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I was at Brands but normally attend the Gold Cup . For many years it had a real buzz , with big grids , the odd Masters F1 race and some lovely sports racers . But I have found it like turning up to a big gig and finding only the support band is playing .
The problem is clearly the usual malaise in the sport - as soon as one initiative grows wings everybody wants a slice .Result - more than enough cars out there but as circuits are all fishing in the same pond , loyalties and preferences change and everyone loses .
Goodwood may have kick started the serious classic festival but its prices , exclusivity and astonishing attention to detail mean it is sui generis , with no real rivals. But nearly every other venue has taken to calling a routine historic meeting a bloody festival , with the inevitable dressing up and overhyped publicity . Result ? In the UK , Goodwood apart, only the Classic really delivers .
Donington was a case in point - every year it bombards me with hype, some years I fall for it and find a 2 day event - at best - stretched over 3, that whichever day I make the 300mile round trip I feel I should have been the day before , or after , and end up watching a bunch of MGs and Jags qualify for what seems like hours and never get to see the T70s on the poster as only one turned up and it broke . Or the race starts at 6pm,with an afternoon spent watching MGs and Jags . Again .
Geography is an issue too - while many feel happy enough (and why not ?) to load up the trailer , take the ferry or tunnel and drive to a distant circuit it is sad when circuits like Croft or Cadwell are dismissed as if they were somewhere in the Shetlands rather than ,in Croft's case, another 2hours listening to the radio on the A1 . Cadwell can be fiddlier for some, but as it is comfortably our prettiest circuit, and a joy to drive (or simply to spectate) it is always worth it.
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