Autosport Show highlights

Motorsport News staff pick their favourite Autosport Show moments

One of the first things that fans came across as they entered the Short Oval section of the Autosport International Show was a display of Hot Rods through the ages.

Four examples were collected to highlight the progress of the sport since 1963.

The initial design was put together to create a cheaper version of stock car racing. By using a Fiat Topolino body and the nose of a pre-war Riley, Doug Warner came up with the cut-price car, which was to take part in non-contact racing.

Little did Warner (and friend Bill Morris, the boss of the Hednesford Hills Raceway) know just what a hit they would have on their hands.

MATT JAMES

Spedeworth, the short oval promotions experts, changed the format for its display this year with all of its categories mixed in together, and a vast array of highly successful machines were laid out next to each other. As befits this fan-friendly branch of the sport, none of the machines was roped off – it truly was access all areas. That enabled the fans to once again get a first-hand glance at some of the expert engineering that goes in to the chassis.

BRISCA F1 cars might look tough and mean, but that doesn’t mean the graft that goes in to perfecting them isn’t at a level higher than a number of circuit racing cars.

SHORT OVAL SHOW