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. We have also extended our regs to include period specials and the smaller sports racers of the period provided that they have original equipment and fit on our grids in performance terms. This meant integrating our FLIERS class cars into the series and whilst there are not too many of them, this has been successful and undoubtedly enhanced our grids.
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 that this was counter to the Inter-Marque approach, and thus, this year (2016), we have reverted to the original concept. With the exception of a FLIERS team if enough such cars are entered, 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.*
* 2025 FISCAR revised Class structure
For 2025 we have reformatted the class structure to attach a greater emphasis on originality for our 1950’s production sports and GT cars whilst also recognising the developments that took place towards the end of that decade. As a result cars will be separated by age and specification.
We have created 5 classes intended to be more inclusive in order to dispense with regular use of an invitation class. We have given simple abbreviations to the classes for administrative purposes but in order to invoke the spirit of the those times, we have also given each class the name of a circuit which contributed to the development of motor racing in post-war Britain, but which are now no longer active.
EP (Ibsley) Class
Early 50’s Production Class comprising all pre – 1955 drum braked GT and sports cars conforming to the specifications as cars were available from the factory.
LP (Davidstow) Class
Late 50’s Production Cars comprising all 1955 – 1959 disc and drum braked GT and sports cars conforming to the specifications as the cars were available from the factory.
CP (Crystal Palace) Class
All 50’s GT and sports cars conforming to the specifications, as cars were seen to be raced and prepared internationally during the period of their production.
PE (Catterick) Class
Cars from the 1958 – 1961 period conforming to Period E regulations and to specifications that the cars were seen to run with internationally in this period.
MPE (Rufforth) Class
Cars from the 1950 – 1962 era that have been modified beyond the specifications allowed in the other 4 classes and have run with FISCAR over the last 2 years.
With the exception of Crystal Palace it is quite likely that some members will not have heard of the circuits mentioned, so John will provide brief details of their location, and when they were active, on the website.
All cars will share a single grid as in the past, but we will have two races (series titles yet to be decided) within the one grid, with a longer term objective of having two separate races in the future – one for the EP, LP & CP classes, and one for the PE and MPE classes. In order to achieve the latter objective we need to see the continued high level of support that we have experienced over the last couple of seasons.
Most members have completed car registration forms and will be advised of their class shortly and as their memberships are processed. That is a timely reminder that membership, renewal is just £50 and that you can renew by simply paying that amount into:-
Fifties Sports Car Racing Club (FISCAR) account no. 76896110, sort code – 51-61-06
Finally, please note that since we are buying all grids this year including those with the VSCC, we have agreement that our Spring Start Race, The Richard Bell Memorial Trophy Race will be restricted to only FISCAR members and VSCC members with FISCAR compliant cars, so there will be no VSCC sports racing cars competing for the Hawthorn International Trophy at the same time.
MC/JT - FISCAR Feb 2025
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 necessarily the class structure which applies to the Tom Cole Trophy race, which may carry a more conventional structure based on engine size and drum or disc brakes, according to circumstances/entry levels: -
Chairmans Invitation Class
It may be that from time to time a car is put forward we feel deserves to be included in a race for a particular reason and it will race in it’s own Class.
