Last weekend, the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo de Cheste held the eighth edition of the Racing and Legends event, an event that traditionally marks the opening of the Valencian circuit’s competitive activity to the public.
In fact, the last event that could be seen in chest just before the pandemic changed our lives was the Racing and Legends of 2020, after which the activity on the track would take time to return, and even more so the public. In 2021 it did not take place, so the feeling of this 2022 edition was that of rebirth.
The Saturday, a cloudy day in which the sun ended up shining, saw a large influx of people -more than 5,000 people-, eager to open, at the gates of spring, the season of activities on the circuit. And this event may be the ideal one for it, combining two and four wheels, complemented by a large number of satellite activities for the whole family and the little ones, which turns the paddock into a kind of amusement park with motors as center of gravity.
Like every year, the Cheste Circuit paid tribute to a motorcycling driver, but this year it went further, and restarted the Walk of Fame project that is located in front of the main entrance. Sete Gibernau was the honoree, and shaped his two hands in the cement to commemorate that the Catalan was the first Spanish rider to triumph at the Cheste circuit, in 2011, in the 500 cubic centimeter category at the controls of a Suzuki RGV500, in which it was also his first victory in the premier class of both wheels.
The two-time world runner-up was happy with the memory of the circuit, as well as being able to see so much love for the past of motorcycles. He also expressed, in an interview granted to the circuit, his hope that the mobility of the future would not be destructive of the past, in order not to demonize both combustion cars and motorcycles, even expressing his fear that a sudden change and unreasonable could endanger not only jobs, but even the future of categories such as MotoGP or Formula 1.
In that sense, events like this represent a bastion against the future of mobility. The smells and sounds of cars and motorcycles transport you to a not so distant past. And the presence of riders like the Venezuelan Carlos Lavado -two-time 250cc world champion- or Pier-Paolo Bianchi -triple 125cc champion- help to bring to the present what were, in this case, the sporting glories of the past. , mounted on saddles of their time.
In terms of cars, one of the points of interest in this edition was the gathering of owners of the Citroën Avant. The model, created in 1934, was in production until 1957 with different variants, it was a pioneer in the mass production of front-wheel drive cars. In this sense, the great talk on the evolution of the brand and its founder offered by members of the club, as well as the Hydractive suspension, which continues to be the best mark in the Moose test it boasts with the Xantia in 1999 –not even current supercars like McLaren or Porsche have surpassed it-.
Within this concentration, we must highlight the Norwegian Mindor Hesthaug, 72 years old, which crossed Europe from North to South from Oslo to Valencia. After eight days, he arrived at the circuit to exhibit his Traction Avant together with his teammates, demonstrating the reliability of this very special model.
Levantine clubs and associations put the representation on four wheels. In this area there were interesting groups, such as those of the Renault Fuego or BMW owners. But perhaps it should be highlighted as the most important model seen in this edition a magnificent example of the Lamborghini Espadain a beautiful combination of black body with red interior.
The Espada, designed by the brilliant Marcello Gandini for Bertone, production began in 1968, and lasted 10 years, with 1,217 units manufactured. With a V12 engine in the front position, its sound was gruff but round. A low, wide and long model, with large glazed spaces that provided great interior light for the four occupants of this coupé.
Some of the private models took to the track, together with the Regularity Trophy of the Valencian Community, which started the season in Cheste. However, it is necessary to regret the scarce presence on the track of the four wheels, which in previous years has been more numerous, even competitively. Obviously, circumstances rule and you have to accept the reality of the moment, with the hope of a future that recovers the brilliant moments of the past.
For misfortune, he Sunday It turned out to be a very cloudy day, with the rain making an appearance very punctually, as well as cold, all of which led to a smaller public presence. Even so, quite a few people came to Cheste again, which provided a good atmosphere on the final day, taking advantage of the shops and other activities, such as the exhibition of military vehicles or the spectacular collection of old trucks, the vast majority of the long-awaited factory Pegaso, whose emblem was still proudly displayed on models of freight and people transport.
Thus closed this edition of Racing and Legends. In such turbulent times, not only in terms of mobility that inevitably has to look to the future and sustainability, but also in terms of health and warfare, the past, which always seems firm and stable to us, took over for two days of the lives of all those who came to Cheste. And that was a balm to be thankful for.