MotoFest to host Gobstopping spectacle as lap record holder makes return to festival
MotoFest is to welcome back its current lap record holder as Roger Clark Motorsport’s (RCM) Olly Clark gets set to unleash Gobstopper 3 onto the unique Ring Road Sprint Circuit at this year’s event.
Having set the current lap record of 69.64 seconds for completing the 1.1 mile Sprint Circuit in the original Gobstopper back in 2018, Olly will return with the aim of going even faster in the latest in the Gobstopper series of sprint and hill climb cars.
The Gobstopper 3 will make its first 2022 competitive appearance at MotoFest, in partnership with E.ON Drive, on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th September. It will take part in the MotoFest Coventry Sprint event, which forms rounds 27 and 28 of the 2022 British Automobile Racing Club’s (BARC) Connaught Speed Championship.
It will give Olly Clark the opportunity to add to his sprint achievements with MotoFest Coventry’s sprint competition triumph in 2018, adding to victories on Goodwood Festival of Speed’s famous hill climb in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
For those visitors attending MotoFest in partnership with E.ON Drive, they will also get the opportunity to see the fantastic feat of engineering involved in the Gobstopper 3 car. Based on a Subaru BRZ 2.0L platform and boasting a mid-mounted EJ20 Subaru engine, the turbocharged four-wheel drive sprint monster is equipped with 930 BHP and 636 LBS/FT torque to power it around the circuit.
The BARC championship rounds mark the return of competitive motorsports to the MotoFest Sprint Circuit for the first time since 2019. MotoFest has worked closely with the Motor Sports Association (MSA) and Coventry City Council to get the green light for competitive motorsport and in 2018, the MSA issued a licence for the first MotoFest Coventry Sprint Championship event.
Driven International, the renowned international circuit designers, have also worked closely with MotoFest to develop the circuit design and infrastructure required to stage time trialing on the unique Ring Road circuit.
Olly Clark, said: “We are really looking forward to coming to MotoFest and taking part in the BARC Sprint Championship.
“We had a great time in 2018 and it was a real bonus to set to the lap record for the circuit, when we last had Gobstopper at the event.
“The new Gobstopper 3 Subaru BRZ will be making its 2022 competitive debut at MotoFest and we can’t wait to get out on the circuit and show the crowds what the car can do.”
Alongside Gobstopper 3’s appearance and the BARC Sprint Championship, there will also be plenty more to excite petrol heads and motoring enthusiasts both on and off the track, including the Shred Shed Live show in the new dedicated Drift Arena.
Shred Shed Live is the first of its kind, a live action show that combines elements of a West End play with motoring mayhem. Teams FastR and Crewsade come together to tell a story old as time itself, the good guys vs the bad guys, or in this case, fresh and clean cut FastR vs street punks Crewsade.
Each of the teams taking part in the show are rich with major names in the motorsport, stunt, competition or precision driving world, including Aims Hill, Tess Whittock, Luke Woodham, Penden Nielson, Martin Richards, Al Harris, Marcus Clare and many more!
The popular Formula G series will return again to this year’s event on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th September with a static display of their competition vehicles in the city centre. Formula G is the UK’s national gymkhana championship, sanctioned by Motorsport UK. It’s a thrilling, head-to-head competition that combines elements of autosolo, drifting and tarmac rallying as competitors duel to complete highly technical courses in the fastest time.
Darren Langeveld, MotoFest Coventry Motorsport Director, said: “We are excited to have Olly Clark, the RCM team and Gobstopper 3, taking part in the sprint at this year’s festival.
“The Gobstopper 3 is an awesome sprint car that’s going to generate a lot of interest across the festival weekend and with Olly behind the wheel, there is a good chance that the lap record could be lowered again.
“With further exciting additions to announce for the track programme in the next week, It’s all gearing up towards another fantastic MotoFest, in partnership with E.ON Drive, festival weekend.”
With the BARC Sprint Championship, Formula G and Shred Shed Live very much part of MotoFest Coventry’s motoring present, the motoring past will also be well represented at this year’s festival with car and motorcycle displays and dynamic runs on circuit. As with previous events, there will be a dedicated area in Broadgate and surrounding areas of the city centre with hundreds of car and motorcycles on display.
The Coventry Concours premium car show will again take place on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th September with the opportunity for premium vintage, classic cars and motorcycles to display in the iconic Coventry Cathedral Ruins. This year’s event will have a Queen’s Platinum Jubilee theme, showcasing 70 years of the City’s motoring heritage, with an expanded entry criteria to include vehicles from 1952 right up to the modern day.
MotoFest’s partnership with E.ON Drive will also see the event showcase the latest in advanced automotive, future and electric vehicle (EV) technology. Alongside an autonomous vehicle demonstration area.
E.ON Drive is the lead brand partner for MotoFest Coventry in 2022. E.ON Drive is part of the energy supply and solutions provider E.ON and provides an end-to-end electric vehicle charging service for customers.
The new Future Technology Zone, on Greyfriars Green, will see exhibitors committed to showcasing the latest electric vehicles and motorcycles. Many of those two and four wheeled exhibits will also take part in dynamic displays on the main Sprint Circuit and the motorsport and Drift Arenas.
The festival weekend will also provide the finale for ‘Our Future Moves’, a project involving Coventry City Council, MotoFest Coventry and other regional partners, which showcases the region’s work in world leading transport innovation, though a year-long celebration of events and activities.
Our Future Moves was officially launched in July 2021, with a major exhibition at Coventry Transport Museum. It also formed part of the first weekend of MotoFest Month 2021, which included motorcycle and car themed events.
MotoFest in partnership with E.ON Drive is a two-day festival dedicated to the city of Coventry’s motoring heritage, taking place on Saturday 10th September and Sunday 11th September 2022. It will feature a unique blend of racing demonstrations, static displays, live music and anything else with a connection to Coventry, transport and the city’s motoring heritage.