News from the UK…….

Goodwood Cancelled

As we went to press with our July issue, news came from Goodwood that both the Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival meetings have been cancelled for this year.  Lord March and his team held out for as long as possible in the hopes of staging both events later in the year, but it is just not possible for these events, which rely on the presence of large numbers of spectators and sponsors, to go ahead under current restrictions.

Behind Closed Doors

Dependant as it is on the public to come in large numbers, the mega Silverstone Classic was cancelled for this year and, with the strange quarantine rules in place in the UK, club racing will no doubt be the beneficiary, as the clubs can run without spectators for the benefit of their members.  For the moment, sporting events, including motor sports, must be run ‘behind closed doors’, which is to say without spectators and with a limited number of people in each team.

HSCC off to a Strong Start

Despite the restrictions, the Historic Sports Car Club is reporting a 300-strong entry when UK historic racing resumes at its Legends of Brands Hatch Super Prix meeting on the Grand Prix circuit on 11-12 July.  With the Club’s F2 series particularly badly hit by race cancellations in the early part of the season, two F2 races have been added to the timetable.

The Club has confirmed its race meeting schedule for the balance of 2020, taking in Brands Hatch GP (11- July), Oulton Park International (29-31 August), Cadwell Park (19-20 September) and Silverstone National (17-18 October) circuits.

Each of the four race meetings will include a wide range of the Club’s categories and series and the Oulton Park Gold Cup will feature a special one-hour, two-driver race for pre-‘66 Jaguars for which any intending competitors are asked to enter as quickly as possible.

HSCC CEO Andy Dee-Crowne said, “Our 2020 calendar is, of course, entirely dependent upon instructions from both the government and Motorsport UK. However, the signs are increasingly positive and we are very encouraged by the response to our Brands Hatch meeting. I’d now like to ask competitors to enter for the remaining race meetings this season as this really helps us in planning for these events.”

Entries for all events are now open via the HSCC website (www. hscc.org.uk) and entry fees will only be taken at the closing date for entries. For the balance of 2020, full refunds will be given for any entries withdrawn up to the date of the event.

As is customary for the HSCC additional dates for certain HSCC categories are scheduled, including Historic Formula Ford 2000 at Zandvoort (4-6 September) and Spa (10-11 October); Historic Formula 2, Dijon (3-4 October); Classic F3 and Thundersports at Spa (24-26 September).

BDC Silverstone

The Bentley Drivers Club has confirmed that its Silverstone meeting will go ahead on the revised date of Saturday 22 August – a move from its original slot of 8 August due to the Emirates Formula 1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix now scheduled over that weekend.

The ‘behind closed doors’ policy will mean that neither Club members nor general spectators will be allowed to attend the meeting, removing its typical garden party-style atmosphere that makes it one of the highlights of the BDC’s annual social calendar.

But racing members are so keen to get back on track and the Club is expecting a surge in entries, which will be very welcome. This will be the Club’s 72nd consecutive annual Silverstone race day!

Donington Festival

The Donington Historic Festival was postponed from its early May date, and while Duncan Wiltshire of Motor Racing Legends was optimistic about getting an August date for the event, this has proved impossible and the event will now be postponed until next year.

GT & Sports Car Cup

After the loss of its Donington round, the GT&SCC will continue on its originally scheduled dates of 3-4 October at Castle Combe for the Castle Combe Autumn Classic and the Algarve Classic Festival, which promises to be a bumper year for the event, on 23-25 October.

FIA Championships to Kick off on Revised Donington Date

Reduced to just three races this season, long before the coronavirus struck, the FIA Masters Championships are set to kick off on a revised Donington date of 18-19 July, after the cancellation of the Silverstone Classic.  Quarantine rules in the UK currently prevent non-UK based competitors from racing there, but the FIA is confident that these will be lifted before 18 July.  All other Masters grids will also be racing.

The  Formula 3 European Cup will go ahead with its scheduled races at the Zandvoort Historic Grand Prix on 4-6 September, with a revised closing date for entries of 10 August.  There is already a strong Italian contingent registered.

The Masters will continue its season with the postponed Brands Hatch meeting, which will now take place on 22-23 August, but not as an FIA Championship counter.

After that, the Masters’ calendar is set to run as scheduled, with the Zandvoort Grand Prix in early September, and the Spa Six Hours meeting on 25-27 September, both also rounds of the FIA Championships, running on their original dates.

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