How frustrated fans can escape F1's evils

So why should you care about historic racing? Not everyone does, so why does Autosport give the Goodwood Revival, in particular, so much coverage?

For a start, older machines give many motorsport fans what they say they want. Barely a week goes by without Autosport receiving correspondence lamenting hybrids, the move towards electric racing, or the scourge of downforce, and many aren't happy with the proliferation of single-make categories.

But all these things - particularly the alternative-powerplant technologies - are here to stay. That's where the world is going, where the manufacturers are going, and, ultimately, where the sport has to go if it is to survive in the longer term.

Modern racing is going electric/hybrid, but that doesn't mean you can't get your fix of old-school howling V8s, screaming V12s and sweet straight-sixes. You just have to look (or listen) elsewhere, specifically towards historic racing, where the internal-combustion engine and multi-marque competition still rule the roost.

There are few major categories and engine configurations you won't find in one branch of historic racing or another. The Spa Six Hours meeting this month even features a pilot race for LMP and GT cars of recent years and includes Nicolas Minassian in a Peugeot 908!

And at the top end of historic racing the cars are driven properly too. At the grassroots level, there are plenty of clubmen quietly doing their thing in older cars as a hobby, but one criticism sometimes put forward is that they can't or don't do the cars justice. That's where events such as the Revival and the Silverstone Classic come in.

Top historic drivers racing alongside current or retired pros makes for a potent mix. Certain races, such as the Revival's RAC Tourist Trophy Celebration for 1960-64 GT cars, have become important to win. That has its downsides, chiefly the issue of car development, but it also means the drivers really want to win. And that means the cars are driven flat-out.

Watching British Touring Car aces Gordon Shedden and Andrew Jordan (in Ford Lotus Cortinas) battle versatile all-rounder Frank Stippler (Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA) in the 2015 St Mary's Trophy remains one of my best memories of racing cars dancing perfectly on the limit.

Because many (though not all) historic categories feature cars with more power than grip, it's obvious the cars are on the limit too. They writhe, slide and move around while the drivers wrestle with the steering and play with the throttle. The cars are slower than their modern counterparts, but they look quicker. As MotoGP shows, lap time becomes irrelevant if the racing is good and there is obvious virtuosity on display.

With no downforce, cars can race closely and overtake. As with any motorsport, domination can happen, but when competitors are evenly matched they can pass each other. There's no 'dirty air' to worry about, but you can still get a tow, so multiple lead changes are common.

At the same time, the more-relaxed atmosphere allows fans to get closer to the cars and stars than at many current top-line events. Where else would you get Le Mans winners Tom Kristensen, Mark Blundell and Jackie Oliver, current tin-top stars Jason Plato, Matt Neal and Rob Huff, and rally legend Rauno Aaltonen in the same place? This weekend they're all competing in the same race (St Mary's Trophy).

There are some fabulous venues too. Spa, Silverstone's Grand Prix circuit and Cadwell Park are among the best tracks in Europe, while Goodwood has no meetings for modern cars so can only be enjoyed by older machines.

The high-speed circuit is worth a visit in its own right. The right-hand element of St Mary's - often referred to as 'No Name' - provides one of the finest viewing spots to watch the art of driving.

"Nothing lasts forever. It's also easy to see a future when safety and/or environmental concerns finally catch up with all of motorsport"

Top drivers get their cars turned in and drifting long before they reach the apex kerb, which can be kissed or hammered over depending on the machine and style. That approach allows cars to stay to the right on the exit for the left-hander without compromising too much corner speed. The very best can judge it to perfection every lap.

The RAC Tourist Trophy for pre-1965 GT cars is the highlight of the Revival for many. Picking a list of stars and potential winners this weekend would look very much like the entire entry list, but the Jaguar E-type of Chris Ward/Gordon Shedden is the closest thing you can get to a favourite, having won for the past two years.

E-types and Cobras (AC and Shelby varieties) have tended to rule the roost recently, but there are a number of potential strong challengers for the 20th edition. The TVR Griffith of Mike Jordan and Mike Whitaker brilliantly defeated the Cobras at the Members' Meeting in March, while Stippler/Andy Newall (1964 250 GTO) and Gary Pearson/Chris Harris (250 LM) should provide a better Ferrari challenge than of late.

There's also a phalanx of BTCC aces in thundering V8 Chevrolet Corvettes: Jason Plato (with Craig Davies), Colin Turkington (Sam Thomas) and Mat Jackson (Marco Attard).

The Kinrara Trophy for pre-1963 GTs was introduced last year and was an instant hit, a two-driver enduro similar to the RAC TT but for slightly older cars. Four different marques - Ferrari, Jaguar, AC and Aston Martin filled the top four last year and it could well be a similar story in 2017.

Last year's podium finishers James Cottingham/Andrew Smith (E-type) and Martin Hunt/Patrick Blakeney-Edwards (AC Cobra) return, while the combination of historic ace David Franklin and top all-rounder Stippler will be a formidable Ferrari pairing. Also look out for Phil Keen/Jon Minshaw (E-type) and Simon Hadfield/Wolfgang Friedrichs (Aston Martin DB4 GT).

Another popular two-driver contest is the St Mary's Trophy, this year for touring cars of the 1950s. It's packed with star names, split across bigger cars such as the Jaguar Mk1, and the diminutive Austin A35s and A40s.

Father-and-son pairing Mike and Andrew Jordan will be contenders in their self-built A40, with fellow BTCC frontrunner Gordon Shedden sharing an A35 with engine guru Neil Brown. World Touring Car ace Rob Huff will drive the A40 of Richard Meins, while the Jaguar charge should be led by 2014 winners Anthony Reid/Justin Law and Stippler/John Young.

The Austin A95 Westminster of double BTCC champion Plato and Nick Naismith and screaming BMW 700 of 1969 Le Mans winner Jackie Oliver should also not be overlooked.

Adding to the flavour will be the unusual Studebaker Golden Hawk of ex-BTCC racer Patrick Watts, the Ford Thunderbird of Bill Shepherd/Tom Kristensen and the Nash Metropolitan driven by John Cleland/Shaun Rainford.

F1 fans won't be disappointed, with the Glover Trophy for the mid-engined racers of the first half of the 1960s and the Richmond Trophy for the previous front-engined era. Having missed last year, Andy Middlehurst will be looking to take his sixth Glover Trophy success in the Lotus 25 entered by Classic Team Lotus, while Tec-Mec, Scarab, Lotus and Ferguson machinery could be at the front of the 1950s mix.

As well as the usual busy off-track activities, there is also a demonstration of 1950s GP cars marking 60 years since the first win by a British car with British drivers in a F1 world championship event, the 1957 British GP at Aintree, courtesy of Stirling Moss, Tony Brooks and Vanwall.

Another good reason to go is that nothing lasts forever. Some of the cars are becoming too valuable to risk, and either only do the big events or have been retired altogether.

The 1959 Le Mans-winning Aston Martin DBR1, for example, used to be a regular Revival visitor, but was sold earlier this year for $22.5million. It seems unlikely that it will be racing wheel to wheel with Jaguar D-types and Ferrari Testa Rossas much any more. It's also easy to see a future when safety and/or environmental concerns finally catch up with all of motorsport.

For some older enthusiasts, it is probably true that historic racing doesn't truly represent the past. But for those of us who missed out the first time or who are looking for something different, it gives us many things to enjoy as the face of contemporary motorsport changes forever.