Monaco opportunity

British racers with cars from the Classic F3 Championship and the Peter Hanson Trophy series will get the chance of a lifetime to race at Monaco in May 2010, following the announcement that the Monaco Historic GP will feature two Formula 3 races for the first time.

The organisers of the most prestigious historic race meeting in the world have confirmed that two F3 races will be run on the 2010 race programme at the famous street racetrack around the harbour of Monte Carlo. One race will cater for the 1-litre cars raced from 1964 to 1970 and one for the 1600cc and 2-litre cars from 1971 to 1984.

The news is a massive boost for both F3 classes, which have race series in the UK under the wing of the Historic Sports Car Club and in conjunction with the Classic F3 Association and the 1-litre F3 Historic Racing Association.

There are around 40 race-ready 1600cc and 2-litre cars in Britain and more in France, Germany and Italy. Several cars racing in Britain have period Monaco history, including cars used on the street circuit by Elio de Angelis and Kenny Acheson.

Meanwhile, the inclusion of a race for the 1-litre cars is also a massive boost to the re-growth of the category, which now has a UK mini-series for the Peter Hanson Trophy. With up to 30 cars expected to race in Britain this summer, and more cars in Europe, the 1-litre F3 class is one of the fastest growing categories in historic racing. The first of this year's races in the Peter Hanson Trophy series will be at the HSCC's meeting at Silverstone on 9/10 May.

"This is very good news for everyone involved in historic F3 racing," said Grahame White, CEO of the HSCC. "Obviously, the Monaco organisers will only be able to accept a limited number of entries. But having such a prestigious opportunity for F3 cars will be a big boost to both UK race series run by the HSCC that cater for these cars."