The festival will host 11 European Classic Championships, which will attract some of the best cars and drivers hoping to make the most of the (hopefully) beautiful weather and to enjoy burning their vintage cars around the highly challenging - but also highly rewarding - 3 mile circuit.A particular favourite to lookout for in the Legends Championship is Trevor Stretch.
Trevor is a retired fire officer from the UK who now lives in Coimbra. He’s been into Motorsports for most of his life, ever since his father and brother started racing in the mid 60´s. In the 90’s he competed in the Rallycross, racing Minis and a Vauxhall Corsa and won many races. His last race was in Goodwood in 2003, and after that he decided to hang up his racing helmet.Or so he thought!
Last May he bought a 1998 VW Golf GTI with the intention of getting back into rallying. However, due to Covid-19 restrictions lots of rallies were cancelled. Trevor decided to instead try his luck at Circuit Racing and had his first race in 17 years in Braga in September. Unfortunately, the car had some technical issues and he only managed a few laps.Motorsports, as Trevor says, invariably incur some costs. Luckily Trevor is sponsored by a company from Coimbra called The Art of Speed.
The owner has vast experience running a race team, having run an Alfa in the British Touring Car Championship a few years ago. In tribute to his father in law, author Peter Rimmer, who sadly passed away a few years ago, Trevor will be painting the authors name on the car to continue his legacy and encourage people to keep buying his books.
If you love classic cars and are looking to not only marvel at their stationary elegance, but also to watch them roar into life and use their old horse power to gallop around this highly modern track - then be sure to set this weekend in your diary. And, don’t forget to cheer for Trevor as he races himself back into the game.
Are the days of Motor racing still relevant and cool in 2020? As Portugal continues to advocate Green, eco tourism, lovely cleaner air than many other parts of Europe, and a more modern move to climate awareness, is it still a good idea to encourage these kinds of events. Imagine the massive amounts of petrol, engine oil, gearbox oil, brake fluid, brake pads, coolants, etc needed for just one hour of racing. Let alone the entourage of mechanics, team organisers and flunkeys, worn tyres, discarded oils, exhaust systems, electrical components, all using vast amounts of valuable resources purely for a few minutes of 'enjoyment'. As the Portugal News runs features on new 'e-ruta' projects, continued warnings of lack of water availability, farmers struggling with climate change, and the need for more sustainable tourism, are events such as the recent Grand Prix, up coming Moto GP, and now this old 'Classic car' race really a good thing? I understand that Portugal and the Algarve region is keen for tourist money , but like bull fighting, is this now an out dated spectacle. The pollution created by all of these vehicles, and the people who drive to watch, must have a massive damaging effect on the environment. I know all the 'haters' will start up as soon as they read this, but, maybe a few will think a little. I am a lover of the combustion engine, but surely it has a place/requirement in this new world. Obrigadinhos amigos, vamos a pensar.
By Davey Morgan from UK on 01 Nov 2020, 10:48