop and build two bespoke F-TYPE SVR racing cars to GT4 specification for the Invictus Games Racing drivers to compete in.

Invictus Games Racing revealed the vehicles at Autosport International, racers which have been in top secret development for over a year.

It was back-to-back star names over at the Autosport Stage, with appearances from a host of famous faces, including former Williams Martini Racing F1 test driver Susie Wolff. “It's been two years since we launched the Dare to Be Different campaign here at Autosport International,” she said. “We're making a real impact inspiring more and more women to get into motorsport and driving equality on and off the track.”

Other star names on the Autosport Stage were former F1 driver Derek Warwick and DTM driver Gary Paffett. Meanwhile, over in the Live Action Arena, Billy Monger was partnering Terry Grant and the Mission Motorsport team performing a series of nail-biting stunts across all four days at Autosport International. Four Jaguar F-Type cars were taking to the arena performing a set of dynamic stunts in front of a packed audience.

Saturday – Nigel Mansell CBE had been the star attraction at Autosport International, opening the show to a packed crowd and regaling visitors to the Autosport Stage with stories from his long career.

F1 World Champion in 1992 and IndyCar Cart Champion in 1993, Mansell is one of the most-loved British racing drivers in history. Having started his career in Formula Ford, Mansell entered F1 in 1980 with Lotus, mentored by the legendary Colin Chapman.

“Colin was like a second father to me,” Mansell explained. “I was a qualified engineer so we spoke the same language. He was such a marvellous man, very charismatic and so clever. It was a huge shame that he died so young, I would have certainly stayed at Lotus otherwise.

Although it was a Williams' FW14B that took him to his F1 World Championship win, Mansell's favourite F1 cars were the fearsome turbocharged machines of the Eighties. “You had upwards of 1,500bhp, wheelspin in sixth gear at 170mph+. They were absolute beasts, always trying to throw you off the circuit.

“The turbo lag was so much that you could count one, two, three before the power chimed in. If it came in before you wanted it, you would spin off into the wall.”

The last F1 driver to be personally signed by Enzo Ferrari, Mansell entered the 1990 season with a fast but unreliable car and did not expect to finish the first race. “John Barnard had done a fantastic job with that car but the semi-automatic gearbox was letting us down. It was incredible to win in Rio, just a miracle. It took us another six or seven races to finish the full distance.

“The generosity of the Ferrari team was fantastic,” Mansell told the audience. “They wanted me to help develop the Testarossa road car. I drove it on the circuit and told the engineers to soften the front suspension. Two weeks later a brand new Testarossa arrived on my drive.”

Other star names on the Autosport Stage were works Aston Martin Racing drivers Darren Turner and Jonny Adam plus ex-F1 driver Karun Chandhok. There were stars of tomorrow too, with British F3's Jamie Chadwick – the first ever female and youngest winner of the British GT Championship – alongside 2017 British F3 Champion Enaam Ahmed.

In the 60th year of the BTCC, fans of saloon car racing were treated to a selection of current and historic machinery from the championship's past in Hall 6 (Stand 6740). Five BTCC champions – Ashley Sutton, Matt Neal, Gordon Shedden, Colin Turkington and Andrew Jordan – were in attendance to join in the celebrations.

The 2018 HMS Racing Alfa Romeo and the Power Maxed Racing cars had been taking pride of the place over the course of the four-day show, along with the Motorbase Ford Focus. The feature also playing host to a selection of historic BTCC racers from the series' past, including the legendary Rover SD1 raced by Steve Soper in 1983, an Alfa 155 which took Gabriele Tarquini to championship glory in 1994 and a Lotus Cortina.

Over at the Coys auction, there was a stunning mix of road and race cars going under the hammer. Highlights of the sale included a 1993 Ferrari F40 Michelotto LM Specification (it sold for £850,000), a 2005 Mercedes CLK DTM (one of only 40 RHD examples, it sold for £200,000), a 1996 Porsche 993 Turbo X50 (£150,000), a 1975 Ferrari 365 GT4/BB (£270,000) and a 1957 Austin A35 HRDC Race Car, recently driven by Sir Chris Hoy at Goodwood (£24,000).

The final day of Autosport International played host to multiple motorsport world champions, high performance race and road cars and thrilling stunts.

Once again it was Nigel Mansell CBE who was the star of the show, the former Lotus, Williams, Ferrari F1 and IndyCar CART driver underlining just why he's one of the most-loved British racers in history, drawing enormous crowds to the Autosport Stage.

Mansell talked about his very special relationship with the Silverstone circuit. “The 1992 Silverstone Grand Prix weekend will always remain in my memory because of the fans. It was a fantastic time, camping in the centre of the circuit, having BBQs and playing cricket, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of British racing enthusiasts.”

Of the Williams-Renault FW14B, the car that took him to the championship, he said: “It was a phenomenal car. A very physical machine.”

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Mansell's IndyCar CART championship win, which came about because Williams decided not to renew Mansell's contract at the end of the 1992 season. “When one door closes another opens,” he explained. “And that was IndyCar in 1993. I had a real adventure in America with Paul Newman and Carl Haas. Compared to the FW14B, the Lola-Cosworth was basic but very, very fast. At races like the Michigan 500 you averaged 233mph and some of the circuits there were some of the most dangerous I ever raced on.”

He continued: “There's a saying in Indycar: 'There are two types of people. Those who have hit the wall and those who are going to.' And I found that out at Phoenix, punching a 3ft hole in a concrete barrier.”
Asked what his best achievement has been, Mansell replied: “With the amount of injuries I've sustained in my career and the number of drivers who are sadly no longer with us, I'm very proud that I'm still around. And to be able to give back to the industry which gave me so much.”

Other star names on the Autosport Stage were Gil de Ferran, who won the Champ Car Series in 2000 and 2001 and was the winner of the 2003 Indianapolis 500. In 2017, he coached Fernando Alonso when the McLaren-Honda driver decided to compete in the Indy 500.

“My job was not to teach him how to drive but to try and give him as much information as I could to speed up his adaption to the track,” de Ferran explained. “And he was up to speed pretty much immediately. Fernando is a very complete racing driver. His attention to detail is enormous. He is good with the team and with controlling his own emotions.”

Ex-F1 driver Karun Chandhok talked about his role with Williams Heritage which sees the racer get behind the wheel of some of the most famous Williams racers of all time. “Williams Heritage re-builds, restores and then sells some of its older racing cars to collectors from around the world,” Chandhok explained. “And I'm lucky enough to get to demonstrate them – and coach the new owners.

Mansell's FW14B was one car I always dreamt about driving. It is just an incredible machine.”
Over at the Performance Car Show, it was a feast of road and racing cars with Motor1.com's stand proving a hit with the crowds, featuring 3,000bhp of high performance machinery.

Its line-up has included the latest Porsche 911 GT3, now available with a manual gearbox, alongside the racing version. There were UK debuts from the VW Golf GTI TCR – a 345bhp competition version of the road car – and the new, facelifted Ford Fiesta ST, which now packs a 197bhp three-cylinder turbocharged engine. The stand was completed by the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 – the fastest four door saloon to ever lap the Nurburgring – Mission Motorsport's Jaguar F-Type 'Poppy Car' and McLaren's 570S GT4 race car.

Once again a fabulous show with iconic machinery and charismatic drivers and team owners. A show not to be missed and a worthy season opener