12 replies to this topic

[Supersox]

Press release from todays FIA World Motor Sport Council reveals that for the next ten years 1990 will be considered the cut off date for Historic Cars.

Historic racing really started in the early 1960's when a group of racers decided that there should be an arena for the front engined F1 cars to play-and they were only about 5 years old then

My personal view is that in ten years time there probably won't be much Motor Sport about-we'll see- but to condemn the last twenty five years worth of cars with the next ten years to follow  seems a little short sighted to me.

At least in the US we see them running in vintage events very shortly after they become obsolete.

The good news is that the FIA have succumbed to the competitor pressure and extended HTP life to 10 years,Mind you I bet that has messed up some ASN budget predictions as to their old racing car owners wealth tax.

Edited by Supersox, 26 June 2014 - 18:26.

[Allen Brown]

I'll stick my head above the parapet and say that I think the FIA are right on this.  That most august organ OldRacingCars.com reached the same conclusion some years ago that nothing built after 31 December 1989 was worthy of its very considerable consideration.  As has oft been observed, where ORC leads, the FIA dutifully follows.

 

OK, that's all the pomposity I can manage for now.  It's been a long day.

[timbo]

Historic motor racing has often placed cars in groups according to technology, such as pre war, front engined, wings and slicks etc, but the limit of the more later historic racing classes should really be, can you and a couple of mates get the car sorted, started and racing? If you require a team to pre-warm the fluids at x minutes before the next race, someone to download the current data to the on-board computer before the race etc, then it is not historic racing.
Perhaps we should have a test where you have one person to stand in front of the car giving instructions, one person to use the remote starter if needed, one person to hold a shade umbrella, and one more person to just hang around absorbing the atmosphere and wonder no more where they are going to spend their kids inheritance. Any more people required and it is not Historic racing. Simple.
Failing that, 1990 sounds like a good idea.

[eldougo]

I tend to agree with the FIA ruling on a cut off date,as i see it most folks will not be able to start them, let alone run and drive F1 cars. 

and it good to put a stop to it ,sit back and watch the cars that we have to choose from  over the  last 40 or so years

and if there is not enough.Then they can look at it again some time in the future and see it would be feasible to run these cars again .

The world change so quickly these days motor sport might be banned ,you never know.

[Supersox]

Why has the discussion decided this is about old F1 cars . As at close of business today the FIA has approved for HTP well over 16, 000 cars. In the overall context of Historic racing old F1 cars represent a tiny fraction, and if timbo thinks that HF1 or HGP run to his definition he should spend more time at a circuit.

Meanwhile the superannuated GT and Two seat racing cars are left in limbo.

[stuartbrs]

I agree with the FIA and Doug

[timbo]

Why has the discussion decided this is about old F1 cars . As at close of business today the FIA has approved for HTP well over 16, 000 cars. In the overall context of Historic racing old F1 cars represent a tiny fraction, and if timbo thinks that HF1 or HGP run to his definition he should spend more time at a circuit.
Meanwhile the superannuated GT and Two seat racing cars are left in limbo.

I should spend more time at a circuit, should I? I have spent close to 50 years at many a circuit in Australia, watching what was current back in the day now being historic, and do you know what has changed in that time? Not much. Back in the day it was the driver and a few mates getting the car out on the track, and in historic racing today in Australia it is pretty much the same.
I just fear for the day that you have to employ a professional team to run your car in historic racing, all for, at best, a plastic trophy.
If people want to spend lots of dollars competing in historic racing, then fine, that's their decision, just remember that the best times at an historic race meeting often happen off the track, and while those times don't cost a cent, they are priceless.

[Allan Lupton]

It took me some time to get used to seeing 250Fs that I had seen in the British GP, racing in VSCC meetings in 1965 when they changed from the 15 years old rule to all front-engined GP cars.

I suppose that, in the same way that top level racing is a business, not a sport, "historic racing" is a business now.

[Belmondo]

I wonder if the HSCC has any plans for an '80s road sports championship?

[BRG]

Historic motor racing has often placed cars in groups according to technology, such as pre war, front engined, wings and slicks etc, but the limit of the more later historic racing classes should really be, can you and a couple of mates get the car sorted, started and racing? If you require a team to pre-warm the fluids at x minutes before the next race, someone to download the current data to the on-board computer before the race etc, then it is not historic racing.
Perhaps we should have a test where you have one person to stand in front of the car giving instructions, one person to use the remote starter if needed, one person to hold a shade umbrella, and one more person to just hang around absorbing the atmosphere and wonder no more where they are going to spend their kids inheritance. Any more people required and it is not Historic racing. Simple.
Failing that, 1990 sounds like a good idea.

The FOS rather brings that home.  The older cars of all sorts are in the paddock shed thingies, where two blokes and a hammer can run them up.  But the modern F1 cars are in a separate area where they can deploy some obscenely large transporter and all the many people that it takes to even start a current car.  ANd that's just to drive them slowly up an aristocrat's drive.

[Sharman]

timbo, on 27 Jun 2014 - 10:28, said:

I should spend more time at a circuit, should I? I have spent close to 50 years at many a circuit in Australia, watching what was current back in the day now being historic, and do you know what has changed in that time? Not much. Back in the day it was the driver and a few mates getting the car out on the track, and in historic racing today in Australia it is pretty much the same.
I just fear for the day that you have to employ a professional team to run your car in historic racing, all for, at best, a plastic trophy.
If people want to spend lots of dollars competing in historic racing, then fine, that's their decision, just remember that the best times at an historic race meeting often happen off the track, and while those times don't cost a cent, they are priceless.

 

I would draw your attention to the ERAs, I know that they are, for the most part, maintained by enthusiasts but I always think of them as being fragile beasties which need careful cossetting in the paddock before they are fit for action. Nick Mason did OK with the V!6 too, but I don't know who fettled that for him..

[bsc]

I wonder if the HSCC has any plans for an '80s road sports championship?

The HSCC did announce plans to run a one off 80s Roadsports race at Brands in September 2008 as a precursor to a full series in 2009 (and beyond). The race (and series) never happened. From memory, the reason for this was that there was a lack of consensus regarding the shape of the regulations (i.e. a set that would prevent some of the more outlandish cars from the era - such as the Ferrari F40 - from dominating proceedings).

[Jesper O. Hansen]

Consider the fact that just about after 1990, FIA left most of the scene of international motorsport - except for their world championships - in the hands of entreprenoreous people that created specialiced cars for specialised series outside the scope of general FIA lines, but usually accepted by the FIA. This is how much of current motorsport actually works!

 

Jesper

Edited by Jesper O. Hansen, 29 June 2014 - 05:36.