How to help

There are many ways you can help the various research projects that are published on OldRacingCars.com. The F1, Tasman and FSV projects are currently on hold due to lack of resource but the F5000, Indy, Can-Am and Atlantic projects are very active and are always in need of more material.

Programs

We have several active program hunts in progress. More»

Drivers, owners and crew

The eventual aim of each project is to identify individual racing cars and to fully document their history. Outside F1, cars are rarely identified and we need the help of former owners, drivers and crew to help put the puzzle together. We don't expect you to remember something as obscure as a chassis number but if you can remember previous and subsequent owners; or where and when a car was bought, and where and when it was sold; that information could be very helpful. Even remembering that your car was "ex-Smith" could be a useful clue. Current owners may find they have got paperwork with a car that identifies a part of its past and OldRacingCars.com will be happy to help fill in the gaps.

Photos

Photographs of the leading F5000 and Indy cars, especially from 1973 onwards, are now widely available. However, we are in need of pictures of Formula A and F5000 cars from 1967 to 1971 and of Indy cars from 1969 to 1972. Remember that OldRacingCars.com will not publish a picture without express permission of the copyright holder so please only send your own pictures, not scans from magazines or other publications.

Pictures of rare cars, or those at the back of the grid, are always welcome. Pictures of second-hand cars in minor events are a particular treat.

Production records

Do you have a copy of part of the production records of a manufacturer? Existing manufacturers such as Lola have been most helpful and partial or complete production records are known to exist in one form or another for Brabham, Chevron, Cooper, Lotus, March, Modus, Ralt, Trojan and others but access to these has sometimes been limited.

It's amazing how widely some of these records have become scattered and even an excerpt can be of great help.

Magazines and Annuals

The magazine collections available to OldRacingCars.com and its historians is quite extensive but there are gaps that need to be filled. A loan of any of the following would be greatly appreciated:

OldRacingCars.com has complete collections of Autocourse, Autosport, Motor Sport, Grand Prix International, Canadian Track & Traffic (on CD) and Speed World International for this period; plus the Hungness Indy 500 Yearbooks from 1968 to 1981, Davidson Indy 500 Yearbooks 1974 and 1975, Road Racing Annuals 1976 to 1978, Race Report 1967-1971 and Motoring News from 1967 to 1970 and from 1975 to 1977. An extension of the Motoring News collection is the main priority.

Researchers with access to Competion Press & Autoweek, National Speed Sport News, Racing Cars News, Racing Mirror, Wheelspin News and to other US, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and South African motor racing publications could be most helpful.

Foreign language magazines are proving very helpful for F2 and for hillclimbs. A collection of the French magazine Echappement is growing quickly and we also have Italian weekly Autosprint for 1972-1973, French monthly Sport Auto for 1971 and a small number of Swiss monthly Powerslide from the early 1970s. Other magazines with detailed coverage of races are very much of interest, such as Auto Italiana in Italy. Auto Revue in Switzerland and Motorensport in Belgium.

Official race reports & results sheets

Most of the F1, Formula 5000, Can-Am, Tasman, F2 and Atlantic results published have come from magazine reports; Indy results have come from Phil Harms' thorough research. Copies of US F5000 "box scores" are available but any organisers' official practice sheets, grid listings or results sheets can add important detail.

Transcription

Transcription of results from reports into spreadsheets for publication is not the most glamorous or exciting aspect of motor racing research but it is an essential foundation stone. If you have more than your share of patience and perfectionism plus a bit of spare time, please volunteer.

Contact Allen if you can help with anything.