This episode is all about books and the tales they tell. Crispian Besley talks about his new book ‘Driven to Crime’ which investigates the seedier side of the motor sport world, and world-renowned author Doug Nye talks to Paul Tarsey about everything from why Mike Hawthorn wasn’t universally popular in his home town to the tale of the Italian lunch that brought about the Goodwood Festival of Speed. In a full length, exclusive, interview, Doug also explains his thoughts on Vanwall and their rivals at BRM. Since the runaway success of Jon Saltinstall’s biography of Niki Lauda the author has been researching and writing a new volume about Jacky Ickx, Unusually, Saltinstall was able to rely on the wholehearted support of Ickx himself, creating a full and in-depth look at the life of the great Belgian driver. Jon Saltinstall explains why he so much enjoyed his time with Jacky too. Paul Jurd revisits a couple of books by Tim Beavis and Guy Loveridge featuring photographs from the racetracks of the 1960s and ’70s and wallows in the nostalgia from those times. 

Jim Roller takes a look at the world of auctions and talks to Paul Tarsey about the box of parts which comprised what’s left of the the ex-Penske, ex-McLaren Zerex Special which Bonhams sold recently for £911,000. Joe Bradley talks to his namesake (but no relation) Richard Bradley who races everything from pre-war Aston Martins to modern day prototypes and he explains why racing a historic car is so much more satisfying. Paul Jurd looks at the calendar for November and Joe Bradley joins us live from Daytona as he gets ready for his time in the commentary box for the HSR Classic 24 Hours.

An in-depth look at Spa-Francorchamps ‘the finest race track in the world’. Nick Padmore describes what it’s like to race a Williams FW07 round the legendary circuit whilst Paul Jurd goes right back to the beginning, in the the 1920s, when it was the fastest track in Europe. Peter Snowdon talk about the real-world challenges which Spa brings to a modern day driver. The whole team, whilst Joe Bradley remembers a bizarre escapade as a team manager for a Renault Clio team making a ‘raid’ on a European round at Spa back in the day.

Cars which have won Le Mans more than once are few. But it is now officially accepted that there are actually five cars which have achieved this special honour, including one which was generally accepted to be a real no-hoper at the time. The team of Paul Jurd, Jim Roller and Peter Snowdon also state their case for the defunct circuit which they would like to see brought back to life. ‘Baron’ Tarsey then has to choose his favourite, and be warned, there are some strange inclusions and some equally unexpected omissions! Paul Jurd looks forward to some of the events happening in the UK and in the USA in October

Paul Tarsey and Jim Roller report on their recent visit to the Goodwood Revival.

Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi are famous for their feud, which happened after Pironi supposedly ‘stole’ victory in at Imola in 1982, and Villeneuve was so upset that he never spoke to his Ferrari team mate again. Andrew Marriott explains some of the background to the feud. Paul Tarsey and Paul Jurd look forward to the upcoming September events, Goodwood Revival and Spa Six Hours in particular, and get wistful over never having been to the ‘Circuit des Remparts’ at Angouleme. And the team looks back on the life of Lance Macklin, forever associated with the Le Mans disaster in which he was a blameless player, reviewing a new book by Jack Barlow.

Would Emerson Fittipaldi have won a third world championship if he hadn’t gone to Copersucar in 1976?  That’s the conundrum debated by Jim Roller and Joe Bradley who wonder just why ‘Emmo’ went from a world champion team at McLaren to join his brother’s back-of-the-grid team. We also talk to Kevin Shilling, the man who has brought a fascinating car back to life. He bought a tired and well used AC Aceca, only to discover that the car had been the ‘daily driver’ of none other than record-breaker Donald Campbell. 

The idea is this: You can have any racing car you like, you can drive it on the road or track or simply look at it, BUT you can never sell it, and if you get bored with it you have to give it back. That’s the conundrum facing our ‘Corridors of Power’ panellists Paul Jurd, Joe Bradley and Peter Snowdon. Also on this edition, Martin Warner, boss of the Shere Hill Climb, Alan Strachan, who is currently building three new versions of the Andy Rouse Sierra Cosworth he built with Andy back in the day, and Nick Padmore tells us what it’s like when your car catches fire at the Le Mans Classic at 170mph

The team discuss the first circuit they visited.

Goodwood House is the backdrop for a relaxing conversation between Paul Tarsey, Paul Jurd and Peter Snowdon. They talk about the Festival of Speed (of course) and other things happening in the world of historic motor sport before PJ and Snowy go their separate ways on projects you will hear about over the next few months. Paul Tarsey talks to Andy Dee Crown who run the Historic Sports Car Club, better known as the HSCC. Andy explains how the club has a wide range of different series, catering to owners of period sports cars, through a very successful Formula Two and Atlantic series to the ubiquitous Formula Fords! ‘Corridors of Power’ features choices from PJ and Snowy plus Joe Bradley and Jim Roller. Seeking some technical input, the panellists are tasked with choosing the greatest racing of all time. There are some surprising choices! Let us know your thoughts on the choices, or anything else on the Historic Racing News Facebook page or @histracingnews #hrnrs

With the Le Mans 24 hours done and dusted, the team turns its attention to the upcoming Le Mans Classic. Paul Jurd shares some little known facts about the first-ever race held at Le Mans, and no, it wasn’t the inaugural 24 Hours in 1923, it was the French Grand Prix held on a circuit for 12 laps in 1906 ……. but each lap was 64 miles long! Jim Roller takes a look at the way the current 24 hour circuit has evolved over the years, starting with the northernmost point, the Pontlieue Hairpin, which intrepid motorsport archaeologists can still go and discover.

The HRN team discuss their favourite races of all time.

The Historic Racing News team discuss their favourite Le Mans race that they attended in person.

Paul Jurd and Paul Tarsey discuss the new book by Ian Wagstaff and Doug Nye about the highs and lows of BRM from the embarrassing launch to winning the world championship. In our monthly game show ‘Corridors of Power’ we get a view from the HRN panel about the greatest Le Mans race they have ever seen. And what a noisy panel we have: Regulars Joe Bradley, Jim Roller and Paul Jurd are joined by John Hindhaugh for this special edition of the show, and no quarter is given with these four arguing it out.

The Donington Historic Festival had some fabulous cars racing hard throughout the weekend, not least Andrew Bentley racing a glorious TWR Jaguar XJR8. Andrew talks to Joe Bradley about hustling the big V12 beast round the confines of Donington Park to take a well-deserved win. Paul Jurd takes an in depth look at those dark days just before WW2 when Hitler’s Mercedes and Auto Union teams arrived at Donington Park to steamroller the comparatively puny English contingent and Peter Snowdon talks about the modern-day Donington Park.

The pale green cars of the British Racing Partnership were a strong force in 1960s F1. Formed by Alfred Moss and Ken Gregory to contest the then-new 1.5 litre F1 they were the first team to bring non-trade sponsorship to F1. We review Ian Wagstaff’s new book about the team’s highs and lows and talk about the mark it left on motorsport. Nick Padmore talks about his busy Goodwood Members Meeting where he drove four cars, and gives us a sneak preview of his Monaco Historique drives. Peter Snowdon takes a look at the way the Monaco Grand Prix circuit has changed over the years and in Corridors of Power, Joe Bradley, Peter Snowdon and Paul Jurd discuss ‘Race series which should never have died out …. and we want to bring back’

Historic racing isn’t just about old cars. Many of those battling it out on the race tracks of the world are new cars which just LOOK like old ones! The HRN team debate just whether tribute cars, facsimile racers and just plain old fakes have a place in modern motor racing. Paul Jurd, Jim Roller, Peter Snowdon and Paul Tarsey are helped along this tortuous path by Julius Thurgood, who runs the Historic Racing Drivers Club and, for a USA perspective, Kevin Jeanette from Gunnar Racing, who has built and rebuilt several tribute cars in his time, as well as being one of the foremost restorers of the real thing too.

Goodwood’s season kicks off with the Members Meeting and the team takes a look at the circuit’s history. Jim Roller, Peter Snowdon and Paul Jurd discuss ‘Best Team Mates’, plus Philip Porter’s new book Drivers of Drivers, and a look ahead to some of the events happening in April.

Remembering those daredevil individuals who broke the record at speeds that were almost inconceivable at the time. Paul Tarsey talks to Don Wales about what made his grandfather, Sir Malcolm Campbell, push for ever more dangerous speeds and Danny Thompson, son of famous American record breaker Mickey Thompson, tells Jim Roller about that mysterious need for speed which drives record breakers to push newer and higher boundaries. Joe Bradley takes a look at the world’s fastest karts, whilst also confessing that he doesn’t understand the attraction of driving fast in a straight line. Don Wales also tells us about his uncle, Donald Campbell, and how he always asked (after almost every record run) whether his father would have been pleased, living in his shadow for all of his life. Paul Jurd fills the gaps with a history of the LSR from the late 1800s (when there was a fear that your head would be blown off at anything over 30mph!) right up to the present day. Host Paul Tarsey wonders why the LSR lost its allure in the 1970s and whether the (literally in some cases) do-or-die mindset simply went out of fashion.

Jim Roller introduces a feature length interview with Vic Elford.

Bill Warner, founder of The Amelia concours, talks to Paul Jurd and Joe Bradley about the legendary Lola T70 in all its forms, from the chunky CanAm cars to the later, swoopy Mark 3. Paul Tarsey fights another losing battle with the latest edition of Corridors of Power, where the contestants put forward their nominations for ‘Unlikely Sponsors’. And Peter Snowdon continues his trip round the race tracks he has driven, settling this time on the beautiful parkland of Oulton Park.

Lynx D Types are famous the world over for their build quality. Paul Tarsey speak to John Mayston Taylor about the joys and the challenges of running the company. He shares his thoughts about Lynx D Types selling for the sort of prices which original Jaguar versions were selling for a few years ago. Nick Padmore, one of the world’s most successful drivers of historic cars, talks about that amazing 120 mph lap from a standing start in the Arrows A10 at Goodwood’s Speedweek and also tells us what it’s like to drive a Williams FW07 Formula One car round Spa.  And Joe Bradley was as shocked as everyone else when he attended a Daytona Media Conference to be told that IMSA had acquired Historic Sportscar Racing in the USA. Joe shares his thoughts about what this might mean for the historic and vintage race scene in the USA.

Peter Snowdon tells the story of his home track of Thruxton, from its role in the D Day landing right up to the present day. Paul Jurd and Paul Tarsey talk about the new book by Denis Jenkinson and Cyril Posthumous, re-worked by Doug Nye all about the Vanwall marque which upheld British honour in Grand Prix racing in the 1950s, and the challenge laid down to the team of Joe Bradley, Jim Roller and Peter Snowdon is ‘Perfect Dinner Party Guests’ but the difficult bit is …. no drivers are allowed! Some interesting choices from the worlds of car design, circuits, manufacturers and a few surprises.

What does 2022 have in store for the historic racing enthusiast? Rachel Bailey reveals the plans Masters Historic Racing have on both sides of the Atlantic and Sportscar Vintage Racing Association’s Tony Parella unveils SVRA’s plans in the U.S. Staying Stateside, David Hinton from HSR talks to Jim Roller about Daytona, Sebring and the rest of a packed calendar and Duncan Wiltshire from Motor Racing Legends explains a very full programme plus their plans for the Donington Historic Festival. HRDC’s Julius Thurgood also sets out the calendar for the Historic Racing Drivers Club

The first show of 2022 promises to be a belter! The team of Paul Jurd, Jim Roller, Joe Bradley and Paul Tarsey take careful steps into the world of continuations, re-creations, evocations and just plain, simple copy cars in historic racing. The boys talk about everything from the ‘new’ Ferrari 330LMB to a recreation of the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34 and take in a discussion about Lotus Cortinas along the way. This ‘toe in the water’ is a taster for a stand-alone show later in the year.  This will also be the first ‘Corridors of Power’ of 2022 and the subject is ‘Greatest Disappointments’. Paul, Joe and Jim are given free rein to choose teams, cars, people or anything else that has disappointed them (but only in a motorsport sense…..). Paul Tarsey is then set the ridiculous task of choosing the biggest disappointment. Will The Baron choose wisely? Julius Thurgood celebrates the life of his friend, the journalist and racer Tony Dron, and as well as this moving piece, there will be various other pieces of chatter along the way. If you have any thoughts, ideas or comments about the show, you can comment on the Historic Racing News Facebook page […]

The team are once again sitting round the table in the virtual pub chatting about another strange year for the world of Historic Motor Sport.  After a year when nobody had been trackside as much as they would like, they each discuss the highs and lows of their year.but also what 2022 might hold in store. Joe Bradley talks about his interview with Rob Smedley, Jim Roller had a great time at Amelia Island and had a great chat to Lyn St. James and Paul Jurd remembers when he tried (and failed) to keep Jochen Mass, Derek Bell and Richard Attwood under control at a live Porsche event in the autumn. Paul Tarsey likewise talks about sharing the stage with MSV’s Dr Jonathan Palmer and the perils of only having one microphone, when there really needed to be two! (Photo: L>R Tarsey,Jurd, Bradley, Roller)

As the racing year begins to slow down, the team are still on full power discussing the contentious issue of ‘The Luckiest Racing Drivers of All Time’. There are some VERY contentious choices in here and Joe Bradley, Jim Roller and Paul Jurd will argue for their own.

The global pandemic has caused havoc throughout our motorsport world and the challenges faced by Goodwood are no exception. Having spent over £1 million on the infrastructure for the Members Meeting in 2020, the event had to be cancelled at the last minute. In this episode of the Historic Racing News Radio Show, Paul Tarsey talks to Alan Brewer, General Manager of the Goodwood Road Racing Club, about the way they battled through, talking everything from the 2020 ‘SpeedWeek’ to the full 2021 programme. Alan talks about the successes as well as the challenges and looks forward to 2022, talking about some of the plans GRRC have already put in place.

Perry McCarthy talks about his early experiences in Formula Ford, funded by working on the oil rigs, through the dangerous times in F3000 and what he hoped was his big break into Formula One. This turned out to be with one of the most disastrous cars in F1’s history, the woeful Andrea Moda. Plus, Paul Tarsey, Jim Roller and Paul Jurd are joined by Peter Snowdon to talk about the worst single seater racing cars of all time.

Joe Bradley talks to the ultimate race engineer, Rob Smedley. Rob talks about his early days working for Pilbeam, his amazing first encounter with a very young Fernando Alonso, what it was like working for Ferrari, his relationship with Sir Frank Williams and how he cried uncontrollably when Felipe Massa lost the 2008 World Championship on the last corner of the final race.

This month the team looks at those heady days before WW2 when the Silver Arrows arrived in England for the Grand Prix only months before war was declared. Paul Jurd found an old copy of Chris Nixon’s book ‘Racing the Silver Arrows in his local secondhand book shop and it got him thinking about some of the ‘what might have beens..’ There is always that debate when it comes to whether racing cars belong on a Concours lawn or whether they should really only be seen on a racetrack. The HRN team is no different from any other group of enthusiasts when it comes to this discussion! Lots of different viewpoints. In ‘Corridors of Power’ this month the hot debate is about ‘The Greatest Single Seater Rivalries’. Ayrton Senna appears more than once but so do some very unexpected names. Paul Jurd, Jim Roller and Joe Bradley state their cases and Paul Tarsey tries to keep order.

The second part of the ‘Jaguars in Competition’ specia looks at some of the more successful times for Jaguar.  Their success in the early days of GTP and later at Le Mans, was spearheaded by Bob Tullius and his Group 44 team, who created the sublime XJR5. Jim Roller talks to the first man to drive it in anger, Bill Adam. Joe Bradley finds out from Rob Beere just how you build a 7 litre V12 E Type racer, and Paul Jurd looks at the very strange XJR15 mini series, when drivers left the start line not knowing how long the race would be. Plus lots of nuggets and comments along the way!

Jim Roller looks back at Monterey Car Week. The Pebble Beach Concours is the highlight but, as Jim explains, there is too much going on to be able to see everything. High-prestige auctions, car shows and two weekends of historic racing at Laguna Seca make this a very special event.  And talking of special events, we take an in depth look at the upcoming Goodwood Revival. Corridors of Power, our game of opinionated nonsense, takes a different turn this month with each team member choosing their weirdest cars ever to take to the grid! Join Joe Bradley, Jim Roller, Paul Jurd and Paul Tarsey for lots of chat and stories.

It’s hard to underestimate the impact that the Jaguar brand has had on motor racing for over seventy years and this month’s ‘Insider Special’ looks at Jaguars in Competition. Paul Jurd looks at the early days and at some of the failures as well as the successes, Jim Roller talks about Jaguar in the USA and Joe Bradley examines the bumpy road which was Jaguar F1. Part 2 will be broadcast on September 15th.

Kenny Brack talks about his role as Chief Test Driver for McLaren, Martin Warner gives an insight into the Shere Hill Climb and Steve Holter gives us a view of the daredevil record breaker John Cobb. ‘Corridors of Power’, our gameshow of opinionated nonsense,  this month looks at the greatest drivers NEVER to have won Le Mans.

Paul Tarsey, Jim Roller and Joe Bradley are joined by David Ingram for a look back through history.

Paul Tarsey and Jim Roller look back on one of motor racing’s less successful ideas: The Monzanapolis Race of Two Worlds; Paul Jurd explores the life of Selwyn Francis Edge; and Nick Daman and Joe Bradley argue about the best F1 circuit of all time.

Brian Redman, Vic Elford, Valentin Schaffer, Hans Metxger and Norbert Singer all talk about the legendary Porsche 917. Along with our archive recordings from the people involved at the time, the team talks to Kevin Jeannette about the trials and tribulations of running Porsche 917s in the modern world. Join Paul Tarsey, Jim Roller and Joe Bradley for this special.Porsche 917 edition of the Historic Racing News Radio Show

In our June show we present our new bit of opinionated waffle called “Corridors of Power” where the team each pick their favourite F1 livery of all time and Paul Tarsey has the difficult job of picking an overall winner! Jim Roller reviews the Amelia Island Concours and talks to event founder Bill Warner, and to Lyn St James and Kevin Jeanette. Joe Bradley looks back at the Donington Historic Festival with Motor Racing Legends boss Duncan Wiltshire and we find out from Paul Jurd about about the trials and tribulations of getting race cars to Monaco with the new post-Brexit regulations.

The HRN team talks about the highs and lows of the magnificent Can Am series. Jim Roller, Joe Bradley and Paul Tarsey discuss the legendary race cars from McLaren, Shadow, Lola and Chapparal, the great drivers and some of the wonderful (and not so wonderful) circuits. Brian Redman shares his experiences, including the Lola that nearly killed him, and tells Jim about his love of these cars. And Andrew Marriott reveals his up close and personal experiences with the McLaren team.

In a very busy Historic Racing News show we feature Derek Bell, who talks about that amazing 1995 Le Mans win in the Harrods McLaren. Mark Cole brings us up to speed with the McLaren F1 GTR story rom the very early ideas formed by Ray Bellm and Thomas Bscher through the evolution of Gordon Murray’s groundbreaking design. And Peter Higham talks about F1 in the 1990s, as explained in his new book. Plus all the usual news, views and opinionated chatter.

Paul Tarsey talks to Jim Roller and Joe Bradley about the heritage that brought Aston Martin back to F1 racing, covering everything from their last foray into F1 in 1959, through DB4 lightweights right up to date. Peter Snowdon talks about the Aston Martin Owners Club races and Paul Jurd will bring in all the news from the historic racing scene. A comprehensive book review of all the latest titles will make sure you are up to date on the best reading matter too.

Paul Tarsey concludes his look back at the American Le Mans Series, with Johnny O’Connell, Graham Tyler, Joe Bradley and Jim Roller.

Paul Tarsey explores Don Nichols and his remarkable Shadow race cars. Les Thacker talks about an unknown side of the ‘man of mystery’ and some of his non-racing projects and Joe Bradley reminisces about the glorious F1 and CanAm Shadows.

Paul Jurd on why it might be more expensive to race your classic car on the other side of the Channel, and Paul Tarsey investigates the death of Mike Hailwood.

Jim Roller talks about growing up in Watkins Glen and Marcus Pye catches up with BP motor sport supremo Les Thacker about riding around London on a scooter with Stirling Moss.

Paul Tarsey and Paul Jurd write a letter to Santa, Jim Roller looks back on the Daytona Historics plus an interview with Gordon Murray.

Paul Tarsey and Paul Jurd discuss the world of historic motorsport, looking back at recent events, including their opinions on Goodwood Speed Week, and some of the notable anniversaries marked in 2020. The team rewind to Porsche’s first outright Le Mans win and the loss of Jochen Rindt fifty years ago before rounding off with a look at the cream of the recent book releases in the first of our regular Historic Racing News podcasts.