Star drivers and cars can be seen on Pageant of Power

Visitors to the 2013 Cholmondeley Pageant of Power (www.cpop.co.uk; 14-16 June) will be able to get up close and personal with some of the biggest names from both the World Rally Championship (WRC) and British Rally Championship (BRC), as a host of star drivers and their 2013 championship-contending machines descend upon the Cholmondeley Estate.

An exciting new partnership with Wales Rally GB will see the Pageant of Power – the UK’s biggest celebration of power and speed – play host to a packed schedule of on-track action featuring a number of British rally drivers.

Amongst them will be rising Welsh star Elfyn Evans, who will take to the course in his Qatar M-Sport Ford Fiesta RS WRC car. Throughout the 2012 season, hot shot Evans secured first place in the FIA WRC Academy, the one-make feeder series to the WRC, along with the R2 title in the BRC and the UK Fiesta Sport Trophy.

Other notable British stars lining up to compete around the 1.2-mile track include Tom Cave, who finished second in the 2012 BRC, and reigning Class 3 Welsh National Champion Benjamyn Mckay, while James Ford, Alex Parpottas and Gary Wright complete the BRC entry list.

From further afield, the Proton R3 Motorsports rally team will also be participating in the Pageant of Power, entering the Satria Neo S2000 into the event. Proton Motorsports has enjoyed a great deal of success across Asia with the vehicle, which took the 2011 Asia-Pacific Championship title and finished runner-up in the 2012 Super 2000 World Rally Championship.

Away from the latest rally cars, over twenty iconic Group B cars and drivers will go head to head in machines from an era that many consider to be the ‘golden age’ of rallying. The line-up of these incredible machines will include an Audi Sport Quattro, Audi Quattro A1 and a Peugeot 205 T16, with ex-Peugeot works driver Kevin Furber behind the wheel.

Also on display in the Pageant’s Rally Village – a new addition for 2013 – visitors will be able to view some of the most iconic cars from rallying history, including Colin McRae’s 1996 WRC Subaru Impreza and his 1999 Safari-winning Ford Focus. Also confirmed to be on display will be Jari-Matti Latvala’s 2010 Ford Focus, which took a podium finish in Rally GB that year, and Mikko Hirvonen’s 2010 Monte Carlo-winning Ford Fiesta S2000.

With 2013 seeing the twentieth anniversary of its first win, Francois Delecour’s Ford Escort Cosworth WRC – winner of four rallies between 1993 and 1994 – will be on display to the public for the very first time. There will also be the 1970 Ford Escort which took Hannu Mikkola to victory in the gruelling 16,000-mile London to Mexico World Cup Rally.

James Hall, Event Director for the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power, said: “The rally display is going to be one of the highlights of the event and we’re really excited to be hosting some of the greatest cars and drivers from all eras of the sport. Out on track, visitors will be able to witness some of the fastest, most versatile racing machines in the world, while the new Rally Village will showcase some of the most successful and iconic vehicles from the rallying history books.”

Now in its sixth year, the 2013 Pageant will take place on the Cholmondeley Estate in Cheshire from 14 to 16 June, celebrating power and performance in its many forms. Until 13 June, adult tickets start at £24 for the Friday Preview Day, and £32 to see all the action on Saturday or Sunday. Under-16 tickets are currently available from just £5 for the Friday Preview Day and £7 for Saturday and Sunday tickets.

Posted in: Motorsports