THE GENERATIONAL SHIFT

With the inclusion of a new GT3 category, so historic racing moves into the future – witness this storied Audi R8 LMS Ultra

- Damien Smith

Call that old? How can such a thing be classified as a historic racing car? Its period competition era was only five minutes ago, surely.

Actually, the sleek Audi R8 LMS Ultra you see here dates back to 2012. That's already 13 years ago. A blink of the eye for many of us, maybe, but in the fast-paced world of cutting-edge contemporary motorsport it’s ancient history. Much like the Jaguar D-type, in fact, when it gained a new lease of life as a ‘historic’ racer in the mid-1960s a little more than half a decade after it was last seen winning the Le Mans 24 Hours.

There's an echo here. Especially as this Audi - plus Porsches, BMWs, Mercedes, Corvettes, Aston Martins and more represents what classic motor racing instigators predict will be the 21st Century equivalent of how 1960s GT racing is considered today. Generations brought up playing Gran Turismo on their Playstations won't necessarily relate to Jaguar E-types and AC Cobras. It's cars like this that will speak to them - the historic race fans of the future. Which is why GT3, the racing code this Audi belongs to, is the next big thing in the old car world.