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Peter,
You make a very good point. When I started club historic racing mumblety-peg decades ago one accepted that there was the normal spectrum of skill on the grid - some who had raced their cars in the contemporary period when they were new, and some like,say, Martin Stretton, Willie Green and Simon Hadfield who possess a superb sense of balance, control and speed in the wet or dry. I guess the common feature was that no-one was paying them to race.
About a decade after I started saw the advent of youngsters racing their father's car - this at a time when a club grid was old cars and old drivers. And the kids were quick.
Then in the early 2000s organisers started to invite professionals to share the owner's car ... was it the Revival or Silverstone Classic that started that trend ? At the Revival I was paired up with an ex-BTCC professional and became much more aware of the gulf between the professional and all but a few club historic racers.
Now, as the cars are worth more and the owners tend to come from a different shelf in the wealth shop, pay drivers - particularly at prestige meetings - are a standard feature. And even in club racing, owners are turning up with the big-rig and two full-time engineers to support them. Not to even mention the development arms race.
Two observations : I could not now afford to buy any of the cars I have raced over the last 30 years; and while change is inevitable, 'club historic racing' as we used to define it (cheapish and cheerful motor sport) is gradually evaporating. I am sorry to see it go as I enjoyed it so much.
Nick
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