Stately home to host new festival

A brand new event at a stately home in Cheshire promises to bring a flavour of the Goodwood Festival of Speed to the North West when the first Cholmondeley Pageant of Power is held over the weekend of August 9/10.

The event will be based on a 1.2-mile sprint course in the grounds of Cholmondeley Castle, near Nantwich, and is planned as the first in a series of annual events with a focus on classic sports cars and single-seaters. Other features of the weekend include helicopter displays and powerboats, with hydroplanes and catamarans   racing on the estate’s 25-acre mere, plus classic boat displays.

The British Automobile Racing Club, which organises both the Festival of Speed and the Revival Meeting at Goodwood, will run the competitive action. The entry aims to attract up to 80 cars and 40 motorbikes from across the history of motor sport.

The venue has twice been used as a special stage on Tour Britannia, and the sprint course will include two fast straights and several corners as well as an artificial chicane.

“In a way, Tour Britannia made us think it would be possible,” said event spokesman Mike McCormack. “We plan to make it an annual event, with classic cars and bikes through the decades. There is a huge catchment area and it is a big event for the North West. It’s a long way from Goodwood and we’re not trying to compete with that event.”

The estate is the home of the Marquess of Cholmondeley, whose family have long been car enthusiasts, and the paddock area will be in the shadow of the castle.