If you enjoy watching pre-war and 1950s cars racing, note that the Vintage SCC will run such races at Donington Park, where there are excellent spectator facilities and the Single-Seater Museum to visit, on May 31 and at Silverstone again on June 12th. The former fixture will feature the 10-lap Flockhart Memorial Race for front-engined pre-1959 racing cars, supported by a programme of ten more races, including one for 1950s sports/racing cars, a ten-lapper for vintage racing cars, the 5-lap ACU contest confined to those exciting Morgan 3-wheelers, the main Donington Park Trophy event of 15 laps for large-wheeled pre-war racing cars, the equally-important Shuttleworth & Nuffield event over ten laps for similar cars, and a number of 5-lap handicap and scratch races.

The Silverstone day in June represents the Hawthorn Memorial Meeting, with the 12-lap race for the Hawthorn Spanish GP Trophy, for pre-war racing cars, and the Hawthorn Memorial Trophy race over the same distance for pre-1960 front-engined cars, backed up with Boulogne and Stanley Mann Trophies race for vintage racing cars, a Riley scratch race, a ten-lapper for 1950s sports cars including the Hawthorn International for his type of Ferraris and the usual shorter races, ten in all. If those who want to circulate from the car parks to the enclosures at Silverstone should be equipped with wire-cutters and the corners can only be seen on TV screens from the Race Centre, the atmosphere on vintage days is a fair reward for long walks, so book now. After the April VSCC Meeting this atmosphere was maintained for me on the run home, when we overtook a Ford-T Sedan making stately progress towards Stowe and out of Worcester tried to keep up with two fast-travelling Frazer Nashes driven with enthusiasm through the rain by their “Chain Gang” owners. W B

750 MC Racing

The “poor mens” motor racing which the 750 MC encourages makes for excellent sport both for competitors and spectators. You can see such races at Cadwell Park, over the long circuit, on lune 5, at Snetterton on June 27 and July 24, the Welsh Pembrey circuit on August 14/15, Silverstone on October 9, and at two final 1993 Snetterton Meetings on October 30 and 31. The Eight Clubs’ Silverstone Day is on October 16. W B

To commemorate the first crossing by air of the English Channel by Bleriot in 1909 (a rather odd anniversary date perhaps, but never mind) the Blue Max nostalgic air day will be held at Wycombe Air Park, on June 2, a Wednesday, the displays commencing at 18.30 hours, with racing car demos, aerobatics to World class and the Blue Max Museum of historic aeroplanes as additional incentives. Admission. £7.50 per adult, £3.50 each under-16; details from Bianchi Aviation Film Services Ltd, Booker, Marlow, Bucks SL7 3DP. (0494 449810). W B

Having referred last month to Donald Norman Letts, a BRDC member who successfully raced MGs at Brooklands and who was driving at the age of 90, we are sorry to learn that he died last January, peacefully at his home in Sussex, survived by his wife Trixie.

In 1992 history was made when Her Majesty’s Government took three cars from the estate of the late Mr Peter Hampton in lieu of Inheritance Tax. The National Heritage has now agreed that one of these cars, the ex-Madame Bugatti 1910 Type 15 Bugatti, thought to be the oldest Bugatti in the UK, can be given to the NMM at Beaulieu. Any comments?