Street circuit track action from the Red Bull Racing Formula One teamLive Action Zone with stunt teamsTest drive facility for new car buyersSupercars, hot rods, classics, custom bikes, rally cars and racers
Scotland will host one of the most innovative motoring extravaganzas the country has ever seen this weekend (5-7 August). IGNITION Festival of Motoring is revving up to bring Glasgow’s Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre to life with a three-day feast of four – and two – wheel entertainment that’s guaranteed to thrill.
Halls at the SECC will be packed with a huge variety of machinery. Manufacturers and dealers will have the latest road cars on display, while there are areas of the show dedicated to classic cars, custom bikes and race and rally cars while supercars will form up on the Top Gear Magazine Performance Grid. There are also special features honouring Scotland’s contribution to motor sport and a tribute to world rally champion Colin McRae.
But IGNITION is a motor show with a difference… it also moves! Local roads have been closed to regular traffic to allow a one-mile street circuit to be constructed around the SECC complex.
No fewer than 100 hand-picked cars – including racers and rally cars, classics, supercars, track day specials, hot rods and dragsters – will take to the track each day over the course of the weekend, with the star attraction being hot laps from the 2011 Formula One World Championship winning Red Bull Racing RB7.
Scottish sporting superstar David Coulthard will undertake the driving honours on Saturday and Sunday while rising star Sergio Sette Camara from the Red Bull Junior team will be driving on Friday.
Other star drivers appearing over the weekend include Porsche endurance racer Mark ‘Aussie Grit’ Webber who will be at the show on Friday; local heroes Gordon Shedden and Jimmy McRae; plus Shane Lynch and Top Gear’s The Stig, who will be driving a series of exotic sports cars from Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Porsche and McLaren.
A Live Action Zone will feature thrilling displays from JCB’s Dancing Diggers, the 2Bros motorcycle stunt team and the Top Gear Stunt Team, led by Paul Swift. There’s an off-road course and a drift zone where Shane Lynch and Team Japspeed will be going sideways more often than straight.
But it’s not just the professionals who will be driving. Visitors to the show will also have the opportunity to slip behind the wheel of the latest new cars from companies including BMW, VW, Mercedes, Lexus, Peugeot, Smart, Abarth, Subaru and Tesla in a unique test drive zone.
The fun starts at 10am on Friday while at 11am Jimmy McRae will open the street circuit with a few laps in son Colin’s championship-winning Subaru.
Another Friday highlight is the VIP evening, which includes an audience with Mark Webber who will answer questions about his time in F1 and his experiences at Le Mans with Porsche.
Joe Aitken, Head of Major Events at Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, added: “Supercars, classic cars, some of the biggest names in motor sport globally, an F1 street circuit, stunt bikes and a world-class event campus in the SECC – IGNITION has it all. The sights and sounds of this phenomenal event will definitely excite fans and ticket-holders; it’s really revving up to be one of the standout highlights of Glasgow’s major events calendar this year.”
Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “IGNITION is a one-of-a-kind festival that will push the boundaries of what people have come to expect of motoring shows. We are delighted to support such an innovative event through EventScotland’s International Programme. With no shortage of high-octane activity at the SECC this weekend, it really is one not to be missed.”
For more information and to book advance tickets, visit the show’s website: www.ignitionfestival.co.uk where you will find ticket offers to suit all pockets, as well as all the latest news and the show newsletter. The site also has full details of VIP IGNITE Club membership which gives all day entry to the Festival, exclusive access to the IGNITE Grandstand for the best views of the street circuit action, a Paddock pass, show guide, wristband and light refreshments throughout the day as well as entry to Friday’s VIP evening entertainment.
