AWARDS and CLASS STRUCTURES
The whole ethos of the Historic Inter-Marque is to try and develop the Team principle - Mark Campbell.
Right from the start of FISCAR, back in 2011, the culture was to develop a team spirit and camaraderie by putting the cars into marque teams; hence Historic Inter-Marque. Whilst we have to recognise the competitive spirit of those who go motor racing even in cars over 50 years old, the intention is always to create and maintain an old style friendly club atmosphere. That remains central to FISCAR's philosophy and purpose for running our races. It makes us identifiably different to other clubs as well as providing a home for racing sports and GT cars from the 1950s which have not been too dramatically altered from the way they came off the production lines.
Marque Teams Awards
Initially, only cars from the same marque could form a team, but recently this was diluted to allow singleton entries of cars to be brought together to form a mixed team. However, on reflection, it was decided this was counter to the Inter-Marque approach, and thus, this year (2016), we have reverted to the original concept. Only cars from the same marque can form a team, and up to 5 cars in any one team. If 6 or more cars from the same marque are entered in the same race, two teams will be formed. Team positions are arrived at by an individual handicapping system based on past results calculated by Mark Campbell. Thus a team with the first 3 cars home may not necessarily win the team award. The team that achieves the best results over a season is awarded the Inter-Marque Trophy
Awards - Up to 3 full teams entered - Winning team only
4 -5 full teams entered - 1st & 2nd
6 or over full teams entered - 1st, 2nd, 3rd
Index of Performance Awards leading to the Annually Awarded
Whitehead Cup
An innovation this year (2016), is the introduction of an individual handicap system based on an indices of performance from previous races, calculated by Mark Campbell, thereby ensuring that members have the opportunity of winning their own awards as well as giving those who cannot win their class (see below) something to aim at as well. The handicapping of the individuals is that which is applied to the combined team results.
Awards - 1st, 2nd, 3rd
The individual scoring the best total overall during the course of the year is awarded the annual Whitehead Cup, so named after the Whitehead Brothers (actually half Brothers) who regularly campaigned as privateers in the 1950s very often in Aston Martins
Class Structure
During the course of the last couple of seasons there has been some discussion over the introduction of classes, but in addition to, not instead of, Team awards. Last year we therefore introduced classes for the first time based not so much on cubic capacity but more on the performance of the quickest car/driver combinations from each marque. The Lotus Elite, Colin Chapman's late 1950s masterpiece, has been the most consistent winner of our races, its ascendancy only occasionally challenged by one or two of the quicker Austin Healeys, or Andy Sharp's Aston Martin DB2. The Elite is thus the benchmark car and forms Class 1 on its own unless an Allard J2 or one of the quicker sports racers joins the grid.*
* Note that since the above was written, the quicker Austin Healeys have tended to be the frontrunners of our Inter-Marque cars, so I'm promoting them to Class 1, along with Steve Boultbee-Brooks Aston Martin DB3S. Of course, the track can be an influencing factor here but over the season it balances out. It will also give other cars remaining in Class 2, a better opportunity of winning awards (JT - May 2017) **
**A few further amendments have been made for 2019 season. I have added the Austin Healey 100/6, a car introduced well before the cut off date, and provided it complies with our regs, it should be no quicker than our quickest 100/4 models. I have promoted the MGA Twin Cam to Class 3, since on a level playing field it should be quicker than the standard MGA. I’ve also added the early TVR Grantura, fitted with FWA or MGA engine. It’s previous omission was an oversight on my part.
To acknowledge the substantial improvement in performance of Paul Griffin in his Connaught ALSR, I have promoted the pairing to Class 3. In response to regular but amicable approaches by Alex Quattlebaum and the fact that the LECo2 is only an XPAG special, albeit a quick one, I have demoted them to Class 3. These two cars are clearly the quickest of the Class 1 FLIERS. (JT - Jan 2019)
Awards
Up to 4 cars in class - Winner only
5 - 6 cars in class - 1st & 2nd
7 or more in class - 1st, 2nd, 3rd
Below is the class structure as it currently stands. It is not cast in stone and it will be reviewed at the end of each year. Note that this is NOT the class structure which applies to the Tom Cole Trophy race, which carries a more conventional structure based on engine size and drum or disc brakes: -
FISCAR CLASS STRUCTURE
Class 1 (Amended)
Allard J2 (all versions)
AH 100/4/100M/100S
AH 100/6
Lotus Elite
Aston Martin DB3S (Steve Boultbee-Brooks)
All Chairmans Invitation Sports Racing Cars & Specials (except where listed individually below)
Class 2 (Amended)
AC Ace/Aceca
Allard K3 (Mark Butterworth)
Aston Martin DB3
Aston Martin DB2 & 2/4 with discs and/or Webers
Ferrari 500TRC (David Cottingham)
Frazer Nash (all postwar models)
Jaguar XK 150
Jaguar XK120/140 with discs and/or Webers
Porsche 356/Speedster
Elva Courier (up to 1622cc)
Fairthorpe Electron (Climax)
Turner Climax
TVR Grantura (Climax FWA or MGA engine)
Gomm Jaguar (Charles Fripp)
Alfa Romeo Disco Volante (Chris Mann)
Daimler SP 250 Special (Sean Mooney)
Class 3 -
All Alfa Romeos (apart from DV above)
Aston Martin DB2 & 2/4 fitted with drums and/or SUs
Jaguar XK 120/140 fitted with drums and/or SUs
TR2/3/3A
Lancia Aurelia
MGA Twin Cam
Morgan Plus 4
Healey Silverstone
Connaught ALSR (Paul Griffin)
LECo 2 (Alex Quattlebaum)
All Class 2 FISCAR FLIERS
Class 4
AH Frogeye Sprite
Jowett Jupiter
Sunbeam Alpine
MGA
All Class 1 FISCAR FLIERS except Connaught ALSR & LECo 2 (see Class 3)
