Little cars, big grids

Sir,

I can only marvel at your dexterity in managing to compile a 10-page Historic Season Preview in the April edition of Motor Sport – without more than the briefest passing reference to the 2003 Historic Championship of the Year.

I am speaking of Historic Formula Junior, in which one can – quite literally – race every weekend between April and October, and which has a pool of over 200 cars competing annually in Europe.

The formula which spawned the single-seater careers of Jim Clark, John Surtees, Peter Arundell, Lorenzo Bandini and Giancarlo Baghetti, put on great six-car dices for the lead in 2003 between Denis Welch, Michael Schryver, Allen Lloyd, Michael Hibberd, Urs Eberhardt and the young star of historic racing, Edwin Jowsey.

Thirty-five front-engined cars from over 20 marques will line up at Monaco this month, and 30 drum-braked rear-engined cars will be taking their turn at Goodwood later in the year. The FIA Lurani Trophy features eight rounds from Jarama to Mantorp Park, Monza to Spa, while the British series is made up of 14 rounds.

All this is co-ordinated by the Formula Junior Historic Racing Association (forrnulajunior@ rabagliati.com), which can also provide details of cars for sale and advice on joining historic motor racing’s most successful category.

Duncan Rabagliati