Shell Historic Challenge Swan Song

As a former HC competitor, I have strong feelings about how it was run and the Classiche programme. Both positive and negative. I'm glad if someone is finally listening and perhaps addressing the issues, though. I threw my hands up in disgust YEARS ago at HC, and Classiche was just one more "politicized" hoop to jump through that made it distasteful. Many of the competitors I remain in touch with have followed suit and walked away for one reason or another.

It's sad, though, to see the dwindling numbers. Hopefully, this will breathe a new life into the venues.

CW

 

I disagree in that you can find better value for your money in other gentleman drivers and endurance racing. The entry fee for the 2009 season in the SFHC was 6.000,- EUR. For that you get:
- 2 hotel rooms for every race weekend in first class hotels
- full catering for 5 people on the whole weekend
- a dinner on Friday and the usual Gala on Saturday, and Ferrari often choose spectacular places for those dinners
- 100 liters of special Shell racing fuel for every weekend
- full set of FIA approved race wear (overall, underwear, gloves, shoes etc.)
- a pack of Puma-Ferrari clothes (shirts, polos, rain jackets, winter jackets etc.) in a Puma-Ferrari trolley
- the most of the times spectacular gala night on the occasion of the Finali Mondiali
- a special gift here and there
- plenty of other gadget like in Valencia a Shell leather bag an an old style mechanics overall from Shell
- a nicely produced DVD from every race weekend
- the subscription for the official Ferrari Magazine
- and many more things

So I my opinion it is the race series with the best value for the money even if you think you don't need all those things. But of course it lacked the number or participants in this years but it was still always a lot of fun. Not the least because of the other Ferraristi you meet there.

I hope the people from Classiche will get their mind right and be more relaxed about the Certification procedures which for sure offended too many of the Ferraristi.

I am sure the SFHC will be sadly missed.

Matthias

 

To say it with WB words (sorry for that): 1++

The sad thing is that Ferrari does not recognize all these mistakes, nor they ever believe them...

 

Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone.

Pave Paradise put in a Parking Lot...

 

This was most certainly NOT the deal FNA gave competitors. In fact, you were decidedly "second class" to the Challenge racers. At pretty much every turn. But, then again, the Challenge owners were milked, too.

6K Euros? Knowing Ferrari, this sounds like per event pricing (heck, maybe per HOUR pricing). Not per season. I can tell you what I budgeted for race weekends and would have come out WAY ahead if FNA had offered us that arrangement.

As far as Classiche was concerned, it was a farce with some owners getting their cars certified that EVERYONE KNEW weren't legal to be certified. And, as subsequent cars of the same model came through the inspection process, these later cars were rejected even though the first car was accepted. The use of "old" photographs that had nothing to do with the car at the time the certification was granted...just laughable.

CW

 

James are you suggesting that we race Checker Marathon NYC cabs painted yellow? I knew that surplus capacity in your garage had a purpose... you've cornered the market on a discontinued vehicle and you know intend to reap the rewards. Big Yellow Taxi indeed.
LOL

Best,
Dave

 

I was talking with the new organiser on the phone yesterday and he already has over 80 cars registered for his new series that kicks off at Monza next May.

 

Not such a wacky idea. Back in 1978 the Madison Avenue Sports Car Driving and Chowder Society organized a race between 5 New York cab drivers and a 5 famous racing drivers in Ferraris from Chinetti's in Greenwich. Actually only 4 Ferraris raced as one wouldn't start and Steve Behr had to switch to a Saab. The cabbies drove their Checkers and the race car drivers piloted the 4 Ferraris and 1 Saab, including one Ferrari driven by Phil Hill, in a race from the United Nations to a number of check points to Central Park.

Phil Hill supposedly hit more than 90 mph in Central Park after he got his Ferrari crunched when he and a cabbie tried to occupy the same space on Central Park West and he got bunted up onto the sidewalk and bounced off a light pole before getting back into the race.

The race was won by Behr in the Saab but it was close!

 

Reading that report it sounds extremely wacky to me!

Bring it on!


Onno

 

Having been a Boston Cabbie in an earlier life I can attest that under the right circumstances a Checker Mogul would be hard to beat
In an urban situation it often comes down to slipping into small gaps and visibility counts for a lot.
Ask the fellow in the Countach that couldn't get ahead of my clapped out Volare

 

No, me not happy no, reason above.

No, I like original. But: a car can be original because everybody (experts) knows it is and it has the correct history, or it can be original because the certificate says so. The problem is that only the second type of car is allowed (and that made a few people leave and others got very angry when they were denied a 'guest' appearance with a non-certified car that nevertheless spent a few months in the Galleria). It is also a public secret that some people brought along non-certificated cars that were allowed because they were spectacular to see on the track... Personally, I think that there are enough original cars eligible for the FHC but you don't see them in the challenge because they do not have a certificate. I think Ferrari made a mistake with that. Hope the new organiser will accept 'real original' cars with and without certificate.

I thought Borsari had trained a younger Ferrari Mechanic to examine the cars, but I have never seen that guy this year... Thought I missed him in the pitlane.

+1


I like this sight very, very much so please gentlemen: take part in the new series!:
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Plus the race was set up with 4 or 5 checkpoints along the way to the finish line and the drivers could choose whatever route they wanted to get to each stop. This gave the cabbies an advantage since they knew the fastest routes, which weren't always the obvious ones.

 

Horses for courses.

 

Still with the requirement to be Classiche certified?

 

I think (Ratel's) SRO Organisation could do the job

 

Yes I do race old cars in anger, but seeing a grid with 50's cars together with a F40 is not my cup of tea. I did a 24h race where also a big difference was in speed and, especially when driving older cars, this is no fun.

And Wolfi, why are cars suposed to raise in value when they are allowed in the FHC? Or allowed in the MM? So it make sense that if new classes are introduced the value might be effected. IMO prices of competition cars are too high anyway, but who I am to judge....(although not real races I missed you in the TA 06,07 and 08 and the MM).

I am currently sourcing a 60/70's car for exactly this purpose, racing! But without the FC hassle. And 6K euro is a steal compared with any other race I did.

PS many Dutch in this Thread, oh and German...

ciao
Oscar

 

When one of the FNA Boys told me that not only would Classiche deceide who got to race but that they were sure that Goodwood, Classic Le Mans, Tour Auto, etc. would only be accepting Classiche Certified Cars in the Future I decided to become Poetic.

 

You poetic, they lunatic. Great times,
ps you forgot the MM, 120 Ferrari's extra to certify,
ciao
Oscar

 

Classiche overestimates itself. FIA papers can be obtained elsewhere.

Whether Classiche cert'd cars sell at a premium is an interesting question. In reality, Classiche may do more harm than good. By excluding non-cert'd cars from the HC, Classiche creates an "underclass" of very legitimate cars.

CW

 

Just my 2c
I dont wonder whether Classiche is trying to play an end - game, where they try to get all of the major series, HGP, Goodwood, Monterey et al, to sign up to the theory of only accepting F-cars that have classiche approval. This will either turn out to be a success or a dismal failure. If it is a success you will need your classiche approval certificate, if it is a failure then Classiche will move to a multi layered system where you can get a A certificate of total authenticity or a B certificate where a bit of modification is allowed, so long as it was done in period. Maybe even a C certificate.
The current system is highly biased towards you taking your car to Ferrari and they will then restore it, replace non - original parts with new, give you a certificate to say your car is back to its original specification and a Fooooking huge bill. If they allowed you to get certification for your car without these middle steps, how could they give you the bill ?, that could be the major downfall for Ferrari SPA if they did allow anything other than the current process.
But the way they could move forward is too exhaust the current quantity of cashed up, authentic car owners, and then move on to the others. Allowing less authentic cars to be certified will make the certificates less valuable, but will keep the money flowing in for a few years. And that might be worth it all, I mean is this really a long term project for Ferrari or just a diversion?. And to answer my own question, maybe simply making certification a $50,000 fee to Ferrari SPA.
Can I see Ferrari being successful with their current Putsch, NO. Goodwood is far too british, and like a very british thing, gin & cucumber sandwiches come to mind, they will look at Johnny foreigner and say you cant tell us what is authentic or not. And indeed if you took all of the replica and semi replica Jaguar D-Types, GT40's, Lola's, Grand Prix cars, Lancias.................... And Ferraris out of British classic car racing, what would you have left, a few cars on a demonstration run. As for the Americans, well they have always done there own thing, and will continue to do so, I dont think Monterey Historic will get too finicky either. And so long as they put on a good show, why worry too much ?.
So I think there will be big changes to the way ferrari does their certification, and they will end up accepting a lot more cars.

IMHO

Tim

 

I understand that Classiche now charges certification fees based on the perceived value of each car. Good night then.
Marcel Massini

 

You mean all the new Californias, 599s and 16M Spiders? Will they all have to be certified for the Mille Miglia Tour in May 2010? Holy cow, that sounds like tons of $$$$$ then! These guys are really clever, arent' they?

Marcel Massini

 

Interesting thoughs as usual in this section.

I personally doubt that my Friend Charles will be requiring Classiche Certification to head up his Hill or Compete on his Glorious Track.

I recently bought a nice stopwatch in case I ever need to time one of my cars as it makes it's way around hollowed ground. It does have a few nicks and scratches but I won't be restoring them out. This watch brings back fond memories of rain falling on it's face at Le Mans, in the Ferrari Pits, in a movie I can still see when I close my eyes...
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