Moss to star at second Flywheel Festival

| 29 Jun 2016

The Flywheel Festival returns to Bicester Heritage on 2-3 July, following the inaugural event last year. Sir Stirling Moss OBE will be there, as will the Lotus 18 in which he won the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix – plus the Jaguar C-type that he drove to victory in the 1952 Reims Grand Prix. 

Overhead, the Great War Display Team is set to make a comeback, and the well-known Spitfire MH434 will be joining the programme. The 1943 MkIX is operated by the Old Flying Machine Company, and is the aircraft that the late Ray Hanna used to demonstrate so expertly. It will be joined by a P-51 Mustang and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

Cars from the veteran era up to the mid-1960s will run on a circuit that makes use of the airfield’s perimeter road. “We’re going to tweak the demo course,” said Duncan Wiltshire from organiser Motor Racing Promotions. “We’re going to relocate the startline to give them a faster start, and give the cars two continuous laps.”

With last year’s event having come together in a little over two months, new features have been added this time around. 

“We’re going to have a live tank demonstration area,” explains Wiltshire. We had some fabulous military content last year but it was very much static. We’ll be running tank rides, too, so you’ll be able to have a go. It’s all about bringing the place alive – seeing everything in action.”

There will also be a funfair, a vintage trade fair in its own marquee, live music, a cinema showing silent films, and military re-enactors. Unlike last year, meanwhile, the whole site – formerly RAF Bicester – will be open for visitors to explore. And if you arrive in a pre-1966 classic, you can book a free display parking space. 

For more information, see www.flywheelfestival.com