It’s hard to believe, but Classic British Welcome is now 20 years old! Over the past two decades, it has grown in size and stature to become the premiere support event to the world famous Le Mans 24 hour race. Now, as then, it is totally free to the public, something only made possible by a hard-working band of volunteers who give up hours and indeed, days of their time throughout the preceding year to make sure that everything works perfectly on the day.
Every year since 2003, there has been a theme marque, but to celebrate the 20th Edition, 2020 will see us honouring the 13 marques that have gone before, namely; Alpine, Aston Martin, Austin Healey, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Jaguar, Lotus, Marcos, MG, Morgan, Porsche and Triumph. All have competed in the world’s most famous race, a true test of drivers and machines, a race which is often cruel, sometimes gruelling but always exciting!
As always, this year’s theme was announced at the Soirée des Partenaires on the last Friday of January, the 31/1/20. CBW president, Stéphane Auvrignon, welcomed all those present, including the sponsors, partners and members of the Classic British Welcome volunteers.
The evening was compared by Bruno Vandestick and the special guest was Vincent Beaumesnil, the ACO sporting director. On display was an AC Cobra Daytona provided by ATS Le Mans, and a 1926 Bugatti Type 35B.
Finally, it was also confirmed that this year’s special guest would be Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, the former director of Audi Sport. Under his leadership, Audi won 13 times at the Le Mans 24H and it is fitting that 2020 marks the 20th anniversary of Audi’s first win in the Sarthe.
Right from the start, the Saint-Saturnin Classic British Welcome made its mark on the 24 hour weekend, attracting interest from manufacturer’s clubs and key figures in the world of endurance racing. The event has a different theme and a special guest each year.
This year, our guest is Dr Wolfgang Ullrich
Jacques Nicolet
Jan Lammers, Dutch driver, winner of Le Mans 24 hours
Frédéric Sausset, Christophe Tinseau, Jean-Bernard Bouvet
Mauro Bianchi, Jean-Pierre Jaussaud
Tom Kristensen, record number of Le Mans victories
Jürgen Barth, German driver, winner of Le Mans 24 hours.
Celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Le Mans 24 Hours and the major British marques who have made their stamp on the history of the
Derek Bell, British driver, winner of Le Mans 24 hours
Henri Pescarolo, French driver, winner of Le Mans 24 hours. Andy Wallace, British driver, winner of Le Mans 24 hours
Doug Fehan, Program Manager at Corvette Racing
Jean-Pierre Jabouille, French Formula 1 and Le Mans 24 hours driver
Phil Hill, American driver, winner of Le Mans 24 hours
Yves Courage, French driver and designer of prototype cars for Le Mans 24 hours.
Paul Frère, Belgian driver, winner of Le Mans 24 hours before becoming a journalist.
Johnny Herbert, British driver, winner of Le Mans 24 hours. (Sir Stirling Moss attended the event)
Derek Bell, British driver, winner of Le Mans 24 hours
Jan Lammers, Dutch driver, winner of Le Mans 24 hours
