The 2012 Festival of Speed theme is ‘Young Guns – Born to Win’, celebrating drivers and riders and designers and engineers whose supreme talent and insatiable thirst for speed shocked the establishment, affording them immediate superstar status.

Throughout motor sport history, an elite group of newcomers have announced their arrival on the world stage with performances so stunning as to instantly rewrite the status quo. From Bernd Rosemeyer and Mike Hawthorn, to Emerson Fittipaldi and Lewis Hamilton, Mike Hailwood and Valentino Rossi, to Henri Toivonen and Colin McRae, all made an impact that was as immediate as it is indelible.

The 2012 Festival of Speed will celebrate the careers of these overnight sensations – some of whom fulfilled their full promise; others who shone briefly before fading; but all of whom secured their own special place in motor sport’s rich tapestry.