Best-kept secrets

[Maisie]

Picture the scene: the weekend's coming, and there's a gaping hole in your diary, so you look at the local track's website and find a motorsport event that sounds half-interesting.

You get trackside, and it's fabulous. The cars look and sound amazing. The racing is close but (mostly!) clean.

And yet there's no-one there. You're sharing an almost empty grandstand with 5 oter people.

Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever thought "Wow! This series is amazing - how come no-one knows about it??"

If so, which series would you nominate as the best-kept series?

I'll start the ball rolling with:

Classic Saloon Car Club races: where else can you find a Ford Mustang on the same track as an Austin A35? The cars are fantastic, and so is the racing. Brilliant!

Fulda Fiats: Fiat Unos?? We were sceptical, but I'm so glad we went to see them. Ridiculously loud, very silly, and prone to falling off the track, especially in wet conditions. Great fun, and highly recommended

MGOC: MG Maestros don't spring immediately to mind as potential race car candidates. However, just about every car is immaculately prepared, and generally colourful. Put 25 on the track together with similar performance and you're guaranteed entertainment! Again, close racing but with plenty of respect, and the cars look and sound fantastic.

Any other suggestions?

[TimD]

My personal favourite best-kept secret:

Intermarque, promoted by the Aston Martin Owners Club.

Picture if you will, a typical Intermarque grid from the last couple of years....

Jaguar XJ220, Porsche 911 Carrera, Jaguar E (Modsport modified) 7-litre AC Cobra, Aston Martin DB4, DB5 and V8, Chevrolet Corvette, Sunbeam Tiger...

...and so on. The racing is close and fair, cars with quite substantial modifications are eligible in the classes, and they sound just awesome.

A couple of years ago, the modified E-Type won a Donington race while coasting through the pitlane with a blazing fire under the bonnet. (Thanks to a Cobra and an Aston causing a red-flag at Macleans). The Jaguar driver, on the podium, commented that the blaze wasn't too much of a problem - nothing that 6 weeks and £25,000 couldn't fix...

[Marshal]

I'd concur with Tim and add that VSCC racing can be just fantastic.

And at the risk of being shot down, most meetings at Combe are pretty good...

[elephino]

Australian F3. It is finally an official CAMS championship and the racing last weekend was excellent, though a little close for the leaders (they only hit eachother a couple of times). It's not as much of a secret now as a few thousand people saw it at Round 1 of the Konica Series at Oran Park.

[DAVID PATERSON]

In Australian racing the two best kept secrets would have to be Historic Touring Cars and Improved Production Touring Cars. Lots of passing, heaps of variety and cars that everyone can relate to.

[Tony Harman]

Got to say the whole BARC Classic Package in the UK
It includes Maisie's Classic Saloon Car races, plenty of single seater action with FF1600 and 2000 and Classic Clubmans. It's great to see the cars all racing within the club arena without the accompanying hype of modern FF and saloon championships.

[Dan Friel]

A cracking subject!!

Intermaque is top stuff, usually brillant racing.

750 MC race days as a whole don't disappoint ever - loads of cars and good quality racing.

What about Monopostos, although not so great last year.

[Ray Bell]

I've seen Formula Vees start the last lap with less than the length of the grid between the first and last car...

There's plenty of good, clean, close racing in amateur classes. Clubmans have been fantastic at times, go into the doldrums occasionally.

David, of course, pushes his own wheelbarrow, but he's right, there's some good stuff among them. And if you hanker for A30s mixing it, here's a couple of Holdens and a Hillman sandwiching them at Wakefield Park... Peter Schell photo:

[AndyM]

Hi Guys, great topic...

My vote goes for the BRDC Formula Ford Championship. Its run by the Silverstone Race School and has some slots on the PowerTour package this year, and arace at the FFord Festival at Brands later in the year. Last year it raced at Donington, Croft and Silverstone and although I didn't see it first hand, the racing was supposed by be fantastic.

The cars are identical Van Diemen 97 spec, with no setup changes allowed. They are all prepared by the race school to be perfectly equal, so talent counts. It was designed to offer low cost racing to the graduates of the race school, but as a graduate myself I can't afford it. I know a couple of guys who are racing in it this year so I'll be watching rather than driving.... I have driven the cars during my racing course, all very well maintained and DEAD equal. Looking forward to watching them race.

Andy

[DAVID PATERSON]

Ray, yesterday I had a terrific dice at Oran Park with the four cars in that photo. We were even closer than those pics too. Great fun!

[Peter Mallett]

Well, (for obvious reasons) I concur wiith Tony about the Classic Package and Maria about the CSCC meetings. Just why isn't this more popular?

Also the MG Car club runs a fantastic summer weekend festival at Silverstone.

[Dan Friel]

Ok then Peter,

What should I do on the 24 June.. be sprinting my Midget at the MGCC festival (on part of the GP circuit)..

or..

be marshalling at Combe for the first ever Powertour meeting there??

What gets your vote??

[Peter Mallett]

The Snetterton 50th anniversary meeting.

[Tony Harman]

Originally posted by Peter Mallett
The Snetterton 50th anniversary meeting.

YEP !!!

Originally posted by Peter Mallett
Well, (for obvious reasons) I concur wiith Tony about the Classic Package and Maria about the CSCC meetings. Just why isn't this more popular?

Actually Pete I think we do pretty well for spectator numbers at the Classic meetings, compared with what I've seen at other D/E category club meetings over the last couple of years. Combe excepted of course Dan !

[Peter Mallett]

There's a one-hour race for the CSCC at Snet that meeting, so if you guys hear of anyone wanting a second driver, I could get myself deported from Siberia in time. The Capri won't be ready unfortunately.

[Slowcoach]

Peter , I am under the impression that its a 20 lapper for all classes/championships of CSCC rather than a 1 hour race - although it may well take me that long to do 20 laps there.........

[Peter Mallett]

In that case does somebody want to lend me a car?

[John Batchelor]

I have to say after a whole season of it that Fiesta Racing on the TOCA package was wonderful. A great atmosphere in the paddock and close hard racing on the track, (when I could keep up!) my vote for most fun post race goes to Maxi Jazz, normally to be found in the bar after executing barrel rolls during the race. It's a shame that the powertour fiesta grid isn't so big. It's just like Touring Cars from a drivers point of view....only slower!

[AndyF]

Yeah John - how many times did Maxi roll his car last year?????????