Life On Cars: The official Ormskirk Motorfest edition

FERRARI’S EPIC ENZO ISSuE SIX

SEPTEMBER 2011

The incredible supercar star of Ormskirk’s MotorFest

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The off ic ia l ly- b ac ked Or msk ir k M ot orF est ed i ti on

Motoring news, views and test drives from Sefton and West Lancashire, as published online and every week in The Champion

Created by Editor david Simister dESignEr david Simister www.lifeoncars.blogspot.com david.simister@hotmail.co.uk

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photogarphy: david Simister, Champion newspapers, martyn Snape, Champion newspapers, and aintree Circuit Club .

read Life On Cars each Wednesday in The Champion newspaper, on the web at www.lifeoncars.blogspot.com and on the radio at www.champnews.com

Š life on Cars 2011

BRM P6261, 1964: among the hundreds of cars and bikes making an appearance at the motorFest is this star of the 1960s F1 scene.

Image courtesy of Michael Cooper

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In this issue 7 MotorFest guide Everything you need to know about the ormskirk motorFest, including how to get there, what to see when you arrive and why it’s definitely worth a day out if you’re a car or bike nut

8 Ferrari Enzo Why the italian company’s ultimate supercar is set to be the star of the show, plus a potted history of its illustrious predecessors

10 The circuit your guide to the improvised circuit created out of a town’s one-way system, and where you’ll be able to see a host of historic cars and bikes from several decades of motorsport

12 Racing glory the Williams FW06 is one of the many entries into the motorFest with a rich racing pedigree. this is what you can expect to see

14 F1 in Ormskirk if you’re a fan of all things Formula one then motorFest has a few treats in store for you! our guide to the grand prix themed entrants

15 Phil Read the eight times motorcycling world champion is the event’s star guest

16 Biking politics one of the entrants from a West lancashire motorcycle club is also one of West lancashire’s councillors, and explains to Life On Cars his passion for all things petrol powered

17 300mph motoring the fastest car at the motorFest isn’t Ferrari’s Enzo. turn to page 17 to find out what would outrun every other entrant at the event...

18 The key players the businesses from across the north west who’ve lent more than a helping hand to make the motorFest a success

19 The organisers aintree Circuit Club are the brains behind the ormskirk event, and they’ve got a bit of a track record for organising motoring events

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it'S not an idea that had even crossed my mind before; ormskirk's oneway system as a motorsport venue. i have, in my time as a reporter for The Ormskirk Champion, done many "laps" of this unlikeliest of circuits, being as it is the string of streets which link the various bits of the West lancashire market town with one another. at rush hour on a busy Friday even, it couldn't be further from the highoctane world of historic motorsport. yet it's been a year since i had the phone call from one of the town's councillors, who rang to let me know of exciting plans to close the roads off and unleash some of motorsport's most mouthwatering machines on them, with the full blessing of the local council. plans that became the first ever ormskirk motorFest.

Since then i've closely followed aintree Circuit Club and the work that's gone behind the scenes to put this full-throttle

spectacular together, and i've been amazed every step of the way. i've been impressed by the organisation that's gone onto it from both the club and from West lancashire Borough Council, and by the support its had from businesses based both in and around West lancashire. i've been stunned by the response it’s had so far from the north west's petrolheads, whether they prefer being on two wheels or four. most of all, i've been stunned by some machinery that's been promised for the event i’ve seen the entry list, and it reads like an anthology of motoring’s greatest hits. there’s everything from a 1915 Ford model t to the fearsome 2002 Ferrari Enzo featured in this magazine, and just about every car, bike and racing machine in between.

So on Sunday, august 28, 2011, sit back and enjoy the ride. But until then, sit back and enjoy the read...

David Simister Editor, Life On Cars

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Pictured: an mg Zr competition car which will be taking part in the ormskirk motorfest. Picture courtesy of Aintree Circuit Club

gEttINg INtO gEAR FOR thE mOtORFESt Everything you always wanted to know about the north west’s newest motoring event (but were afraid to ask) What is the ormskirk motorFest? it’s a one day event taking place in the centre of the West lancashire market town, centred on Coronation park, which will see classic cars and bikes lapping the town’s one-way system in a series of spectacular parades.

When is the event taking place?

Sunday, august 28, from 11am. the parade laps in ormskirk will start at around 2.30pm.

how much is it? the motorFest is free to attend!

What can i expect to look forward to? there will be more than 200 cars and motorbikes taking part, including BSa, norton and honda motorbikes, and Ferrari, mg, triumph, Bentley and tVr cars. along with the main display at Coronation park, there will be displays around the town centre.

how do i get there? the easiest way is by train although the line from preston to ormskirk is closed on Sundays, the merseyrail link between liverpool and ormskirk will be running regular services into the town centre. there’s also free parking at most of merseyrail’s stations on the line towards the town.

What about by car? ormskirk is easily reached by taking Junction 26 of the m6, following the m58 until Junction 3, and taking the a570 road towards ormskirk. parking in the town centre will be difficult, so the motorFest’s organisers have laid on a park and ride service to link to the event.

Where will i find it?

Can i collect a couple of autographs?

the park and ride service will run from Edge hill University, on the outskirts of ormskirk (l39 4Qp if you’re using a satnav). it costs £5 per car to park there all day, and also includes the cost of a transfer operated by a historic bus.

yes. guests include motorcycle racing legend phil read, the first man to be world champion in the 125cc, 250cc and 500cc classes. there’ll also be a few familiar faces from the world of racing, so keep your eyes peeled!

Who is behind the ormskirk motorFest?

Will the event be worth going to?

the event has been organised by both West lancashire Borough Council, the local authority covering ormskirk, and by aintree Circuit Club, who have arranged the attractions at the event and coordinated the entrants taking part in the parades and displays.

if you’ve even the vaguest interest in cars, motorbikes or racing, then definitely! if you haven’t, the novelty of seeing an F1 car on ormskirk’s one-way system should be worth the visit.

Attractions may vary from those advertised prior to the event.

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thE FERRARI ENZO’S DO YA thIN

It’s not every day you get the chance to get up close to a 650bh owned by rock legend Rod Stewart. Happily, the Ormskirk Mot thE supercar that's Sailing straight into the number one slot at the ormskirk motorFest is this, one of the fastest roadgoing Ferraris ever made. if you were one of the Ferrari Enzo's 399 original owners you were particularly lucky; not only were you rich enough to afford it, but you'd also been chosen by the italian

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company, most likely because you'd also bought either its F40 or F50 predecessors. one of the lucky few was singer and musician rod Stewart, and it's his former Enzo that's made its way to ormskirk. thanks to its 660bhp, 6.0 litre V12 engine, the Enzo will shoot to 60mph in just 3.3 seconds before racing to a top speed of

220mph, when it will need all of its F1-inspired aerodynamics to help keep it glued to the road.

With its gullwing doors, dramatic styling, midengine layout and two-seater cockpit, the

Enzo is a supercar in the truest Ferrari tradition. if you've never seen its stunning shape in the flesh before, then ormskirk motorFest could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

S QUEStION: NK I’m SEXY?

hp, 220mph Italian supercar once torFest is one of those occasions

Ferrari’s hypercar history

288 gto, 1984 - 1985 Just a handful produced for group B racing regulations, and highly prized by collectors and supercar speculators alike. Capable of cracking 189mph thanks to its twin-turbo V8 engine.

F40, 1987 - 1992 memorable not only for being the first road car capable of more than 200mph but also for having one of the most iconic supercar shapes ever. also Ferrari’s most profitable model ever, with more than 1,300 examples made.

F50, 1995 - 1997 Effectively a roadgoing version of alain prost’s 1990 Ferrari F1 car. powered by a 4.7 V12 engine and capable of 202mph, the F50 is the rarer than even the Enzo, with just 349 examples made.

Enzo, 2002 - 2004 220mph, 0-60mph in 3.3 seconds and one of the most dramatic shapes ever to emerge from the maranello factory. aerodynamics and technology inspired by michael Schumacher’s F1 cars.

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mOtORFESt: thE ROUtE

Williams FW06, 1978: raced in 1978 and 1979 by alan Jones and Clay reggazoni, and recently competed in the historic grand prix at monaco. See it at the motorFest! Image courtesy of www.photocollectionitaly.com

The Grand Prix connections at the Ormskirk MotorFest

Pictured: the F1 car simulator which will be one of the main attractions at the motorFest.

ORmSKIRK OFFERS thE F1 EXPERIENCE With a series of streets closed off to create a circuit filled with challenging corners, it's no suprise the motorFest circuit is being dubbed ormskirk's answer to monaco.

But the grand prix comparisions don't stop at the venue itself, because Formula one fans will get the chance to get up close to several ex-F1 cars and see them take to the town's streets.

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Event co-ordinator John Bailie said: "this is an exciting motoring variety show which is really capturing the imagination. the sight and sound of the grand prix cars and other competition machinery, lapping around the town and past ormskirk parish Church, will be awesome. "the vast majority of participants are from lancashire and merseyside, which illustrates the amazing quality and variety of

motoring history, right on ormskirk's doorstep." among the entrants with grand prix links are the Williams FW06, which took part in the 1978 and 1979 and was one of the last F1 racers to notch up racing points before a new era of "ground effect" racing teams ushered in the '80s. there's also a chance to check out an iconic F1 car from an earlier era, in the form of the curvaceous Brm p261, best known for

being piloted by the likes of graham hill and Jackie Stewart between 1964 and 1969. if all that's whetted your appetite, then why not try out a spot of grand prix racing for yourself, with a special F1 simulator that's being brought along to the motorfest (pictured)? the best known motorsport of all is definitely well represented at motorFest.

READ All AbOUt RACE lEgEND PhIl

Eight times world champion Phil Read will leading a parade of racing bikes around the Ormskirk MotorFest circuit route motorBiKE racing legend phil read will be roaring into town later this month as the star guest at ormskirk motorFest spectacular. phil, eight times World motorcycle Champion, will be appearing at the motorfest when it revs up on august 28, event organisers aintree Circuit Club have confirmed this week.

Event co-ordinator John Bailie said:“We are delighted to have the legendary phil read as our guest celebrity, and we're looking forward to seeing him lapping the town's one mile street circuit on his 500cc paton. “phil was yamaha's first gp winner and it's appropriate that he's appearing at our event during their 50th anniversary year.” nicknamed the prince of Speed, phil gave yamaha their first ever World Championship in 1964 and was the first man to win World Championships in 125cc,

250cc and 500cc classes, and visitors will be hoping he can bring some of his championship-winning magic to the ormskirk one-way system, which will serve as a minimonaco style circuit during the event. mr read's machine is one of a large number of two-wheeled entries into the event, with other highlights from the 60 motor cycle entries including a rare 1967 Seeley sidecar outfit which won the german gp, a 1964 iom tt rumble BSa, a 1949 triumph and 1945 BSa C11, together with a large variety of modern racing machinery. overall the ormskirk motorfest has attracted more than 200 entries to date. displays during the motorFest will be set out on ormskirk's traffic-free streets and at Coronation park, with one mile lap around the town's streets seeing controlled parades throughout the day.

Pictured: phil read mBE in action on the 500cc paton racing motorcycle he will ride along the motorFest parade route.

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Pictured: Councillor grice, right, with his Suzuki hayabusa, is joined by fellow members of Scarisbrick armada at Coronation park. Picture by Martyn Snape, Champion Newspapers

Meet the Burscough councillor who’s swapping politics for a different sort of power during the Ormskirk MotorFest a BiKing councillor will be going at full throttle when he takes part in the motorFest.

Jason grice, a Conservative borough councillor for Burscough West, will be donning his helmet and leathers for the ormskirk event as part a 30-strong contingent of motorcycles being entered by the Scarisbrick armada club.

“When details of the motorFest came onto the council's radar last year, Colin Brady at the

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thE bIKINg COUNCIllOR

borough council kept me informed about what was being organised for ormskirk and got me in touch with the event's organisers. i think we'll have about 30 of the club's bikes there, including a lot which have historic local connections, and few tt and gp racing bikes,” he said. “i'm from a big family of bikers and i've always been a bit of a petrolhead, so as someone who's into their bikes and their cars this is going to

be a really exciting event for ormskirk and for West lancashire, and i'm really looking forward to it.”

Cllr grice is a member of the group, which meets at the heatons Bridge pub, in Scarisbrick. the club stated: “We will be hosting a static stall at the event on Coronation park in which we hope to show 33 motorcycles ranging from a 1925 Coventry Eagle Flying 8 to a 2010 BmW 1000rr. We will also be hoping to raise money for

the grove Community Centre's activity Scheme in Burscough to enable them to continue to provide their service for local families and children in the area.”

Councillor Grice and fellow members of the Scarisbrick Armada club will be displaying their motorcycles in Coronation Park on the day of the MotorFest, in the club section, near to Park Pool.

lIFE’S NEVER A DRAg WIth thIS AROUND

You thought the Ferrari Enzo would be the fastest car at the show? This 300mph monster is here to prove you wrong a drag racing car that can hit 300mph in less than a quarter of a mile is an “awesome” addition to attractions at ormskirk motorFest later this month, the show's organisers have announced. the dragster, which is almost 30ft in length, generates around 7,000 horse power from its 8litre V8 engine, will be the star of a static display in ormskirk's Cornation park. aintree Circuit Club's event coordinator John

Bailie said: “We are very excited that Santa pod are bringing this awesome machine to ormskirk. it is sure to be one of the stars of our show. “a top Fuel dragster, which is it will be used as a static central display for the motorFest, which takes place at venues across the town with a main display at Coronation park. mr Bailie added: “We really appreciate Santa pod bringing the machine from their base near Wellingborough,

northamptonshire.” more than 200 entries, with the majority being owned by residents of Sefton and West lancashire, are expected to take part in the oneday event, which is a joint venture between aintree Circuit Club and the borough council. the motorFest starts at 11am on august 28 with admission free, and visitors heading to the event by car are being offered the chance to park at Edge hill University, at a cost of £5

for the day, with a transfer on a shuttle bus to the town centre.

Santa Pod's 300mph Top Fuel Dragster Showcar, for obvious reasons, won’t be attempting to rocket around Ormskirk’s oneway system during the parade laps, but it will be used as a static display in the town centre during the whole of the Motorfest event.

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Businesses from Ormskirk and further afield are backing the MotorFest tradErS from across ormskirk have teamed up with the town's crier to showcase their support for a West lancashire motorsport spectacular taking place this weekend. don Evans, West lancashire's town crier, helped businesses supporting the ormskirk motorFest to get their message across to shoppers at the town's historic market on august 18, 2011, as part of a public preview of the event taking place in the town centre on the Bank holiday Sunday.

Speaking at the event, town crier don Evans told shoppers: “on Sunday, august 28, ormskirk will be home to the greatest motor extravaganza ever to be staged in the area. Cars of all descriptions, and motorbikes, will line the streets of ormskirk. “you might never again get the chance to see these, so don't forget your cameras, don't forget your autograph books, and get yourself down here to ormskirk this Bank holiday weekend.” the town crier, who will be waving entrants into the event off as they take part in a series of parades on the town's one-way system, was joined at the public preview by representatives of several

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ORmSKIRK EXPECtS Pictured, from left: Colin Bretherton of martyn meade estate agents, West lancashire town crier don Evans, motorFest entrant dave Croft, aintree Circuit Club event coordinator John Bailie, Jacquie Sells of premier inn, and Beccy lea of the green room.

Picture by David Simister, Champion Newspapers businesses which have lent their support to the show, including premier inn at the morris dancers in Scarisbrick, the green room, on moor Street, martyn meade estate agents, and aughton Street-based premier Wear among others. they were congratulated at the

event by John Bailie of aintree Circuit Club, the organisers of the ormskirk motorFest, adding that among the support being provided was the accomodation for motorcycle racing legend phil read, the event's guest of honour. “it will be an amazing sight to see racing cars

and motorcycles being driven on a lap of the town. We have received tremendous interest in this unique event from the whole community in ormskirk and West lancashire and are particularly grateful for the support and input of these enterprising and progressive local businesses.”

thE RACINg ClUb bEhIND thE ACtION

Aintree Circuit Club, the organisers of the MotorFest, have been key players in the region’s motoring scene for decades

iF yoU thought racing in aintree was all about horses and the grand national, then think again.

in fact, the aintree motor racing circuit is only purpose-built grand prix circuit in Britain, and staged the British grand

prix in 1955, 1957, 1959, 1961 and 1962. aintree Circuit Club was founded in 1954, making it the world’s first trackbased motoring club. the club, which costs £15 a year to join, get actively involved not only with promoting the motorsport heritage of the aintree circuit, but also get actively involved in the north west motorsport scene, and have used their knowledge and expertise to organise the ormskirk motorfest. all the club's meetings are free if you become a

club member, take place at the park hotel, dunnings Bridge road, netherton, liverpool l30 6Xn, on the a5036, just a few minutes from m58 / m57 / a59 junction and half a mile from the aintree circuit.

For more information about Aintree Circuit Club vist the organisation's website at www.aintree.org.uk or contact Mike Ashcroft, the club's chairman on 0151 525 9314.

Above: members of aintree Circuit Club at a motorFest preview event in ormskirk. Picture by David Simister, Champion Newspapers Pictured: a recreation of Stirling moss’ British grand prix win in 1957 at aintree, using a Vanwall F1 car from the donington grand prix Collection.

Picture by John Bailie, Aintree Circuit Club

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For more on what’s happening at the Ormskirk MotorFest pick up the official guide for just £1 On sale in Ormskirk at the MotorFest on Sunday, August 28

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