Firle Beacon Motorsport Festival 2022: First-of-its-kind event arrives on the South Downs this weekend

The two-day festival opens its gates for the first-time, with more than 200 cars on show and roaring into action against the backdrop of the Sussex South Downs.

The event is the brainchild of Henry Gage of the Firle Estate, who said: “After months of preparations it feels remarkable that only one month remains until the big launch.

"We can’t wait to host Firle Beacon festival and we’re as excited as everyone else to see the cars and displays that we’ve confirmed.”

The festival includes supercars, rally cars and a collection of the earliest minis – including one of Mr. Bean’s original.

The line-up features a rally demonstration, which starts at the main gate over the two-mile rally stage, with over 100 cars speeding by at 30 second intervals – ending with a climb up the Firle Beacon Hill.

Those wanting to get close to the action can view the challenging rally course from the Village.

Alternatively, visitors can watch it all from the sprawling lawns on big screens, with all the action captured on drones.

There will also be a supercar sprint – a high-octane ¼ mile standing sprint featuring the cars in the Supercar Paddock.

Firle Beacon will be a celebration of 90 years of Rally in the UK, featuring some of the most iconic cars from across the decades - including British Rally Champion Colin McRae’s iconic 1997 rally-winning Subaru Impreza WRC.

There will also be a special collection of cars driven by Rally Champion Russell Brookes – including three Mk2 Escorts, two Opel Mantas, a Sierra Cosworth, Chevette HSR, together with a Group A Astra.

Festival-goers can also see some of the fastest, most powerful, and sophisticated vehicles from Retro Rallycross & Group B.

Local pub The Ram, owned by the Firle Estate, will be transformed for Saturday night entertainment.

There will be a free party for all the Saturday Firle Beacon ticketholders to attend after the event, with drinks and food available for purchase.

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Organisers say there will be plenty of opportunities for visitors to enjoy a British day out in the countryside with great value beer and locally sourced food available across the site from its catering partners.

To find out more about the festival click here