Touring car legends will be out in force at Knockhill this weekend at the Super Touring Festival hits Scottish soil for the first time.
The two-day festival has been named for Touring Cars star, David Leslie, and is supported by Event Scotland and Fife Council.
Knockhill will stage the finale of the championship, which takes place at selected showcase events around the UK, featuring two races for a grid of Touring Cars from the eighties onwards.
Making his return to Knockhill will be Scotland’s first double Touring Cars champion, John Cleland, in his race winning Vauxhall Vectra.
He is gearing up for going head to head with Gabriele Tarquini, his arch rival from the nineties, who is flying in from Italy specially for the event.
The last time he “locked horns” with Tarquini was when Cleland was a driving standards adviser at Monza.
“He punted someone in qualifying,” recounts Cleland.
With a fine and grid penalty “he absolutely went off on some Italian rant” until shown his misdemeanour on video. “So I am not too sure how our meeting is going to go at Knockhill,” laughed Cleland.
Tarquini, a former British and World Touring Cars champion, will pilot the 1996 Honda Accord which the late David Leslie drove to secure Honda’s first win in the championship.
It is a fitting combination given that the event will also dovetail as a tribute to Leslie – Formula Ford and Super Touring racers will all vie for special trophies bearing his name while his family will be guests of honour to present the awards.
Tarquini is a touring car titan, but north of the border is perhaps most famously known for his infamous 1994 roll at Knockhill where he destroyed his Alfa Romeo 155 TS after a collision with 1992 champ, current ITV Sport Touring Car presenter Tim Harvey.
Not only that but 1996 champ and multiple Le Mans winner Frank Biela will be a guest of honour after flying in from Europe.
Knockhill’s director of events Stuart Gray said the track was honoured to have such legends of the sport joining in.
“We are thrilled that funding from Event Scotland and Fife Council has allowed this prestigious event to be televised and we are expecting a display of race and show Super Tourers and BTCC cars, the likes of which have not been seen since their appearance here over 17 years ago when we had record crowds attending.
