Two new venues and a return to popular historic festivals give shape to Masters Historic Racing’s European calendar for 2018, as it takes its core championships to eight events, with all five of its categories being represented at the prestigious Silverstone Classic for the first time.
The first venue on Masters’ 2018 tour will be the Motor Legend Festival at former Grand Prix venue Imola, Italy, on April 20-22. This is the first of two new venues for the Masters Championships. The FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship (above, Michael Krause photo courtesy of Masters Historic Racing), FIA Masters Historic Sports Car Championship and the new Masters Endurance Legends will all hit the track in Italy, as will the Gentlemen Drivers and Masters Pre-66 Touring Car categories.
After Imola, Masters heads back to the UK with its traditional Festival at Brands Hatch, May 26-27. All five grids will be represented at the former home of the British Grand Prix for an event that always delivers action and a big home crowd.
For the third stop of its European tour, Masters will head to another new track as the stunning venue of Most in the Czech Republic hosts the June 22-24 Most Historic Grand Prix. The two FIA Championships, plus Gentlemen Drivers and Masters Pre-’66 Touring Cars will tackle this new venue nestled in the countryside just 90 minutes from Prague. It’s a circuit that will be new to all but a few Masters competitors.
Next come two of historic motor racing’s longest-established events: the Silverstone Classic and the Nürburgring Oldtimer Grand Prix. The Silverstone Classic on July 20-22 will allow Masters the opportunity to run all five of its categories at the Home of British Motor Racing, including an into-the-dusk race for the Masters Endurance Legends.
Now in its 46th year and the longest-running historic festival, the Oldtimer Grand Prix on August 10-12 at Germany’s Nürburgring is likely to host four Masters Historic grids: Formula One, Historic Sports Cars, Endurance Legends and Gentlemen Drivers. The Oldtimer GP always produces a great atmosphere and excellent racing with a tremendous mix of cars.
The Zandvoort Historic Grand Prix is set for August 31-September 2. The Dutch seaside circuit has embraced historic racing over the last few seasons and, with an enthusiastic and knowledgeable crowd, it is a perfect backdrop for historic racing!. The FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship will be joined by the FIA Masters Historic Sports Car Championship, Gentlemen Drivers and Masters Pre-66 Touring Car categories.
The Spa Six Hours is another successful historic racing weekend and will play host once again to the five Masters categories on September 14-16. The final Masters race weekend, where the championships will likely be decided, takes place at Dijon-Prenois, France, on October 12-14. This will mark a return to Dijon as Masters categories last raced there in 2015, and all five championships will hit the track at the Dijon Motor Cup.
The full schedule:
March 22 – Masters Test Day – Brands Hatch, UK
April 20-22 – Motor Legend Festival – Imola, Italy
May 26-27 – Masters Historic Festival – Brands Hatch, UK
June 22-24 – The Most Historic Grand Prix – Most, Czech Republic
July 20-22 – Silverstone Classic – Silverstone, UK
August 10-12 – Oldtimer Grand Prix – Nürburgring, Germany
Aug 31-Sept 2 – Historic Grand Prix – Zandvoort, Holland
September 14-16 – Spa Six Hours – Spa, Belgium
October 12-14 – Dijon Motors Cup – Dijon, France
For further information lease visit www.mastershistoricracing.com
