In Brief, November 2010

• Derek Boyd, winner of the 1977 Ulster Rally, has returned to the event to drive a Ford Escort Mk1 for the first time in over 30 years. Boyd first competed on the Circuit of Ulster in 1961 as a 17-year-old in a VW Beetle. He has contested the rally more than 30 times and came out of retirement to tackle the 2010 historic event.v

• Jonathan Everard, a leading authority on ex-works Austin-Healeys, has died suddenly while on holiday in Spain, aged 63. Everard, formerly a works mechanic, was responsible for restoring some of the classic rallying Healeys through his JME Healeys business and was a former historic rally champion.

• Martin Grant-Peterkin is standing down as competition secretary for the Historic Grand Prix Car Association after more than two decades. Grant-Peterkin will retire after the HGPCA’s final races of the season at Ledenon in late October. A replacement is being sought.

• Tour Britannia will return to Yorkshire in 2011 after being based in Chester this year. The three-day classic race and rally tour will again run in early September, revisiting some of the venues used in 2009, when popular timed sections included Oliver’s Mount and Harewood hillclimb.

• Speedsport boss Mike O’Brien has created a motor sport art gallery in space above the team’s Silverstone-based workshops. The facility houses original work from leading artists. The gallery is open during office hours and on Silverstone race weekends.

• The Historic Formula 2 Trophy will be settled in a double-header at Dijon on October 2/3. Heading into the final event of the season Japanese racer Katsu Kubota leads the title race in his March 712. He needs just one good finish to claim the championship from Formula Atlantic March 79B driver Daryl Taylor.

• John Delane won the FIA Lurani Trophy for Formula Junior during the eighth and final round at Nogaro. Although both Delane (Lotus 18) and Duncan Rabagliati (Alexis) had already won their classes, the overall title went to American racer Delane, who needed only to finish the French race to prevail.