Historic racing: highlights of the 2023 season to come

Donington Historic Festival

Donington Park, Leicestershire, April 29-30

The Donington Historic Festival is one of the key early season historic racing festivals in Europe with two days of action on the fabulous Donington Park circuit.

This is very much a Motor Racing Legends event and that organisation provides the bulk of the races. Though there are some off-track attractions, it is nothing like the scale of the Silverstone Festival. This one is largely about good quality racing.

For the casual spectator, longer races are not always appealing and the DHF includes a series of one-hour races and the three-hour Pall Mall Cup as well as a couple of shorter contests. The Pall Mall Cup on Saturday afternoon features a field of pre-’66 GT and pre-’63 sports racers with AC Cobras, Jaguar E-types and Austin-Healey 3000s usually setting the overall pace.

Other highlights are the ‘Mad Jack’ Trophy for pre-war sports cars and the excellent Historic Touring Car Challenge with Cologne Capris, Batmobile BMWs, Sierra RS500s and BMW M3s.

HSCC International Trophy

Silverstone, Northamptonshire, May 27-28

Although the Silverstone Festival is the headline historic race meeting at Silverstone, each May the Historic Sports Car Club takes over the Grand Prix circuit for an excellent weekend of racing.

The event is named in memory of the former non-championship F1 race and the programme is a typical mix of HSCC categories ranging from the Aurora Trophy for powerful single-seaters, including Formula 5000s, down to more humble road sports of the 1960s and ’70s.

Adding spice to the line-up will be the second round of the HSCC’s pan-European Historic Formula 2 series and the spectacle of 30 period F2 cars on the current Grand Prix circuit alone makes a visit worthwhile. These fabulous racing cars look and sound the part and most run in period liveries.

With big grids for many other categories, it’s an easy-going, easy access weekend with an open paddock and a friendly camaraderie pervades the venue.

VSCC Seaman Trophy

Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire, June 18

For many people Cadwell Park is some way off the beaten track. The spectacular three-dimensional circuit nestles deep in the Lincolnshire Wolds but it is truly worth the trip – and a season highlight is the visit from the Vintage Sports-Car Club.

Cadwell Park is a true drivers’ challenge as it twists and turns and rises and falls and is a wonderful place to watch drivers in open cockpit cars.

The VSCC event draws a good crowd but there is still plenty of room to move around and watch from a range of vantage points. After morning qualifying sessions, eight or nine races will fill the afternoon.

The best spots include the famous Mountain, where the quickest cars can get their wheels off the ground, or the twisting Hall Bends sequence as well as the long, high speed sweep at Charlies. This is a place to take out the picnic rug and watch pre-war machinery in action within a green and very pleasant setting.

Classic Nostalgia

Shelsley Walsh, Worcestershire, July 22-23

For many true motor sport enthusiasts, a season without a visit to Shelsley Walsh would simply not be right – and one of the highlights of the Shelsley season is the annual Classic Nostalgia weekend.

The 1000-yard climb up the side of the Teme Valley in Worcestershire exudes atmosphere and never more so than when it is full of period cars for the Nostalgia weekend. As well as competition on the challenging high-speed rush, there will be demonstrations and side attractions to entertain on both days.

Predominantly, the competitive action is for pre-1971 machinery, but this year’s theme of 65 years of touring cars will bring a host of different racers to the hillclimb course. Cars from across the history of the British Saloon Car and the British Touring Car Championships will feature in a typically crowded paddock at one of hillclimbing’s most special occasions.

Gold Cup

Oulton Park, Cheshire, July 28-30

Rising and falling through manicured Cheshire parkland, Oulton Park is a true jewel in British racing and in late July it will be looking its best for the annual Gold Cup meeting.

The best historic racing festival north of Donington Park runs for three days and features an eclectic array of period categories competing on the challenging 2.7-mile circuit.

The meeting is run by the Historic Sports Car Club, and several of its categories are to the fore, notably this year the Thundersports series for pre-1980 sports-racing and GT cars. This will be home to a gaggle of Chevrons, which is wholly appropriate given that Oulton Park was effectively the local circuit for Derek Bennett and his cars.

There are plenty of other races to enhance the spectacle including VSCC races with pioneering early years cars, Special Saloons from the Classic Sports Car Club, historic grand prix cars, historic Formula 3, Formula Ford, pre-1966 touring cars from the Historic Racing Drivers Club (Jack Sears Trophy) and – Vauxhall droopsnoot alert –look out for pre-1983 touring cars in the HRDC Gerry Marshall Trophy.

Silverstone Festival

Silverstone, Northamptonshire, August 25-27

Though this is its third brand identity in three years, the annual Silverstone historic race weekend is a highlight of the motor sport year, now named the Silverstone Festival and running over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

What has not changed is a wall-to-wall programme featuring huge grids from some of Europe’s best historic race categories. The Silverstone site is completely turned over to the event with a vast array of side attractions, car club gatherings, live music, celeb chefs, F1 simulators and much more.

But at its heart, for the true petrolheads, are three days of qualifying and racing on the full Grand Prix circuit: from historic Formula 1 to period touring cars through recent Le Mans cars and pre-’66 GT cars. Meanwhile, F1 car demonstrations will honour 75 years of Silverstone; its very first race meeting was held in October 1948.

There is something for all tastes here and, after qualifying on Friday, you can see full days of racing on Saturday and Sunday. It is a truly epic historic event.

VSCC Loton Park Hill Climb

Alberbury, Shropshire, September 9-10

Hillclimbs are a big part of the Vintage Sports-Car Club competition year and the headline summer events at Prescott and Shelsley Walsh are major dates on the schedule with big entries and large crowds.

However, there is a hidden gem in the VSCC hillclimb year, and that’s the annual trip to Loton Park. The Shropshire attraction, set within sight of the Welsh border to the west of Shrewsbury, is a glorious place to see cars tackle an incline and the September weekend features a VSCC double-header. That means each day is full of practice runs and timed runs for around 100 cars mainly dating from the pre-war era.

The course features an unusual downhill section and this is a wonderful event set in beautiful parkland with brilliant viewing locations and lots of room. Prescott and Shelsley are superb occasions, but Loton Park, featuring two rounds of the splendid VSCC Speed Championship, is every bit as good but rather less crowded.

Historic Rally Festival

Weston Park, Shropshire, September 30-October 1

For too long, British rally fans have looked enviously at events like the Eifel Rallye Festival in Germany and Rallylegend in San Marino where huge crowds witness period rally cars doing what they do best.

In the UK, we are still some way off that level of event. But the growing Historic Rally Festival is a bold attempt to bring that type of atmosphere and theatre to the UK.

The celebration of rallying heritage is based at the picturesque Weston Park to the west of Wolverhampton. This appropriate setting has period RAC Rally history and for two days a fine array of period cars are put through their paces on demonstration special stages.

The focus is on the cars of the Group B era but a wide remit takes in cars of the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. So expect anything from a Ford Anglia to a Subaru Impreza WRC in this emerging highlight of the rallying season.

Roger Albert Clark Rally

Nationwide, November 23-27

For fans of forest rallying, every other November brings an absolute highlight in the biennial Roger Albert Clark Rally.

The event recaptures the spirit of forest rallying in the 1970s and 1980s when Roger Clark was taking part in Britain’s round of the World Rally Championship (and winning in 1976). The event named in his memory will be bigger and better than ever for the 15th edition, covering five days and more than 300 competitive miles.

It is primarily aimed at historic rally cars but is also open to all two-wheel drive cars. It is the longest and toughest special stage rally in the UK.

The action will start from Carmarthen on Thursday for two days in the Welsh forests before the rally relocates to Carlisle on Friday evening. Then comes a day in south-west Scotland before two days in the daunting Kielder Forest complex. Around 150 cars will start an adventure that takes everyone back to their younger years.

It’s in the diary…

Here’s our round-up of other must-see historic pageants on home soil and on the Continent

Masters Historic

Festival brands hatch, Kent, May 27-28

This annual weekend on the grand prix circuit will be topped with historic F1 cars.

brandshatch.co.uk

Zandvoort Historic Grand Prix

Zandvoort, Netherlands, June 16-18

Historic F1, F2 and F3 cars from the ’60s to the ’00s and 1980s endurance racers.

historicgrandprix.nl

Kirkistown 70th Anniversary

Kircubbin, Co Down, June 23-24

Northern Ireland’s major race track is 70 and will be marked by an old-style club meeting.

kirkistown.com

Le Mans Classic

Le Mans, France, June 29-July 2

Cars from across the Le Mans story will celebrate the centenary of the 24 Hours.

lemansclassic.com

CSCC 24 Hours

Anglesey, July 1-2

The CSCC runs its first 24-hour event – at the spectacular Anglesey track.

classicsportscarclub.co.uk

Super Touring Power 

Brands Hatch, Kent, July 1-2

All things 1990s touring cars will be in action at this new event.

brandshatch.co.uk

Bentley Drivers Club

Silverstone, Northants, August 12

A glorious throw-back to a simpler time with races for Bentleys and support events.

bdcl.org

The Autumn Classic 

Castle Combe, wilts, September 23

Castle Combe’s annual historic offering has an eclectic mix of races and off-track events.

castlecombecircuit.co.uk

Spa 6 Hours 

Stavelot, Belgium, Sep 27-Oct 1

The 6 Hours race tops a full weekend which celebrates 30 years of historic racing here.

spasixhours.com