Mondello will open its gates this weekend for the annual historic festival, one that intends to top the festivities of last year's 50th anniversary of the Kildare race track.
This year, there's another major birthday to celebrate - it's Mini's 60th, so there will be races for historic Mini competition cars, displays of classic and modern models, and appearances by Mini racing and rallying stalwarts. On top of that, the Irish Mini Owners Club is planning to bring along one of the biggest displays of Minis ever seen in Ireland.
March 811 F1 car
Mini won't be the only attraction. There will also be demo runs by some amazing racing machinery, including the legendary March 811 Formula One car with its distinctive Guinness livery. Driven by Derek Daly back in the day, car and driver will be reunited at Mondello, alongside its current owner - CJJ Motorsports proprietor John Campion.
The Birrane Collection
The Birrane Collection will also be out in force. Martin Birrane, businessman and owner of Mondello Park, sadly passed away last year, but his remarkable personal collection of cars is kept on-site at Mondello. Many of these - from a Ford C100 Le Mans racer, to classic Lola Indycars, to a Porsche 962, to a BMW M1 Procar - will be either on display, or actually out on track. There are some seriously rare and wonderful cars in the collection, so it's well worth seeing, and is a fitting tribute to Birrane himself.
Historic racers and flypast
There will be races for the Historic Racing Car Association - which fields everything from MGs and Lotus Cortinas to Porsche 911s and more - and for pre-1955 cars as well. The awesome 'Legends' retro-style racers will be on track too, as will classic motorbikes. For showgoers on the Sunday, lunchtime will also see a flypast (weather depending of course) of the Irish Historic Foundation, with their ex-Air Corp Chipmunks and the De Havilland Dragon biplane in original Aer Lingus 'Iolar' colours.
For those in the paddock, there will also be a Best Dressed competition, with the winner taking away a Magee 1866 tweed jacket and hat. For those with the means to avail of the corporate hospitality boxes, Michelin Star chef Derry Clarke will be cooking up the grub.
Sessions start at 9am on both Saturday the 17th and Sunday the 18th, with the final on-track action at around 5pm. Tickets - which cost just €20 for a weekend pass - can be bought from mondelloparlk.ie. If you arrive in a new or old Mini, admission is free.