The circuits’ view

Motorsport Vision’s circuits – Brands Hatch, Cadwell Park, Donington Park, Oulton Park and Snetterton – hold their fair share of historic events. MSV chief executive Jonathan Palmer (below, right) has no doubts about the genre’s strength.

“We’ve seen historic motor racing grow significantly in popularity over the past decade, though it has understandably flattened off more recently,” he says. “Competitor and spectator interest remains strong and historic meetings will remain an important feature of our calendar across all five MSV circuits.”

The Historic Sports Car Club will visit all five in 2018, including the Oulton Park Gold Cup, while the Donington Historic Festival and the Masters Historic Festival at Brands Hatch are also big events.

“I think the appeal of historic racing comes from a number of factors,” adds Palmer. “From the competitors’ point of view, there is a wide variety of cars and prices to choose from, and their values may well increase, rather than depreciate.

“There is a more relaxed environment with the racing – as the cars are often quite different in performance, it’s still great fun racing anywhere down the field. Spectator appeal is also enhanced by the fact that there is such a variety of distinctive-looking machinery – often devoid of the sponsor decals that can smother a car’s identity.

“Finally, there is the visible action to be enjoyed with old cars – they roll going through corners, they slide around and, in single-seaters, you can see so much more of the driver too!”