Words & Photos by Henry Phull
As most of the shows we visit are majorly static based, it’s always nice to switch it up a little with a track oriented event to fully take in what car culture and motorsport is really about. Last weekend saw the return of Apex Festival to Lydden Hill Race Circuit in Kent with a focal point being the track sessions, including racing, drifting and parade laps throughout the 2-day weekend event, not forgetting the show and shine on the Sunday. We decided, for once, to make a full weekend of it and camp on the Saturday night. In hindsight this was a bad idea simply because of the weather and severe wind throughout the entire night! Next time we definitely need a camper! Weather aside, the Apex crew put on a fantastic, seamlessly organised, family friendly show.
Being able to walk around the pits gave everyone a chance to experience what goes on during a track day; watching teams and individuals work on their cars, chatting with the racers or simply admiring the metal… a real opportunity to get behind the scenes.
From amateurs to professional race and drift teams, Apex seemed to have it all.
The drifting was certainly a highlight of the weekend.
You don’t get to see Beetle’s take on the track often, super cool!
Seeing the cars lining up for their track sessions was quite a picture.
Mk1 Golf track cars proved a very popular choice, with a selection of absolute monsters!
Of course, it wouldn’t be a retro drift event without an AE86…
Whats that… another Mk1?
This Beetle was full on going for it out on track on both days, hardcore!
Jägermeister livery is always a winner.
A personal favourite of the weekend, this super touring Renault Laguna. Seeing something like this is just unreal, this is what it’s all about. That stance… the whole car is to die for.
Moving on to the Show & Shine ground, you’ll notice the majority is air-cooled based. We’ve not seen much since Volksworld, so it makes a welcomed change.
Being on the floor, this caught my eye… a Ford Popular on a Beetle pan, very cool.
There was certainly a huge variation of Beetles, including these two gorgeous examples.
This Fastback looked great in black and was absolutely mint.
On the other side of the scale, this patina’d Beetle.
Throughout the day, there were all sorts of vehicles out on track including buses! Why not!
After watching Hayburner‘s one day build online a few weeks ago, we were looking forward to seeing Project Minerva in person. This was built in just 14 hours!
The following group of cars from Belgium were another major highlight.
RDW’s and Beetle’s, a match made in heaven.
Coltech Classics‘ Dyane felt right at home at Apex. Paul definitely made the right choice in bringing it along.
Whether you go static, or bag your Beetle, they can both look incredible…
This static black bug was getting a lot of attention, ploughing through the show fields.
Although it seemed the weather put a lot of people off coming to Apex, it actually stayed mainly dry on the Sunday and a lot of fun was had all round, with a healthy mix of track action and static displays to keep everyone content. The fact that you could see the complete circuit from literally anywhere in the venue was ideal, you could properly experience everything at once. There’s no doubt that this show will continue to grow. Keep up the good work guys and thanks for having us.