Why I've signed the motorsport noise petition

BLIPPING the throttle on a Jaguar F-type, hearing the scream of that supercharged V8 and the lovely crackle from the exhaust overrun is one of those things I reckon I’d never get tired of doing. 

It’s a truly beautiful bit of automotive acoustics, but I reckon if I moved next door to your house and did it repeatedly, day after day, you’d start to find even the F-type’s sonorous song a bit annoying after a while. It’s the same story with anyone who thinks they can get away with playing with the Black Eyed Peas in the next room – noise, when you’re not expecting it, is utterly annoying and thoroughly deserving of a strongly-worded Post-It Note.

But what if you move somewhere where a bit of racket is to be expected – in fact, where a bit of racket is actually encouraged? I reckon that’s a different story. Luckily, about 36,000 of you happen to agree with me, which is why an ongoing petition to protect motor racing circuits from people who move in next door and then complain about the noise is well on its way to getting debated at Westminster.

I completely get where the likes of Mallory Park, brought to its knees two years ago by a noise-related complaint, and Mildenhall Stadium, which is currently fighting its next door neighbours in the Supreme Court, are coming from. You can’t just move in across the street from a motor racing circuit that’s been there for years, find it a bit annoying and then take the operators to the cleaners.

I grew up in a house less than a mile from RAF Woodvale, which has been there since Spitfires were taking off and predates the nearby homes by at least 30 years.  Equally, the place I put my head down for the night during the working week is less than 50 yards from the A1, and I’m not exactly in a position to moan about what’s been the road from London to Edinburgh since the Romans set up shop here. If I didn’t like either, I’d just move somewhere else.

If you value going to somewhere like Oulton Park or Donington and you enjoy watching racing, then go online and sign the petition. Britain is the de facto motorsport capital of the world – just ask all the F1 teams based within an hour of Silverstone – and it needs protecting from the numpties next door.

David Cameron has given great street racing events the green light

IMAGINE the sight of a Jaguar D-type doing battle with a Ferrari 250 TR, or perhaps a pair of Caterhams ducking and diving as they fight for the perfect line through a tight corner.

It’s an entertaining enough prospect to make you book a ticket for Brands Hatch or Silverstone, but what about watching some proper, full-throttle action on, say, Ormskirk’s one-way system? Well, thanks to the concerted efforts of some racing buffs and a largely unexpected move by the Prime Minister, it’s not as far-fetched as you might think.

Last Friday, seemingly out of nowhere, David Cameron announced he was going to give local authorities the green light to close off public roads for motorsport events. In other words, the powers-that-be are free to close off your nearest high street, suspend the normal speed limits for an afternoon, and stage races – or time trials or sprints, for that matter – for your entertainment.

Personally, I think it’s a corking idea. Having long been involved with West Lancashire’s efforts to re-enact the street racing glamour of Monaco, the Ormskirk MotorFest, I’ve asked for years why the road closures can’t be used for something a bit more dramatic than parades of old cars and motorbikes. The local authorities liked the idea.

The event organisers seemed up for it. The petrolhead public – who were already sold on the idea of seeing a 1978 Saudia-Williams F1 car tootling past the parish church – were all in favour. Yet, thanks to an obscure clause in a bit of legislation passed more than 25 years ago, shutting off a road and using it for racing was very much against the law.

That’s why a display of sports cars in Ormskirk town centre last Saturday to promote this year’s MotorFest couldn’t have been more perfectly timed. By sheer coincidence, the team behind one of the few shows in the country which actually puts racing cars on real roads were showing off cars to the town’s shoppers, the day after the Prime Minister effectively gave them permission to up the stakes.

Mike Ashcroft, chairman of event organisers Aintree Circuit Club, told me: "The announcement is excellent news, because that aspect of the law has been the single biggest stumbling block for events like the MotorFest, which is now attracting more than 30,000 people into Ormskirk every year.

"The event brings so much money into the town centre, and hopefully this change will give other local councils the confidence to host their own events in other parts of the country. I think there could definitely be an Ormskirk MotorFest with a more competitive element in the future, as long as there the people in place to organise it."

By all means don’t hold your breath; there won’t be any flat-out, fully-fledged racing battles on Ormskirk’s one-way system at this year’s event, but it’s great to know Ormskirk – or a street near you – could play host to some Monaco-esque motorsport magic in years to come. I’m really looking forward to it.

Why this special edition BMW M5 will be one to remember

BMW has celebrated the 30th anniversary of a performance car institution by unveiling its most powerful production model ever.

The BMW M5 30 Jahre – roughly translated into English as 30 Years of the BMW M5 – is a special edition of the flagship saloon which offers up 600bhp from its 4.4 litre V8 engine, 40bhp more than the standard model.

While that might not sound much in an era when the world's fastest production car, the Hennessey Venom GT, pumps out more than twice that, but it's worth remembering that the M5's V8 now produces just 27bhp less than the BMW Motorsport V12 used to propel the McLaren F1 to 241mph. It also means the new special-edition M5 can haul you, three of your closest petrolhead friends and their luggage to 60mph in just 3.9 seconds - yes, the Nissan GT-R is faster, but it's nowhere near as practical.

Just 30 of them, costing £91,890 each, will be imported into the UK It's also fairly safe to assume this extremely-limited edition M5 will become one of the more sought after offerings from BMW's Motorsport Division, joining the likes of the E30 M3 Evolution and the E46 M3 CSL as one of those Munich performance machines which attracts a cult following among fans of BMW's ballsier offerings.

Since the car’s introduction in 1984 there have been five generations of the M5, which are all versions of the regular 5-Series saloon tuned by BMW’s Motorsport division.

Not one, but two great Lancashire car shows

THAT bit of the A59 between Burscough and Maghull was my passport to petrolhead joy over the weekend. For a change I had not one, but two great car shows right on our doorstep to check out!

Yet – even if you’re someone with Castrol R coursing through your veins – these two events couldn’t have been more different. If you’re a car-loving Champion reader they were both within easy reach, but they’re emphatically the chalk and cheese of motoring. That’s why – even though I only had a day to do it – I had to go to both.

That’s why last Saturday morning you’d have found me wondering around the golf course up the road from Aintree Racecourse, with the grandstands where I’d lost a small fortune on some horses just a few weeks earlier still fresh in my memory. I was, however, totally in my element with the horsepower Aintree was offering up this time around – lots of it, under the bonnet of just about every racing car imaginable, at the same place where Stirling Moss won the British Grand Prix for the first time.

If you’ve never been to Liverpool Motor Club’s sprint events at Aintree Circuit then get the next one in your diary, because it’s seriously underrated full-throttle fun. For next to nothing, you can spend the day watching Lotus Elan 26Rs, track-prepared Caterhams (pictured) and single seater racing cars screaming and screeching their way through the corners in an effort to eake out the quickest lap time possible. It’s fast, frantic and always good for a few dramatic helpings of oversteer, and last Saturday’s event proved no exception.

I’d have loved to have hung around simply to see how quickly an Aston Martin DB6 could be hammered down Sefton Straight – which might sound like a bit like seeing how quickly you can throw a priceless painting down a flight of stairs – but I had a second car show to get to before the afternoon was out.

The Riverside Steam and Vintage Rally also had scores of beautiful classic cars to check out. It was just nice, after hours of wheelspin and full-throttle starts, to chill out and chat with their owners about why they loved their automotive antiques. If you’re sort of person who knows what an Austin A55 Cambridge is without having to punch it into Google – or why it’s nicknamed the Farina – then you’ll have loved the laid-back, nostalgic vibe of this two-day event, a stone’s throw from Tarleton.

Yes, I know the main attraction is all those steam-powered traction engines beloved of Fred Dibnah types but I was more than happy just to immerse myself in a world of Morris Bullnoses, Ford Populars and Triumph Spitfires for a couple of hours. I don’t know how – especially considering how long I’ve been doing these columns for – I’ve managed to miss the Riverside gig every year since its inception, but after being hugely impressed by the variety of cars on show it’s definitely one I’ve got into my diary for next year.

All this and it’s only the start of a great season of car shows. Roll on Lydiate, Hundred End, Bank Hall and Ormskirk! Keep an eye for my full reports on both shows in Classic Car Weekly

Subaru brings an affordable performance icon back to Britain

A rally-bred favourite from Japan is being brought back to Britain by popular demand, it has been confirmed.

Subaru said that the turbocharged version of its Impreza – now called the WRX STI – will be sold in this country from June, with prices starting at £28,995 for the turbocharged, four-wheel-drive saloon.

While the company has said it will only be sold in limited numbers, the company’s decision to sell it here reflects the dedicated following Subaru’s performance models have previously enjoyed here.

Aintree Circuit Club wins national award

The team behind the Ormskirk MotorFest have won a national award for their contributions to motorsport.

Aintree Circuit Club, who organised the motorsport-themed event in the West Lancashire town on August 25, have been awarded a £500 prize by the Motorsport Industry Association, who praised their efforts to boost the event’s appeal by hosting a series of autotest events in the town.

Members of Aintree Circuit Club will be officially presented with their award at the Autosport International Show at the NEC in Birmingham next January.

Find out more about Aintree Circuit Club by visiting their website.

EXCLUSIVE: Drifting comes to Liverpool

A SPECTACULAR battle between two drifting supremos will take place in the heart of Liverpool later this month.

Life On Cars understands that TV production company Shine Films will be bringing two of the world's most sideways drivers, former British Champion, Steve Baggsy and the Japanese founder of the sport Keichii, known as the ‘Drift King’ (pictured above) to the Merseyside city to film a drifting sequence for a forthcoming documentary.

The sequence, which a source at the company said will be "quite a spectacular event for the motorsport fan", will be shot at the Pier Head between 6pm and 9pm on the evening of Tuesday, August 20. It is not the first time the city has been used for high-octane filming, with the makers of Fast and Furious Six using it to film a chase sequence.

The finished documentary is expected to be broadcast this December.

Donington Historic Festival 2013 - Pictures

AS PROMISED, here's a few more pictures of the cars inside the gates at this year's Donington Historic Festival, following the peek at some of the unlikely car park stars earlier this week.

It's a shame this year's event - the first I've been to - ended on such a tragic note, but that didn't stop thousands of enthusiasts heading to the Leicestershire racing circuit to check out all sorts of dream cars of all ages, whether they were on the track, parked up in the paddock or being proudly shown off on the classic car club stands.

Here's just a few of the sights seen by Life On Cars at the event:

 

Have you got an event you'd like to share with Life On Cars? Get in touch by sending an email to david.simister@hotmail.co.uk or by simply leaving a comment below.

The sprint at Aintree reminded me why I miss the North

THE other day my sister posted on Facebook a list of things that I – as a Sandgrounder now ensconced in Peterborough – would be missing about T’North.

Among the suggestions it offered up was coffee served in mugs rather than cups, chatting to chirpy Scousers on Merseyrail trains rather than sitting in silence on the London Underground, and quaint pubs in the Lake District serving dark ales named after poets and fell walkers. What I miss most of all, though, are our car events.

That’s why I found myself in Aintree last weekend, a town well known for its connections with horsepower and racing – yep, part of the old Grand Prix circuit was being used for a sprint event. It’s a surprisingly simple formula for motoring fun; just bring your wheels of choice to the start line, put your foot down, hold on for dear life and hope your engine doesn’t pack in. Which, in the case of one Caterham which left a half-mile of blue smoke and a similarly sized oil slick down the final straight, it definitely didn’t!

The best bit, however, wasn’t watching everything from an E-Type to a Lotus Elise being nailed around the historic circuits corners and chicanes; it was being able to wander around the paddocks and get up close to this mouthwatering machinery and have a bit of a chinwag with the owners. There is something wonderfully egalitarian about the whole event, because it doesn’t matter whether you’ve brought half a million quid’s worth of classic racing machinery or a Renault 5 GT Turbo. At Aintree, all that matters is getting the fastest time in your class.

The one thing that summed that up more than anything else was clocking a lightly abused Renaultsport Clio 182 parked up next to an Aston Martin DB6. The two couldn’t be more different, but both of their owners were the epitome of loveliness and were there not to show off, but because they enjoyed putting their cars through their paces (and, without wanting to offend either, I bet their lap times weren’t dissimilar either).

So the smorgasbord of car shows across the region which always get into their stride at this time of year is something I can add to my list of things I miss about The North. 

Next week; gritty movies directed by Ken Loach, people who insist on lolly ices instead of ice lollies and Brian and Michael’s Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs. Only joking!

Car clubs urged to get involved with Ormskirk MotorFest 2013

THE organisers of a motorsport-themed extravaganza in Ormskirk are asking the region’s car clubs to help make this year’s event a success.

Aintree Circuit Club, which for the past three years has teamed up with West Lancashire Borough Council to host the Ormskirk MotorFest in the historic market town, is calling for members of car and bike clubs to bring their vehicles along and display them to visitors on Sunday, August 25.

If you're a member of a car club which wants to show off their cars at this year's event, you can fill in a special application form to get a club stand on the day by filling by clicking here.

The MotorFest’s organisers have also given the event’s website a revamp, to help give participants and visitors to the event more information about what they can expect from the both the displays and the parades around the town’s one-way system. Aintree Circuit Club is also calling for residents to volunteer as marshals to lend a helping hand to the event’s safety and logistics, and urged anyone interested in offering their support to get in touch.



To find out more about this year’s Ormskirk MotorFest and to find out about how you can take part go online to www.ormskirkmotorfest.com

Ever wanted to go rallying in a classic car?

THAT'S what one of the big names of historic motorsport - the Historic Endurance Rallying Organisation, better known to most enthusiasts as HERO - are offering visitors to this weekend's Race Retro.

The event, which takes place at Stoneleigh Park near Coventry, gives petrolheads the chance to get up close to all sorts of mouthwatering motorsport machines but HERO are actually offering you the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a host of rallying star cars from the Sixties - a Mini Cooper S, an Alfa Romeo GTV, a Ford Cortina, a BMW 1602 and a Triumph TR6.

In a statement about the experience, called Arrive & Drive, HERO says on its website: "You can experience the thrill of driving classic rally cars - cars that have done the Scottish Malts, Summer Trial and LE JOG, yourself as you navigate through our specially designed test. This is not an event but a demonstration drive allowing you the opportunity to experience an actual classic car rally test.

"You get two attempts at the test, each attempt in a different car. Every challenger will receive a certificate confirming that they have completed the test."

The event, for which you must bring a valid driving licence plus a copy that HERO can keep for their records, costs £30 to take part in.

If you're already planning to go to Race Retro this weekend, the chance to actually get behind the wheel of a classic rally car has got to have a certain appeal...

Stock car racing fans urged to attend northern reunion

MOTORING enthusiasts from Southport and the surrounding areas are being invited to take stock of the resort's historic association with a full-throttle racing series.

Members of the Veterans' Stock Car Association said they will be holding a reunion meeting on Saturday, March 2 for people from across the north of England associated stock car racing, and urged anyone who has a connection to the resort's historic connection with the sport to get in touch.

Keith Thompson, a member of the group and a Formula One stock car driver in the late 1960s, said: “All of our previous reunions have been very well attended. However, there must still be many more out there who haven't been to, or heard about, our reunions.

"Many of the sport's top northern stars have attended at some time or other, it's a chance to renew old acquaintances, watch archive footage going back to the 1970s, and generally have a good night, and it's free."

The reunion event will be held at the Boarshurst Band Club in Greenfield, near Oldham, and starts at 8pm. For more information send an email to keith.thompson@btinternet.com or give Keith a call on 01457 865936 or 07980 149836.

CarFest North 2013 dates and venue confirmed

AN EVENT which blends bands, fast cars and fine food in the name of raising money for charity is back on the cards for 2013, it has been confirmed today.

After the success Chris Evans enjoyed with the inagural CarFest events last September it was almost inevitable the two shows for BBC Children In Need - covering the north and south of England - would be held again, and now the show's organisers have confirmed both will be held this August.

The one petrolheads in this part of the country will be interested in is CarFest North, which has been confirmed for August 2, 3 and 4, albeit at Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire rather than the grounds of Cholmondeley Castle. Meanwhile its companion event, CarFest South, will return to Laverstoke Park Farm – the home of former Formula 1 World Champion Jody Scheckter - on August 23, 24 and 25.

The BBC Radio 2 DJ said this morning: “I can’t wait to spend the three days of CarFest North in the surroundings of one of the most respected race circuits in Europe, with such a depth of historical magic. Then two weeks later at Laverstoke Park Farm – what a summer!”

The original two events - conceived by the DJ, presenter and Ferrari nut as his perfect motoring event - raised a staggering £968,735 for BBC Children in Need.

Jonathan Palmer, Chief Executive of Oulton Park owners MotorSport Vision, said: “We are extremely excited to have been chosen as the venue for CarFest North.

“The event allows us to show off our greatest features – a spectacular track and stunning scenery. We are certain that at Oulton Park, CarFest North will be even better than last year and help to raise even more money for BBC Children in Need."

The first release of CarFest 2013 tickets for both venues will go on sale this Thursday (January 17) at 8am via the BBC Children in Need website at www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey.

To read the Life On Cars review of the 2012 CarFest North event click here.

Caterham goes karting

THOSE two cornerstones of heroic driving - Caterhams and karts - have been spectacularly combined in a new entry-level motorsport series.

The Surrey firm who brought you the Seven have drawn on their years of staging one-make racing series - and, more recently, their F1 experience - to create a karting series for keen racers, with the £4,995+VAT package and the machine itself, the CK-01, making at their debut at this month's Autosport show down at the NEC.

Caterham Group CEO, Tony Fernandes, said: “Caterham Karting will once again make this fantastic sport accessible to everyone, without losing any element of the competition and experience. In fact, with tight regulations and totally transparent, controlled costs, Caterham Karting will simply be the best value, most competitive and most fun karting in the world.

“This is not just another new karting championship, this is a revolution in motor racing. Motorsport for all is finally here.”

The package, designed to appeal to novice drivers, includes the kart itself, the necessary training to get your racing licence, entry into a six-race season, and full technical support from the gurus at Caterham itself. The CK-01 is ideal for either launching your motorsport career or - more likely - having an absolute ball on the track for less than the cost of a Citroen C1. It's also - and I know this probably doesn't get said very often - a fantastic looking bit of kit. If you're keen to find out more, go to www.caterham.co.uk or call 01883 333 700.

Can I have a go?

Aintree motorsport club honoured in competition

AN AINTREE organisation which helps to keep the town's connections with motor racing alive has been praised in a national motorsport competition.

Aintree Circuit Club was named as one of six motorsport organisations which reached the finals of the MSA Club of the Year 2012 competition, after their work in organising motoring events in the north west, notably the Ormskirk MotorFest, was praised by the judges at the Motorsport Industry Association.

Mike Ashcroft, the club's chairman, said: "The club is delighted to receive this reward from the MIA and came very close to winning at our first attempt.

”Our motorsport display in Ormskirk alongside the themed market certainly attracted a lot of attention and promoted the sport and motoring in a very positive way as well as providing something different for visitors to the town centre."

The overall winner was the South of Scotland Car Club, but Aintree Circuit Club has been presented with £100 for reaching the finals of the contest.

The club, which has organised the Ormskirk MotorFest for the past two years, helps to promote Aintree's historic connections with motor racing, including the five occasions when the town's circuit hosted the British Grand Prix.

MIA spokesperson Helen Jones said: ”We received a number of entry forms from MSA clubs who took part, and due to the high standard of applications, this initially proved difficult for our judges to decide upon an overall winner.

“The judges were so impressed with the quality of the top six, that they feel all should be publicly commended.”

To find out more about the club, visit their website at www.aintree.org.uk or call 0151 525 9314.

Ormskirk MotorFest 2013 event confirmed for August 25

PLANS to bring hundreds of cars and bikes to West Lancashire for a motorsport spectacular have got into gear after a 2013 Ormskirk MotorFest was confirmed this week.

Aintree Circuit Club and West Lancashire Borough Council have both confirmed that following the success of the motoring event in bringing thousands of people into the market town a 2013 event will take place in the town centre and at Coronation Park on Sunday, August 25.

Mike Ashcroft, chairman of Aintree Circuit Club, told Life On Cars: "We're delighted that we've been able to get the council to ratify next year's event and to agree the date, which means we've got a head start on making the 2013 MotorFest a big success.

"The extra months of preparation we've got will help to make it an even better event than the first two MotorFests, because we can improve on what we offer visitors and we can attract an even higher quality of entries, and get some great racing cars and bikes onto the streets of Ormskirk."

The 2011 and 2012 MotorFest events helped to give Ormskirk its two best ever trading days, with this year's event bringing 15,000 people into the town centre to see more than 300 classic cars and bikes and to witness the spectacle of F1 cars taking to the town's one-way system as part of a series of parades around the town.

West Lancashire Borough Council also confirmed to Life On Cars that a date had been given the green light, and that it was keen to make the 2013 event a success.

A spokesperson for the local authority said: "The council is delighted to confirm that we will be working with Aintree Circuit Club on MotorFest 2013. The event will be held on Sunday, 25 August.

"The first two Motorfests were hugely successful and more than 15,000 people visited Ormskirk. We are confident the 2013 event will also be a fantastic event. We are talking to the Circuit Club about exciting plans for MotorFest 2013 but at this stage it is too early to talk about the details."

The council also said it is seeking sponsorship to help make the 2013 MotorFest a success. Any organisations, companies or individuals who are interested in sponsoring the Motorfest should contact the Council’s Technical Services Manager Colin Brady on 01695 585125.

Plans for Skelmersdale karting track mooted by charity

PLANS are being revved up to turn a disused industrial site in Skelmeradale into the bigest indoor go-kart track in the north west.

The scheme, which has been submitted to the borough councill's planning department proposes turning a vacant unit at Pimbo Point, on Potter Place into a karting venue.

As well as for private and corporate users it will also be used for the training and education of young people.
The Mary Poppins Foundation charity are the applicants and intend to run the site on a non-profit basis.

The charity states: “The primary business of the company is to provide a brand new bespoke designed go kart facility.

”Our company will assist young people in education aged between 14–19 years old, and other local people of various age groups, with a view to helping them into future employment.

“Our company will also develop and deliver courses in conjunction with local community groups to help improve the quality of life for local people.”

“All machines will be brand new and our track will be the biggest indoor one in the north west region.”

The karts used will be four stroke, Honda 200cc 6.5 bhp engines, fitted with additional silencers and mufflers to help reduce noise output and improve CO2 emissions.

In addition, track ‘furniture' will help to minimise the noise heard outside the building during karting sessions. The charity would also use the venue as a training facility for young people in the town, aged between 14 and 19, with additional classroom and training facilities.

The proposals, if approved, would also create around 30 jobs.

Council planners believe the proposal will be given approval, particularly as it using a site which has been vacant since 2007.

In a letter to the foundation, West Lancashire borough planner Jonathan Harrison wrote: “Although the proposal is in principle contrary to Policy DE5 of the West Lancashire Replacement Local Plan and Policy EC1 of the West Lancashire Local Plan Publication Document, subject to a thorough justification being put forward it is likely that the proposed change of use would be recommended favourably and the benefits of bringing this vacant unit back into use would prevail.”

The application is due to be considered by West Lancashire Borough Council's planning department later this year.

Goodwood Revival breaks attendance records with 2012 show

MORE than 140,000 motorsport fans have helped make an automotive extravaganza with a retro twist into a record-breaking event.

The organisers of the Goodwood Revival, a celebration of motorsport of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s at the West Sussex circuit, said that this year's attendance figures made it their most successful show to date, with 146,000 petrolheads and retro fashion fans alike attending between September 14 and September 16.

I wasn't one of them but Life On Cars reader Judy Dix was, and has very kindly agreed to share a few pictures from the event:

If this trip down motoring's Memory Lane is your sort of thing, then you'll be probably be interested in a one hour documentary on the event being shown later this week. The programme will be shown on ITV4 this Thursday (September 27) at 8pm, then the following night at 7pm, and then on ITV1 at 12.05am on Wednesday, October 3.

All pictures courtesy of Judy Dix

Oulton Park Gold Cup 2012

YOU simply can't say no to the sight of a rally-prepared MK2 Escort going sideways.

Yes, I know that the Oulton Park Gold Cup was held last weekend - an eternity ago in news terms. I also know that, despite numerous invitations to go, I couldn't make it because newspapers don't really do Bank Holidays, so while everyone else was getting soaked at a race circuit in Cheshire I was in Southport, typing away at my desk.

Petrolhead and friend of Life On Cars Katie Massam did make it to the event, though, and sent these pictures over for anyone into a Scandinavian flick:

Have you got a story you'd like to share with Life On Cars send an email to david.simister@hotmail.co.uk or simply leave a comment below...

2012 Ormskirk MotorFest set to attract thousands of visitors this weekend

THOUSANDS are expected to attend a full-throttle motorsport spectacular when it returns to Ormskirk town centre this Bank Holiday weekend.

The Ormskirk MotorFest, which is being held for the second time this Sunday (August 26) is expected to attract around 15,000 visitors as hundreds of exotic cars and motorbikes take part in displays and parades to celebrate more than a century of motorsport in the council-backed event.

Councillor Martin Forshaw, the council's portfolio holder for planning and development, said: “The Ormskirk MotorFest is a great day out for car enthusiasts and for the whole family.

"I am really looking forward to it and would encourage everyone to come along and enjoy the event. If you don’t, you will be missing out on a really special day."

A roll call of some of the mouthwatering motorsport machines are set to attend this Sunday's event, including a McLaren MP4-12C supercar, Metro 6R4 Group B rally cars, a Santa Pod top fuel dragster and classic Jaguar C-Type and E-Type sports cars among others. The bubble cars which proved a hit last year (pictured) are also set to wow the crowds once again.

This year's event will also help to support several charities, with a visit from the North West Air Ambulance - one of the mayor's charities this year - on the cards and a poignant parade in tribute to Southport superbike racer Ben Gautrey to help raise awareness of a charity set up in his memory.

Visitors to the show can also help to raise funds for the charities by entering a draw to win a ride round the town centre in one of the exciting cars taking part in the parade, while those volunteering to be safety marshals at the event will be entered into a draw to win £150.

Mike Ashcroft, Aintree Circuit Club Chairman, said: "I would urge everyone to come to the MotorFest and I am pleased we can support these charities.

"The draw we have organised will give an opportunity for visitors to ride in one of these unique machines."

The show starts at 11am, with displays along Moor Street, Aughton Street and in Coronation Park, with parades taking place around the town's one-way system later that afternoon.

A special launch magazine made by Life On Cars is now available to read on the Ormskirk MotorFest website. To find out more click here.