Let's
go Vintage:
 By
Richard Barnett
July’s
Vintage Sports Car Club (VSCC) Bob Gerard
Memorial Meeting is one of the finest
opportunities to see pre-war motor racing at its
best.
Held
at the delightfully compact Mallory Park circuit
in Leicestershire, England, spectators have the
opportunity to watch old cars being driven –
and driven with gusto.
The
appeal of the VSCC is that it encourages its
members to use their cars.
That doesn’t mean the club is comprised
of ropey
old machinery held together only the driver’s
nightly prayers, but you will find cars with a
well developed patina.
For
a trifling £10 entry fee the spectator was
treated to close formation racing, with special
races held exclusively  for
three-wheeler Morgans and for Austin Sevens.
There was also a race for Edwardians,
when the track reverberated to the sound of
aero-engined specials, some boasting up to 27
litre
displacement!
The
scratch races pitted cars from all the fields
together – a major crowd pleaser as the
minnow-like Austins and Morgans took on the
whale-sized Bentleys, Lagondas and aero-engined
specials.
In
short – an event that’s absolute delight.
Full marks to the VSCC for yet another
splendid meeting.
About
the author: Richard Barnett is a lifelong car enthusiast who has also been lucky enough
to work with cars throughout his professional career. He claims to have
started his motoring interest when he was two and a half years old.
During his working life Richard has sold motoring books, run a motoring
library, done motor industry consultancy, been a motoring journalist
(writing stories for the now defunct
AutoClassic, Classic and Sportscar and
Autosport) and currently works in motor industry pr.
A member of Britain's prestige Royal Automobile Club, Richard is also a
member of the Society of Automotive Historians, the Vintage Sports Car Club,
the Historic Sports Car Club and the Classic Rally Association.
He has an extensive motoring library and attends as many historic motor
racing events as his calendar allows.
Richard owns a Lancia Flaminia and his favourite car is a Facel Vega
HK500.
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