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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….
Aleria Historic Rally
For the second year running the Aleria district Historic Rally in Corsica offered separate tarmac and gravel events in one location on 9-11 June. What’s more, it had a classical theme in keeping with the history of this beautiful island. The lucky finishers were even greeted by a pair of female Gladiators at the victory arch, which wobbled as if from an ancient earthquake as the winning teams celebrated on the podium. Frédéric Lombard 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.
XXXI Tour Auto: Belgium 3 – France 1
After two years of displacement by the pandemic, the Tour Auto returned this year to its usual April date, from 24 to 30, for an unprecedented route that led 230 competitors (132 in competition and 98 in regularity) from Paris to Andorra via La Baule, Limoges, Bordeaux and Pau. Among…
Donington Historic Festival
Exceptional Duncan Hamilton ROFGO Group C1 and U2TC races highlighted Motor Racing Legends’ 11th Donington Historic Festival on April 30-May 1. As spectators and car clubs were welcomed back to MotorSport Vision’s east midlands outpost – the event resumed behind closed doors last year – hardcore enthusiasts who arrived in…
Vintage Montlhéry
John Whiteman visited the biennial event for vintage vehicles of all kinds…
The Vintage Revival was first held at the historic Linas-Montlhéry circuit south of Paris in 1998 organised by the great French Anglophile Jacques Potherat in time to celebrate 75 years since the opening of the circuit. Sadly, Jacques died in 2001 shortly after the fourth event. By this time the venue was under threat of closure by owners UTAC, the French motor industries vehicle testing and type approval agency and the outlook for any more events looked bleak.
Bosch Hockenheim Historic
Spring-like weather conditions contributed to an epic 17th edition of the Bosch Hockenheim Historic – Jim Clark Revival on the weekend of 6-8 May. Some 30,000 motorsport fans, finally released from all the COVID restrictions, flocked to the Hockenheimring to enjoy a range of races and demonstrations over the three-day…
Grand Prix de Monaco Historique 2022
Now in its 13th year, the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique is one of the most important and popular events on the international historic racing calendar, and many said that this year’s was better than ever. It seems a long time ago when, in 1997, the ACM decided to organise…
HSCC International Trophy – Silverstone GP
Smith’s March 782 victorious at ‘Cheeverstone
Silverstone was American Eddie Cheever’s happiest hunting ground before his 1996 Indianapolis 500 victory. In 1975, at 17, he won two British Formula 3 races there in six days driving a Modus, then in ‘79 he aced the International Trophy – a European F2 championship round – in the factory Osella-BMW on Pirelli wets.
Records fall at VSCC Wiscombe Hillclimb
Botus Fleming reports.
Despite a four-hour hiatus while Terry Crabb’s damaged ERA R12C was extricated from the forested upper reaches of the course under police con-trol, two records fell when the Vintage Sports-Car Club resumed its annual hillclimb – round two of its Speed Championship, which opened at Curborough the previous weekend – at Wiscombe Park on Sunday, May 8.
Three out of Three for Collins at Skope Classic
50 Years after McRae and Hawthorne A little over 50 years ago, in 1972, the late, great Graham McRae drove his then new Leda ‘GM1 001’ Formula 5000 single-seater to a dominant victory in the Lady Wigram Trophy race on a temporary circuit at Christchurch’s Wigram Air Force Base in…
2022 FIA Historic Rally Championship Round 1 70th Rally Motul Costa Brava
With past postponements and other restrictions well and truly behind us, more than 170 cars from across Europe started the Rally Costa Brava on 17-20 March, celebrating the 70th edition of the event. There were victories for Pascal Perroud and Denis Giraudet, who topped the results sheets of this first…