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Previews of upcoming events, Race & Rally Reports, News, Reviews, Letters and Regulation Information from Historic Motor Racing News.
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Goodwood 2023 Dates
The Goodwood Festival of Speed will take place on 13-16 July next year and the Revival Meeting will run on 8-10 September. As previously announced, the 80th Members’ Meeting has also been confirmed for 15-16 April. Goodwood will be celebrating, amongst other things, 75 years since the circuit opened in 1948 and 25 years since the first Revival Meeting.
Alain De Cadenet Memorial Service
A Service of Thanksgiving for Alain de Cadenet will be held on Thursday November 24th, 2022 at 10:30am at the London Oratory, Brompton Road, London SW72RP. His family asks that you contact Mrs. Jane Staley by November 1st, 2022 by emailing Jane.Staley@jcb.com if you would like to attend this service.
Group 1 Touring Cars at the Autumn Classic
Automobiles Historiques ran the inaugural race for Group 1 Touring Cars at Castle Combe in September. Announced earlier in the year, and focused on the cars of the British Saloon Car Championship of the pre-1983 era, the Castle Combe race carried the Vince Woodman Trophy title in memory of the local hero who won 12 races in the era, driving Equipe Esso Ford Capris.
FIA Historic European Hillclimb Championship
Italians are very keen hillclimbers both in historic and modern cars, with a thriving national championship, so it is not surprising that they also excel on the international field. The 2022 FIA Historic European Hillclimb Championship came to end with the final round at Buzetski Dani in Hungary in mid-September and after five rounds, Italy went away with the Nations Cup thanks to the three Italians who topped their categories.
Grand Prix De France Historique
Once upon a time the annual Easter race meeting at Paul Ricard signalled the start of the historic racing season in Europe. It was a time of green shoots, budding mimosa and, for many, the first sight of real sunshine and sea after the long winter. It was a time to meet friends again after months of absence, and it always drew big grids and competitors from all over the continent.
Historic Lotus returns to Goodwood – Marçais’ Madgwick Magic
The Lotus-Bristol Mk10 in which 19 year-old Oliver Marçais finished third in the Madgwick Cup race at the Goodwood Revival, placed 12th overall (second in class) in the 1955 Goodwood Nine Hours as #25 with Cliff Davis and Reg Bicknell (of Revis 500 fame) driving. Racing is in Marçais’ genes, through parents Flavien and Vanessa, but his experience of the Lotus amounted to “15 minutes up and down the A41” prior to driving the circuit for the very first time in practice.
Success for New Lime Rock Consortium
As the track celebrated its 65th year of operation in 2022, Lime Rock Park experienced its best season in recent history this year. With a new group of investors taking ownership in the spring of 2021, the Connecticut motoring and event facility has been going full speed ever since. Under the leadership of its new investment group (Lime Rock Group, LLC), the circuit has seen a concentrated effort to upgrade the visitor experience that included upgraded catering, as well as a rebranding and continued growth of sponsorship development.
Autumn Motorsport Day, Brooklands
Held in beautiful October weather, the Brooklands Museum staged its annual Autumn Motorsport day mid-month and attracted a large crowd to the historic site in Surrey, reports John Whiteman. An Autotest was held on the Finishing Straight and there were runs on the Test Hill, but the main action took place on the adjacent Mercedes-Benz test track and skid-pan.
La Passione
A collection of Ferrari-inspired original artworks created by historic racer and international rock star musician Chris Rea are being offered at auction by Anglia Car Auctions (ACA). The 68 dramatic pieces, offered on Rea’s instructions, are part of a unique collection entitled ‘La Passione’, themed around Ferrari and the Cavallino Rampante. For details visit www.angliacarauctions.co.uk.
Tour Auto – Return to the Riviera
With a different route each year, Peter Auto has announced that the 32nd Tour Auto will finish on the French Riviera. After the exhibition of the cars at the Grand Palais Ephémère in Paris, crews will hit the road on a 2,000km journey for a finish in Cannes, a popular destination that the Tour Auto, last visited in 2016.
MC Piston – Rally and Picos Tour 2022
Many regular competitors in the classic motorcycle Moto Giro D’Italia (see our Oct 2022) also choose to take part in the MC Piston rally based in Cantabria Spain, this year run on the 18-25 September. It was the 35th anniversary for this pre-1980 bike event which has continued to grow in popularity, now with over 400 entrants and pleased to welcome more women riders this time than ever before.
Chantilly Arts et Élégance
Arriving on the international concours scene at the highest level in 2014, the Chantilly Arts et Elegance Richard Mille has continued to progress both in terms of spectator attendance and the richness and rarity of the cars entered for the various concours. This year, 20,000 spectators were seduced by nine cars in competition for the Concours d’Élégance and by the almost 100 cars that came from all over the world for the Concours d’État, Amongst the most beautiful cars in the world, they were all contenders for victory in their respective classes and for one of the two supreme Best of Show titles awarded according to their age.
Internationale St. Moritzer Automobilwoche
The second International St. Moritz Automobile Week, held on September 2-11, built upon the success of last year’s edition. A combination of six independent events, an increasing number of cars gathered in St Moritz to participate in various activities throughout the week.
3rd Sahara Challenge
After 4,500 difficult kilometres the 2022 HERO-ERA Sahara Challenge reached its end on 30 September with the Bentley 3-4½ of Bill Cleyndert victorious again, repeating its 2015 triumph, but this time with daughter Georgia in the navigator’s seat, on her first ever rally. Following the Cleyndert’s home were Swiss couple Pierre Gerber and Alice Leuenberger in their 1946 Ford Coupe with Jorge Perez Companc and Jose Volta from Argentina in a 1938 Chevrolet Coupe taking third.
Tour de Corse Historique
Over the last 22 years the Tour de Corse Historique has become an unmissable event on the European historic rally calendar, and many drivers, some with prestigious CVs, return to its mythical stages each year. If proof be needed, this year Jose Andreani and his team received more than 500 requests for entries, of which only 380 could be accepted. These represented 12 different nationalities, with 196 cars running in the competition category and 169 in regularity.
Modena Cento Ore
With a new date, moved from June, the Modena Cento Ore set out from the Adriatic resort of Milano Marittima on October 3 for the start of four days comprising competition on ten hillclimbs and the circuits of Mugello and Misano. This year, instead of traversing Italy to Liguria, the Cento Ore returned to Milano Marittima for the first two nights, with a stop in Florence on the third day of competition before the traditional finish in Modena.
XXXIV Rallye Elba Storico – Trofeo Locman
This year saw the largest number of entrants for the Rallye Elba Storico ever recorded – to the point that many alterations to the programme were required, including a change in the location of the main parc fermé and re-grouping points and a change in the location of the finish. One hundred and eighty-three crews ran concurrently in the eighth round of the 2022 FIA European Historic Rally Championship and the seventh of eight rounds of the Campionato Italiano Rally Auto Storiche, as well as the A112 Abarth Trophy and the Michelin Historic Rally Cup.
Estoril Classics
The Estoril Classics meeting has grown and grown in popularity amongst the drivers, with healthy grid sizes, and with the local population, the circuit announcing 35,000 spectators filling the grandstands and tickets to the paddock areas sold out. Supported by Peter Auto, on a five-year contract, it was also the theatre for the final round of the 2022 season for the Series by Peter Auto on the weekend of 7-9 October.
Castle Combe Autumn Classic
The presence of a golden orb in the sky above Castle Combe for the 10th anniversary Autumn Classic on September 24 was a welcome novelty for competitors and spectators following several soggy editions. Long hailed as the most relaxed on Britain’s historic calendar, the event attracted some sensational cars and provided some superb racing, none better than in the returning GT & Sports Car Cup’s inaugural Group 1 Touring Car sibling.
Spa Six Hours
First run in 1993 on the hallowed Francorchamps circuit, Roadbook’s Spa Six Hours remains the world’s favourite endurance race for Pre-1966 cars, this year run on 30 September. The number of teams was a little over 10 per cent down this year – 90 cars turned out for qualifying – but the coveted Belgian prize gets no easier to win. While the 7.004 kilometre circuit remains unchanged, the glorious backdrop between La Source and Eau Rouge looked very different to regular pilgrims.