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the Hockenheimring. I believe people will begin to identify with Allianz on an emotional level if the company has a visible presence in this partnership context”.

See the Bosch Hockenheim Historic - The Jim Clark Revival web site at www.hockenheim-historic.de.

Angoulême

Le Circuit des Remparts takes place this year on its traditional date of 20-22 September, and will repeat its popular formula of Rally, Concours and races throughout the weekend.

Added to the French marque races for DB and Bugatti cars, Philippe Quiriere will bring his Mini plateau, so apt for the twisty Angoulême circuit, and, celebrating the 911 50th anniversary, there will be a race for 2-litre 911 S, T, L and E cars.

In addition, the usual Pre-war grids and grids for GT cars up to 1983 will again be on the programme. There will also be a race for three-wheeler cars, which should produce some lurid sliding and, at the other extreme, organisers are renewing their efforts to attract a number of Group B rally cars to demonstrate what real sideways racing looks like. This was a new initiative last year, and not many of the promised cars actually made it to the event. However, such was the enthusiasm of the public, and of the drivers who did make it, organisers are confident they will attract a much larger number of cars this year.

Entries are open now and can be downloaded from www.circuit-des-remparts.com.

International Klausenrennen

Entry forms are now available for the daunting Klausenrennen hillclimb, which takes place on 27-29 September. At an elevation of 1,948m, the 21.5km Klausen pass connects the

Swiss heartland cantons of Uri and Glarus. Because of its complex routing the Klausen pass is considered to be very challenging, once being likened to the “Nordschleife of hillclimbs”. Originally run from 1922 to 1934, the revival event, of which 2013 will be the fifth running, is only open to pre-war cars, motorbikes and sidecars, with the innovation this year that the event will also have a category for modern eco cars. There is also a regularity category for those non-racers who just want to experience the thrill of the Klausen pass as it once was.

The event attracts some 40,000 spectators to the tiny town of Linthal, with each car or bike getting several runs. It is a weekend celebration of mountains and motorcars, with beer tents, parties, fine dining and dancing in the streets. See www.klausenrennen.com.

Can-Am Challenge

Peter Schleifer of the Candadian-American Challenge Cup has decided not only to renew the successful connection with the Masters organisation but also to accept invitations from

other race event organisers. On invitation from the VHRR Australia an array of CanAm cars are making their way to Phillip Island to attend the 8-10 March Phillip Island meeting, as well as the F1 season opener in Melbourne a week later.

Andy Newall of Gelscoe Motorsport organised this and he even oversaw the loading of the cars in London Docks. Among the cars to make the trip are three McLaren M8s, two Lolas (T310 and T70 respectively), a March 717 and two Matra 670s.

For those not sending their cars sailing around the world, the Hockenheim Historic organisers are having a race open to all GRP 6, GRP 7 and Interseries cars in mid-April, and after the return of the travellers, the Masters will host the CanAm cars on their grid at the Masters Festival at Brands Hatch on 25-26 May and at the Six Hours of Spa meeting in September. There will also be a race in Jerez available on 11-13 October. Contact Peter Schleifer at p.schleifer@ahg-schleifer.de or see their hectic web site at www.canadian-american-challenge-cup.com.

Martini Trophy with SuperSports

The HSCC has committed to running the Martini Trophy with the SuperSports Series again in 2013. This is for 2-litre Sports Racing Cars built before 1978, with an invitation class for

Sports 2000 cars.

The series will include the HSCC-run Thruxton Easter Revival meeting on 30-31 March, Silverstone International Trophy on 18-19 May, the Brands Hatch Super Prix on 13-14 July and the Gold Cup at Oulton Park on 25-26 August. SuperSports Cup coordinator, Silvio Kalb, has also arranged for the series to visit Hockenheim on April 20-21 and the series will go on to Imola or Dijon in October. The HSCC is hoping for good size grids, as enthusiasm for this series mounts.

Italian Success Story

Though hillclimb and rally events have remained popular amongst Italian drivers, for some years now we have been watching the decline of good quality historic circuit racing

in Italy. Even at the Italian flagship event, the Monza Coppa Intereuropa, the Italians have left the foreigners to fill the grids. Some say it is because they do not want to be seen by the Italian Guardia di Finanza, who turn up at race meetings to see who is driving valuable cars and asking awkward questions, but whatever the reason GPS Classic, headed by well-known racer Tommaso Gelmini has helped reverse that trend with his Challenge Formule Storiche for Formula Junior cars, which has been running for three

Photo Alan Cox

Photos Forchini Courtesy GPS Classic

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F5000 in the US

Seb Coppola, President of the F5000 Drivers Association, and F5000 proponent has announced race dates for the US series for 2013. The season will kick off on 25-28 April at

the The Mitty at Road Atlanta with HSR meeting, with further races on 18-21 July at Road America, for The Hawk with Brian Redman and 4-6 October for the Charity Challenge at Sears Point with CSRG. “These are great race tracks in the US, where Formula 5000 cars have competed since the late 1960s, sharing a common heritage,” said Coppola. “As 2013 unfolds, it is possible we may add other races. We also look forward to having some of our F5000 friends from Australia, Canada, England and New Zealand join us at some of these events during 2013,” he added. See www.F5000Registry.com for details of the F5000 Drivers Association.

years now. Run much to the same regulations as the Lurani Trophy, this Italian Championship runs at some of the best Italian tracks, such as Imola, Monza, Misano – with, this year, a foray to Paul Ricard for the HVM-organised meeting at the end of August.

Last year, Gelmini added another string to his bow with the Alfa Revival Cup. This welcomes all Alfa Romeos from 1947 to 1976 in

five age classes and runs alongside the Italian Championship races, so Championship competitors with Alfas can have a second race over the weekend. For those who don’t mind racing with cars of varying ages on different tyres, this series visits Adria Raceway, Varano, Monza, Misano and Imola. Contact event@gpsclassic.it for more information and entries.

Monza is always a favourite with historic racers. It offers a high-speed ride on one of Europe’s most historic tracks, with a huge choice of hotels and restaurants nearby,

themselves also historic in the sense that you can eat and sleep where Nuvolari or Fangio might have stayed all those years ago.

The long-running Coppa Intereuropa event is Monza’s flagship historic race meeting, and it will take place this year on the weekend of 1-2 June.

Besides the on-track action, interest will be added to this year’s programme with a major display and exhibition celebrating 50 Years of Autodelta. With many cars already located, organisers are calling for all owners of ex-Autodelta cars to make contact so they can create the biggest gathering possible.

In a further development, the International Auto Design Conference will take place at the circuit over the weekend, the theme being the Coachbuilders of Milan, with displays of their significant cars from today and yesterday.

The Autojumble area has also been increased and we are told it will be “serious” this year.

On the track, Historic Motor Racing will be holding a three-hour endurance race celebrating the famous 1000km encounters at Monza of the early ‘70s. Last year a rehearsal four-hour race was run and proved so popular, attracting a big grid of pre-1972 GT, Touring and Prototypes, that organisers decided to run four events of three hours this year, with Monza being the first.

Organisers want to attract Lolas, Chevrons, Elvas, GT40s and Alfas, as well as rare Porsche, Ferrari and Matra to run with the 2002 BMWs, GTA Alfas, Ferrari Daytonas, Cortina MK 2s, Panteras, Europas, Elan 26Rs and other GTs of the period. There are also classes for pre-’66 V-8 touring cars.

Vanessa Marçais of Automobiles Historiques will be there with her ever-popular GT & Sports Car Cup race for pre-’66 GT and pre-’63 prototypes, and the single seat programme will be beefed up with a Formula One grid run by Stuart and Oliver McCrudden, former co-ordinators of the FIA Historic Formula One Championship, for cars of the ‘70s and ‘80s. For later cars, BOSS GP will be adding spectacle and sound to the programme, and the cars of the Formula Storiche series, for Formula Juniors, will have two races over the weekend.

On the touring car front, U2TC makes its traditional stop at Monza again this year.

Organisers of the meeting, Scuderia del Portello, bring their Tutto Alfa race, which always attracts a huge grid of Alfas of all shapes and sizes in a joyful celebration of the marque. Contact info@scuderiadelportello.org for the Autodelta feature or the Alfa race, or individual race organisers for information and entries.

Coppa Intereuropa

The 1000km endurance race celebrates the old Monza 1000kms and includes, as it did in period, GT and Touring cars as well

The Scuderia stages a pair of all-Alfa races that always

attract great big grids