All this reminiscing, bad for you. But why was it a lot simpler then beowulf? I think telly has got to take a lot of the blame. But just look at that photo from pallmall...what a sight. A wobbly old AUTOMATIC Ford verses Bernie in the Mini...great stuff. Big verses small...10000cc verses 6000cc....and all competing together, and frankly who cares who won, it was a tussle. You might say, how can a 1000cc car compete against a 6000cc car, well it's surprising how well they do, but then there is always handicapping. Dennis Marwood has famously said that he can't see the point of a handicap race....well maybe he was always on the front row of the grid. I have watched some of the best racing ever under a handicap system. The endeavours of the back markers carving their way through the field has produced some absolutely riveting displays of driving skill. The spectators are sure as hell not going to the hot dog stand....they are busy calculating in their heads, watching the gap close, can he do it!!! Then the last frantic lap, if the handicapper has got it right, and the drivers are behaving. Theoretically they should all cross the line together. Of course this never happens...drivers get baulked, some cars suddenly find a few more horsepower, but usually it is pretty good. If you want a good example of a recent David and Goliath battle, and there have been a few, go to....youtube...skope classic, fogg morris [3 way battle]. Is a short clip taken by some cowboys on the top of a bus at Ruapuna this year. No one told Foggy not to take on the Sylvester Chev, and the X Reg Cook Datsun, certainly NOT in a Morris '1100', but being a racer he did. The Morris didn't win, but had the crowd on it's feet. The film shows why Classic racing is so good and believe you me those drivers are pushing those valuable cars HARD, and everyone is rooting for the underdog not the hotdog!!!!!! Even the young folk at the meetings, those bought up on 1 or 2 make racing get excited not just old fogeys [sic] like us.