MAY 9, 2001

The Return of the 'Tache

NIGEL MANSELL, the mustached hero of Formula 1 and Indycar in the 1980s and 1990s, is to return to the cockpit of a super speedway racer this year at the Coy's International Historic Festival.

Mansell wowed fans on both sides of the Atlantic with his muscular driving style, being named 'il Leone' (the lion), by the Italians after his stint at Ferrari in 1989-90, and in the USA where he came, saw and conquered in 1993 after winning the world championship with the Williams team.

It was with the Newman Haas team that Mansell came to the USA in 1993 and, in his rookie season, won the country's blue riband single seater championship. The following year Williams called upon the Briton to sub for the lamented Ayrton Senna and he garnered victory in Australia before a fractured and ultimately embarrassing final few races with McLaren.

This year the Coys of Kensington backed event has moved from Silverstone, home of the British Grand Prix, to the new 1.5-mile Rockingham oval, which will host a round of this year's CART Champ Car championship in September, and Mansell's appearance is sure to boost ticket sales at both among the British public.

The historic festival will be the first major event in the Rockingham oval's history when it reaches completion, taking place on May 26.