The Magazine
Previews of upcoming events, Race & Rally Reports, News, Reviews, Letters and Regulation Information from Historic Motor Racing News.
![Screenshot 2024-08-07 at 11.06.51 Screenshot 2024-08-07 at 11.06.51](https://historicmotorracingnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot-2024-08-07-at-11.06.51.jpg)
Home » Latest News »
New Venue for Targa Sixty Six
Targa Sixty Six was started in 1991 by Brian Redman for owners of classic and modern high performance cars that do not necessarily wish to race them, but who like to drive at speed under controlled conditions, in the company of others with like interests. After 31 consecutive years at Palm Beach International Raceway, the event is moving two hours south in 2023 to Homestead-Miami Speedway. The move comes following the sad news that PBIR has closed its doors after 57 years of operation.
Peter Auto 2023 Calendar
Peter Auto will have a busy season next year, including, exceptionally for the second consecutive year, the Le Mans Classic, which will then be back to its biennial schedule. Patrick Peter’s team has been busy putting together a full race calendar for 2023:
SVRA’s Most Ambitious Schedule Yet
Since Tony Parella acquired the major stake in The Trans Am Race Company, LLC in 2017, his SpeedTour concept has grown and grown. Marrying affordable modern motor sport with his previously acquired SportsCar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA). One of the largest historic racing clubs in the world, spectators are attracted by the mix of vintage and modern racing.
Goodwood Members’ 2023 Dates
Goodwood has announced that the 80th Members’ Meeting will take place on the weekend 15-16 April 2023. Celebrating its 80th occurrence since its foundation in 1948 at the historic Goodwood Motor Circuit, the Members’ Meeting welcomes the Goodwood Road Racing Club (GRRC) members and their guests to enjoy a weekend of racing action, demonstrations, off-track festivities and fireworks.
French Historic Tour Championships Shake-up
In a recent meeting of the Steering Committee of the FFSA, it was decided to create a new French historic championship, splitting in two the current Championnat de France FFSA Historique des Circuits GT/Tourisme. Back-dated to the beginning of this season, there will be two French GT/Tourisme champions, one for drivers of pre-1990 cars, and one for drivers of post 1990 cars, leaving competitors in the GT Classic, Saloon Car, Roadster Pro Cup and Youngtimers GTI Cup to fight for their own title, while the Racing 65, Racing 81, Maxi1300 and Lotus Trophy drivers will compete for a separate championship.
Rock Around the Clock
The final countdown to the 30th anniversary edition of the 2 Tours d’Horloge, the only true 24-hour race for historic cars, has begun, with Eric Van de Vyver and his team ready to welcome over 40 crews to the Paul Ricard circuit on 4-6 November. A real test for the 24-hour event, the 6 Hours of Magny-Cours, run in March, saw victory for Sébastien Crubile and Pascal Duhamel at the wheel of the Pascalou Racing Porsche 930 Turbo, with which the team will try to achieve the double with the reinforcement of Romain Rocher who competed in the 2 Tours in 2021.
Eagles Land at Road America
His name is as celebrated and recognised as any from the post-war era, whether it’s as a driver, a car builder or an aero appendage on the back of a wing. He never really ran for President, but that doesn’t mean you won’t see bumper stickers all over vintage paddocks in America encouraging people to vote for him. And if there’s one piece of trivia fans should know, it’s the identity of the only American driver to win a Formula One race in a car of his own design.
Sad News From New Zealand
We are sorry to hear that all motorsport activity at New Zealand’s Pukekohe Park Raceway will come to an end next year. Pukekohe Park is one of two racetracks that form the home of Auckland Thoroughbred Racing (ATR), New Zealand’s premier horse racing club. ATR has now announced the chequered flag associated with motorsport activities at Pukekohe Park will wave for the last time next year amid plans to further develop the site for the Club’s own purposes.
Dubai Historic GP Revival
Last year on the weekend of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the UAE, Dubai’s Historic GP Revival took place with a grid of Group C cars and a grid of F1’s from the 70s and early 80s (see our report in the February 2022 issue). This year organisers, which include the Dubai Autodrome and a few Dubai based motorsports companies such as GP Extreme, Flat 12 and Tomini Classics, are expanding the timetable to include two separate F1 categories and two for endurance machines.
Castle Combe Welcomes New Series
The Castle Combe Autumn Classic race meeting is set to welcome three new series this year to the popular one-day event on 24 September. These include the inaugural race for Pre-1983 Group 1 Touring Cars launched by Flavien and Vanessa Marçais earlier in the year. Named for the charismatic Bristolian…
2022-23 SAS Autoparts MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series
With our winter approaching, New Zealand is going into spring and the F5000 boys down under have announced a five-round calendar for the coming season. After recent traumas, the series has chosen an all-domestic schedule. They will be amongst the last to race on the historic Pukekohe Park Raceway just weeks before it closes for good for motor sport, invited by the Auckland-based Historic Racing Club to join in the celebrations of the career of ‘60s single-seater racing great Jim Palmer.
Alain De Cadenet
Carol Spagg writes – We have lost yet another giant in the world of historic Motorsport, in fact someone who helped kick the whole movement off. While pursuing a successful career as a privateer in what was then modern motorsport, he also found time to collect and race historic cars. Collector, broadcaster, historian, journalist, raconteur, Spitfire pilot, tour guide, racing driver and good friend to many, Alain De Cadenet died on July 2 at the age of 76.
Masters Historic race Weekend at Watkins Glen
In the two Masters Racing legends races for 1966-85 F1 cars on 7-10 July, it would have been a double victory for Jamie Constable in his Tyrell 011B but a broken wing allowed Jonathan Holtzman to take the second race in his Lotus 87B. Ron Maydon won the pre-78 class in his Lec CRP1. Meantime Danny Baker had no such trouble to win both the Formula Atlantic races. David Porter in his Peugeot 908 dominated both the Endurance Legends events.
Griffiths-Haig Historic Sports Cars
Top aviator and long-time stalwart of historic racing Tony Bianchi was recovering from an expensive and painful impact suffered at Silverstone when he had been stuffed into the barriers by a pushy competitor when the thought occurred to him and racer wife Pia that it was time for a new type of race series. It should be one that would take it back to the very roots of the sport when Guy Griffiths and Betty Haig presided at the birth of the HSCC.
The St Moritz Car Week
The St Moritz Car Week takes place on 4-9 September and as we go to press the organisers are still asking for entries. It incorporates the Targa Poschiavo Engiadina, a two-day rally for pre-war cars from 1905 to 1962, a Sotheby’s auction, the Motorsports Rendezvous (described as a luxurious garden party amongst vehicles with special themes), a Super-Car rally, a Mobility forum (including discussions about e-fuels) and for historic racing enthusiasts the famous Bernina Gran Turismo hillclimb. https://i-s-a-w.com.
HRDC Gerry Marshall
The HRDC’s inaugural Gerry Marshall Trophy for Group 1.5 Touring Cars, the first by that name outside of Goodwood, took place at Snetterton on 19 June with a 45-minute single pit stop race. An impressive 29 car grid started with 19 different makes or models represented in a field of…
East Coast Vintage Racing
Early September will see two big historic meetings on the US East Coast. Celebrating its 40th year, the Lime Rock Historic Festival on 1-5 September in New Hampshire launches into action over Labor Day weekend with a 17-mile tour through the area on Thursday’s Vintage Race Car and Sports Car…
Hillclimbing at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
Continuing a theme of Historic Racing looking for new directions, the iconic race meeting at Laguna Seca on 21 August will for the first time conclude with a reverse direction hillclimb. Advisory Council member Bruce Canepa said the climb will be exciting, “I’ve raced several times at Goodwood Festival of Speed yet doing it up the Laguna Seca Corkscrew is an unprecedented experience. I don’t know who will enjoy it more, the drivers or the fans”. Part of a strategy to engage new fans and give entrants and their attending families a chance to unwind, the ‘shoot out’ will be limited to 60 cars that competed in the historic races or are deemed of special interest.
Masters F1 at Mosport
Supporting IMSA’s Chevrolet Grand Prix Masters USA were two Masters Racing Legends races for 1966-1985 Formula One cars on 1-3 July. Although there were only eight starters at the legendary Mosport circuit in Canada, it was Britons Jamie Constable and Lee Mowle who shared the wins. After a troubled qualifying, Constable starred in Saturday’s race by hauling his Tyrrell 011B all the way from the back, to eventually pass Bud Moeller’s Williams FW08
HRDC Return to Lydden Hill
The Historic Racing Drivers Club took over the lesser-known Kent circuit on 3 July to run double races for the Jack Sears Trophy, Dunlop Allstars and their ever-growing Alfa Challenge. In the latter category, George Osbourne in the ex-Peter Hilliard GRP2 Alfetta GTV normally driven by Chris Snowden, came out on top after close battles with Ben Colburn in a Giulia Sprint GT. Both Jack Sears and Dunlop Allstars races were ruled by Pete Chambers’ Cortina, despite the close attention of Nathan Heathcote’s Mini which, well suited to the short up and down hill track, at least won the first heat.