Our highlights package starts, however, with some drift action courtesy of a couple of the latest Toyota models – the GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid and the Dakar Hilux, both putting on a show in front of the House, the latter stopping for a series of dounts which left plumes of smoke in its wake.
Our ‘Horseless to Hybrid’ theme has seen a wonderful variety of makes and models spanning the entirety of the automobile’s existence. Batch 1 featured Hillclimbs from the 1956 Lancia Ferrari D50A, all the way to the 2003 Panoz G Force-Toyota GF09, being driven over the event by David Coulthard and Patrick Morgan. Our highlights also feature a series of blue beauties from this Batch, including the incredible looking 1920 Sunbeam 350HP and the 1970 Plymouth Superbird, as well as the 1985 Lancia LC2 looking exquisite in its Martini stripes.
Jumping to the present, First Glance presented by heycar was the place to get a good look at the very latest models, and our Sunday highlights featured here cover an assortment, from the MG Cyberster Coupé, tackling the Hill in its commemorative centenary livery, to the Tesla Cybertruck looking otherworldly, and the latest Aprilia RSV4.
Speaking of bikes, the crowds outside the House were greeted by the Honda RC213V and the 2006 Ducati Desmosedici GP6 riding on their back wheels, while the Indian Challenger RR played up the smoke. And if it was smoke you wanted, the Drift cars provided. From the huge drifts on the Chevrolet Corvette’s way up the Hill, to the burnout and dounts courtesy of ‘Mad Mike’ and his McLaren P1. Here, you can get an even closer look at the action thanks to the onboard cameras.
As if all that wasn’t enough, Sunday then provided a procession of F1 cars unlike anything we’ve seen on the Hill before. We saw Juan Pablo Montoya reunited with his Williams FW26-06, Yuki Tsunoda get behind the wheel of Honda’s first ever Grand Prix winner, the RA272, back in 1965, and Fred Vesti kicking up dirt onto our camera such was the ferocity of his dounuts in the Mercedes W12.
But of course, the high point of Sunday was gathering of 20 years of Red Bull history before our very eyes. Everything from the RB1 to 2022’s RB18. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen made his Festival of Speed debut in his 2021 championship winning RB16B, before appearing on the Balcony with the whole team to celebrate the accomplishments of the Red Bull Racing in front of the vast crowds.
And finally, the Timed Shootout closed the proceedings, but not without the drama. Our highlights feature Hill runs from Raphael Astier in the Alpine A110 Pikes Peak, as well as the podium finishers, starting with James Wallis, finishing third in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. We saw Travis Pastrana crash out after locking up into Molecomb, and the tense battle between Scott Speed in the Subaru WRX: Project Midnight and Romain Dumas in the Ford Supervan 4.2. Ultimately, it was Dumas who triumphed after a thrilling competition.
And so, the 2024 Festival of Speed came to an end, but crammed full with so many highlights its one we’re sure never to forget.
