The Southern Hemisphere’s largest historic racing occasion, the VHRR Phillip Island Basic, is shaping as much as be one other spectacular occasion in March 2024 attracting crowds of upwards of 25,000 over the lengthy weekend.
Scheduled for March 8-10, 2024, entries are flowing in from all components of Australia and New Zealand and there are already some distinctive Components 5000, Can-Am, and historic saloon automobiles confirmed for the occasion.
A powerful contingent from New Zealand consists of entries from the McLaren Group together with Tony Roberts McLaren M10A 300-09 – a automotive constructed for the introduction of the Components 5000 within the UK in 1969. The prototype M10A received the European Championship and dominated the second 12 months of worldwide F5000. Tony’s automotive, a 300-9 was initially equipped to Bob Esseks within the USA and first raced at Street America in July 1969. Tony has been racing numerous McLaren automobiles for greater than 25 years and was the stunt driver for the latest film, ‘McLaren’.
Grant Clearwater’s McLaren M10A 300-08 was initially constructed for Sir Nick Williamson in 1969 and raced on the worldwide hill climbs at St Ursanne-Les Rangiers and Ollon-Villars earlier than making its debut at Preston in September successful all three UK outings in late 1969. Rebuilt on the manufacturing unit to M10B specification it went on to win 4 championship rounds and took the British Hill Climb Championship.
The McLaren M10A 300-03 owned by Rob Ward may even be racing. It is a automotive that was entered within the 1969 US sequence however later crashed throughout follow for the race at Mont Tremblant. It was offered and restored and competed in of SCCA Nationwide Park and 5 Professional races.
Frank Karl’s McLaren M10B 400-185 was initially raced in South Africa by Alan McKechnie and later by a number of homeowners within the UK and raced by Len Booysen in 1975 for Workforce Domingo.
A automotive that obtained a whole lot of private enter from Bruce McLaren is the M10B 400-7 owned in New Zealand by Toby Annabel. This automotive was very profitable in smaller hill climbs and was used within the British Hill Climb Championship in 1974 and 1975.
Of explicit curiosity would be the McLaren Can-AM Sportscar M8B-1 owned by Alistair Hey as this automotive was developed for the 1969 Can-AM season the place it was completely dominant, successful 11 out of 11 rounds.
5 New Zealand primarily based tremendous touring and Group A automobiles may even be on the assembly together with Andy Greeslade’s Benson & Hedges RS500 Sierra. This automotive was the final of 5 Benson & Hedges Sierra’s and the one one inbuilt Australia with the purpose of successful the 1990 Bathurst 1000. It first raced in spherical 3 of the 1990 Australian Touring Automobile Championship and 7 weeks later was at Bathurst the place it competed with Tony Longhurst and ex-F1 champion Alan Jones setting a lap file for Mount Panorama nonetheless it didn’t end the precise race that 12 months.
Peter Sturgeon’s 1996 Honda Accord Supertourer was initially raced by David Leslie within the 1996 British Touring Automobile Championship, Neil Crompton within the 1997 North American Touring Championship and Graham Dodd within the 1998 Australian Tremendous Touring Championship.
Two extremely aggressive BMW Tremendous tourers owned by Steven Kelly and Dennis Chapman might be racing plus Scott O’Donnell’s 1995 Ford Mondeo Supertourer.
With such a powerful crew of New Zealand automobiles and drivers there isn’t any doubt that trans-Tasman rivalry might be to the fore with competitors coming from a few of Australia’s greatest drivers and automobiles together with upwards of 15 Australian Components 5000’s.
There might be eleven racing classes over the three day occasion offering spectacular curiosity on the observe for spectators together with as much as 1000 autos on show across the circuit
Extra info could be discovered on the VHRR website HERE.
