A date has been set for the Yorkshire Motorsport Festival 2022 after the success of this year’s inaugural event in Meltham.
Next year’s three-day event at Wolfstones will take place on June 24-26.
Despite Covid restrictions and damp and rainy weather the event attracted a good crowd, giving the organisers encouragement for the future.
Visitors enjoyed dramatic action as they heard and watched the Wolfstones Hillclimb drivers compete, one by one, on what was the first ever road-closed hill climb in Yorkshire.
On the Friday following the opening ceremony and celebration of 100 years of Hillclimbing in the Holmfirth area with Mayor of Kirklees Clr Nigel Patrick, the Benjafields Club entered over 30 pre-war vintage classic Bentleys.
On Saturday and Sunday spectators were entertained by mainly pre-1986 competition cars and classic special saloons, with some spectacular performances and the Fastest Time of the Day going to the incredible Mk1 Ford Escort of Steve Bailey.
Several demonstrations were completed by the Group B rally cars and F1 stock cars were especially popular with the visitors.
Local Ben Bamforth and his mother Lucy, landowner and supporter of the festival, proudly demonstrated his father’s World Championship-winning stock car.
Stretching out as far as the eye could see were several fields hosting a wide assortment of car displays, millions of pounds worth of vehicles, including American muscle cars, vintage Minis, trucks, David Brown tractors, supercars, rally and stock cars.
There were some iconic cars never been seen before in Yorkshire such as the latest Ford GT from Guernsey and an original Jaguar D type which finished second at Le Mans driven by Mike Hawthorne, the first British Formula One World Champion who was born in Yorkshire.
Michael McErlain, CEO of the Yorkshire Motorsport Festival, said: “Getting the first ever festival across the line was a great achievement by my team.
“We must thank Kirklees Council for their support and for working closely with us to ensure the festival opened. Next year we’ll put our original vision back into action and we’ll give Yorkshire a bigger and better festival for all.”
A Welcome to Yorkshire spokesman said: “Congratulations to everyone involved in organising the first Yorkshire Motorsport Festival. A stunning location and exciting classic car racing action.”
