New Sports Racing and GT series

[andy97]

I see in Autosport that the CSCC is aiming to introduce a new series for Chevron, Ginetta, Crossle and Lola Sports Racing and GT type machines next year. Aiming at the continuation car market apparently.

Not that I could afford to enter but I just love those sorts of cars.

Not sure of the eligibility criteria or whether it will be to the CSCCs usual 40 min "mini enduro format". Hope so.

Interestingly, the Ginetta Heritage web site talks of a "Sports Racing and prototype" series?

[simon drabble]

isn't there already a series for the kit kar and continuity cars with 750mc? If its for the real ones and tehy are 40 minute races I would have interest so long as they dont clash with HSCC...

[andy97]

Originally Posted by simon drabble

isn't there already a series for the kit kar and continuity cars with 750mc? If its for the real ones and tehy are 40 minute races I would have interest so long as they dont clash with HSCC...

Yes there is a series called SR & GT which allows in real cars, continuation cars and replicas (don't think it allows kit cars exactly, but perhaps the definition between a Kit Car and replica is blurred). They are sprint races, though.

When you say "If its for real ones", do you mean real cars (ie originals) or real cars and continuation cars (but excluding replicas not built by the original company)?

[KWhittle]

Any more up to date info on this series ??
Their web site tells nothing of it
Kevin Whittle

[Tim Falce]

I think the water may have been tested a few weeks back at Snetterton when the CSCC hosted a round of the SRGTC series and sadly it was a pretty poor turn out with the race being amalgamated with the Allcomers race

[andy97]

The plan was for a toe in the water exercise at Snetterton at the end of 2008 but no one from Ginetta Heritage, Crossle or Chevron etc etc etc would take the risk & "buy" the grid in order to set up the series on its way. It wasn't a CSCC series, it was someone else's idea, I think. CSCC were prepared to offer a grid slot as they do with many other guest series. Might be worth talking to Ginetta Heritage to see if there is anything else planned. The SR & GT series race planned for Snett a few weeks ago was their own SR & GT event (and differeent from the series planned that is the subject of this thread) but as Falcemob correctly points out the grid numbers were disappointing & it got amalgamated.

[John Turner]

I've long advocated a series for all these continuation cars, as much to keep them away from the real thing really but it wouldn't be a 'historic' series as such would it? Furthermore, I'm now convinced that there are already too many race meetings and series, both at Historic and other Club levels, and that this has been the case since well before the current economic crisis. Can we cater for anymore? Indeed, do we want or need anymore? Sorry to put a dampener on this, and it doesn't matter what I think anyway, but nevertheless I do think we should be asking those questions and you can understand why the manufacturers of such cars would approach such a series with caution.

[simon drabble]

John you have hit the nail on the head.... on a more macro level the credit crunch has exposed the weak that were carried by the tidal wave of easy money. As such I find it amazing that there have not been more casualties within the historic racing world as it seems to me that it is an industry at times bloated by self indulgence. To have as many series as we do is just one manifestation of this...
The idea of a series for continuation cars is not a bad one and probably should sit in the 750 MC meetings along with fake D Types etc... of their genre they have a place but probably do not have much relevance in the context of historic racing. I would be intrigued to see how these cars fair in the second hand market... my guess is that the fungible parts (engine/gearbox and corners) will determine the intrinic value.

[zefarelly]

GInetta Heritage run their own race series, its early days but they seem to have made a good start, they have an eclectic mix of old new, standard, modified, road and race cars as befits a small /low volume manufacturer, however the older cars, and more period correct recreations would probably get better racing with similar cars of other marques (and I'm sure many do) does not swinging 60's already cater for this ? as well as HRS, Guards etc, etc, its not like theres a shortage of race options already

as for where you draw the line between original, recreactions, continuations and facsimilie . . . . I don't think you can, it would look like a spirograph masterpiece by Timothy Leary at best!

[andy97]

Originally Posted by John Turner

....you can understand why the manufacturers of such cars would approach such a series with caution.

John, I think it was THEIR idea!

[John Turner]

Andy, I understand that, and it is certainly a way of promoting their products, but I was responding to the first sentence of your #6. Sorry if I took it out of context. However, the rest of my comments hold good, I think. These manufacturers are only doing this as a commercial enterprise, not as an altruistic nod to the past, and you have to wonder whether the level of interest/demand for continuation cars is the same as it was, say, 18-24 months ago. As I say, I really question the wisdom or need of any new series, and I would also like to know where such a series fits? It is surely a spectacle for spectators who attend other contemporary race series/meetings who might like to see historic shapes!

[simon drabble]

I would prefer to see a series for historic silouettes at a meeting before I saw modern continuation series....

[zefarelly]

theres already more out there than originals, go to a M*****s meeting!