RACING EXPOSURE :: Club level motorsport e-magazine

Former F1 racer and F3000 champion Roberto Moreno is to make his historic motor sport debut when he races at the Oulton Park Masters Festival and Top Hat Raceday on Saturday 12 March.

Moreno, who raced for Lotus, AGS, Coloni, EuroBrun, Benetton, Jordan, Minardi, Andrea Moda and Forti during his time in F1, will share Masters prime-mover Ron Maydons Mini Cooper S in the Pre-66 Touring Car race at the historic Cheshire circuit.

Top Hat Event Manager James Beckett said: “we really are delighted that Roberto wants to come and race with us. His enthusiasm is just incredible and I am sure that we will see him doing a lot of racing with us this season. He has his eyes on a Formula 1 car, but the Cooper S will be something very different for him at Oulton Park and I am sure that he will be very competitive. It will be great to have him racing at Oulton Park after a break of nearly 30 years.”

Although Moreno has raced with a roof over his head before, in the Italian and French touring car championships, racing the Cooper S will be a step into the unknown.

Moreno said: “I have been looking at racing in historic events for some time and I really like what Masters has to offer. I really like the way it offers lots of different races for competitors through the wide number of categories that are available. I have never raced on the full circuit and never raced a Mini so it will be whole new experience!”

Roberto last raced at Oulton Park in August 1982 when he finished eighth in a British Formula 3 Championship race in his Ralt RT3-Alfa Romeo.

The Masters Festival and Top Hat Raceday will also features races for Sportscar Masters, Gentlemen Drivers Pre-66 GT cars, Oldies but Goldies 50s saloons, a 1970s Celebration race and Formula Ford 1600s.

Tickets for the Masters Festival and Top Hat Raceday are now on sale from £16 for adults, with free entry for children aged 12 and under. For more information call 0843 453 9000 or visit www.oultonpark.co.uk.

Masters Historic Racing has unveiled a superb calendar for the 2010 season, covering some of the most prestigious historic racing events in Europe as well as a range of domestic meetings for competitors in the Top Hat categories.

Star events include Masters Festivals at Brands Hatch, Donington Park and Monteblanco. Masters races will also feature prominently at major events including the Silverstone Classic, Nurburgring Oldtimer GP, the Spa Classic Six Hour meeting and the historic weekend at Portimao in the Algarve.

“We’re very excited about our 2010 calendar,” said Christopher Tate from the Masters Organisation. “We’re delighted to be returning to the Oldtimer Grand Prix and continuing our strong links with top-level events like the Silverstone Classic and the Spa Six-Hours. We will be running four Masters Festivals and aim to provide historic racing to suit all tastes and all budgets.”

The 2010 Masters calendar is as follows:

Date

2-4 April — Silverstone GP — GPM & WSM

18 April — Snetterton — Top Hat

1/2 May — Assen (NL) — GT & Touring Cars

15 May — Anglesey — Top Hat

29 May — Brands Hatch Indy — Top Hat

30/31 May — Brands Hatch GP — Masters Festival

26/27 June — Donington Park — Masters Festival

3/4 July — Spa (B) — Selected Categories

23-25 July — Silverstone Classic — GPM, WSM, GT & Minis

1 August — Castle Combe Classic – Top Hat

13-15 August — Nurburgring Oldtimer GP (D) — GPM, WSM, GT & Touring

24-26 September — Spa Six Hours (B) — GPM, WSM, GT & Touring

15-17 October — Portimao (P) – Masters Festival

22-24 October — Monteblanco (ES) – Masters Festival

24 October — Mallory Park — Top Hat