In brief, April 2010

* The Historic Sports Car Club has secured a date on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit to cap its 2010 calendar. As well as headline events at the Brands Hatch GP and Oulton Park International tracks and a return to Croft, the club’s racers will tackle the Silverstone GP circuit over the weekend of May 15/16.

* Williams director of engineering Patrick Head has given his name to a new class division within Grand Prix Masters. Head, a leading Formula 1 designer for three decades, is the first non-driver to be honoured in such a way. He will lend his name to the class for Post-1978 F1 cars. Other GPM classes are named in honour of Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Emerson Fittipaldi and Niki Lauda.

* Masters Historic Racing will crown five ‘Champions of Europe’ at the end of this season from the Grand Prix Masters, World Sportscar Masters, Gentleman Drivers, Sports Racing Masters and the Pre-66 Touring Car categories following a move to run its major series on a points-scoring basis for the first time. Points will be awarded on class rather than overall results.

* The Historic Endurance Rally Organisation (HERO) has announced an ‘arrive and drive’ package for newcomers to classic rallying. A fleet of four cars will be available for hire on HERO events, including Le Jog, the Scottish Malts, the Icelandic Saga and the Summer Trial. The fleet includes an Alfa Romeo Giulia, a Mini, an MGB and a Lancia Fulvia Zagato.

* Former Cooper single-seater racer Barry Cannell has been elected chairman of the Historic Grand Prix Car Association. Cannell, who still races in a variety of historic sports cars, has taken over from Roger Lucas. Lucas stood down in January after five years in the role.

* The 40th anniversary of the World Cup Rally will be marked by a special reunion at the Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon on April 18. Organised by an amalgam of owners’ clubs, the day will centre on a gathering of as many surviving cars as possible as well as drivers and co-drivers from the 1970 marathon event.