February 2023
Content from the
February 2023 Issue....
Editorial February 2023
Who is the governing body governing? When he took office as FIA President at the beginning of last year, one of the pledges that Mohammed Ben Sulayem made was to get the FIA’s financial affairs in order, something many who elected him thought was long overdue. This is inevitably leading…
New Masters Series for ‘Modern Historics’
The idea for an additional, series for later GT cars was spawned by the one-off Masters GT4 Trophy at the 2022 Silverstone Classic. Run in association with SRO Motorsports to celebrate the latter’s anniversary, the two races at Silverstone led to an influx of interest from existing competitors as well…
News from the Nürburgring
Racing Heroes – Pre-‘65 at the Nürburgring In 2017, the Nürburgring celebrated its 90th birthday. On the exact day of the first race there, the “Nürburgring Classic” was inaugurated as an international motorsport meeting for historic cars on the Grand Prix circuit and the Nordschleife, organised by the DAMC 05…
Velocity Invitational Moves Back to Sonoma
After a successful year at Sonoma Raceway in 2019, before the COVID pandemic put a stop to just about everything, Jeff O’Neill’s Sonoma Speed Festival was renamed Velocity Invitational and moved to Laguna Seca, home of the long-running Monterey Motorsports Reunion, which takes place in August. Velocity Invitational met with…
24 Hours of Anglesey
The enterprising Classic Sports Car Club has announced its 2023 calendar, (see www.historicmotorracingnews.com for the full 2023 calendar of all the series) and it will be running separate 40-minute races for its Classic K and Swinging 60s series on the Silverstone GP circuit at the HSCC meeting on 28th May. …
GP de France Historique
FIA Historic Formula 3 After the last three years at Zandvoort, the single-event FIA Historic Formula 3 European Cup races will take place this year at Circuit Paul Ricard on 7-9 April as part of the KENNOL Grand Prix de France Historique in collaboration with event promoter HVM Racing and…
80th Members’ Meeting
The 80th Members’ Meeting at Goodwood, scheduled for 15-16 April will see the return of some firm favourites as well as some innovation in the timetable. The Gerry Marshall Trophy race for Group 1 saloon cars of the 1970 to 1982 era, will be renamed the Gordon Spice Trophy and…
HSCC and the Autosport Three-Hour
The Historic Sports Car Club will re-introduce an endurance race into its 2023 schedule with a three-hour pre ‘66 GT race on the Snetterton 200 circuit on Sunday April 23. Recreating the former Autosport Three Hour race, organisers are hoping to attract competitors that normally compete in the HSCC’s Guards…
FJ Goes Back to the Baltic
After a successful run last year, which was enjoyed by many members of the Formula Junior ‘family’, the Formula Junior Historic Racing Association has announced a three-round 30th Anniversary Tour to the Baltics to take place starting on 9-11 June in Riga, Latvia, going on to Parnu in Estonia on…
Historic Endurance Championship for France
At their autumn meeting the FFSA has given the go-ahead for a new Historic French Championship category. For two seasons now French Championship promoters HVM have run endurance races at the Historic Tour race meetings, inviting all GT, prototype and touring car participants in the other French championships to enjoy…
Testing in Andalucia
VdeV Racing is also joining in two open pitlane test days for historic cars only. Organised by HYRacing on 10-11 February on the 5.02km Andalucia circuit in Spain near Tabernas, 40km from Almeria between spectacular mountains and olive groves, it is the place in Europe with the highest rate of…
Spa Open Pitlane
Each year Vincent Collard from Roadbook runs an early season track day for anyone who wants to run or test their cars on the great Spa Francorchamps circuit. It is for all closed-wheel cars, modern and historic, road and race. No vans. Motorhomes, SUVs or vehicles with fewer than…
The I.C.E.
The lake at St. Moritz is freezing over slowly this year and the mountains are not yet totally enrobed in snow. However, at this altitude (1,800 metres), by 24-25 February, they no doubt will be and the organisers of the International Concours d’Elegance (The I.C.E) will be assembling some 50…
Race Retro
The world is indeed returning to normal and as we go to press Autosport International is underway and we have both Race Retro and Retromobile to look forward to, as well as the relative newcomer, the London Classic Car Show, which takes place at the end of February. Amongst…
The FIA Historic Motor Sport Commission 2022-2023
Under new rules, the FIA Historic Motor Sport Commission is appointed for two years (it was previously one year), so this year’s Commission remains the same as last year with only one exception. Roger Wills becomes the delegate from the UK in place of David Clark. President John Naylor (IRL) …
Retromobile is Back!
With new director Romain Grabowski, whose motorsport credentials include following his father on the Paris-Dakar and the French Super Touring Car Championship in the 1980s, and then being in the driver’s seat in cars competing in the Tour Auto (2020), Dakar Classic (2022) and Le Mans Classic (2022), while doing a 12-year stint at Motul as Group Communications Manager and Brand Manager during which time he concluded partnership agreements with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, IMSA, the Dakar, Le Mans Classic, Goodwood Revival, la Carrera Panamericana, and MotoGP, Retromobile will enter a new phase of its long and illustrious life.
NKHTGT Night of Champions
A well-attended and relaxed evening on December 10 at the Healey Museum in Vreeland saw the 2022 NKHTGT champions crowned, with drivers coming from Sweden, the UK and Germany to receive awards in this International series for pre-1966 GT and touring cars. Overall Championship 2022: 1st Roelant de Waard…
FIA Historic Prizegiving Bologna
After nine events, taking competitors to Spain, Finland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Austria and Switzerland, winners of the FIA European Historic Rally Championship were fêted at a prizegiving dinner in Bologna on December 10, when the FIA honoured both their historic champions and their off-road winners. The World Council meeting…
Anglo American Acquires Classic Fuel Solutions Brand
Our friend Anders Hildebrand and his team at Anglo American Oil Company announced in November that they have their acquired the Classic Fuel Solutions brand. A start-up five years ago, Classic Fuel Solutions has become a leader in the classic motorcycle racing market, having developed a fuel that could eliminate the problems due to ethanol and a lack of lead in modern petrol.
GT & Sports Car Cup – And the 2022 Winners Are….
GT2 Class Winners – Richard & Alice Locke – MG B 2nd GT2 Class – Brian & Barbara Lambert – MG B 3rd GT2 Class – Mark Hope & James Bilsland & Jason Minshaw – MG B GT3 Class Winners – Mark Pangborn & Harvey Woods – Austin Healey 3000…