A question of numbers
THE nearer we get to 1984 the further away we get from using words, especially nice old English or French words, while Latin derivatives are far too difficult for today’s “whizz-kid” journalists. Officialdom encourages the use of numbers and letters instead of words, like the postal system that calls the delightful old town of Norwich in the Lotus address NOR 92W. Motor racing’s controlling body follow this trend with their numbered groups and categories, and the Grand Prix car is struggling to hold its own against the official title of Formula One, with Formula Two and Formula Three hard on its heels. Gone are the delightful names of Grand Prix and Voiturette, to describe types of racing car. Starting this year the HA (there we go again(), the Federation International Automobile, have reshuffled the International categories and they are as follows:
Four-seater production touring cars-5.000 oil in 12 months. Font-stater production touring carst.000 MT in t; months (with numerous mOd(tic22ion3 permitted:1.
Production GT cars-1,000 off in 12 min.11s.
Production CT cars-see off in 12 months (with numerous modifications permitted).
Sports cars-5-litre engine lima-35 MT. Prototype sports cars-3-litre engine limit-one off or mom. -‘I’wo-seater racing cars-What is crow accepted at Can-Am. -.Single-seater racing cars-to Formula One, Two or Three. -Other racing cars-i.e.. to any local or National Formula, such
as Indianapolis/1;SM: cars, Formula 1000. Formula Vet, etc.
This latest rearranging of the groups is much more logical than the Previous list, and in future when readers see reference to Group 5 Sports cars they will know what is meant. These.groupings.are purely for the purposes of International races and speed events; each National Club can run their home events to any grouping they wish, as we in Britain run races for Production Sports Cars, or Clubman’s Formula, and we can still race “wild” saloons in our own events, or we can have free-for-all Formic Libre events in our Club racing.-D. S. J. GROUP t GROUP z GROUP 3 GROUP 4 GROUP 5 GROUP 6 GROUP 7 GROUP 8 GROUP 9