Retro Classic Tour and Training Seminars
HERO-ERA to Star with ‘Hands On’ programme at Race Retro Show this weekend
Whilst the flagship events garner the spotlight in the world of motorsport, those that are designed to help people into the sport are just as important, and this weekend at the annual Race Retro Historic Motorsport Show, HERO-ERA will be running a day of training seminars for budding competitors, topped off by a day of gentle roadside action, on the Retro Classic Tour 2023.
The Race Retro Show, at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, regularly attracts crowds of 24,000 across the weekend, and for those not enrolled on the Training Academy or the Tour, the HERO-ERA stand will be there with plenty of their enthusiastic team on hand to talk everything regularity rallying.
For those that do have their name down for the other activities though, they can expect a solid introduction to the sport, with sessions dealing with the absolute basics as well as some of the intricacies of timing, and an overview of some of the more advanced events that should leave those in the classroom feeling inspired by the number of opportunities and experiences available in the sport.
The sessions will be run by HERO-ERA Events Manager, Seren Whyte. Herself a first-class navigator and driver, and she’s excited to share her knowledge this weekend. “It’s not so much a rally-specific training,” she tells me, “more of an introduction to HERO-ERA and what we do, with some of the technical side of regularity rallying for those that want it as well. This is a great opportunity for us to help people find the event that suits them and is aimed at everyone, from beginners to those with experience as well.” Seren will be joined by her equally successful navigator sister Elise, delivering the training to the eager audience. The sisters are renowned for their unique and patient methods of teaching with many pupils later praising their skills once they have graduated.
There are three hour-long seminars across the day on the Saturday of the show and people can pick and choose which they wish to attend, there is also no need to book in advance, with showgoers more than welcome to attend on the day itself. More information can of course be found on the HERO-ERA website and during the show at the HERO-ERA stand. There is a session to introduce the more beginner-orientated events offered by the company, a seminar introducing the more technical elements of the sport, and a concluding hour talking about the more difficult events on offer and what to expect from them. From a company that operates in almost every continent on the planet and runs everything from one-day events right up to the monumental 37-day Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, there will no doubt be something that grabs the attention!
On Sunday there is actual motorised action with the Retro Classic Tour, a 120-mile-long route through the best of the west midland’s countryside. The event departs the Stoneleigh site at 10:30 am, and includes a fabulous lunch stop, with the first car expected back at a very reasonable 3:30 pm in the afternoon after what should be a wonderful taster of what future entrants might find on a proper rally. The lessons are not necessary for those who wish to do the rally, but for beginners, the course will be of great assistance. The navigation will be done using tulip diagrams with a supplementary map book, but with this very much aimed at those wishing to dip a toe into the water, there is no need for a trip meter or any specialist equipment, the emphasis here is on fun!
HERO-ERA Competition Director Guy Woodcock, “This is all about getting out and enjoying your classic on some fabulous driving roads, whilst putting a little of what you might have learned on the Saturday into practice, it’s nothing too taxing but will certainly be great fun!”
So then, a weekend of fun and introductions to the wonderful sport that is Regularity Rallying, there is perhaps no finer way to get out and use your classic car and meet like-minded people in the process. Participants of past Race Retro based events have gone on to take part in some of HERO-ERA’s most exciting and prestigious rallies, and some have even picked up silverware along the way. For those taking part this weekend, HERO-ERA wishes them good luck, and for anyone intrigued by the sport they are welcome to visit the stand for a coffee and a chat, as you never know where in the world it might take people…
