Phillip Island Classic Short-List for Major International Award

SYDNEY – Oct 17, 2013: The Victorian Historic Racing Register’s Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport has again been short-listed in this year’s International Historic Motoring Awards held in association with global banking group EFG International and Octane magazine.

The 2013 ‘Classic’ and five other finalists now face an international judging panel with the winner to be announced at a gala function in London on November 14.

This is the third year running that the Phillip Island event has been a finalist in the Award and again, it remains the only Australian historic motorsport event to be accorded this honour.

It is also in select International company. Other finalists for the 2013 Motorsport Event of the Year are the Historic Grand Prix Zandvoort, the Silverstone Classic, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports reunion, the VSCC Prescott Speed Hill Climb and the Vernasca Silver Flag.

Supported by Shannons since its inception in 1990, the 24th Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport held from March 8-10 this year saw the largest field of high-powered sports cars ever assembled in Australia compete in the meeting’s International Sports Car Challenge feature race. Ten entrants came from the USA, 7 from the UK, 2 from Germany, 2 from New Zealand and the rest from Australia.

The event also marked the International debut of a Porsche Museum car in an actual race, with 2004 Australian Carrera Cup Champion Alex Davison competing in the ‘Jules’ Porsche 936/81 that won the 1981 Le Mans 24-Hour race.

Four Australian champion drivers – Mark Skaife, Larry Perkins, Alfredo Costanzo and Lucio Cesario – also made their historic racing debuts at the meeting, highlighting the increasingly high profile of the Phillip Island Classic.

The 2014 Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport will expand into a four-day event to celebrate its 25th Anniversary and will provisionally be staged from March 6-9 – on Victoria’s Labour Day long weekend, in between Adelaide’s Clipsal 500 and the Australian F1 Grand Prix at Albert Park.