As ever, F1 past and present will be fully represented at the event, which takes place on July 12-15 2018. Jenson Button is to pilot a Honda RA301 from 1968, while Sir Jackie Stewart will drive all three of his world championship-winning cars: the Matra MS80, Tyrrell 003 and Tyrrell 006. Stewart’s sons Mark and Paul will also hustle one of his Tyrrells up the hill.
Over the long weekend, twice-champion Emerson Fittipaldi, Stoffel Vandoorne and new McLaren boss Gil de Ferran will drive a classic McLaren M23, Martin Brundle will pilot a Cooper T43 and Eagle-Weslake T1G, and former Ferrari and Renault driver Rene Arnoux will display a Renault RS01 – the first-ever turbocharged F1 car.
The modern F1 era will be represented, too, with Valtteri Bottas and current Formula 2 championship leader George Russell set to drive a 2016 Mercedes W07 Hybrid. Two-times champion Mika Hakkinen will also be at the festival.
Five-time DTM champion Bernd Schneider will add to the major Mercedes presence by driving a 300SLR that wowed sports car racing in 1955, a CLK LM that took Le Mans pole in 1998, and a W196 that won F1 titles in 1954 and ’55.
The rally star line-up will be led by five-time world champion Sébastien Ogier, who’ll be driving his M-Sport Ford Fiesta, as will his team-mate Elfyn Evans. Evans’ father Gwyndaf will be in action on the Forest Rally Stage, and twice-champion Walter Rohrl will be there piloting a variety of machines, while Williams F1 reserve driver Robert Kubica will display a Group B Lancia 037.
Fifteen-time world champion Giacomo Agostini leads the biker line-up and will ride a MV Augusta on which he won many of his championships. Four-time World Superbike champ Carl Fogarty will be riding a collection of Triumphs, and three-time Superbike victor Jonathan Rea will be on a Kawasaki. The ever-flamboyant Randy Mamola is to display a Ducati Panigale, and Maria Costello will form part of the LCR F2 sidecar outfit.
Sports cars past and present are represented by five-time Le Mans winner Derek Bell driving a Porsche 917K and 962 and McLaren M108B, while World Endurance champion and Le Mans winner Neel Jani will drive a Porsche 919 Hybrid as part of its farewell tour – the car recently smashed the Nürburgring Nordschleife track record.
Two-time British Touring Car champion John Cleland will be driving a variety of tin-tops across the weekend; Andrew Jordan and Colin Turkington will join him in the touring car cast.
Six-time Olympic champion cyclist Sir Chris Hoy will also be at the festival, driving a Porsche supercar, while seven-time NASCAR champion ‘The King’ Richard Petty will pilot a Dodge Charger.
Source: Auto Classisc in association with Richard Mille