Text and photos by Martin Stubbs

As you enter the gates to the pit area for this annual event, you walk into a kaleidoscope of colours, shapes and sounds, a rich array of different marques representing motorsport from the 20s through to a 2005 Westfield Clubman. Each year Historic Sandown seems to attract over 300 entries, not only past competitors but always a crop of new ones to avoid repetition and to keep stimulating public interest.

The feature event was ‘Return of the Thunder’, Australia verses New Zealand Formula 5000 clash consisting of 19 entries, providing spectators in the grandstand with a ‘wall of sound’ from the stock block 5.0 litre V8 engines as they swept past.

In the last few years there has been a revival of the Formula 5000 Tasman series racing in new Zealand and Australia, and we can only be grateful for the dedication of the owners of these cars in still competing at a top level at what must be considerable cost of maintenance and with enthusiasm to keep these ageing cars running.

Another feature was the display of Cooper cars on the concourse between the pits and the grandstand, these included a number of early air cooled 500s, a 1952 Cooper-Bristol Mk1, Jack Brabham’s 1959 ‘World Championship’ Cooper and a Cooper BRM T75.

John Goss, the only driver to win both Bathurst and the Australian Grand Prix was this years Historic Sandown Patron and as well as doing some of the presentations he also did a couple of demonstration laps in one of the restored Jaguar XJS racers.

Rather than try to describe the event I have let a selection of my images convey the atmosphere of Historic Sandown, anyone wishing to obtain copies or view all the images shot at this event should contact motormarques.com by registering or myself at

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Above: Paul Fellows, 1977 Farrell Clubman	Above: Paul Crocitti, 1996 DRB Cobra	Above: 1972 Elfin MR5
Above: Peter Bartolo, 2006 Westfield	Above: Harold Roberts, 1969 Elfin 600	Above:Rohan Carry, 1980 Hardman JH1
Above: Ken Bedggood, 1966 Brabham BT16	Above: Hugh Gartley, 1973 Cheetah Mk 4	Above: 'Holding Pattern', Jonathan Williamson. 1962 Loyus 22 FJ
Above: ‘Patience’, drivers briefing	Above: ‘Dangerous curves’, 1983 Lola T594 and 1983 Tiga SC83	Above: ‘Waiting to perform’, 2006 Pusher and 1976 Van Dieman
Above: Warwick Anderson, 1934 MG L Type Offenhauser	Above: Marque Sports racing, 1965 MG Midget and 1972 MGBV8	Above: ‘Return of the Thunder’, Formula 5000 racing

Above: Historic Coopers on display	Above: Jack Brabham’s 1959 ‘World championship’ Cooper	Above: Todd Miller’s 1952 Cooper-Bristol Mk1