COUNCILLORS will next month discuss plans to bring a celebration of classic cars and motorsport machines back to Ormskirk in 2012, The Champion can exclusively reveal.
Members of West Lancashire Borough Council's cabinet will meet on January 17 to discuss whether the Ormskirk MotorFest, which attracted thousands of visitors to the market town over the August Bank Holiday, should be held again following the success of the inaugural event.
Mike Ashcroft, chairman of Aintree Circuit Club, which organised the event in collaboration with the council, said:
“We were obviously delighted with the way the event went earlier this year and it was a great success which exceeded everybody's expectations, with businesses in Ormskirk benefitting from all the extra trade which came into the town.
"We are delighted that West Lancashire Borough Council are thinking of working with us again on another event for 2012, and we're looking forward to the outcome of the cabinet's discussions next month."
The MotorFest attracted more than 200 classic cars and motorbikes when it was held in Ormskirk town centre and Coronation Park on August 28, with over 10,000 visitors turning up to see a host of static displays - including a Ferrari Enzo formely owned by rocker Rod Stewart - as well as a series of parade laps on the town's one-way system.
The Champion understands that the 2012 event will be held once again on the August Bank Holiday Sunday subject to budgetary considerations, with the potential for corporate sponsors to help underwrite the costs of hosting a second event.
Members of the borough council welcomed the success of the inaugural event and the boost it brought to the West Lancashire economy, and shortly after the weekend Councillor Ian Grant, the councill's leader, said:
"This was a fantastic event which really put Ormskirk - and the whole of West Lancashire - on the map. Not only did it attract thousands of visitors into the town during a bank holiday weekend, but it proved a bonus for local businesses, who had a real boost to their trade.
“It was a great day out for people of all ages and the council is incredibly proud to have supported it and look forward to the possibility of another similar event in the future.”
West Lancashire Borough Council has not yet responded to requests from The Champion for a comment on the MotorFest plans, but a full follow up will be included in the next edition published on December 28.
Life On Cars, which in August 2010 was the first motoring website to reveal details of the inaugural MotorFest, produced an offically-backed magazine to help accompany the event earlier this year.
