Conditions were perfect for the traditional end-of-May Masters Historic Festival at Brands Hatch, which was blessed by three sunny spring days that made the on-track and off-track experience of the old-school circuit snaking its way through the Kentish hills all the more enjoyable for drivers and spectators alike. In the third round of the Masters Racing Legends for historic F1 cars from the 3-litre era, the victories were shared between Yutaka Toriba and Warren Briggs. For Toriba, it was his debut victory, while Briggs added a win to the victory he achieved at Hockenheim. That win in Germany was also Briggs’ first victory, which meant that the championship welcomed two new winners in three weeks.

If your automotive industry is on the back foot, you will be more eager than ever to celebrate its glorious past. We saw it in France, where tens and tens of thousands turned up for the their historic Grand Prix at Paul Ricard – and the same happened in Germany, which is equally lacking a modern Grand Prix. Again, people swamped the paddock and the grandstands during a sunny and bright spring weekend. This time, it wasn't about Renault, Citroën and Peugeot. Here, BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Opel and their motorsport prowess of the past took centre stage. So was the ADAC Hockenheim Historic, otherwise known as ‘Das Jim Clark Revival', an Ersatz experience to compensate for an actual German Prix? Or did the legions of spectators turn up to revel in the purity of history?

This year’s Grand Prix de France Historique at the Paul Ricard circuit was even more about the stars rather than the sport. However, organiser HVM made the right financial bet, as no fewer than 90,000 French spectators forked out a considerable sum of money to catch a glimpse of a parade of celebrities from Formula 1 past and present. It was instantly the most well-attended historic event of the year, apart from the Goodwood Revival that’s still coming up and where the same adage is so successfully exploited.