The Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motor Sport held on the weekend of 8-10 March 2019 is heralded as Australia’s largest and recognised internationally in the world’s top ten historic motor race events.

The 50^th anniversary of the Formula Ford in Australia with 56 of these iconic cars racing was a feature 40K race on the Sunday for the Perkins Cup twhich was presented to the winner by motor sport legend Larry Perkins.

The 50^th anniversary of the famous Holden Dealer Team was celebrated both on the track and in the field with one of the largest group of HDT cars on display over the weekend. On the Sunday the HDT cars paraded on the track and driven by many of the past drivers and mechanics that made this team so successful.

Highlighting the importance of this event, Motor Sport legend Dick Johnson, winner of the 1981, 1987 and 1994 Bathurst and a five time winner of the Australian Touring Championship was the patron for the event. Many other Australian legends of the sport were also at the event including John Bowe, John French, Peter Janson, Larry Perkins, Bob Morris, Fred Gibson, Jim Richards, Charlie O’Brien, Allan Moffatt, Peter Byrne, Ian Tate and Frank Lowndes.

Women in motorsport was highlighted at the event with at least six women driving throughout the weekend including Rher Sautter from Germany driving her lightweight 3.8 E-Type Jaguar, Samantha Diamond in the Lola Mk1 Sports Car, Joanne Coad in the Vauxhall Special, Louise Raper in the George Reid Special, Jessieca Penn in the Lotus 7 and Gretchen Puccinelli in the Abarth Formula Libre.

The E-Type Jaguar driven by Rhea Sautter has a long history of racing in the USA in the early 70’s and in Europe, winning the 4 hour race at Nordschleife –Nurburgring several times, a track considered the hardest track in the world. Rhea has raced the Jaguar since 2011 and  with co-driver Andrew Newell won last year’s 6 hour race at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.

Melbourne’s Dutton Garage entered four 962 Group C Porsche which were driven by George Nakas and along with his McLaren M8F Can-Am driven by Jason White provided serious competition for 956 Group C Porsche of Russ Kemprich who had just returned the car to Australia after an extensive campaign in Europe.

Andrew Cannon AM also raced the A9X of Bob Morris in which Bob Morris won the 1979 Australian Drivers’ Championship, beating Peter Brock.

The 2019 Phillip Island Classic ‘Festival of Motor Sport’ had a strong entry of Group C and A cars and some of the fastest cars in Australia in Group A lined-up for the 50K rolling start race on the Sunday.

The 2019 Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport was the largest ever gathering of Bathurst Winners at one point and twelve legends of the sport helped to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Holden Dealer Team and the 50th Anniversary of Formula Ford in Australia. The weekend was also the largest ever assembly of Holden Dealer Team cars at one time.

The event is promoted by the Victorian Historic Road Racing Register.

(Our thanks to the 60's American Muscle Car Club for the pics)