THE 1982 INTERNATIONAL RACING SEASON

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FULL marks to the FIA for publishing the 1982 International Calendar of races, rallies, hillclimbs, rallycross, autocross and drag-racing before the end of last November. The total list of events, world-wide, which come under the jurisdiction of the FIA is well over 600, ranging from F1 Grand Prix events to drag-races at Santa Pod and in countries as far apart as Japan and South Africa, though to listen to some people you would think the sole job of the FIA, and its sporting management FISA. was to look after the 16 Formula One events. Events on the 1982 calendar are divided up into International Plus and International, or Full International and International, the first category events being open to all suitable licence holders and the second category being restricted to semi-professionals or non-graded drivers. In the list below we give the 1982 Calendar of Full International events for the various Championships run by the FIA, and a list of the major non-championship events, all other activities being of a restricted nature or purely national status.

It will be seen in the Formula One list that racing is due to start on the 23rd of this month with the South African GP at Kyalami. The world of FISA and FOCA is at peace at last and everyone agrees that the FIA run motor racing and the ridiculous World Federation of Motor Sport dreamed up by Max Mosley last winter to run “pirate” races, fell flat on its face. Bernie Ecclestone’s FOCA teams toed the line and raced under FIA rules along with Renault, Ferrari, Talbot, Alfa Romeo, Osella and Toleman. Because the breakaway groups have gone to ground the FIA have been able to formulate the 1982 Calendar in good time and the onlv notable omissions from the F1 list are the Dutch GP at Zandvoort, and the Spanish GP at Jarama. This seems to be for the simple fict that the organisers have not yet paid their 1981 bills to the F1 teams, so presumably the organisations are going broke. After some alarms and excursions the Austrian GP has been reinstated and in Italy common sense has prevailed and there are two events. Imola is retaining the San Marino GP and Monza has the traditional Italian GP, a situation that must please all racing enthusiasts even if it upsets some of the money-grubbers. The French GP is taking its turn at the dusty facility of Paul Ricard just as the British GP is taking its turn in the cramped confines of Brands Hatch. Added le the list is a proposed race around the streets to Detroit, with Henry Ford himself taking an interest in the management, and on the little Dijon-Prenois circuit in France the Automobile Club of Switzerland is holding the Swiss GP. Racing in still forbidden in Switurland, the ban being imposed in 1955 following the horrific Le Mans accident that year, and a few years ago the Swiss ran an experimental non-championship race at Dijon and this year it has been put on the calendar as a proper Swiss GP.

At Long Beach there is talk of a chicane on the bottom straight to knock off some speed before the Queen’s Hairpin and the hairpin itself is being reshaped mere on the lines of the traiectory that Villeneuve inadvertently took last year. Zolder are promising to do something about their pit area and Canada have tried to do something about their weather by accepting a date in June, rather than September or October. It will be noticed that there is a four-week gap between Canada (June 13th) and Brands Hatch (July 18th) and this is to do with football being more important to television viewers than motor racing and there being something important happening in the ball-game world during that four weeks. Having watched the television spectacular of the Las Vegas GP last year I can understand the viewers’ preference for ball-games.

Endurance racing takes a new turn this year with the introduction of Group C cars in which under-car ground effects are negated by the insistence of a flat underside as far back as the rear of the cockpit, and engines must be associated with an homologated automobile manufacturer, though they can be one-off experimental engines. Starting the Endurance racing season at Brands Hatch on March 14th seems like asking tor trouble, recalling some of the snow-swept scenes at the Kentish circuit in the past in early spring. Ending the Endurance season wtth a race in Japan in early October, followed by one in Buenos Aires at the end of October seems a bit optimistic.

In direct contract the Formula Two season is tightly packed into a bare five months, from the end of March to the middle of August, with nothing at all in September.

Once more we can look forward to a busy year of racing, whatever category interests you, so start planning now.

GRAND PRIX RACES

(Formula One Driver’s and Manufacturers’ Championships)

Jan. 23, S. African GP (Saturday), Kyalami. Mar. 7, Argentine GP, Buenoe Aires. Mar. 21, Brazilian GP, Rio de Janiero. Apr. 4, USA (West) GP1, Long Beach. Apr. 25, San Marino GP, Imola. May 9, Belgian GP, Zolder. May 23, Monaco GP, Monte Carlo. June 6, USA (Central) GP2, Detroit. June 12, Canadian GP (Saturday), Montreal. July 18, British GP, Brands Hatch. July 25, French GP, Paul Ricard. Aug. 8, German GP, Hockenheimring. Aug. 15, Austrian GP, Osterreichring. Aug. 29, Swiss GP, Dijon-Prenois. Sept. 12, Italian GP, Monza. Oct. 16, USA (West) GP3 (Saturday), Las Vegas.
Reserve: Australian GP, Oct 3.

WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP

(For Manufacturers and Drivers) *Makes Championship

Mar. 14, Brands Hatch, England. Mar. 28, Mugello, Italy. Apr. 18, Monza, Italy*. May 16, Silverstone, England*. May 30, Nürburgring, Germany*. June 19/20, Le Mans 24 hrs, France*. July 11, Enna-Pergusa, Sicily. Sept. 5, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium*. Sept. 18, Dijon-Prenois, France. Oct. 3, Fuji, Japan. Oct. 31, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

FORMULA TWO EUROPEAN TROPHY

Mar. 21, Silverstone, England. Apr. 4, Hockenheimring, Germany. Apr. 12, Thruxton (Monday), England. Apr. 25, Nürburgring, Germany. May 9, Mugello, Italy. May 16, Vallelunga, Italy. May 31, Pau (Monday), France. June 13, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium. June 20, Hockenheimring, Germany. July 4, Donington Park, England. July 18, Mantorp Park, Sweden. Aug. 1, Enna-Pergusa, Sicily. Aug. 15, Misano-Adriatica, Italy.
Reserve: Zandvoort, Holland.

FORMULA THREE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Mar. 14, Mugello, Italy. Mar. 28, Nürburgring, Germany. Apr. 4, Donington Park, England. Apr. 18, Zolder, Belgium. May 2, Magny-Cours, France. May 16, Osterreichring, Austria. May 31, Zandvoort (Monday), Holland. June 13, Silverstone, England. June. 27, Monza, Italy. July 4, Enna-Pergusa, Sicily. July 18, La Charte, France. Aug. 8, Knutsdorpring, Sweden. Sept. 5, Nogaro, France. Sept. 12, Jarama, Spain. Sept. 26, Nürburgring, Germany.
Reserves: Oulton Park, England. Kassel Calden, Germany.

EUROPEAN TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

Mar. 21, Monza, Italy. Apr. 4, Vallelunga, Italy. May 2, Donington Park, England. May 16, Enna-Pergusa, Sicily. May 23, Mugello, Italy. June 13, Brno, Czechoslovakia. June 27, Österreichring, Austria. July 4, Nürburgring, Germany. July 31/Aug. 1, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium. Sept. 5, Mugello, Italy. Sept. 12, Silverstone, England. Sept. 26, Zolder, Belgium.

EUROPEAN MOUNTAIN HILL-CLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP

Apr. 4, Ampus-Draguignan, France. May 9, Alpl, Austria. May 16, Montseny, Spain. May 23, Estrella, Portugal. June 6, Ecce Homo, Czechoslovakia. June 13, Dobratsch, Austria. July 4, Trento-Bondone, Italy. July 18, Ascoli Piceno, Italy. July 25, Rieti, Italy. Aug. 8, Monte Dore, France. Aug. 22, St. Ursanne-les Rangiers, Switzerland. Aug. 29, Enbourg-Schaunsland, Germany. Sept. 12, Cefalu, Sicily. Sept. 19, Turkheim-Trois Epis, France. Oct. 3, Puig Major, Spain.

SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE RACES

Jan. 3, Bay Park, New Zealand. Jan. 10, Pukekohe, New Zealand. Jan. 17, Manfeld, New Zealand. Jan. 24, Lady Wigram Trophy, New Zealand. Feb. 28, Calder Raceway, Australia.

CANADIAN-AMERICAN CHALLENGE
(Can-Am)

June 27, Mid-Ohio, America. July 11, Watkins Glen, America. July 25, Road America, America. Oct. 3, Riverside Raceway, America. Oct. 10, Laguna Seca, America.

SPECIAL NON-CHAMPIONSHIP EVENTS

Jan. 30/31, Daytona 24hrs (IMSA, GT) USA. Mar 13/14, Suzuka (F2), Japan. Mar. 19/20, Sebring, 12 hrs (IMSA, GT), USA. Apr. 24/25, Riverside (IMSA, GT), USA. May 2, Avusrennen, Germany. May 30, Suzuka (F2), Japan. May 30, Indianapolis 500 mls, USA. June 6, Gosport (F. Atl), Canada. June 27, Noristring Races, Germany. July 2, Daytona 6 hrs IMSA, GT), USA. July 4, Suzuka (F2), Japan. July 12, Montreal (F. Atl), Canada. July 25, Flugplatz Diepholz (F3), Germany. Aug. 22, Road America (IMSA, GT), USA. Aug. 29, Suzuka 1,000 kms, Japan. Sept. 5, Mid-Ohio (IMSA, GT), USA. Sept. 5, Trois-Rivières (F. Atl), Canada. Sept. 12, Mosport (F. Atl), Canada. Sept. 26, Suzuka (F2), Japan. Oct. 10, Donington Park Races, England. Nov. 7, Suzuka (F2), Japan. Nov. 21, Macau GP, East Indies.

NASCAR STOCK-CAR RACES

Feb. 14, Daytona 500 Miles, USA. Mar. 21, Atlanta 500 Miles, USA. May 2, Alabama 500 Miles, USA. May 20, Charlotte 600 Miles, USA. July 4, Daytona 400 Miles, USA. Aug. 1, Talledega 500 Miles, USA. Oct. 10, Charlotte 500 Miles, USA.

HISTORIC RACES

Apr. 4, Monza, Italy. Apr. 18, Montlhery, France. May 16, Brand Hatch, England. May 30, Zandvoort, Holland. July 4, Montlhery, France. Aug. 1, Donington Park, England. Aug. 8, Zolder, Belgium. Aug. 15, Nürburgring, Germany. Aug. 25, Croix-en-Ternois, France. Sept. 5, Salzburgring, Austria. Sept. 19, Mugello, Italy. Oct. 3, Dijon Prenois, France.