Steve, you are falling into the same trap as other critics. Handicapping levels the playing field and we already have cars from the 1950's competing against cars from the 1990s.

Aus has a catchment of 16 million people and we have 4. The UK has a catchment of 60 million plus close and easy proximity to Europe via the channel tunnel.

Even if everyone in the north island who REALLY wanted to race, did so with their older sports cars, we still wouldn't have a full grid.

If there really was a demand for period purism, why doesn't TACCOC have an over subscribed grid of them, as they have run meetings for the purists? This argument is constantly advanced by critics of our series yet there are already alternatives for the purists, but we still don't see them competing. We only do six meetings a season, leaving plenty of space for others to run other series if they so desire

Classic Trials also caters for those with classic sports cars but we have only really seen a few - Arthur's TR3 for example and Mike Sexton's Austin Healeys. Traditionally, that has been the stepping stone for many drivers and if they were over subscribed, or over represented, a grid for them would very soon have been established.

As Rhys Nolan has already found out, the same applies to older saloons. They have never been excluded from race meetings and when given a grid of their own, there is little support. The opportunity to race pure cars has never ever been denied but if there was a real demand, then where are they?

I grew up when a sports car grid contained interesting cars and there were many makes and specials (Tojeiro, HRG, Keift, Lea Francis, Lister, Turner, anyone?). Over the years, fewer and fewer makes of sports cars were available and not many people these days own or drive sports cars.

Those that have survived are rarely raced not because they are facing modern technology but racing is hard on the car. A sector of our sport believes that you shouldn't lock away the scarce and valuable wings or trim and fit fibreglass replicas or fit a bullet proof gearbox, and that doesn't help get them on track either. Others believe that even with a full cage, you have to wreck a dash board or a rear seat and refit them or refit a headlining. Lets not discuss roll protection!

These issues are excluding cars and maybe some should be looking at the real reasons why cars are not out on the track instead of pointing fingers at areas where cars are running.