Last updated 19:27, Thursday, 13 November 2008

AS I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, November seems to have become nostalgia month in motorsport with all sorts of events for older cars, or in one case a modern version of an old event.

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take it slow: Edward Williams tackles the steep track at Drumhouse, Honister, in his 1931 Austin 7 Ulster

We started off with the annual VCC London to Brighton Run and then last weekend the attention came to Cumbria with the Vintage Sports Car Club’s Lakeland Trial where some 120 pre-1930 cars tackled 13 hills.

Sadly this was one less than hoped for as the Buttermere Old Road test had suffered badly in the recent floods and was impassable.

The weather was very variable with heavy rain and high wind at Drumhouse but rather better on the forest sections. The cars made a magnificent sight as they tried to get as far up the tests as possible with the passengers duly bouncing in unison!

Also last weekend was the Lombard Revival Rally. This event is based on the format of the old RAC rallies with road sections and special tests rather than stages.

It emphasised the endurance factor that is lacking on modern World Rally events.

The Lombard was run in two sections – one for modern cars up to 1400cc and one for historic cars up to 1600cc.

Wigton Motor Club members Stuart and Linda Cariss were leading the historics until gearbox problems intervened in Scotland.

Instead of the overnight halt in Glasgow they decided to go home and repair the car and rejoined the rally at Moffat for the last leg through Cumbria and back to Harrogate. They finished ninth in the historic section.

The nostalgia theme continues with the Roger Albert Clark Rally this weekend and the Rally of the Tests the following week.

Again both are efforts to revive the spirit of past RAC Rallies, the first of the 70s and the second of the 50s and 60s, but both are tough events with plenty of night sections, something unknown to modern rally drivers.

The Roger Albert Clark (RAC) has two overnight halts in Carlisle tomorrow and Sunday, with the cars tackling two runs at Greystoke Forest tomorrow around dusk.

The level of entries has been hit by the economic climate with not as many in the historic or post-historic sections but a good selection in the classic (pre-81) classes.

Among them will be Malcolm Wilson/John Millington in Malcolm’s new-built Escort RS1800 and he will be a likely winner with his main rival being youngster Martin McCormack in a similar car.

Also worth looking out for will be Steve Perez in the famous Lancia Stratos, Phil Collins in an Opel Ascona and Richard Lepley in a Porsche 911. The majority of the entry are Ford Escorts.

In the open rally for modern cars that follows the same route, we have Phil Jobson/Caroline Lodge and Marcus Noble/Brian Hodgson, both in Escorts.

In the clubman’s rally over the Scottish stages Paul Drinkall/Roy Brown run their Porsche 911 and Helen Hall/Mike Dunning have a Sunbeam.

I am sure there will be thousands of fans out in the forests watching the sideways action and listening to the eponymous noise of well tuned Escorts that will bring back great memories!