How a perennial problem for national motorsport is acutely affecting historic racing

One of the arguments Autosport has regularly made during its 75 years is that there is simply too much club motorsport in this country for the number of competitors we have.

Yes, we should be grateful to have a busy national scene where a variety of events at a great mix of circuits take place week in, week out. But the balance can very quickly tip when there are small grids at those events, making the sheer volume of contests difficult to justify. And that problem is particularly acute in the historic racing world at present.

A whole range of organisers are trying to have their slice of an ever-diminishing pie and it has got to the point where it is no longer sustainable. The tricky economic climate is already putting some competitors off, but that is before considering ridiculous own goals when it comes to scheduling.

Take the 21-22 June weekend as an example. The Historic Sports Car Club and Vintage Sports-Car Club both had events then, and there was also the Thruxton Retro meeting that featured several historic grids. Before you even consider other events in Europe that can still entice British competitors, it is unsurprising numbers were poor in some quarters.

“People are being very cautious and are budgeting. There’s an awful lot of promoters around and they’re fighting for the same thing” Julius Thurgood

Even more baffling from a calendar perspective was the decision to run both the Super Touring Power and Snetterton Classic events (both promoted by MotorSport Vision) on the following weekend.

Given the Snetterton fixture was due to feature several historic tin-top categories that were in direct competition with grids at the Brands Hatch Super Touring extravaganza, something had to give.

In the end, and with Snetterton never the most popular of venues among historics drivers, Motor Racing Legends (MRL) decided to cancel all of its races in Norfolk and the event was scaled back to a single day just for the three Historic Racing Drivers Club divisions. “MRL having to cancel Snetterton, that shows things are tough,” says Equipe Classic Racing partner Rob Cull.

Compared to its overflowing grids at the Donington Historic Festival the previous month, the HRDC attracted modest fields of 24, 19 and 18 cars in Norfolk. “At Donington Park, we had 96% occupancy, at Snetterton we had 53% and that shows the fluctuation,” says HRDC founder Julius Thurgood. “People are being very cautious and are budgeting. There’s an awful lot of promoters around and they’re fighting for the same thing.”

Decision to run Super Touring Power (pictured) and Snetterton Classic events on the same weekend is baffling

Photo by: Gary Hawkins

Thurgood also highlights the drive to clamp down on eligibility concerns, spearheaded by MRL chief Shaun Lynn, as having an impact on grid numbers. Some are reluctant to enter for fear of their cars falling foul of the rules.

“It’s a bit like taking your medicine,” he explains. “You don’t like it, you don’t want to take it and some people won’t take the medicine – and it can have side effects. That’s the case with rules. We’re saying, ‘Let’s put our house in order’, and sometimes you’ve got to take two steps backwards to take a quantum leap forward.”

But the overarching feeling is that something is going to have to change, or some organisers risk being consigned to history, particularly as circuit hire costs continue to rise.

“The reality is it’s not getting any better,” adds HSCC CEO Andy Dee-Crowne. “I think there’s too many people launching their own series or championship and aiming for exactly the same customers. The reality is it’s a saturated market and it’s getting more saturated.”

“The racing was superb – it was close, and it was right down to the wire. People were changing positions in the last 10/15 minutes and the last hour was like a sprint race” Rob Cull

In times like these it is arguably more important than ever that organisers stand out from the crowd and try to ensure they have a genuinely unique offering. That is exactly what Equipe did recently with its inaugural 6 Hour contest at Donington Park, which was aimed at being a British version of the Spa Six Hours, just without the all-conquering Ford GT40s.

It proved a hit, with 32 cars taking part, although Cull reveals 14 paid-up entries dropped out in the weeks leading up to the event amid a range of troubles, such as car woes or family issues.

“The format worked, we had no incidents on track and there wasn’t any damage,” he says. “The racing was superb – it was close, and it was right down to the wire. People were changing positions in the last 10/15 minutes and the last hour was like a sprint race. It was a very good event, everyone went away happy and we will 100% do it again.”

It is reassuring to see that such innovation can still pay off. Despite it being a congested market, if you offer an attractive race, at the right circuit and on a date without too many clashes, it can still draw in the masses.

It is just a shame that Autosport’s recurring arguments about there being too much racing are unlikely to be fundamentally addressed any time soon.

This article is one of many in the monthly Autosport magazine. For more premium content, take a look at the Summer 2025 issue and subscribe today.

Success of Equipe’s inaugural 6 Hour contest at Donington Park shows innovation can work

Photo by: Jonathan Mills