Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship fans who remember the nineties with fondness were dealt great news that the iconic Volvo 850 Estate touring car from 1994 and 1998 BTCC champion Rickard Rydell will be present at the Silverstone Classic event on 20-22 July 2018.
The Silverstone Classic is one of the world’s biggest classic motor racing festivals where the event usually attracts more than a thousand race entries and will attract more than a hundred thousand spectators to the Northamptonshire venue. Plus for 2018 the event will celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the BTCC.
The infamous idea by Tom Walkinshaw Racing to use the Estate body for the 1994 championship was a stroke of genius in terms of getting publicity. Despite not being that successful on track, the cumbersome Volvo is still seen as a cult classic among fans and its presence at Silverstone along with one of its drivers back in the day will probably generate huge interest around the vehicle.
Credit: Silverstone Classic
Also confirmed for the event was the re-uniting of Rickard Rydell and his TWR built championship winning Volvo S40 from 1998.
Despite retiring from racing a few years ago, the opportunity to race his championship winning car for fun was an opportunity Rickard didn’t want to miss.
“I’m really looking forward to it, I retired from being a professional racer a few years ago but I’m always happy to do some more races for fun and this, for all the obvious reasons, will be a very special occasion for me.
“We are hoping to get some of the 1998 TWR team back together for a reunion too.”
Fellow former BTCC racers John Cleland and Patrick Watts will also be present at the Silverstone Classic to compete against Rydell in the JET SuperTouring Car Trophy races.
