The first race of the new Stirling Moss Trophy series, for genuine, pre-1961 sportscars and sports-racers, takes place this weekend (15-16 May) at the HSCC International meeting on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. Motor Racing Legends, which launched the series, not only reports a full grid for the first race but says all the races throughout the 2010 season are already “heavily oversubscribed”.

The Stirling Moss Trophy is sponsored by J.D. Classics, which has itself entered a Jaguar C-type and Lister Jaguar Knobbly in the first race.

The Stirling Moss Trophy

Inspired by the success of the one-off race of this name at the Algarve in October, the new Stirling Moss Trophy absorbs the BRDC Historic Sportscars series but extends the entry criteria to include GTs, as well as sportscars and sports-racers. The 2010 race calendar includes the Grand Prix de l’Age d’Or at Dijon, the Silverstone Classic, the Oulton Park Gold Cup, the Six-Hours meeting at Spa and the Algarve Historic Festival.

 

The UK's biggest race meeting of the 2010 season to date will be at Silverstone over the weekend of 15/16 May when more than 550 cars will gather for the Historic Sports Car Club's International Trophy meeting on the Grand Prix circuit.

The huge entry marks a record race meeting for the HSCC and is also the biggest entry of the British racing season to date. "The chance to race on the full Grand Prix circuit has been a big attraction," said Grahame White, CEO of the HSCC. "It is the first time the club has run a race meeting on the GP circuit for many years and we believe it is the biggest entry the club has ever had for a race meeting."

At least five of the weekend's races will have capacity grids, with races for the Guards Trophy and Millers Oils Formula Junior Championships being heavily over-subscribed. The Formula Junior grid is full at 44 cars plus reserves, while the Guards Trophy had 67 entries for 48 places on the grid.

One of the other real success stories of the event is the second race of the season for the Historic Formula Ford 2000 Series. Despite being only in it's third season, the series for pre '80 FF2000s has drawn a capacity 44-car entry, which is a record for the class as a period category. The Classic Racing Car field is full at 44 cars and the Historic Road Sports and Historic Touring Cars fields are over 40 cars. The Historic FF1600 field is also vast, with almost 40 cars entered, while a similar number are entered for the 70s Road Sports race.

The programme includes all of the championships and series that regularly feature at HSCC events, as well as three high-profile guest events. The opening round of the GT and Sports Car Cup has a massively over-subscribed entry for 48 places on the grid for an hour-long race, while the meeting also incorporates the opening races of 2010 for the Sir Stirling Moss Trophy (pre '61 sports and sports-racing cars) and the Motor Racing Legends Pre-War Sports Car Series.

After qualifying on Saturday and Sunday mornings, racing starts at 2.15pm on Saturday and at 12.15pm on Sunday. Public admission is just £10 each day, or just £8 per day when booked in advance via www.Silverstone.co.uk

For more details about the HSCC, please visit www.hscc.org.uk

 

130 Vintage Sports-Car Club members and their Pre-war cars are preparing to descend on the idyllic venue of Wiscombe Park near Honiton in Devon for the annual VSCC hill climb which takes place this coming Sunday, 9 May.

The 1,000 yard course is an exciting challenge for VSCC cars that will tackle the 1 in 13.6 gradient and the steep Martini Hairpin. For spectators, the park location offers many superb spots from which to view, as well as trackside enclosures close to the action.

From nimble Austin 7s to aero-engined Edwardian Racing cars, with many lightning fast single-seater racing cars in-between; the Park will be reverberating to the wonderful sights, sounds and smells of Pre-war cars from marques such as Frazer Nash, Riley, MG, Bentley, Morgan, Bugatti and Delage.

The ‘Over 3 Litre Racing Car Class’ welcomes Allan Rippon in his Alfa Romeo P3, Chris Williams in the Napier Bentley and James Baxter in the Frazer Nash Single Seater. Trevor John will be aiming to repeat his ‘Fastest Vintage’ award of 2009 in the Cognac Special. ERAs are represented by Terry Crabbe driving ERA R12C and Paul Richardson in ERA R14B. Local member, Tim Whellock, drives his formidable ‘Hardy Special’ in Class 13. Bugattis are represented by Edmund Burgess in his Type 37 and Alexander Rippon in his Type 35B.

Gates open at 8.30am with practice taking place from 9.00am followed by timed runs in the afternoon from 2.00pm. Tickets cost £15 on the gate for the general public or £12 for VSCC members on production of a membership card.

Wiscombe Park Hill Climb is located 6 miles south of Honiton in South Devon. The venue is signposted from the A375 and is accessed from unclassified roads. Parking is free and refreshments are available. Please note Wiscombe is a hilly venue not really well suited to disabled visitors and spectators should be prepared for a short walk in the country to reach the paddock.

For more information please visit www.vscc.co.uk

 

Masters Historic Racing Limited announced that, although its Masters Classic Festival race meeting set for Donington on June 26-27th has had to be postponed, it is delighted to announce that the reason for this delay is to permit the track refurbishment works, which are even now getting underway at the famed Leicestershire circuit, to be completed, (subject to issuance of the MSA track licence) and that a new race date has been set, September 3/4/5, for the Grand Re-Opening of Donington, Masters Historic Festival.

The postponement of the Masters June date is perhaps not unexpected, but in view of some of the incorrect stories and concerns expressed over recent months, the announcement of this ‘Circuit Renewal' date in early September is excellent news not just for Masters and its racing members, but for the wider historic racing community, and also for all of motor sport in the UK, two wheeled as well as four, and especially so for the many devotees of the great layout and atmosphere of the Donington National track.

Donington’s owners have agreed to be working closely with Masters on the precise timetable and content of this September Re-Opening event, expanding the proposed original June schedule out into a three day meeting, so that all the Masters grids of June, from GPM to saloons can be run, as well as invited grids. One special feature will be an “Into the Dusk” endurance race on the Saturday evening.

The packed race programme will be supported by many demonstration runs of significant race cars and bikes from the Wheatcroft Collection, with many displays and attractions for as wide an audience as possible, to celebrate the circuit’s renewal. Masters drivers and entrants who were committed to racing at the original June date will have first option on competing in the new event, as the original date had already attracted many star cars and drivers, which can now all be on view in early September.

 

Motor Racing Legends is seeing more and more family members pairing up for its two-driver historic races, especially ‘two-generation’ entries – father and son, father and daughter, uncle and niece, and so on.

“We’ve even seen grandfather and grandson teaming up,” says Motor Racing Legends’ Duncan Wiltshire, “and we’d like to see more of it.”

So, to encourage this growing trend, 2010 will see the launch of a brand-new trophy. It will be awarded to the driver pairing, representing two generations of the same family, which in the organisers’ opinion best exemplifies the spirit of historic racing – a combination of on-track success, exemplary driving, enthusiastic participation and genuine, period machinery.

Sponsored by Blakeney Motorsport, the new ‘Blakeney Motorsport Trophy’ will be awarded annually and is open to participants across all three Motor Racing Legends race series: the Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy, Stirling Moss Trophy, and Motor Racing Legends Pre-War Sports Car Series.

Says Wiltshire, “What better reason could there be to team up with your nearest and dearest? It’s clearly time to kick out that professional hot-shoe you were planning to hire and get granddad back on track.”

Or maybe your uncle, niece, stepson, daughter, great-aunt… simply look through your Christmas card list and get on the ’phone to long-lost relatives. Or you could just ask dad again.

For further information visit http://www.motorracinglegends.com