Historic industry insight
Dunlop specialist John Pearson on the historic-racing scene today
Historic racing is booming, so this magazine tells us. Every year another new championship or series gets announced, circuits realise that nostalgia can draw more spectators than some modern races, and seasoned racers choose the investment potential, and driving rewards, of a historic, classic or vintage car.
This will be my 31st season in the paddocks, and occasionally behind the wheel, in historic racing. I’ve seen the ups and downs, and we are in a rosy period. The historic market is stable and attracts competitors who enjoy the experience as well as the racing.
One cautionary note to all the optimism, though, is a general sense of too much racing and the strain it puts upon the teams and support services. There is the possibility that competitors will also get event fatigue in the congested calendar, with many choosing an a la carte approach to various events.
My own racing plans for 2018 are perhaps a good example: kick off with Motor Racing Legends’ Donington Festival, then Silverstone with the Historic Sports Car Club. The highlight will be driving my dad’s D-type Jaguar in Jaguar’s own event at the Le Mans Classic, then to the Silverstone Classic with Masters and finally finish up at the Algarve Circuit in October with the GT and Sports Car Cup, where there will be sun, beaches and a fine racetrack. A season of multiple promoters and series, and for me the best quality and diversity we have ever known in historic racing. Truly, we are privileged to be racing old cars.
I am also optimistic about the growth of modern-era historic racing, or, to use that peculiar German-created English term, ‘youngtimers’. A growing band of competitors and spectators are feeling nostalgic about cars some of us still consider modern. But the heyday of Super Touring is now a quarter of a century ago and evokes a lot of passion among fans.
We have had the pleasure of servicing the wonderfully diverse Masters events for many years, and are delighted to continue that partnership by supplying Dunlop’s more recent LMP and Gt-winning tyres to their new Masters Endurance Legends events. There has been a bit of a Marmite debate about the definition of historic racing. That’s understandable, considering that the ORECA that won the inaugural Spa race was a frontrunner in the European Le Mans Series just a year before, but I think it is a great addition to the bill at the biggest historic events. Who wouldn’t want to see Gulf-liveried Aston Martin GT1S doing battle with Ferrari 575s? It was a joy to see at Spa last year, and I’m eager to see more of these thundering cars take to the track.
Looking at the market for racing earlier-era cars, there are some feelgood stories out there. One shining star is the evergreen Formula Junior series. Last year, competitors enjoyed a world tour of iconic circuits, climaxing this year with a 60th-anniversary race at the Silverstone Classic. We take our service team to the growing Historic Racing Drivers’ Club meetings, where Julius Thurgood has created some fun events. Seeing such a proliferation of Austin A35s hit the track with modern-day British Touring Car champions battling around Goodwood has boosted interest in historic racing.
Such innovative promotion is key to the continued success of historic racing. Lord March sets a high benchmark to inspire all promoters, and this year the Goodwood Revival will be 20 years old. His fastidious attention to detail means that authenticity matters. That’s why we believe in Appendix K regulations, and our partnership with Dunlop means we can supply the authentic period tyre.
Dunlop once tested a historic tyre with a modern compound and I witnessed Jackie Oliver pedal an E-type an amazing 16 seconds faster around Spa using them. But in my mind, that’s not authentic, and such grip potentially could lead to component failures elsewhere on the car. So the tyre engineers at Dunlop put their ‘go-faster’ instincts on hold and put their energy into producing tyres with the correct period performance. That matters, as the tyre is the last balance-ofperformance factor in historic racing. The level of car development may be higher than in period, but if all the cars have the same contact patch and same compound then the authenticity of racing is preserved.
When our family set up the Harper Pearson Tyre Exchange in the 1980s, I never could have imagined that historic racing would evolve into such a glorious, diverse and friendly family. That’s why I’m looking forward to this season even more than the 30 that went before. Our success wouldn’t be possible without the loyalty of customers and colleagues, and I’m proud that many of the HP Tyres team have been involved for much of the 30-year journey. We will be flying the Dunlop flag at over 30 historic events this year, 130 years on from John Boyd Dunlop inventing the pneumatic tyre.