Grids Fill for Monza Coppa Intereuropa
As Roger Earl said, “Monza is one of the most charismatic places to race in the world, and I wouldn't miss it for all the tea in China!!!” (And if anyone happens to have a spare car, Roger is looking for a drive!)
Duncan Rabagliati reports that the two Formula Junior races scheduled for the June 6-8 Monza meeting are nearly full. This is to be the big European celebration of the Formula’s golden jubilee and all Formula Junior cars are invited – to race, to parade, or just to be on display. The GT & Sports Car Cup grid is also looking healthy and may be oversubscribed. U2TC promises to produce a big grid of under two-litre Touring Cars for a one hour race, and with sponsorship from Bosch, they also have an additional special sprint event scheduled on the Sunday. The Supercortemaggiore race, to be organised by Duncan Wiltshire, will include the Woodcote Trophy cars up to the end of 1955, with a special class for 1956 cars, the last year that the Supercortemaggiore was run. Other events are for Historic Formula One cars and there are parades, demonstrations and track activities that include the old banking. Contact individual series organisers for entries. 
| | 
|
Photo Photosport courtesy V de V Organisation
|
V de V Endurance
The French Endurance Championship for historic cars up to end of 1965 has been run successfully by V de V Organisation for many years now. Their five-event 2008 season takes competitors to all the best French circuits, (Val de Vienne, Dijon, Magny-Cours, etc) and also to Jarama at the beginning of the season. There are three, six and eight hour races, with the highlight of the season being the 12 Hours of Magny-Cours on 30 May-1 June (see our calendar section for the full schedule).
Running alongside these cars is the Challenge Endurance VHC, with seven races including the five rounds of the French Championship plus a six-hour race at the Eurospeedway on the German Lausitz circuit in August and a six-hour race at Estoril on 28-30 November. The Challenge is open to GT and Touring cars up to 1981 and to Sports Prototypes up to 1976.
For further details see the V de V website: www.vdev.fr or call +33 (0)1 69 88 05 24, or Email: info(at)vdev.fr.
FIA Changes Stance on Replicas
When the original HTP was designed it was a specific requirement from the FIA that no reference to the car’s chassis number, date of manufacture or actual manufacturer was to be shown. This was to protect them from legal action if a replica was challenged by the manufacturer to which the car was attributed. It is well known that this came from the very top of the FIA hierarchy and that Max Mosley took a personal role in defending this decision.
Last year an extensive consultation was undertaken by incoming Historic Motor Sport Commission President, John Hugues, and one of the hard facts that it revealed was that almost everyone was unhappy with the HTP. John Hugues, who came after the HTP was already a fact of life, agrees.
The competitors, the organisers, the Commission, and even the manufacturers themselves would like to see information such as the chassis number, manufacturer’s name and date of manufacture on the HTP. The main question now is, “How can we accomplish these changes without having to recall all the thousands of HTPs already issued? This is the challenge.” says Hugues. He assures us that they will find a solution so that the HTP will differentiate between old cars and replicas, “Otherwise we will only be storing up big problems for the future”.
It has not been suggested that replicas should be banned or outlawed. They will still be able to get HTPs and race in historic events. The idea is to identify the cars for what they are and allow individual organisers and series to decide for themselves which cars are appropriate for their grid.
New Orwell GT Trophy
The organisers of Orwell Supersports are introducing two innovations in their 2008 season. The first is the introduction of the Orwell Super GT Trophy for two-seater Sports and GT cars up to 2-litres built between 1966 and 1969. Eligible cars, such as the Chevron B6, B8 and Ginetta, must have a history of International competition in period. The winning driver at the end of the season will be awarded the Orwell Super GT Trophy and free registration for the 2009 season.
Further, this year’s Orwell Supersports series will see a new small-block class for cars up to 6000cc. This will hopefully attract more cars to Class B and attract small-block Can-Am cars into the Championship. For full regs see the website at www.orwell-supersportscup.com.
Formula 2 Back on Track
After a troubled and divisive recent past, Historic Formula 2 seems to be back on track under the guidance of the Historic Sports Car Club with a nine-event programme at some great circuits and high levels of competitor interest.
Each race meeting will typically include two races of between 50 and 75km as well as one untimed practice session and a timed qualifying session. The series will again be for both the 1600cc and 2-litre F2 cars and White is keen to keep the 1600cc cars racing. In 2007, the top driver in the series was Martin Stretton in his 1600cc March 712.
UK tracks on the schedule include Silverstone International and Oulton Park, while drivers will also get the chance to compete at the Nürburgring, Spa-Francorchamps, Dijon and Jarama.
Eligible cars for the European F2 Trophy are those built to the appropriate Formula 2, Formula Atlantic and Formula B regulations starting in January 1967 and ending in December 1978. Ground effect cars are not admitted.
For more details about the European F2 Trophy, please contact the HSCC on +44 (0)1327 858400 or visit www.hscc.org.uk.
| | 
|
Dave Handy has entered his 1968 McLaren M6B
|
Mosport Historic Can-Am Race
More track time than you can imagine, two great parties, great Canadian hospitality and Canadian Beer, what’s not to like?
VARAC’s Vintage Festival at Mosport, on June 20-22, is over four months away and the entries for the feature Can-Am race are already pouring in from Lola, McLaren, McKee and Ferrari owners.
Lola have confirmed that the VARAC Vintage Festival will be part of their World Wide 50th Anniversary celebration which should encourage a great turnout of Lolas. With that much going for it, Mosport’s Historic Can-Am race promises to be one of the biggest in recent memory.
Mosport is located in eastern Canada (near Toronto) and is relatively easy to get to for European competitors, who are warmly invited by VARAC to join in the fun. Contact Bob Harrington on +1 905 332 7889 or
Email: bob(at)harringtonphoto.ca.
The Return of the Eifelrennen
First run in 1922, the ADAC, which has recently had such success with their classic endurance series, and their ADAC Classic event in September, is bringing back the Eifelrennen event. For pre-war cars, participants will drive the original 33 km Eifelrennen circuit that takes them on a combination of public roads around Nideggen, Wollersheim, Vlatten, Heimbach, Hasenfeld and other villages in the Eifel mountains before having two laps of the Nordschleife.
There will also be racing at the two-day meeting and the highlight will no doubt be the 500km race on the Nordschleife and GP track combined for GT and Touring cars up to 1977, like the old Eifel Klassic.
The event is to be run in co-operation with the FHR Touring Car series for Touring and GT cars up to 1971. Other races on the programme are for Formula Juniors, GTC and TC, Triumph Competition, Classic Masters and there will also be a special track event for Mercedes, supported by the manufacturer.
The date is 26-28 September. For more information contact Jürgen Cüpper at the ADAC Nordrhein on Tel: +49 (0)221 4727-704 or Email: juergen.cuepper(at)nrh.adac.de.
Group C In 2008
Quality and quantity is the goal in a four-race programme.
Group C Racing, for 1980s and early 1990s cars, has announced a programme of events for the 2008 season that is its most ambitious to date. The programme will commence at Spa at the RMU Classic meeting on May 16-18 before moving on to Le Mans, where Group C is truly proud to provide the support race for this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours on the morning of June 14.
The final two races of the year will take place in the UK, where once again the series will visit the Silverstone Classic, racing on July 26 and 27, before rounding off the season at Donington Park over the weekend of October 4-5.
Over the winter months further evolution has taken place within the organisational side of the series, with the appointment of long-time historic racing aficionado Charlie Agg, as the man to spearhead the development of the series. Agg was responsible for the growth of the renowned International Super Sports Cup Series in the ‘80s and ‘90s and his brief is to consolidate Group C’s standing this year.
The new Group C manager commented, "I am delighted with the response to what we have proposed for this year. We looked to our racing members to sign up for the season, offering them what we consider to be an excellent package: the four races and test sessions, together with a social and hospitality programme the like of which the Group C series competitors have not experienced before.”
British GP Anniversary
The new organisers of the Silverstone Classic would like to assemble as many cars as possible from the grid of the 1948 British Grand Prix to take part in a special 60th anniversary celebration during the 25-27 July event.
The organising club, the HSCC, has taken on the challenge of finding cars from that first Grand Prix at Silverstone, and it is a big task.
The airfield at Silverstone, built in 1943, was hurriedly readied for racing in the summer of 1948 as time ran desperately short to find a venue for the RAC Grand Prix, which was entered on the international racing calendar for 2 October. Finally, at the end of July, a temporary lease was arranged and the first GP ran over a 3.67-mile circuit, laid out with oil drums and straw bales on the runways. Despite minimal facilities, 100,000 fans turned up to watch the first major post-war race in Britain and see Luigi Villoresi win the 65-lap race in a Maserati 4CLT.
From the Italian manufacturers the field included the winning Maserati 4CLT/48 as well as 4CLs and 6CMs, while Ferrari was represented by it’s first Formula 1 design, the 125, and Alfa Romeo by a sole 3.45L. No less than five Talbot Lago T26Cs were there, along with a lone example of the 1948 Alta GP and the Emeryson Special. Pre-war ERAs packed out the rest of the field, with nine cars.
If anyone can help with the search to find the grid of ‘48, please contact Grahame White at the HSCC office on +44 1327 858400.
Sebring 2009
Bernie Chodosh and Richard Culverhouse are once again organising a foray to North America for the British (make that European) VS American Challenge. For just £3,950 you can spend six days of holiday and four days of racing in the Florida sunshine in March 2009. This price includes car shipping (but not insurance), flights and hotels for two and all race fees. For those who can afford the time of a longer trip, SVRA has invited the tourists to participate in the 12-Hours of Sebring meeting ten days later. This four-day event normally attracts 250,000 spectators! Dates are 26 February-1 March for round one, and 12-16 March for round two. Contact Bernie Chadosh on +44 (0)7958 932921 or Richard Culverhouse on +44 (0)7785 547176.
For more news and more detail see our April Issue
|
