The Historic Vehicle: A Future Opportunity

The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment of the Junta de Castilla y León has once again organised the Forum-Exhibition 'The Historic Vehicle: A Future Opportunity' in Valladolid, marking its tenth edition this year. The event highlighted the figure of Isidro Rodríguez Zarracina, founder of the IRZ carburettor factory, the Historic Vehicles Regulation, and competition as key topics.

The first day, Friday, November 22, began with the presentation of the forum by the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Employment, Leticia García Sánchez.

This edition focused on two key points. On one hand, the tribute

to the historic figure of Isidro Rodríguez Zarracina (1877-1965), an industrial engineer who founded the IRZ carburettor factory in Valladolid, where carburettors for prestigious automobile, motorcycle, and aviation engine brands were manufactured.

Rodríguez Zarracina was also the architect of the "La Electra" building in Valladolid, which significantly boosted the industrialisation of the city and is part of the industrial heritage of the Pisuerga capital, and he designed the city's electric tram network.

Thus, the event opened with an engaging lecture by Ignacio Diaz-Caneja Rodríguez, a civil engineer and grandson of the honoree, providing an in-depth look at Rodríguez Zarracina's personal and professional life.

Following this, a round table was held discussing Rodríguez Zarracina's impact on the industrial society of the time. This panel, moderated by a writer specialising in the history of Valladolid figures, featured Pilar Alexandre, an IRZ carburettor worker; Manuel Lage, an automotive historian; Juan José Rodríguez, a classic aircraft pilot; and María Isabel Vicente Maroto, a professor at the School of Industrial Engineering at the University of Valladolid.

After a break, the morning session continued with one of the most current topics for classic car enthusiasts: the implementation of the Historic Vehicles Regulation from October 1. Francisco de las Alas-Pumariño Linde, head of the Regulatory Unit of the Directorate General of Traffic and architect of the much-anticipated new Historic Vehicles Regulation.

He highlighted how issues with the previous regulation, "long, costly, and complex due to the involvement of many organisations in the process," have been resolved. He also addressed the topic of historic vehicle license plates: "now historic vehicles will have only one license plate, either the ordinary one they had before changing service or the historic plate assigned if they did not previously have a Spanish plate. This avoids documentation issues, for example, when proving vehicle insurance with receipts that only showed one of the plates." He did not forget the topic of mopeds: "the new regulation has established an abbreviated procedure to register mopeds as historic." Another novelty is that, following the model of other countries like the United Kingdom, "vehicles over 60 years old are exempt from mandatory MOT."

Alongside the tribute to Rodríguez Zarracina, this tenth edition of the forum focused on competition. Two round tables were organised, the first centred on four-wheel competition. This panel, moderated by journalist Santiago de Garnica, featured two historical figures from the rally world of the seventies and eighties: drivers Rafa Cid and "Beny" Fernández. Cid, the first driver in the world to win a rally with a Ford Fiesta, reviewed his career with a special emphasis on his participation in World Championship Rallies as part of the Portuguese "Team Diabolique," rallies like the RAC of Great Britain, which involved two stages of thirty-six hours each, with seven hours to rest between them, and a gruelling four-thousand-kilometre route. Beny Fernández also spoke about his career, with unforgettable cars like the Alpinche or the Porsche 911.

Joining them on the panel was the triple Spanish Mountain Champion, Leonese Roberto Méndez Cuervo, who spoke about his career as a driver and his current role leading RMC Motorsport, a competition-focused structure based in Caboalles de Abajo (León) with extensive experience in Asphalt and Gravel Rallies, achieving significant victories both globally and nationally and strongly supporting young talents. Throughout its history, it has achieved important titles such as the one won by Peruvian Nicolás Fuchs in the World Rally Championship for Production Cars in the 2013 season. In Spain, it has carried out various initiatives such as the Production Rally Racing, the R2 RMC Scholarship, or the N5 RMC Cup. These initiatives have allowed young national talents to take their first steps and continue progressing both within and outside the team. Its trajectory has also led to four absolute titles in the Spanish Gravel Rally Championship (with Yeray Lemes in 2009, Benito Guerra in 2010, Óscar Fuertes in 2011, and José Antonio "Cohete" Suárez in 2017) and two in the Spanish Asphalt Rally Championship (Miguel Ángel Fuster in 2015 and Cristian García in 2016). Since the 2016 season, RMC Motorsport has been heavily involved in the creation, development, and maintenance of the interesting N5 category.

The fourth participant in this event was driver Antonio Silva, vice president of the Veteran Car Club of Spain and president of the Youth and Training Commission of the FEVA. A classic car driver, champion of THIRTEEN CLASSICS, in the category without additional measuring instruments, of numerous rallies at the wheel of diverse models such as the Ferrari 308 GTSi or Seat 127; or winner of the last edition of the Rally Alfonso XIII for pre-war vehicles, in regularity 400 Km, with a DKW F8 Cabriolet.

A second panel dedicated to two-wheel competition was moderated by the prestigious pilot and journalist Juan Hernández, from Grupo Luike and creator of Autopia. A very interesting panel, full of experiences and anecdotes, served to reveal secrets of engines, teams, and races. Participants included classic champion Alejandro Fernández Mancebo and Sergio Vidales, president of the Moto Club Bañezano, founded in 1954 and organiser of the world-famous urban circuit speed races in La Bañeza. Figures like Ángel Nieto, Jorge Martínez "Aspar," and Manuel "Champi" Herreros tasted victory in La Bañeza before becoming world champions.

The panel was completed by Evelio Tejero Cid, a driver and brilliant preparer, with numerous achievements including two Spanish championship titles and two European runner-up titles; and Alfonso Serrano Huicci, director of the Historical Motorcycle Museum in Santa Marta de Tormes (Salamanca).

This first day was concluded by the Director General of Industry of the Junta de Castilla y León, Mariano Fernández Muñoz, who highlighted the quality of the day and thanked the presence of collaborators and participants, the effort made by the Ministry, and especially by Fernando Romanos, the mastermind behind the event.

The second day, held on Monday, November 25, focused on vocational training, with the attendance of two hundred students from vocational training centres in Palencia, Burgos, Salamanca, and Valladolid. After the presentation by Agustín Sigüenza Molina, Director General of Vocational Training and Special Regime, the day featured presentations on "Restoration work on a historic vehicle, Citroën 2 CV and its derivatives"; "VALL RACING TEAM": presentation of the competition vehicle construction project; and "Design, manufacture, and tuning of a competition vehicle"; with the round table "New ways of disseminating content associated with the historic vehicle"; and practical demonstrations on the use of new materials, with reproduction of body parts in fibreglass and polyester.

With the celebration of this forum, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment aims to boost the industrial activity generated around historic vehicles due to their restoration, use, and conservation. In this regard, it should be noted that a significant economic activity develops around the historic vehicle, focusing on both buying and selling and the restoration processes carried out by various specialists such as panel beaters, painters, upholsterers, saddlers, turners, and many others who, in most cases, perform artisanal work.

Another important activity within the sector is associated with the supply of spare parts, which helps to boost the automotive auxiliary industry sector, providing reproductions of the parts originally used by these types of vehicles and necessary for their restoration and maintenance.

In addition to these direct activities and trades, the historic vehicle also generates dynamism in the tourism and cultural fields thanks to the numerous enthusiasts and the interest it arouses in the general public. Museums, activities developed by clubs and associations, gatherings, specialised fairs, and forums related to the world of the historic vehicle are a cultural attraction for many visitors.