Australian motorsport legend John Bowe will fulfil a long-held ambition when he races at the Goodwood Revival later this year.
The V8 Supercars Hall of Fame member will team with Melbourne-based businessman and car collector Joe Calleja in the latter’s 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray.
The Goodwood Revival, this year set for September 11-13, is the world’s premier historic race meeting, drawing legendary cars and drivers from across the globe by invitation.
Goodwood will be the pair’s second international event with the car following a trip to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca, California, in 2012.
An original 1960s SCCA race car, the Corvette was raced by the late Peter Brock at Goodwood in 2005 and 2006.
Steve Makarios’ Synergy Race Engines is building a new motor for this year’s Revival to fit the English rules.
It will compete in the RAC Tourist Trophy against cars including AC Cobras, Ferrari GTOs, Aston Martin DB4s and Jaguar E-Types.
“It’s one of those bucket list events that I’ve always read about with interest and wanted to do,” Bowe told Speedcafe.com of Goodwood.
“We won’t be going over there to set the world on fire but, for someone like me who loves old racing cars, just being part of it will be fantastic.
“Having watched it on YouTube it’s a fearsomely fast track and some of the old cars are wayward to say the least.
“The Corvette, running little cross-ply tyres, makes my Touring Car Masters car feel like a Formula 1 car.
“Now I’m just looking for a nice tweed jacket complete with patches on the sleeves and a deerstalker hat as well,” he added, referring to rules stipulating period clothing for all in the Goodwood paddock.
Bowe is also hopeful of racing a second car at the event, a Group N Lotus Cortina owned by Australian Mark Johnson, if the entry is approved by organisers.
Calleja, who runs building materials supplier Apex Steel, has only recently started racing and will gain more experience in the Corvette at the upcoming April 25-26 Mallala historics.
Bowe will race another of Calleja’s machines, a 1974 March F1 car, at the South Australian circuit provided that his right-hand has recovered sufficiently from recent surgery.
The veteran has not raced at Mallala since the final Australian Touring Car Championship event held at the venue in 1998, where he won the opening heat for Dick Johnson Racing.
VIDEO: The 2014 Goodwood Revival RAC Tourist Trophy
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