Crewe, 12 June 2023: The most well-known race automobile of the fashionable Bentley period, the 2003 Speed 8, made its return to Le Mans this weekend to participate within the centenary celebrations of the last word motorsport marathon – the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The dynamic demonstration of the extremely common fan-favourite precedes the return of a brand new Works Bentley to Le Mans, with a pair of Blower Continuation Series automobiles to compete at this yr’s Le Mans Classic.
Bentley Speed 8 takes to the monitor
The exact same automobile that received the race in 2003 – Speed 8 chassis 004/5 – took to the monitor on Saturday afternoon as a part of a centenary parade. It was piloted by Guy Smith, the identical driver who took the chequered flag twenty years in the past, because the automobile turned a wheel on the circuit for the primary time since. After being reunited with the automobile and finishing two laps of the circuit, Guy commented:
“This car delivered Bentley’s first Le Mans victory since 1930, and became the springboard for my racing career, and so it’s incredibly special to me. While I’ve driven it a couple of times since 2003, this is the first time it’s been back to Le Mans and driving it here brought back so many memories and emotions. It feels exactly the same as it did when it crossed the line twenty years ago. Bentley is part of Le Mans, and Le Mans is part of Bentley, and it’s been an amazing weekend of celebrations of 100 years of history here.”
Guy Smith, Bentley Speed 8 Driver
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Le Mans Classic will then see a Works Bentley race at Le Mans for the primary time because the victory in 2003 – as a pair of Blower Continuation Series automobiles participate within the Grid 1 race. Both the factory-owned Blower Car Zero and a buyer automobile shall be racing, with the previous constructing on its latest first check race at Donington Park within the UK. The entries mark not solely the primary official Bentley entries to a Le Mans race since 2003, but additionally the return of a Works-supported Blower to the monitor for the primary time since 1930, when the legend of the Bentley Blower was born.
As a part of the rejuvenation of Bentley’s Heritage Collection, Speed 8 004/5 has not too long ago undergone an entire rebuild to return it to as-new commonplace because it was earlier than its most well-known victory. The automobile is considered one of eight motorsport automobiles within the Heritage Collection, all of that are maintained in working order alongside the 37 road-going members of the fleet, all of which shall be highway authorized by the top of the yr.
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The Speed 8 now stays on the circuit for the remainder of June, on show within the Le Mans Museum till Le Mans Classic on the finish of the month, the place Bentley could have a major presence and exhibition alongside the race programme. The Speed 8 will then make quite a lot of different dynamic appearances this summer season, earlier than returning to Crewe to be positioned on show with its sister automobiles from 2001 and 2002, and the remainder of the Bentley Heritage Collection, in three new and purpose-built areas that embed the fleet into any go to to Bentley’s campus.
Published by Bentley on Newspress
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