Autosport Plus

Why motorsport still has something for everybody

OPINION: As Autosport celebrates its 70th birthday, motorsport finds itself in a period of change. Some will cause more of a stir than others, but we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that while much-loved elements have been lost, so much has been gained too

Autosport regularly receives comments about how the sport was better 'back in the day', although it is rather harder to pin down exactly when that was. A perusal of the correspondence pages in the magazine going back to the 1950s illustrates that this feeling has been virtually ever-present. Rose-tinted spectacles, it seems, have been around almost as long as time itself.

Nevertheless, there is no doubt that motorsport has changed extensively since 1950. Some developments have been for the better, while others have certainly not brought improvement. And some changes were necessary, while others are more debatable.

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Author Kevin Turner

Kevin Turner is Autosport’s Chief Editor. While studying History at the University of York, Kevin began covering UK club events as a freelance reporter for Autosport and Motorsport News. He joined the Autosport staff as Editorial Assistant on the magazine in 2006, winning what is now known as the Motorsport UK Young Journalist of the Year Award. He became National Editor in 2008 and over the next few seasons covered a range of international events, including the Le Mans 24 Hours, as well as the British Touring Car Championship and British GT. Kevin became Features Editor before switching to edit Motorsport News in 2014.

He returned to Autosport in 2016 to become editor of the magazine, a dream job that is still part of his role.

He became Chief Editor in 2020, helping to plan content for autosport.com and Autosport’s podcast as well as seeing the magazine through the coronavirus pandemic. Kevin also led work on the special publication celebrating 70 years of Autosport and has been a judge on the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award, formerly known as the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, since 2008. He lives in Warboys with his wife and two children.