The Motor Sport Month - Historic News
New chapters of history
HSCC confirms extra race dates for 2014 season, By Paul Lawrence
The Historic Sports Car Club has revealed a 2014 programme that continues the steady growth started four years ago – despite Europe’s increasingly crowded historic racing calendar. During the new season, the club will organise 18 days of racing for its members, which is up from 15 in 2010.
High-profile events on the Brands Hatch and Silverstone Grand Prix circuits top the schedule, and there’s a repeat of the 2013 Thruxton initiative, above, over the Easter weekend (April 19-20). There is a new Anglo-French fixture (September 27-28) on the Indy circuit at Brands Hatch, where a number of French historic categories will feature. The Silverstone International Trophy meeting will run on May 17-18.
“I believe we have a perfect calendar for next season,” the HSCC’s Grahame White said. “Our members will be able to race on all the major UK tracks.”
The Brands Hatch Historic Super Prix will run on July 12-13 to avoid a clash with the Goodwood Festival of Speed (June 26-29), while the traditional Cadwell Park Wolds Trophy moves to a new mid-summer slot (June 21-22).
In addition, the HSCC will again organise the racing element of several key events, including the Donington Historic Festival (May 3-5) and the Silverstone Classic (July 25-27).
Masters Historic Racing will kick off its 2014 European season in Spain, during the Catalan Classic Revival at Barcelona (April 4-6). The event hosts the opening rounds of the FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship and the FIA Masters Historic Sports Car Championship, as well as the first Group C races of the new season.
Meanwhile, race organiser Carol Spagg has rationalised 2014 plans for both the Pre-63 GT and 1000km race series, in the face of growing financial pressure related to grid sizes.
“We had some great grids, but overall this is the second year running that I have had to subsidise the Pre-63 GT and 1000km series,” said Spagg. The Pre-63 cars will combine with the Peter Auto Sixties Endurance series for Pre-65 cars and the 1000km series for sports-racing cars will share grids with Pre-72 cars in the Classic Endurance series.
Belgian Group B revival
Group B rally cars will feature prominently on the 2014 Boucles de Spa, Europe’s biggest historic rally, with a special demonstration category running ahead of the main field.
The new section will be limited to 15 Group B cars that played a prominent role in either the Boucles de Spa or the World Rally Championship.
Aimed at cars such as the Peugeot 205 T16, Audi Sport Quattro, MG Metro 6R4, Ford RS200 and Lancia Delta S4, the category will be for cars in period Spa or WRC livery and there will be no timekeeping or results.
Significant Group A cars like the Lancia Delta Integrale, Ford Sierra Cosworth, BMW M3 and Subaru Impreza 555 may also be accepted.
Masters F1 titles settled
The FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship has declared two champions for 2013, with American Tyrrell enthusiast John Delane taking the Pre-78 crown in a combination of Tyrrell 002 (top) and 006, and Greg Thornton winning the Post-78 division.
The more modern title went down to the last lap of the final race at Jerez and Thornton clinched the prize in the ex-Nigel Mansell Lotus 92/5 (above) run by Classic Team Lotus.
Graham Wilson retained the Gentlemen Drivers Pre-66 GT Championship, sharing his Lotus Elan with Andy Wolfe, while Leo Voyazides won the Masters Pre-66 Touring Car crown in his Ford Falcon.
Alfa duo overcome woes
Paul Wignall and Mark Appleton have taken their fourth Rally of the Tests win, despite major problems with their 1959 Alfa Romeo Giulietta.
The tough three-day rally, which recreates the RAC Rallies of the 1950s, took more than 80 classic cars from Chester to Harrogate via North Wales and the Lake District. Heavy rain throughout Friday and torrential rain on Saturday evening added to the challenge of the rally, which features special tests and regularity sections.
Wignall hit major trouble during Thursday evening’s prologue section, when the alternator failed. It took until lunchtime on Saturday to source a replacement and the crew spent Friday swapping batteries in order to keep the car running.
As a result, Wignall dropped back on Friday and only took the lead on the final morning when the Porsche 356 of Jan Ebus/Iain Tullie dropped time on a regularity section. Ebus still finished second ahead of the Triumph TR4 of Ryan Pickering/Andy Ballantyne, which was fastest over the special tests.
Hopkirk party lures stars
Ari Vatanen, John Watson and Jimmy McRae are among famous names taking part in a 50th anniversary celebration of Paddy Hopkirk’s 1964 Monte Carlo Rally victory.
The event will be held at the Titanic, Belfast, on February 22 and will include a cavalcade of Minis headed by Hopkirk in 33 EJB, the ’64 Monte winner.
This will start from Stormont at 10am and finish at the Titanic Quarter, where the Minis will go on display on the Titanic slipway.
As a seven-time winner of the Circuit of Ireland, McRae is the only driver to have beaten Hopkirk’s previous record of five victories on the event.