Entries are flowing in for the One Raceway Historic Summer Spectacular on 7-8 February 2026 - and a particular Ford model with a rich motorsport heritage is proving notably popular among the early entrants.
No, it’s not the Mustang or Falcon GTHO. Rather, it’s the smaller and lighter, but equally competitive Mk1 Cortina, which won the first three editions of the Bathurst 500 in the hands of Bob Jane/Harry Firth (1963), Jane/George Reynolds (1964) and Bo Seton/Midge Bosworth (1965).
Already a competitive touring car in GT form, the Cortina’s credentials were further enhanced when Colin Chapman homologated 1,000 units with a more powerful twin-cam engine in the UK; thus, the Lotus Cortina was born, and proved a formidable package.
Just one of the examples of its international success was its victory in the 1964 British Saloon Car Championship, in the hands of Formula 1 legend Jim Clark.
Of the (more than 20) Group N nominations received for the Historic Summer Spectacular in the first three days of entries opening, no fewer than nine are Cortinas, with more expected in the coming weeks.
One of the Cortinas in the field will be driven by Chris Dubois, a man who has a long affiliation with small-engined Fords.
“As a kid, my first car was a Ford Escort so I’ve always had a love for four cylinder English Fords,” Dubois said.
“I owned a Ford Anglia Group N car for around 40 years, I also have an Escort race car, and a Lotus Cortina was always on my bucket list.
“I was working on a Lotus Cortina for one of my friends and when he decided to sell it about five years ago, I jumped at the opportunity.”
While the 1.6 Litre Cortinas may not have the raw horsepower of a Mustang or Falcon GT, Dubois said they are just as enjoyable from behind the wheel.
“The beauty of the Cortina is that it’s a more forgiving car to drive - you don’t have to arm-wrestle it too hard to get a good lap time,” he said.
“People like Les Walmsley and myself, we’ve raced bigger and more powerful cars over the years but as we get older, we’re finding the Cortinas to be easier to race but still a lot of fun.
“We can’t wait to come to One Raceway in February and we think the Cortinas will be competitive against the other Under 2 Litre cars, such as the Minis. Racing on the Shelley Circuit on the Sunday will be a great challenge for everyone!”
Entries for the One Raceway Historic Summer Spectacular can be submitted HERE.
