TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP UPDATES

Following the introductory meeting held at the Royal Automobile Club in London back in mid-January, the first two specific Technical Working Group sessions for the Pre-War Sports Cars and pre-‘63 & pre-‘66 GTs and touring cars have taken place over the past ten days. These meetings focused both on overall sporting regulations and on more detailed technical matters. Thank you to everyone who has been involved in the discussions so far.

PRE-WAR SPORTS CARS TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP

For Pre War Sports Cars, discussions centred on the introduction of an Index of Performance-based classification system to sit alongside the normal scratch race classification.

This would allow for fairer grouping across a broad mix of cars, bridging performance gaps during a period of rapid technical evolution. In line with the purpose of the Working Group, we are now preparing an initial simulation for Donington in May; details of this will be shared with entrants over and after the weekend.

PRE-‘63 GT AND PRE-‘66 GT & TOURING CAR TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP

Across the pre-‘63 and pre-‘66 racing categories, and with thanks to valuable feedback from drivers, teams, and preparers, we have undertaken a review of our draft Technical Bulletins.

Updates have been made in the following areas:

TN 001 – Ford Consul Cortina Lotus
– Clarification on exhaust manifold specifications
– Clarification on axle/differential material

TN 010 – Lotus Elan 26R
– Clarification of exhaust manifold dimensions

TN 011 – TVR Griffith 200
– Comprehensive update on compliance with homologation and alignment of performance with Jaguar E Type and Shelby Cobra benchmarks

TN 014 – MG B
– Clarification on lightweight body panels
– Correction regarding axle/differential systems

TN 021 – Austin Healey
– Correction of typographical errors
– Clarification on approved screen types

SPORTING AND TECHNICAL REGULATIONS

A full set of Sporting and Technical regulations have been produced for all the Motor Racing Legends grids for the season ahead, which are planned to present a consistent approach to the sporting side of each event.

Further refinements have also been made to the draft Regulations based on the continuing flow of feedback from the recent Technical Working Groups. The drafts have now been submitted for approval to the organising club, MSVR, for subsequent approval by Motorsport UK. In the meantime, whilst we await the final versions, the Draft versions will be available in the relevant series sections of the website in the coming days.

SCRUTINEERING TEAM UPDATE

We have a strong team of Eligibility Delegates who will be supporting the MRL events in the year ahead, with Louis attending each event to provide continuity and support. You’ll see some new faces joining the team throughout the season, as we aim to maintain a balanced group of specialists across the series to oversee eligibility matters effectively.

We are also looking for marque specialists to assist us during the year, and you do not need to hold a scrutineering licence to get involved. If you feel you have specialist knowledge to contribute, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please drop us an email to rachel@motorracinglegends.com

LOOKING FORWARD TO DONINGTON HISTORIC FESTIVAL

As Donington approaches, we look forward to implementing this work and continuing the discussions. The next working groups will soon turn their attention to the 1950s sports car grids (Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy and Stirling Moss Trophy) and the later ‘80s & ‘90s touring cars that are eligible for the Historic Touring Car Challenge.

We recognise that these working group sessions will be taking place very close to the start of the season. We will therefore not be intending to make any technical changes at this stage, but will want instead to raise and discuss some ideas and initiatives which could be adopted over time.

As we have emphasised throughout all the technical working group sessions, the implementation of any changes to the MRL technical regulations will be done in such a way that it takes account of any practical issues that competitors and preparers may have in complying with new technical requirements. Our aim is always to keep as many cars racing as possible, whilst trying to keep ever rising costs under control.

It has been a pleasure to speak with so many competitors, preparers, and partners across the Motor Racing Legends paddock alongside Rachel, Chris, and Pierre Antoine. As emphasised in each meeting, your input is essential.

Please continue to send any questions or feedback to eligibility@motorracinglegends.com