The Magazine
Previews of upcoming events, Race & Rally Reports, News, Reviews, Letters and Regulation Information from Historic Motor Racing News.
Vintage Sports-Car Club Prescott Speed Hillclimb
In modern day parlance Prescott would be The Vintage Sports-Car Clubs ‘halo’ meeting but suffice it to say, it is the club’s most anticipated event as much for its social side as for the hill climbing. This year’s was held on 6-7 August in perfect conditions, both for climbing and picnicking in the Orchard. John Whiteman sends this report..
Historic Endurance Racing – Algarve Summer Party
After races at Barcelona, Pau and Spa, Historic Endurance Racing held its first race on Portuguese soil this season at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve on 30-31 July. The meeting was held in the heatwave conditions that have affected most of Europe.
NKHTGT Round Four – Assen
A regular fixture for the Dutch National NKHTGT Championship, competitors gathered at their home circuit of Assen on 5-7 August for their fourth round of the season. The series, for GT and touring cars also accepts some prototypes by invitation, but this time they shared the track with the German-based Triumph Competition & British HTGT cars, so no prototypes were on the grid.
HSCC Oulton Park
A week after the Oulton Park Gold Cup, which this year featured a mixture of races from different organisers, the Historic Sports Car Club returned to the Cheshire circuit to give its core club drivers the opportunity to race on the International circuit for a one-day meeting on 6 August. Summer holidays and competing events resulted in thin grids amongst the HSCC rank and file, who nonetheless spent an enjoyable day.
AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix
With a new organiser taking up the mantle, the longest standing historic event in the world was looking to wash away the memories of COVID and last year’s floods, even though its club-sized meeting in 2020 proved anything but unpleasant. Having been forced to postpone its 49th edition for a year, the 2022 Oldtimer Grand Prix did feel like a fresh start, with Masters, the HGPCA and Formula Junior returning to add to the numerous local series. Mattijs Diepraam reports…
Oulton Park Gold Cup
Originated in 1954 as a non-championship Formula 1 race, the Oulton Park Gold Cup evolved over many phases before becoming North West England’s contribution to British Historic racing’s landscape. In a bid to counter a decline in support in recent years, exacerbated by COVID-19 and travel restrictions for overseas competitors, and a seemingly fait accompli sequestration of its traditional August Bank Holiday date by Classic Silverstone, circuit group owner MotorSport Vision instigated a broader selection of races on 29-31 July this year, inviting some from outside logistics organiser HSCC’s portfolio.
Super Spa
After COVID put paid last year to a new end-of-year meeting at Spa, (to be known as Spa Hat trick), organiser Roadbook scheduled its third Spa meeting, after the Spa Summer Classic and Spa Six Hours, for the weekend of 5-7 August this year, and named it SuperSpa, launched with the slogan ‘not all heroes wear capes, some wear helmets.’ While Spa is well-known for its erratic and anything but predictable weather conditions, drivers and the public enjoyed three days of uninterrupted sunshine. Marcel Hundscheid Reports..
Vintage Sports-Car Club Silverstone
After the hype and excesses of the British Grand Prix two weeks earlier, Silverstone returned to its grass roots on Saturday 16 July when it hosted The Vintage Sports-Car Club’s Hawthorn Trophy meeting. It was the first race meeting at the circuit to which the club could welcome spectators since 2019, and competitors and the public alike were greeted with a glorious sunny day, the downside of which was high temperatures causing overheating problems on some cars. John Whiteman Reports….
HSCC Legends Of Brands Hatch Superprix
The European Formula 2 Championship took its final curtain call at Brands Hatch in 1984 before being replaced by F3000, thus merits the HSCC’s retrospective, run for two-litre cars to 1978 and 1600cc predecessors from ‘67-’71. The spectacular cars always deliver on the Grand Prix circuit, indeed the annual Legends Superprix’s double-header could not have been more hotly fought. Invitee Martin Stretton – the 2007 and ’09 champion, running his March 712 with a two-litre Ford BDG engine narrowly prevailed each day, shading 782 drivers Matthew Watts (BMW M Power) and Matt Wrigley (Hart power).
GP de France Historique
Who doesn’t love visiting le Castellet in Provence in early summer? The nearby beaches at Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer and Bandol are just the spot for a seafront lunch with a cool glass of rosé, followed by a short brisk but twisty drive up to the baking hot circuit. The 2022 French Historic Grand Prix at Paul Ricard on 18-19 June revisited the history of F1 and various other single-seater categories. Once again, its impressive paddock boasted many stars including Rene Arnoux, Jean Alesi and others, chatting and signing autographs. Éric Hélary was one of these and he was going to drive a Formula Ford for the first time in over 30 years.
HSCC Donington
The normally popular HSCC Donington weekend on 18-19 June offered 22 races over two days and if the grids were not as full as some previous years, then they were still holding up well. With a largely wet Saturday and dry Sunday, those with a race on each day could test their driving in both conditions. For four laps one time Euro Series champion Adrian Reynard led the Historic FF2000 race driving one of his very own cars and looking very impressive, but it was regulars Ben Simms and Graham Fennymore who eventually took victory in both races in that order.
Le Mans Classic
Four years since the last time, including a nearly-moment in 2020, Peter Auto’s Classic Le Mans, now legendary in its own right, exploded into action with over 600 cars entered in a plethora of races to compete on the hallowed, mostly public roads, of La Sarthe. Back in the sixteenth century Christopher Marlowe must have been prescient, when in Dr Faustus he writes, ‘Why, this is hell, nor am I out of it….the stars move still, time runs, the clock will strike, the devil come….’ There is much to Le Mans that is unique, but time is almost bent during this event.
Snetterton Historic 200
Entries may have been small across promoter Motor Racing Legends core grids for the first Snetterton Historic 200 event on 16-17 July, but quality action embroiling wonderful cars, with strong HRDC supports, entertained an unusually large spectator turnout. With focus, Duncan Wiltshire’s organisation and MotorSport Vision, owner of the venue which hosted non-championship F1 races in the early 1960s, could be grown into something really special. Marcus Pye Reports..
Spa Summer Classic
The annual Spa Summer Classic own the weekend of 24-26 June was a major event for fans of historic motorsport, perfectly organised by the Roadbook team led by Vincent Collard. It wouldn’t be Spa-Francorchamps if the drivers weren’t treated to rain over the weekend and as expected, it was prominent on Friday and Sunday with heavy showers, while Saturday stayed dry. Once again, it managed to attract a wide variety of historic racing cars. Big starting grids provided the necessary spectacle, culminating in the main three-hour race on Saturday evening.
Zandvoort Historic Grand Prix
In 2020, the Historic Grand Prix at Zandvoort proved to be the only international historic event that went on like nothing had happened, but a year later Covid forced it to run the event behind closed doors. This year, Masters and the Historic Grand Prix Car Association were back and found themselves pleasantly surprised by a 25,000-strong attendance delivering a cool paddock vibe. Three days of bright sunshine helped as well.
Zandvoort Historic Grand Prix
In 2020, the Historic Grand Prix at Zandvoort proved to be the only international historic event that went on like nothing had happened, but a year later Covid forced it to run the event behind closed doors. This year, Masters and the Historic Grand Prix Car Association were back and found themselves pleasantly surprised by a 25,000-strong attendance delivering a cool paddock vibe. Three days of bright sunshine helped as well.
Zandvoort Historic Grand Prix
In 2020, the Historic Grand Prix at Zandvoort proved to be the only international historic event that went on like nothing had happened, but a year later Covid forced it to run the event behind closed doors. This year, Masters and the Historic Grand Prix Car Association were back and found themselves pleasantly surprised by a 25,000-strong attendance delivering a cool paddock vibe. Three days of bright sunshine helped as well.
HERO/ERA London to Lisbon
Dick and Harry Baines went into the final day of the 10-day 3500km London Lisbon rally just eight seconds ahead of the Datsun 240Z of Nick Maris and Henry Carr, with the full expectation that the more powerful Datsun would overtake the little Mini, the smallest car on the rally,…
Athens to Rome – via 500 BC
HERO/ERA has planned a stunning event for September that will take crews through some of Europe’s most beautiful and historic scenery and reads like a bucket list of must-see attractions of the ancient world. The Temple rally will leave Athens on 1 September and head through Greece via Central Arcadia…
Manx Rally 2022 – Shields enjoys island life
For 60 years rally crews have been pitting themselves against the closed public roads of the Isle of Man and after a two-year sabbatical the Manx Rally returned on 13-14 May. Paul Lawrence reports… This year’s edition suffered for entries, as it lacked a headline championship, but as a round…