Slowcoach on the Telly

[TimD]

For those of you with Motors TV, do look out for the reruns of this weekend's Heritage GT Challenge from Brands Hatch. A large percentage of screen time is taken up by one Tony Palmer, driving a Unipart-liveried Rover SD1 V8S with much brio.

Tony is a visitor to this forum under the monicker "Slowcoach" and his Rover is one of the most charismatic cars out there. If you're reading, Tony, you put on a cracking show.

[simon drabble]

I watched it before taking my daughter back to school last night - it was a great race - pity Peter Horseman (another 10 tenther) and teh other Morgaan were held back bythe yank tank as we might have seen them challenge the Thurtle Aston
it was great entertainment and you are rightthe Rover did get a fair bit of TV exposure mostly due to his auto crossing!!

[TimD]

I wasn't going to mention the autocrossing, Simon!

But seeing as you did, I'll add that there is good footage of a "masterful recovery"!

[zefarelly]

sideways racing with real cars . . on TV . . . .and I missed it !!!

[simon drabble]

it was very entertaining and even the commentators afterwards said how much they enjoyed it having been pretty condescending abt it afterwards - I thin the Escort was very impressive in respect to speed - was it a BDA engined one?

[Gary Critcher]

I was VERY pleasantly surprised to see this race on the telly yesterday afternoon! Brilliant stuff too. Hope we get more of it during the season. I've tried in the past to get people like BBC Grandstand down to Brands (or wherever) and film a days' racing with the HSCC, all to no avail. Perhaps I should try Motors TV?? (I work in television already too.....)

[simon drabble]

they did some heritage rounds last year - I guess as heritage was supporting a decent modern championship it was easier to keep the camera rolling rather than an HSCC meeting - pity as the racing at HSCC and similar meetings are always spectacular

[Gary Critcher]

Simon, try telling the BBC that !!

[zefarelly]

any TV coverage would be fantastic, I'm sure it would get watched and might even help us racers sell our cause to any potential sponsors !

The only Historic racing that gets coverage is the Revival, its usually poor footage badly commentated and about 20 seconds long! Brands would be great for it as you'd only need a few cameras to cover the whole Indy circuit

[Stephen Green]

It was a good race to end a good afternoon...

[Slippy Diff]

Originally Posted by TimD

Heritage GT Challenge

Originally Posted by simon drabble

I thin the Escort was very impressive in respect to speed - was it a BDA engined one?

So, is someone going to explain ?

[TimD]

Okay, without the benefit of a set of regs in front of me, the Heritage GT Challenge is a very broadly based series which has supported the BTCC for about three years now. It's run by the Aston Martin Owners Club and the majority of entrants are veterans of the AMOC Intermarque Challenge.

I couldn't tell you what the eligibility criteria are, but to give you an idea of just how wide the variety of machinery is, off the top of my head I recall seeing competitors using:

Aston Martin DB4,5,6,DBS,V8, Lotus Cortina, Mustang, Sunbeam Tiger, Morgan Plus 8, Mini Cooper, Escort Mk1 & 2, Camaro, Rover SD1, Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, MG B, Corvette, E Type, Cobra, Jag Mk2 and Mazda RX7

Quite a series, don't you think?

[Slippy Diff]

Originally Posted by TimD

Aston Martin DB4,5,6,DBS,V8, Lotus Cortina, Mustang, Sunbeam Tiger, Morgan Plus 8, Mini Cooper, Escort Mk1 & 2, Camaro, Rover SD1, Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, MG B, Corvette, E Type, Cobra, Jag Mk2 and Mazda RX7

Quite a series, don't you think?

So where does the 'Grand Touring' challenge bit come in? It's a bit of a misnomer isn't it?

[simon drabble]

its a formula libre series - they are all hotrods running on modern tyres and contact occurs! however it makes a great spectacle but its not historic racing! The AMOC cars are mostly hotrods for reasons which are presumably historic as they will soon become a domestic series as a result, bit like the front runners of the XK Challenge

[TimD]

Oddly enough Simon, I'd have to say that I've seen far more contact in BRDC 50s Sportscars than I've ever witnessed in the Heritage races. Although I concede that probably has a lot to do with the fact that a certain BMW salesman doesn't take part.

Series is possibly too defined a term on reflection. There's no championship involved, rather a fun afternoon's racing for like-minded individuals with charismatic cars. Many of the cars have raced for many years in the AMOC Intermarque and Anglo-American championships and have indeed developed down a different route from the recognised FIA regulations.

There's nothing wrong with that in my book. And as for whether it's historic racing, I'd be inclined to say that it's contemporary racing which uses historic cars, some of which have been developed over decades by dedicated competitors. A bit like the VSCC, you might say, and they're generally perceived to be historic, aren't they?

[simon drabble]

as usual you have more eloquantly said the same thing!
re the BRDC point taken but they should not rest on their laurals he might look at their series!
not FIA but good racing - I would agree but in the same breathe cant help thinking it has a limited lifespan for that reason. If we are going to go down the Non FIA route someone should bring back a series for the silouette cars.... now that I would go and watch at the circuit

[Slippy Diff]

The words 'Heritage Grand Touring' should not then be used to describe the series. It has nothing to do with Grand Touring and just de-values bona fide historic racing.

The last Eiffel Klassik meeting I did, I think it was 2001 or 2002, had full on race Escorts entered on 3 foot wide slicks!! The problem is, too many race meetings chasing too few entries. Cut down the amount of meetings and you have more people wanting to enter and the organisers will not have to resort to bolstering the grid with 'moderns'.

Did have fun passing the Escorts in the wet though!

[Peter Horsman]

It was good fun. There is almost no contact, altho' that Mustang tried awfully hard at the bottom of Paddock. Sadly, I wouldn't have touched that 600 brake Thurtle Aston in my lowly 260 brake Moggie, he's always going to be a second quicker than me round even Brands.

To call it historic is wrong in the technical sense, as it is to call it GT (my Morgan is definately open), but to criticise it for that misses the point, I think. We have good fun sliding the things around a bit and doing a bit of actual overtaking because the cars are so different in character. I don't think it devalues bona fide historic racing (of which I am a firm believer in with my Lotus 17) because those who care about those things know it isn't. What it does is to show what good racing can be seen outside the usual TV fare of FI/BTCC.

It's a very friendly eclectic group of guys who come together to pose around big meetings (preferably televised) and have a bit of a ball, enjoying themselves and, hopefully, entertaining the spectators who choose to stay on. Previously, celeb drivers included J Oliver, Andy Rouse, Tony Jardine, Phil Bennett, Tiff and the late, great GM.

There's only one regulation, and that is to use treaded tyres. Although some of the Hosiers looked pretty slick to me and the Palmer Rover was actually on slicks! Tony's car does have period BTCC history, I am pretty sure. I don't think it's run by the AMOC, but by Roger Bennington's Heritage Aston Racing Support outfit which is a part of his well-known Stratton Motor Company in Norfolk.

That Vaulkhard Escort was scooting round rather nicely, I thought. Sadly, it ended the race covered in snow in the pit lane.

[Stephen Green]

I was surprised to see how many spectators stayed on to watch the races after the BTCC finished. A great weekend all in all and fabulous to see the big guns out. Shame one of the Moggies didnt make the finish but Arthur continues to entertain in the Aston.

[Peter Horsman]

He dropped 3rd/4th gears.

[LAK]

Great reply Peter and well done in the race. Jason and I were there in the Griffith and completed half of the first race until our front hub broke which meant end of our play time. However we had a brilliant weekend and as usual our fellow competitors where a joy to be with.

The series is only a bit of fun and does not claim to have serious FIA type regs. Our Griffith is in the midly modified class and it is tremendous fun to be racing against Aston DBR4s and 5s and to watch the 600 bhp monsters up front battling amongst themselves. The weekends are packed with punters who have a real interest in the "big bangers" and is an excellent introduction to young car enthusiasts who may not get the opportunity to go to a Top Hat or HSCC event.

We are realistic in that there is no way we are competitive but surely this is not really why we go and race. It is to be with like minded nice people who share our passion and to allow us more freedom with our driving than we have on the roads. My view is that we need series' such as these (and remember Top Hat used to have the same vague regs) and long may Heritage continue.