I was recently given a magazine by an histoic racer I had never seen despite it having been published for 27 years "historic motor racing news"
I found it really good as it covers lots of European historic events, rally’s as well as races . it seems that the European scene is doing well in 2021 even with COVID and Brexit etc reducing the UK entries. Nice that so many historic events are taking place at so many tracks across Europe.
What also stuck me reading it is how the historic scene is in so many ways a private club where the cost of buying an F1 car can be discussed in a magazine. This is of course no reason why an owner of a classic racer should share it with the public. if you collect Picasso's you don't have to let the public see them and if racing old ocean yacht’s is your thing it all happens way out at sea.
However over the last 30 years historic events have welcomed, and I guess, relied on the revenue from , the ordinary enthusiast who will never own the cars.
But COVID led to closed events everywhere with just drivers, entrants and owners enjoying the cars behind closed doors. If the finances make sense will this become the norm.?
I kind of thought not until I saw the announcement by MSV that they have bought the Donnington Hall house to turn it into a luxury hotel, and two nearby modern units for car storage and preparation services. . The plan , as described by Jonathan Palmer, is so car owners can fly into East Midlands airport, view their cars within 10 minutes of landing ( private plane?) before settling into a suite at the hotel. Their car will be prepared and warmed up ,waiting outside the Hall after breakfast from where they can drive it straight to the circuit. After a day’s driving or racing they will return the car to the workshops for check overs while they are on their way home"
Now Mr Palmer is very successful financially and so I don’t think he would be doing alt that unless he saw a purely private " right crowd only" historic racing programme as profitable.
Basically ,as I see it, the normal enthusiast gets no look in in this MSV set up . I Appreciate we punters enjoy something largely funded by somebody else so we cant complain if Historic racing goes closed shop but any comments?
Edited by mariner, 29 August 2021 - 17:34.