Niche shows dont always work, but Race Retro - aka the Historic Motorsport Show - has found a niche that works well. The historic motorsport movement - racing, rallying, trails, autocross, karts, motocross, the lot - is big business and very active so, although it's not a show that will particularly attract Joe Public, there's a very active and dynamic clientele and lots of vigorous and ambitious companies, young and old, catering for them.

The show is good at attracting them all, and a good few old faces too, though the change of name a few years ago to Race Retro did seem to have put off some of the rally organisers ' the rally hall was looking distinctly sparse and Peter Nedin of HERO, one of the few who had taken a stand, was rubbing his hands with glee at getting unrivalled access to lots of potential customers: "We've taken quite a few entries, we always do, " he revealed on Sunday. "I don't know why the others aren't here, it doesn't do them any favours because people will start rumours that they've folded!"

The best new feature of the show this year, all agreed, was the Wall of Death - an amazing 50-year old timber fairground attraction that is one of two left in the country. Half-hourly shows meant everyone could enjoy a quite breathtaking display of motorcycles and a go-kart tearing around the inside of a polished wooden cylinder, swooping up to the top, performing stunts, riding completely without helmets and often without hands or feet on the controls!

Meanwhile at the auction, Bonhams (www.bonhams.com) proved once again that Race Retro is THE place to get good prices for historic rally cars: following its world record £100,500 for an ex-works Mini at Stoneleigh in 2007, the auction saw £89,500 paid for a 1972 Ford Escort RS 1600, the car in which Bjorn Waldegaard won the 2007 East African Safari retrospective. Considering that this was a recently built rally car with no period history (and certainly not an ex-works car), it was a most impressive price.