Hippocampus Nº46

Estoril Classics 2023
RGV XR75 that won Kevin Schwantz the
World Champion title, or the KTM RC16 on
which Miguel Oliveira competed in MotoGP
in 2021. Not forgetting the collector’s models
from The Amicable Spirit Of Speed group,
such as the Ducati Desmosedici GP06; the
Aprilia RSV4; the Suzuki SERT GSX-R1000;
or the Suzuki GSX-R750.
Coupe; Jaguar E-Type 3.8; Porsche 911 2.0L;
Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA; Lola T79
Mk.3 3B; Chevron B19; Lola T212; Lola
T286; TOJ SC304; or Chevron B26, among
many others.
MORE PEARLS FROM ANOTHER ERA
Formula 1 and endurance racing weren’t the
only categories present at Estoril Classics 2023,
quite the contrary. The Heritage Touring
Cup was the race par excellence for touring
cars from the 1970s, where myths such as the
BMW 3.0 CSL, Ford Capri RS 3100 Cologne,
Porsche 904/6 Carrera GTS, Bizarrini 5300
GT, Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage and Ferrari
250 LM shone. While in the Fifties Legends,
attention centred on the Shelby Cobra 260,
Lotus 19, Austin-Healey 3000 Mk I and
MG B.
And since Estoril Classics wasn’t just about the
track, lovers of classic racing were also able to
visit the paddock to get up close and personal
with the machines and drivers... including,
this year, motorbikes! Like the Suzuki 500
DIRECT SPEECH
Those responsible for organising Estoril
Classics were naturally happy after this year’s
edition of the initiative and the success it had
achieved. Duarte Nobre Guedes, one of its
main mentors, emphasised the international
dimension that the event already has: “This
is the seventh edition, we’re part of a very
important international circuit. So we’re
on a par with the big circuits, such as Le
Mans, Paul Ricard, Spa and so on. And
that really defines where we are, and this
year we were finally able to show the
potential of this event. We had a large
number of cars - over 300 cars - and 50
motorbikes. It’s already on the calendar
for next year (...) and it’s also already part
of Cascais’ tourist promotion calendar”.
Diogo Ferrão, CEO of Race Ready, talked
about the numbers behind the organisation:
“For seven days, we’re here setting
up, preparing for the event, which lasts
three days and has 350 teams, including
cars and motorbikes, which means that
there are 3,500 entourage members who
come to the racetrack to prepare these
cars, including drivers, partners, mechanics,
team managers, caterers, etc.
More than 250 people work here, so it
has a big impact locally”. He went on to
praise three of the cars in particular: “For
me, my favourite is the Ferrari 250 LM
- which was not the car, but the model,
that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in
1965. It was the last model to win Le
Mans until 2023. (...). Then there’s the
Lotus 72, in the colours of John Player
Special, which is a car that was world
constructors’ champion in 1973. And
also important for me is the Maserati
MC12, which is already a modern classic,
as they now call them (...). And this year
the motorbikes were a great novelty - and
year after year it’s becoming a tradition,
a festive atmosphere that are these three
days of Estoril Classics”.
Clube Naval de CASCAIS 109