How new national races have triggered the surging 1970s again

There have been umpteen impacts upon motorsport from the coronavirus pandemic and one of these is a chilling effect on new categories being launched in recent years. Considering the huge uncertainty caused by the global health crisis, it is understandable that many organisers have focused on consolidation rather than taking a risk by launching fresh offerings. For example, 14 new categories were planned for 2019 compared with 10 for this year – and many of these are just very soft launches.

But there is a common theme among some of the latest series to be created: the 1970s. Three historics organisers are running pilot races in 2022 for categories dedicated to cars from that decade, some of which have spawned from the popularity of the Gerry Marshall Trophy (1970-82 touring car) races at the Goodwood Members’ Meeting. The Historic Racing Drivers Club has inaugurated its own Gerry Marshall Trophy category (above) for Group 1 tin-tops, which enjoyed an impressive 29-strong turnout for its first race at Snetterton last month.

GT & Sports Car Cup organiser Automobiles Historiques is also planning a Vince Woodman Trophy contest for the Group 1 machines at the Castle Combe Autumn Classic ahead of a potential series next year. And Equipe Classic Racing has introduced an Equipe 70s division that is open to a wider range of cars, spanning Group 1 and 2 touring cars, Group 3 and 4 sportscars and road-going classics.

Equipe partner Rob Cull believes there is something about the 1970s period that evokes excitement and feels the wealth of new series is an indication of a changing competitor demographic.

“The conveyor belt has moved on,” he says. “The new people that are coming in were the people that grew up looking at these 1970s cars. There’s less interest in 1950s cars and there’s more interest in 1960s and 1970s. I think that’s why promoters have looked at it.

“The passion around the 1970s is huge. I’ve had my workshop for about 15 years and have got a TVR Grantura and an MGB, but I’m now building a Group 1 Capri. When the Capri turned up, the excitement around it was massive. The 1970s is where historic racing is going to move into in the next three to five years – there are some fantastic cars out there. Goodwood [Revival] pins everything to pre-1966 but I think, for club racing, there’s a wider circle to be had.”

Equipe’s new series completes the picture for the organiser as it had always wanted to offer a full range stretching from the 1950s to 1981 – the point Cull describes as being the end of the “analogue period”. But, unlike the other new-for-2022 races, Equipe’s welcomes a much broader variety of cars and Cull feels that is important.

The Historic Racing Drivers Club launched the Gerry Marshall Trophy at Snetterton last month

Photo by: Richard Styles

“I remember watching as a kid the Porsche 911s going out with Group 2 Capris at Le Mans and thinking, ‘Wow!’” he recalls. “We’re encompassing the spirit of the period.”

However, the newly created categories are not the only ones catering for these cars. My colleague Marcus Pye recently wrote about the troubles Motor Racing Legends had in attracting entries for the Thruxton Historic event, including its Historic Touring Car Challenge grid that does incorporate 1970s machines.

Last year was a bumper one for club racing, but we could now be entering another period where there are genuine and serious questions about the volume of national motorsport being too high

Conversely, the Classic Touring Car Racing Club’s Pre-’83 Group 1 championship has benefited from an increase in interest in recent years, average entries growing by 13% last year and there have been some encouraging numbers this year, too – with a total of 60 cars registered. And that is just talking about tin-tops, with the Historic Sports Car Club and Classic Sports Car Club portfolios a home for other 1970s machinery.

CTCRC chairman Stuart Caie believes there are both positives and negatives to the swathe of new races entering the marketplace. On the one hand, he says the abundance of organisers moving into the 1970s sphere shines the spotlight on the era.

“I think it attracts some cars not out with our club,” he says, believing it will lead to more cars being raced. But he does fear there could also be some dilution of the market and points out many of the cars would not be capable of competing across multiple series.

“The cars can be quite fragile – they’re not an E46 BMW you can race everywhere and it will keep going,” he notes. “Some of those cars need rebuilding – and trying to get hold of a preparer to rebuild an engine, you can wait six months because there’s such a long queue.”

The CTCRC has focused upon keeping costs down in recent years, as well as offering livestreaming and prize money – all of which have proved popular. The club’s Silverstone opener was the perfect demonstration of this as it attracted more than 150 entries across four grids – a new record. But Caie also warns of the impact of ever-increasing inflation and the uncertainty this poses for grid numbers.

Last year was a bumper one for club racing, but we could now be entering another period where there are genuine and serious questions about the volume of national motorsport being too high. Over the next 12 months, we should therefore get an answer to the question of whether the surging 1970s series numbers are actually justified by competitor demand.