Realistic Motor Racing

Sir,

In respect of your March Editorial—what a splendid idea!

Though one has fond memories of Jackie Stewart on full-bore negotiating Clearways in a four-wheel drift, and more recent recollections of Ronnie Peterson looking-up for Becketts in the ill-fated Lotus 76 in the 1974 International Trophy, this is the stuff dreams are made of.

With all respect to the F1 circus et al, who can provide us with great enjoyment and entertainment, it would be very satisfying to see mundane (?) road cars being thrashed around a GP circuit to the ultimate capability of car and driver. Perhaps once more the drivers of TRs and Escorts, Minis and Magnums could tenuously identify themselves with the machinery on the track and go home with the thought that “my car beat yours”.

Is it a flash in the pan, or is there genuinely a demand for such a personal spectacle? The outcry following the demise of Group Two might have suggested the latter. Do we need a “Group Two Resurrection Society” (GTRS?) or just honest, realistic motor-racing? One hopes for the best.

Wallingford NEIL MONAGHAN