2023 Festival of Speed full results

We’d seen glimpses of its pace in prior runs, but Marvin Kirchhöfer pushed this most extreme of track-only hypercars to the absolute limit. It’s powered by an unrestrained, naturally-aspirated V10 sending 840PS (618kW) to the rear wheels via a seven-speed sequential transmission, revving to more than 10,000rpm in a wondrous showcase of why we love internal combustion.

It’s not all about power, though. The Solus GT has been painstakingly sculpted on all sides to squeeze every ounce of downforce it can out of the air. The result is what we’ve just witnessed, relentless progress regardless of the road ahead. The way this car shrugs off the likes of Molecomb corner is reminiscent of the McMurtry Spéirling that was so impressive one year ago.

This year’s winner didn’t have it easy either. It had to fight off the challenge of Travis Pastrana in his spectacular Subaru GL Family Huckster, and even threat from the inside, as the McLaren M26 F1 car from 1976 rounded off the podium.

Special mentions are reserved for Adam Smalley in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and Jake Hill in his Group A Nissan Skyline GT-R, with neither having left anything on the Hill.

Timed Shootout top 10

This year proved to be a very different challenge. Not only did we lose an entire days’ running due to inclement weather, the second practice session on Friday was run in conditions that were far from ideal.

Adam Smalley set the fastest time in both sessions his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, but Travis Pastrana’s Subaru GL Family Huckster, Florent Moulin’s Chrysler Viper GTS-R and Rob Bell’s McLaren Solus GT were within striking distance during Thursday’s more representative dry running.

Friday saw improved fortunes for WRC stars Ott Tänak, in his Hyundai i20N Rally1 Hybrid, and Thierry Neuville, in his Hyundai i20N Rally1 Hybrid, two cars that are built to handle low-grip conditions. Smalley and Pastrana also posted quick times as the rain lashed down on the Hill, cementing their positions as favourites for the win on Sunday.

The Rally Shootout sees the fastest competitors on the rally stage compete for top honours, with machinery from across the WRC's history and beyond taking part. Everything from Subaru Iprezas, to Ford Fiestas and Escorts, to Group B legends like the Metro 6R4, ranks in the top 10 finishers.

Rally Shootout top 10

The off-road arena gets properly unhinged at the Festival of Speed, with a whole variety of mutant machines and Dakar darlings taking to our course. These are the top finishers. 

Off road arena top 10