Prescott Engineering & Innovation Festival 2026 Delivers Inspiring Weekend of Engineering, Competition and Innovation
The 2026 Prescott Engineering & Innovation Festival proved to be a resounding success, bringing together leading engineers, innovators, motorsport enthusiasts, exhibitors, competitors and students for a packed weekend celebrating engineering achievement and automotive heritage.
Organised jointly by the Bugatti Owners' Club and the Bugatti Trust Museum & Study Centre, the festival showcased a diverse exhibitor line-up spanning motorsport, advanced manufacturing, technology, education, heritage engineering and future mobility. Exhibitors engaged visitors of all ages, providing hands-on demonstrations and valuable insights into careers and opportunities across the engineering sector.
A particular highlight of the weekend was the festival's educational programme. Students attending the event not only had the opportunity to interact with engineers and industry professionals but were also treated to passenger rides in Bugatti cars on Prescott's famous hill, creating memorable experiences that brought automotive engineering to life.
Copyright : Tom Gay. Thank you to the Bugattists who gave young learners a lift ip the historic hill climb.
The festival's guest speaker programme at The Bugatti Trust also proved exceptionally popular, with every talk selling out in advance. Visitors heard from Pikes Peak competitor Damien Bradley, who shared the engineering challenges behind one of the world's most demanding motorsport events; renowned pre-war Bugatti engineering expert Tim Dutton; and Jim Budd from Moog Engineering, who offered fascinating insights into modern engineering innovation. The capacity audiences reflected the growing appetite for engineering-focused content and technical discussion within the Prescott community.
Running alongside the festival was two days of competitive hill climb action featuring rounds of the FASSI Classic Speed Championship, New Barn Speed Championship and numerous club championships, providing visitors with a unique opportunity to watch historic, classic and modern machinery compete on the renowned Prescott Hill Climb course.
Saturday Competition Highlights
Saturday's action saw competitors battling for class honours across a wide variety of machinery.
The fastest time of the day was recorded by Mike Luck in his Dart 1800, who stopped the clocks at an impressive 43.18 seconds, demonstrating the pace of modern competition machinery.
Among the Bugatti Owners' Club classes:
Johnny Hulme claimed victory in BOC Class 1 with his Renault 5 GT Turbo Coupe.
Robert Ian Blackstock won BOC Class 2 Sports Cars in his MG TF160.
Mike Hawke took honours in BOC Class 3 Race Cars aboard his historic Formula 750 Phoenix.
In championship action:
Peter House won the AMOC Speed Championship class in his Aston Martin Vantage GT4.
Andrew Webber secured victory in the National Historic Speed Championship class with his Lotus Europa 47D.
Matt Waltham led the Triumph Register contingent to victory in his Triumph TR5.
Aaron Bland topped a highly competitive New Barn Speed Championship class in his Mini Cooper S.
The FASSI Classic Speed Championship competitors also produced some excellent performances:
Class 1 was won by Ben Thorne in an Austin Mini Clubman.
Class 2 honours went to Tim Lakin in his MGB GT.
In the prestigious Williams Monaco Trophy for Bugattis, Rupert Marks took victory in his Bugatti Type 13 Brescia.
Sunday Competition Highlights
Sunday maintained the momentum with another full day of competition across the hill.
In the Bugatti Williams Monaco Trophy class, Paula Larisa Dragusanu claimed victory in her Bugatti Type 51, ahead of Yushan Ng in a Bugatti Type 35 GP and Winston Teague in a Bugatti Type 35.
Other Sunday class winners included:
Robert Ian Blackstock (BOC Standard Cars) in an MG TF160.
Owen Pritchard (BOC Road Cars) in a Mini Cooper S (R53).
Kevin O'Keeffe (BOC Modified Cars) in a Volvo Amazon.
Ramunas Cepulis (BOC Sports Libre Cars) in a Honda NSX.
Hamish Cameron Eveleigh (BOC Racing Cars) in a Cooper MK8.
On outright pace, Mike Luck again demonstrated exceptional speed, taking class honours in Racing Cars with a best run of 35.76 seconds.
A Festival to Inspire the Next Generation
With sold-out technical talks, an extensive exhibitor showcase, student engagement initiatives, memorable Bugatti passenger rides and thrilling competition on the hill, the 2026 Prescott Engineering & Innovation Festival successfully delivered on its aim of inspiring current and future generations of engineers.
The combination of motorsport, engineering excellence, heritage and education once again demonstrated why Prescott remains one of the UK's most distinctive venues for celebrating both engineering innovation and automotive culture. The event's success further strengthens its position as a key fixture in the engineering and motorsport calendar, with visitors, exhibitors and competitors already looking forward to returning in 2027.
Looking Ahead to 2027
Following the success of this year's event, the Bugatti Owners' Club and the Bugatti Trust Museum & Study Centre are delighted to announce that the Prescott Engineering & Innovation Festival will return on 2nd and 3rd October 2027. Building on the momentum generated by this year's sold-out talks, extensive exhibitor showcase, thrilling hill climb action and inspiring educational activities, plans are already underway to make next year's festival even bigger and better. Visitors, exhibitors, competitors and engineering enthusiasts are encouraged to save the date and join Prescott once again for a unique celebration of engineering, innovation, motorsport and automotive heritage.
Ends
For further information please contact
Bugatti Owners’ Club
Gemma Price
General Manager
01242 673136
The Bugatti Trust Museum and Study Centre
Angela Hucke
Curator & Education
01242 677201
