Abarth Celebrity Race Star Lineup Announced

At a special event to take place this weekend (July 23-25), stars from TV, radio, sport and music will line up on the grid and race Abarth 500 cars in charity purposes at the Silverstone circuit in the UK. Dubbed BSM Centenary Abarth 500 Celebrity Challenge, the competition aims to raise funds for the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research.

Participating celebrities include TV chefs Heston Blumenthal and James Martin, Strictly Come Dancing’s Brendan Cole, actor Tom Chambers, former Watford and England footballer Luther Blissett, TV presenter Lord Charles Brocket, rocker Rick Parfitt Junior and drummer Neil Primrose from the band Travis.

Also competing in the race will be BBC Radio 2 DJs Johnnie Walker and Richard Allinson, and BBC Sport journalist Jonny Saunders, while DJ ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris is Team Manager.

“The Abarth 500 Esseesse provides our celebrity drivers with the ideal introduction to motorsport,” said Ivan Gibson, head of Abarth in the UK. “And it demonstrates that, just as it was back in the 1960s, Abarth’s saying: ‘Small but wicked’ is still very much in keeping with the brand.”

The Abarth 500 cars competing in the race are in fact road versions of the car that have been modified to meet race safety specification. All the cars are finished in the Campovolo Grey racing colours of Karl Abarth, together with branding from British driving school BSM.

“After the race, the limited edition event cars will be autographed by the drivers and made available for sale. The celebrities will be raising funds for the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK via sponsorship on their cars. Run in memory of one of Britain's best-loved footballers, the fund supports research into bowel cancer,” a statement from Abarth reads.