The first decision to be made is what to race? Sticking with four wheels, there is the choice of Sports Car, Single Seater, Sports Prototype, GT and Saloon or Touring Car, not to mention specials, special saloons and modsports. Having decided what you want to race you need to think about where and of course that means you need to join a club or at least a racing organisation. The cost of a vehicle will have a bearing on your choice. The picture at the top of this blog was taken at the Spa 6hrs event in September 2009 and demonstrates the two ends of the FIA Appendix K spectrum. The MGB will probably sell for around £25k whereas the GT40 that is about to overtake, will be considerably more expensive!
So, before you even go near that dealer or advert in the back of Motor Sport Magazine or Octane you will need to join a club or at least some kind of racing organization. And when you do you gain access to a whole range of expertise in your chosen discipline. Many clubs will also have vehicles for sale and that means there will be lots information related to the vehicle of your choice. There will also be a wealth of experience upon which to draw. Historic motor sport forums are another source of valuable information and 10/10s is possibly the best for active racers.
Many clubs tend to stick with a certain type of car but some have a wider brief. The Historic Sports Car Club (HSCC) have races for Single Seaters, Sports Cars, Sports Prototypes, Saloons and GTs. Or if you prefer your racing to be somewhat more agricultural the Vintage Sports Car Club (VSCC) specialises in cars built (or built from bits) before 1932. The MG Car Club (MGCC) as the name suggests concentrates on that marque. It has categories ranging from the pre war "Triple M" racers right up to the last models made, the MGF and Z series. Within those categories are classes ranging from road going to highly modified, so something to suit all tastes. There are many more, not least the Aston Martin Owner's Club (AMOC) which, as the name suggests, concentrates on that marque and has similar categories to the MGCC. For purely Saloon or Touring Car Racing there is the Classic Touring Car Racing Club (CTCRC) with classes for cars from pre 1960 to pre 1993. Then there is the Classic Sports Car Club (CSCC) which aims to bring the historic format up to date at an affordable cost. It has as its newest series an FIA Appendix K series for pre 1966 Sports and Saloon cars which is a break from the essentially more relaxed regulations for its other series. The emphasis here is on compliance with the regulations.
Running in parallel with thees clubs is the Masters Racing Organization (Masters) that runs events at various circuits and within its portfolio has Touring Cars from Pre 1960 up to Pre 1976, Sports Prototypes, FIA Sports Cars, Formula One and many others. They organise historic festivals and of course provide grids for many international events such as the Silverstone Classic and the Spa 6hrs, along with the HSCC. Many of those who race with Masters also race with the clubs mentioned above.
As the title implies this is by way of an introduction but I haven't told you who I am. My name is Peter Mallett and for some years I raced with the CTCRC but more recently I have been racing with Masters for a couple of reasons, not least that I prefer the longer distance format of the Masters events. My car is a Group 1 Capri 3.0s built to the CTCRC regs which essentially reflect the old "Group 1 1/2" regs of the 70's. Of course my car slots into the "classic" end of the historic spectrum being built in 1978.
Welcome to my blog.
Edited 20:58
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