Sir Patrick Stewart to race Morgan at Silverstone Classic Charity Race 2012

London: ‘Star Trek’ actor Sir Patrick Stewart will boldly go where no Enterprise captain has gone before when he races at Silverstone.

The 71-year-old actor will take part in a celebrity charity event at the Grand Prix track’s fabulous Silverstone Classic weekend for historic racing cars. He said he was thrilled by the prospect. Stewart, Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the iconic sci-fi series, will take on a host of celebs including ‘Strictly Come Dancing’s’ Brendan Cole, chef Heston Blumenthal, AC/DC rocker Brian Johnson, Corrie’s Tony Hirst, Olympic skier Chemmy Alcott and ex-England footballer Steve Bull. They will drive 130mph lightweight Morgan sportscars on Saturday July 21, in the middle of the three-day historic festival. “I’ve raced once before in a pro-celebrity event on the Long Beach IndyCar circuit in California. But that was 10 years ago!” the Sun quoted him as saying. “I’ve been in retirement since then but when the chance came up to drive a great British sportscar at Silverstone, well, what could be better? “It was just irresistible. I’m looking forward to it immensely,” he said. The spectacular event will feature a host of races for all sorts of classic cars, including famous Formula One machines. And there will be special races dedicated to the memories of 1971 Italian Grand Prix winner Peter Gethin, who died in December, and renowned touring car entrant Alan Mann, who passed away in March. ANI