[pomracer]

Originally Posted by john ruston

Job done

It's in Historic Motor Racing News so no problem.

Here it is ,with credit to Carol Spagg. Not sure if this is allowed but anyone wanting to subscribe to Historic Motor Racing News should email : contact@historicmotorracingnews.com . I should add that I have no connection to the magazine, and am one of many subscribers/readers.

Recently the subject of crashing historic cars has been much in the news. There was a bad incident at Mugello, which led to the exclusion of one team, and Monaco saw several beautiful and historic cars damaged, some quite badly. Fortunately, we haven’t had any injuries reported to us through all of this, but we need to remember those who have been injured in these kinds of incidents and had their lives changed forever. Everyone hates to see a crash in a historic race, (with the exception of some spectators) and yet they keep happening. YouTube is abuzz with in-car camera footage showing this crash or that incident, all the commentators laying the blame on one driver or the other.
It is always a delicate balance between racing seriously and racing to win, and preserving and enjoying the cars we all love. For some of the more competitive drivers, there would be no point in racing if they could not have a real chance of winning. They hone their skills, they buy the right cars and they race and race until they are at the front of the pack, but they should bear in mind that for many historic car owners, the motivation for racing is simply to enjoy the cars, with the pleasure enhanced if they win or place well. There is room for both approaches in historic racing, but misunderstandings will only be avoided when there is mutual respect.
Those who love their cars and are happy to race them should not be looked upon with the kind of disdain that I sometimes see. It is they who create the whole historic racing scene and give the winners a stage on which to shine. They should not be intimidated or discouraged by drivers out to win at all costs. They are the ones performing the best service to all of us: The preservation in running order of the cars, so that others who follow will have something to drive. At the same time, the hardcore racers and tuners are maintaining a tradition that has existed since racing began, and they should not be criticised for it.
Then there is the Monaco-Le Mans Classic-Silverstone Classic-Goodwood effect. Without an outright win at one of these meetings, life is just not complete for some and they nearly become desperate on track, driving their way through. Others own prestigious cars, but have not got the kind of racing experience to be able to cope with the hard chargers, and a clash of culture, and of racing cars follows.
If more race directors were willing to sanction bad behaviour, or incompetent behaviour on track, there would probably be fewer crashes. And if faster drivers respected slower drivers a little more, there would be fewer crashes. Finally, if slower drivers didn’t grow horns and outdrive themselves trying to keep up, it would also be a big help.
Monaco was a full International event and every driver needed an International licence. There is also certainly some scope for ASNs to look at what they require before issuing International licences for events such as Monaco.