tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54652518457636370572024-02-19T00:21:25.962-08:0050 Years a SpectatorJohn Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438862501056289859noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5465251845763637057.post-47359732704840442402014-10-16T05:57:00.001-07:002014-10-16T05:57:17.151-07:00Number 15 - PembreySo this was it - the 15th and last circuit to visit - just a week after Anglesey it was back to Wales - the South this time and to Pembrey - and what a contrast - although Croft possibly runs it close (and maybe Snetterton), Pembrey must be the flattest circuit in the UK, quite a contrast to the rolling hills of Anglesey or Cadwell Park.<br />
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It was the 2-day Autumn Truckfest meeting and I was there for the second day which was 13 races starting at 1015. So another early start (from Wiltshire this time) and I mistimed my journey slightly, not realising how long it would take to get to the circuit from the M4, and having not made allowances for 30mph speed cameras and dreadfully slow horseboxes. As a consequence I missed the first race of the day for the Class A BMWs but as there were only 7 starters that was no big deal even if the race was won by new Champion Tom Wrigley by just 0.924secs over Colin Wells.<br />
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Which reminds that I forgot to include the following picture from Croft where in the BMW race Wells has just nudged Wrigley into a spin and out of the lead.<br />
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Sticking with the BMWs there was a race later in the day for the other classes which mustered just 6 starters, 5 finished and only 2 finished on the lead lap - at Croft all the classes had been combined when there were small fields and one wonders why this was not done here as it was a long programme and with trucks around recovery and a barrier repair can take much longer to put right.<br />
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The Mazda MX5 is a very popular racing car these days but it all gets very confusing when you look at the different Championships which must lead to a dilution in the numbers that appear for each one - there is the BARC MaX5 Racing Championship, BRSCC Mazda MX5 Championship, the BRSCC Mazda MX5 SuperCup and the 750MC also run a seried - have I missed any??<br />
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There were 9 cars on the grid at Pembrey for the BARC MaX5 race which was won by Jonathan Cryer by just over a second from Paul Roddison while Amy Barker won the B class. Not a great deal of excitement but at least most of them finished on the same lap at the end of the 16 lap race. here a few of the entries:<br />
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Jonathan Halliwell in his Mk3 <br />
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Richard Smith in his Mk1<br />
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and Paul Roddison in his Le Mans 1991 paintworked Mk3<br />
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It has been a while since I have watched Legends and I had forgotten how much fun they were - buzzing all over the place - the man to beat this year has been Dean Brace and he won all 3 races on the Sunday at Pembrey - but in different fashion -in the first one he ran away and won by nearly 12 seconds, in the second he had to work through the pack and he stretched a 2 second gap by the end but the third was a real battle at the front with Ben Power and James Holman keeping him honest and all 3 were separated by just 0.3 secs at the end. A great result for Holman as his engine had blown up in the previous race and his team had fitted a new one in less than 2 hours. Dean (below) and his father Nick both race in full Union Jack colours and make a colourful sight.<br />
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The Pickup trucks of course are the only series who race on the full oval at Rockingham Motor Speedway (correct me if I am wrong there) and they bring a flavour of NASCAR to British tracks. Either Vauxhall or Ford fronted they are speedier than you might think and produce close racing. Pete Stevens is a long term supporter of Pickups and is the same Pete Stevens as the one who drives the Vauxhall Carlton in Special Saloons as pictured earlier this year at Mallory. His white truck is fairly free of decals compared to the others but that obviously does not slow him down as he is once again the Champion.<br />
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Stevens comes from a short oval background and another ex hot-rodder (in fact the 2003 World Champion), Dave Longhurst, now races Pickups.<br />
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As with the North of England, there is a prospering saloons and sports car Championship in Wales - after a decline in numbers the organisers have reduced the number of meetings for this Championship to 4 (all double-headers) and all held at Pembrey. Once again it was great to see all manner of machines and for the sake of boring you with Minis - here are a further variety of those taking part.<br />
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Melissa Luffarelli's rear-engined 1.0 machine <br />
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Jim Lyons' 1.3 rapid turbocharged version<br />
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and Endaf Owens 1.3 spaceframe<br />
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King of this championship is Keith White in his 2.0 BMW Z4 - another ex hotrodder turned to left handers as well as right handers. A beautifully prepared machine it won the two races by 15 and 12 seconds respectively over Ben Scrivens' Ginetta G50 (both cars pictured below)<br />
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One of the rapid pedallers in this Championship is Keith Butcher in his Nissan Primera Supertouring, the ex-Aiello BTCC car but he had a difficult day at Pembrey.<br />
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In the first race he went into the barrier at Hatchet's Hairpin on the first lap and in the paddock after there was the evidence to show what he had had to do to make it raceable again:<br />
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and then on the first lap of Race 2 at Hatchets this happened!!<br />
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Coming from the back of the field he had to anchor up to avoid ramming Melissa Luffarelli who had had to brake hard to avoid the spinning Ken James' Loco Hornet. By the time I took this photo the culprit had restarted and run away but with neither Butcher nor Luffarelli getting underway quickly the race was red-flagged. All 3 cars were able to restart, Luffarelli from the pits and Butcher at the back of the grid again in his original position. However, his day finished a lot better as a clean drive through the field found him third at the end, closing on Scrivens' Ginetta.<br />
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And then there were the trucks......but I think I will leave them to another post as this one will become a bit long. But here is a flavour of the action<br />
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It has been great doing this tour of the mainland circuits of Great Britain - I will do a seasonal review as in all the best magazines in a few weeks but in the meantime I look forward to any comments you may have - any information you want to know that I may have gleaned in my travels, any corrections or additions you think I should make.<br />
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Hope you have enjoyed reading so far.<br />
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<br />John Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438862501056289859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5465251845763637057.post-5921807950237722142014-10-14T14:24:00.000-07:002014-10-14T14:24:51.566-07:00Number 14 - AngleseyFrom one scenic circuit it was off to another - and this one has the advantage of some beautiful views across the sea to the mountains of North Wales as well an interesting combination of corners and level changes. It was a fairly low key meeting with just three classes participating. The main feature race on the Sunday (as it had been on the Saturday there too) was a 3-hour event for the Fun Cup cars with support from the North-based Ford XR Challenge and also the Northern Formula Ford 1600 Championship which was also the final meeting of the 2014 National Championship.<br />
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So just 4 races to look forward to (" for the XRs) and the prospect of a finish before 3 pm which would enable me to get home in time for dinner almost. From my overnight stay in North East Wales it was a 2 minute drive to the A55 and then all the way along that dual carriageway to the turn off for the circuit just before Holyhead. <br />
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The sun was out but there was a bit of a haze over the mountains which never really cleared but as you will see from some of the photographs they did provide a stunning backdrop to the circuit. The National version of the circuit was in use which incorporates Wales' very own Corkscrew as the cars descend from Peel Corner to the Pits straight. The following may give you some idea of the terrain - these were taken from the back of the Paddock.<br />
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Going up to Rocket Corner......<br />
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and coming back down<br />
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A field of 23 Fun Cup cars took to the track after the first XR3 race and 3 hours and 125 laps later there were still 21 of them running and 8 them were on the lead lap! A number of safety car periods helped to bunch the field up periodically but at the end of the race the Team Honeywell car driven by Tim Wheeldon, Geoff Fawcett and Neil Plimmer were victorious by 12+seconds. They were consistent front-runners and had held the lead at the one hour mark and been just 0.792 secs behind the leader after 2 hours!!<br />
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Here we see them cresting the rise after Peel before plunging down into the Corkscrew, a place where you can great big-sky photos.<br />
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These cars look like great fun and with 3 or 4 or even 5 drivers they are good value for money though obviously seat time may be reduced with more drivers. One of the more colourful teams is Team OBR who run 3 cars - which I called red, black and white and you can maybe see why from the pictures below!<br />
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The Ford XR Challenge field was not very big - just 6 Fiesta XR2s and 6 Escort XR3i but both races featured battles for the lead with the XR2s mainly being on top but Jonathan Wells holding the fort for the Escorts with a strong 3rd place in the first race which was won by the latest in the Minshaw family to go racing - Jack - his car resplendent in the family colours.<br />
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and this is the top XR3 of Jonathan Wells<br />
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And then there were the Formula Fords. The Northern Championships is split into 5 classes by age and generally have two separate races - one for pre- '90 and one for post- '89 but at Anglesey they were all together to give s field of 22 cars ranging in age from Philip Nelson's Hawke DL2B of the early 1970s to James Raven's up to the minute Ray GR13/14 - the progression over 40 years can be seen below.<br />
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This is the Hawke!! <br />
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and here is the Ray.<br />
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As a National Championship round there were additional entries to the usual Northern crowd which were headed up by a four car team from Medina Sport for Neil, David and Tom McArthur and Martin Short (not the Mosler driver) and drivers also from France and Holland.<br />
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The great thing about regional Formula Ford is the variety of cars from the great days of FF1600 - there were chassis from Van Diemen (1985 - 2012), Reynard (1984 - 1989), Swift (1994 - 2010), Ray, Mondiale and Hawke in the field. See the variety below - how many can you name - answers at the bottom.<br />
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And don't you just love the colours of the last two!!<br />
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The race was won by the 1992 Van Diemen of Stuart Gough from Southport who defeated Raven's modern Ray by just 2.657secs followed by two of the Medina Sport Van Diemen LA10s in the hands of Tom and David McArthur.<br />
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And sure enough racing finished at 1445 and, loathe as I was to leave the beautiful surroundings, it was time to wave goodbye and look forward to the last circuit on my tour, Pembrey, at the other end of Wales just 7 days later.<br />
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What's not to like about this!<br />
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Did you identify the Formula Fords?<br />
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88 - Mondiale MS88 of Michael Beaver<br />
48 - Ray GR10 of Vincent Jay<br />
89 - Van Diemen RF85 of David Murphy<br />
28 - Reynard 84FF of Jamie Jardine<br />
97 - Swift 97 of Nigel ThompsonJohn Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438862501056289859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5465251845763637057.post-4213671593098341342014-10-08T11:58:00.000-07:002014-10-08T11:58:31.789-07:00Number 13 - Oulton ParkEarly morning start from Scotland and a quick hack down the Motorways brought me to Oulton Park for the first time. Immediate impressions were good - another MSV circuit looking neat and tidy and my initial reaction was that there was quite a small crowd as I started spectating at Lodge, but later wanderings took me to Knickerbrook / Cascades infield area where there was a substantial crowd, and I could see why, as it gave a great view of much of that side of the circuit.<br />
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This was my second experience of the CSCC package and once again my favourite Special Saloons and Modsports were to the fore. A number of familiar faces from the Mallory Park meeting, but also a few new ones, including the man who took pole, Andy Southcott in his MG Midget, though unfortunately he did not get out for the first race.<br />
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Bob Claxton had had problems with his Skoda and so brought along his Renault 21 Turbo instead<br />
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and there were a couple of Minis that had not been at Mallory - James Guest (#54) and Anthony Hayes (#85)<br />
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The first race saw a close win for Paul Sibley's Elan by just 1.3secs from Danny Morris' Peugeot 309 but in the second race he ran away from Steven Moss' space frame Anglia to win by 10 seconds. Moss and Pete Stevens in the Vauxhall Carlton had had a thrilling battle in race 1 being just 0.054secs apart at the flag (in Moss' favour).<br />
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The Swinging Sixties 40-minute with pit stop / optional driver change race was a walkover for Stuart McPherson and Mark Halstead in their Ginetta G4 who were exactly 5 seconds a lap faster than their nearest rival, the Triumph TR6 of Christopher Edwards.<br />
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There was very wide range of cars in this race - Ginetta G4s, Triumph TRs (various), Lotus Cortinas, Jaguar Mk1 Saloon and E-type, Ford Anglia, MGB, Sunbeam Tiger, Lotus Elans, Minis etc. and it was interesting to see how the different makes models were very close on time and created some cosmopolitan duels.<br />
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Andy Yool (Ford Anglia)<br />
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Steve Pickering (Sunbeam Tiger)<br />
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One aspect of the CSCC formulae which makes for interesting races and stops one car being too dominant is the application of a 30second success penalty if you win a race - and this applies for the rest of the season - and is cumulative - so win 2 races and the penalty goes to 60 seconds. This spreads the victory laurels around though this was the second consecutive victory by the Halstead / McPherson Ginetta - it might be harder for them in the next race to win again though.<br />
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A similar success penalty applied to the previous winners in the Future Classics category - another great variety of saloons and sports cars, including some two car teams. Funnily enough for one of those teams the second car broke down early on in its stint and the driver ran back to the pits and got into the first car that had been out already. Unfortunately in this race an engine blow-up led to oil on the track and a damaging off for Nicholas Olson's Esprit.<br />
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The race was restarted over 5 laps and resulted in a win for Darren Smith in his TVR Tuscan Challenge car seen below.<br />
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Another very varied field as can be seen from the selection of cars below<br />
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Alex Livesley (Jensen Healey)<br />
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Mark Lucock (Ford Escort RS2000)<br />
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Jack Brownlie and Nick Reynolds (Rover 216 GTi)<br />
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Phil Seaman and Geoff Beale (Talbot Sunbeam Lotus)<br />
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Paul Connell (Ford Sierra Cosworth Turbo)<br />
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John Broadley and Jon Jeffery (Porsche 924)<br />
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There was also a "Classic K" race which is for pre1966 GT and Touring cars running to the FIA Appendix K regulations and this was dominated by Lotus Elans though early leader, the Halstead / McPherson example failed to finish and victory instead went to Tom Andrew in his 26R variant.<br />
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The final races were the only one make (but not one model) ones of the weekend for Classic Ferraris, principally 308GTBs and 328 GTBs, both won by David Tomlin but only after a penalty for James Cartwright in the first race and a late spin for Gary Culver in the second.<br />
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I enjoyed Oulton Park very much - great looking circuit, some great viewing spots and good commentary. I even managed to avoid having to eat a circuit cheeseburger which has been my staple diet all season it seems!! It is a long circuit and not all of it is open to spectators but it is quite compact and as I said earlier a lot can be seen from one or two spots right in the middle with not much distance to travel to get another good viewing point. I would certainly go back again but the limited number of Sunday meetings is a bit of a restriction, as is the distance from home, but with friends close by who gave me a bed this time, it is within the bounds of reason that I will return - I would certainly like to do the Gold Cup meeting.<br />
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From Oulton the next stop was Anglesey and the delights of the Fun Cup, Formula Ford and Ford XRs. But that is the next posting!! <br />
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<br />John Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438862501056289859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5465251845763637057.post-9516603246312768702014-10-07T05:04:00.000-07:002014-10-07T05:04:21.123-07:00Number 12 - CroftFrom the rolling hills of the Lincolnshire Wolds and the many changes of level at Cadwell Park it was off the flat expanses of Croft the next day for a meeting headlined by the Formula Renault Championship. Also in support were the Michelin Renault Clios, BMWs, Mini 7s and Mini Miglias, the Junior Saloons and the local Northern Sports and Saloon Car Championships.<br />
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The main issue of the day was the small number of entrants in many of the classes. Even the Formula Renault Championships could only muster 9 starters while the BMWs were combined into one race when there were only 5 Class A cars and 9 from the other 3 classes. Even the two Mini classes were struggling with just 10 Mini 7s and 9 Miglias.<br />
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And so I come back to my old hobby horse - combining all sorts of different cars, in the way that the Northern Sports and Saloons Cars Championship does, gives bigger fields and more variety for the spectator. Their first races of the weekend on the Saturday (before I got there) were for different classes (A and E in one and B, C, D and H in the other) but on the Sunday we had a combined field of 28 cars - there were dices going on through the field (though there was an easy winner) and something for nearly everyone to support. Here are a few of the entrants in this Championship.<br />
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Jeff Wilson's "Lotus Elise" was a dominant winner (overall and Class A1) finishing 51 seconds ahead after 12 laps but it is a beautifully prepared car and follows his previous creations such as the VW Beetle which is still around and appearing at occasional Special Saloon rounds.<br />
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He was chased initially by Nigel Moore's Ginetta G50 until its engine expired.<br />
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Class A2 contained just 2 starters and was easily won by David Brewis's amazing Suzuki SC100 Super Saloon, who pulled off immediately after the flag from 6th place overall.<br />
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One of the best battles was between the two leading cars in Class B - Michael Cutt's BMW M3 and Andrew Morrison's Seat Leon Cupra, the former eventually beating the latter by just 0.362secs and also winning the Championships by so doing. There are plenty of BMW pictures elsewhere so here is one of the immaculate Seat.<br />
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Class C was won by David Cox's Peugeot 306 and Class D by Paul Moss's Citroen Saxo. Class E (for Caterham type cars) was poorly supported but E1 was won by Neil Finnigan's Caterham and E2 (for the smaller engined cars) by Alan McPherson's MK Indy - both winners pictured below.<br />
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Finally Class H was won by the 1.4 Austin Mini of Clinton Ewen - another variation on the Mini theme.<br />
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Two other cars stood out for me - Colin Simpson has been driving his Marcos Mantis for the last 14 years - and I can remember the days when he was driving a turbocharged Escort Mk 1 around Ingliston, while Ian Blacklin turned up in a gorgeous Mark 1 Capri when his Fiesta was not available!<br />
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The Mini Miglias were the highlight race of the day with 7 cars fighting in a leading group for the whole race - here you can see all 7 of them as the race approached the closing stages.<br />
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The Formula Renault Championship has never excited me over the many years I have been watching them - probably because I have rarely seen an overtaking manouevre in their races. This time two of them contrived to clash on the first lap and reduce the field to 7 for the restarted race but sterling work by the respective teams got the two damaged cars out for the second race where the most excitement was caused by the Cliff Dempsey Racing team mates running side by side into the first corner from which they both emerged intact!<br />
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A fairly small crowd at Croft meant that good viewing was easily obtained on the bank at the first part of the Complex with views of more than half of the circuit in between the trees. I can imagine that on other days, for example when the BTCC visit, that many of the views are blocked by the crowds but I enjoyed what was just my second visit to this Northern outpost of English motor racing. From here it was on to Scotland for a few days before returning South to the first of the three circuits which were new to me - Oulton Park, with Anglesey and Pembrey to follow.John Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438862501056289859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5465251845763637057.post-73650875322196638232014-10-03T06:34:00.001-07:002014-10-03T06:34:48.672-07:00Number 11 - Cadwell ParkAfter a few weekends at home or in the USA, it was all systems go for the final three weekends of my challenge - and first on the agenda was Cadwell Park - the "mini-Nurburgring" in the Lincolnshire Wolds. For the first time this year I was unlucky with the weather and it was a bit damp for most of the day until the misty drizzle turned into more substantial rain for the last couple of races.<br />
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When I planned this tour I focussed on the dates that were available and in trying to combine venues into a workable programme and did not regard what was actually racing until I had the itinerary planned. I have been quite lucky in seeing a wide variety of the 140+ categories that abound in British motor racing - I have been to two BTCC rounds but the rest has been a good mixture.<br />
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My apathy about some single-make racing has been expressed before but there are a few categories which I do enjoy, and amongst those are the Minis - not the steroid pumped up BMW versions but the original 'mini' version which is what it says on the tin!! Cadwell Park featured the Mighty Minis and Super Mighty Minis while the next day at Croft I would be seeing the Mini 7 and Mini Miglias. It would be a good way to compare the two approaches. Here we have a picture of them all:<br />
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First - a Mighty Mini <br />
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and now a Super Mighty Mini<br />
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next a Mini 7<br />
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and finally a Mini Miglia<br />
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So can you tell the difference!! The most obviously different one is the Mini Miglia because of its flared arches and wider wheels but the others.....<br />
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Oh and just to add another variation - here is a Special Saloon Mini from a later visit to Oulton Park:<br />
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Also at Cadwell the Track Attack Club were featured and so it was a repeat dose of Nippon Challenge, Tricolore Trophy, Hyundai coupes and Mark 1 MR2s after my previous experience of them at Castle Combe back in May while it would be my first chance to see Formula Jedi for 7 years. The big disappointment would be the paucity of the Arrowpak Saloons and Sportscars, which I had noticed had been suffering tiny fields this season, and it was little better at Cadwell with just 6 entrants of which only 3 made it out for their second race. My desire to see a packed and assorted field of sports and saloons would have to wait until he next day at Croft (though I will say that the Nippon / Tricolore fields were quite varied).<br />
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I arrived in time to catch the end of the practice sessions and it was a modest crowd that saw the racing begin with the Mighty Minis. Cadwell is a bit out in the sticks and having a meeting on a Saturday probably does not help the crowd numbers but I was amazed at just how few spectators there were - 12 races for £15 is a bit of a bargain these days, but I guess family and financial pressures mean that attendance is getting difficult for many.<br />
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Time for some more pictures however and a reminder that you can see many more on my Flickr page - https://www.flickr.com/photos/125284417@N04/collections/<br />
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You do not see many of these racing - this is Wayne Schofield's Suzuki Cappuccino from the Arrowpak Championship <br />
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and Andrew Dunn's Championship leading Formula Jedi showing the mud after a wet race<br />
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The Jedi of course was originally developed for hillclimbing by John Corbyn and there are as still a number on the hills today. Hillclimbs have taken place at Cadwell Park in the past and this picture of Doug Ellwood's Marcos Mantis cresting the Mountain may give you a good indication of how appropriate it was to hold such events there.<br />
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The best races of the day were for the Mighty Minis - great bunches of them swopped places as they slipstreamed along the long Cadwell straights and three-wheeled through Hall Bends - here is a group at the latter<br />
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while the main pack come down from Mansfield Bend and the Gooseneck to enter the Mountain section<br />
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So two closely fought Mighty Mini races but also in the Nippon Challenge we had two great lead tussles between James Janicki and Adam Lockwood in their respective powerful Nissans seen below<br />
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Though Janicki was never headed, the gaps at the end of the two races were just 0.202 and 0.582 seconds. In fact over the whole of the meeting of 12 races, 8 of them had less than 1 second between the first two at the end so it was a great day out, even if the weather was a bit damp.<br />
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So it was back on the road and heading North for Croft, stopping overnight at Doncaster. Eleven down and just 4 to go. <br />
<br />John Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438862501056289859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5465251845763637057.post-70521540997220378302014-09-11T14:53:00.001-07:002014-09-11T14:53:38.562-07:00Number 10 - KnockhillApologies for the delay but immediately after my visit to Scotland for the BTCC meeting at Knockhill life turned busy and then I was off to the US for a week but better late than never.<br />
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Knockhill has often been described as a wind and rain battered circuit clinging to the side of a hillside in rural Scotland and very often it is but this year the weather was glorious and I cannot remember being so warm at Knockhill in my 10 previous visits over 40 years - 8 of these were in 1975 and 1976 when I was still living in Scotland and so I feel guilty about having been back so rarely and maybe the weather has been better in the last 38 years!!<br />
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The circuit opened for business in 1974 and the first car race was held in 1975. Now many people know that Alistair Lyall won the first race at the newly re-opened Donington Park but who knows who won the first car race at Knockhill - after the circuit had been opened by Chris Amon. The first race was for Production Saloons and it was won by Eddie Labinjoh in an Alfa Romeo 2000GTV. The race was divided into 2 classes by price - up to and over £1700!!<br />
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One of the first retirements of the meeting came in Race 2 for Formula Fords when George Franchitti (famous father) failed to finish in his Hawke DL12.<br />
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Afraid I have no photos of this meeting or of any of those 1970s meetings - I was busy marshalling at the time and in fact only got my first camera in the middle of 1976. I also missed much of the last race of the first meeting as I had to dash off for my first date with the girl who later became, and still is, my wife - and she shared a few marshalling duties at the circuit in those early years - put her off it for life!!<br />
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Before that race meeting in 1975 a Rallycross event was held on the 5th January which quickly became farcical. The circuit was similar to today's and it turned right off the tarmac at the bottom of Duffus Dip. Unfortunately it had been a really wet period and the water had all collected in this corner which rapidly became a mudhole out of which every car (even the Minis) had to be pushed. Eventually the event was abandoned and I am not even sure if any times were issued. <br />
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But less of the nostalgia.....<br />
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I arrived bright and early just after 8 and it was already apparent that this was going to be a popular event. After a short queue I found myself parked on a damp grassy slope realising that I might not be able to get out until the car in front had moved!! That would have to wait as I wandered down to the track to enjoy the first race at the unsocial hour of 0900. At Knockhill there are parts where you can get really close to the track with little protection and it seems like a relic from the past - the approach to the hairpin is one of those and it was here that I took my first photos of the day of the Ginetta G55 Supercup cars with the early morning sun bouncing off them.<br />
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This is David Pittard <br />
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and here is Dan Norris-Jones <br />
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This picture taken from the other side of the hairpin gives some ides of the proximity of the track to the spectators </div>
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Once again, as at my earlier visit to Thruxton I was disappointed in the quantity of the cars in the supporting events but at least at Knockhill the tight and short nature of the circuit means that the racing tends to be closer, even if only between 2 or 3 cars.</div>
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The Porsche race that followed saw a number of 2 car duels being fought around the track and, like the rest of the races, the cars are pretty spectacular as they bounce over and out of the chicane. Here are Rob Smith and Paul Rees.</div>
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By this time the crowd was building in numbers and I continued walking around the track to find a suitable viewing spot for the touring cars and got one between Scotsman and the Chicane where you could see the cars coming over Duffus Dip and into and through the chicane with a little glimpse up to Clark Curve as well.<br />
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Thirty-one touring cars on a tight circuit like Knockhill just had to be spectacular and they were. As they burst into view at the top of Duffus Dip they are all over the road and then they have to deal with the compression at the bottom followed quickly by the sharp right at Scotsman which is really only one car wide but is often taken two abreast with inevitable consequences as Colin Turkington found out.<br />
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Warren Scott also suffered some damage there!<br />
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The BMWs were the class of the field all weekend and it was only circumstances such as the above that prevented
them winning all three races. The highlight for me was Mick Collard
winning the last race having started the first on the every back on the
grid - about 400 metres from the start line!<br />
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The best of the rest of the races was probably the Ginetta Junior race which was held on Sunday afternoon - a long train of Ginettas fought over the minor positions though some found that the track was just not wide enough even for their relatively small cars.<br />
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Off - track there was an eclectic selection of cars to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the circuit.<br />
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For example a Hawke DL2B Formula Ford of the type in which Tom Walkinshaw began his career <br />
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A David Leslie Honda Accord<br />
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Another car associated with David Leslie - an Ecosse C2<br />
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The GT spec Imp / Stiletto driven by Duncan Fisher (compare to those in my Mallory park report)<br />
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And the Ginetta G4 currently driven by Harry Simpson in Scottish Classics - Harry another ex- Imp / Davrian Saloon / GT racer<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ35kunA-m8196MwALPbws7zhh6fJWQoqZXlyg9ruDH5i1kLXmNikGebfw61_oAcpVffH_Ukavo2e5qCrGHnCLME5v-P-Fz1ZbF0AGtKXppSqpIO1Itpc34tGvB20Elc8lsoSbZyRJlaY/s1600/Harry+Simpson's+Ginetta+G4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ35kunA-m8196MwALPbws7zhh6fJWQoqZXlyg9ruDH5i1kLXmNikGebfw61_oAcpVffH_Ukavo2e5qCrGHnCLME5v-P-Fz1ZbF0AGtKXppSqpIO1Itpc34tGvB20Elc8lsoSbZyRJlaY/s1600/Harry+Simpson's%2BGinetta%2BG4.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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There was also a small room displaying a number of Jim Clark's trophies from the Duns Room Collection in the Borders this year also being the 50th anniversary of him winning the British Saloon Car Championship in a Lotus Cortina, 2 examples of which were demonstrated at lunch time along with some other cars associated with Clark - a DKW, a Goggomobil, a Lotus Elite and the 1966 US GP winning Lotus 43 - BRM H16.<br />
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A long day in the Knockhill sun and yes I did manage to reverse my car up the grassy slope - it had dried out a bit since the morning and I was able to get away before the mad rush of the main crowd.<br />
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A generally good day's racing in the sunny weather but I left with my excitement about one make motor racing still well under control. Next visit is to Cadwell Park for some varied BRSCC action and the following day to Croft for the BARC meeting headed by Formula Renault - never my favourite formula - let's hope it can provide some excitement!!<br />
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John Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438862501056289859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5465251845763637057.post-6498851490132491312014-08-09T11:08:00.001-07:002014-08-09T11:08:42.885-07:00Number 9 - Mallory ParkBeen a few weeks since I was at Mallory Park but immediately after it I went on holiday and only just back to catch up though if you been looking at my Flickr page you will have seen the photos have been up there since I got back from the circuit - but then that is the easy part - composing what to write is a bit harder.<br />
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We went to Jersey and Guernsey on holiday and while there I caught up with a bit of sand racing at St Helier - very similar to autograss just a different surface and, as you can see from the following pictures, the specials look very similar too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQpbAD7KJJCsgLf-KcRAwM8gHgedyOBliAljImlXPKoL44pmO67YJS3CVTYlq3fcPBPa3pqbKRqI2xgEYJnzgimp2SGE4Zj1aosCMYqhApZtZMQf3N5IUFsxHNnOmH3_oFH27_j7qfp8/s1600/DSC02182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQpbAD7KJJCsgLf-KcRAwM8gHgedyOBliAljImlXPKoL44pmO67YJS3CVTYlq3fcPBPa3pqbKRqI2xgEYJnzgimp2SGE4Zj1aosCMYqhApZtZMQf3N5IUFsxHNnOmH3_oFH27_j7qfp8/s1600/DSC02182.JPG" height="340" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsw_eirvrGsA01yGJfGKY4x2IwVzv2KlDFS60YiE-AcqNk4eY24MCEClb3MgBWX9X4Q99uJW_Z5G8juZqvoMhelEzJqzUfZwLIkG7C7lH3DoJdiRiveYHYAwFvB_kODSVQvXJ_n4rcV-Q/s1600/DSC02183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsw_eirvrGsA01yGJfGKY4x2IwVzv2KlDFS60YiE-AcqNk4eY24MCEClb3MgBWX9X4Q99uJW_Z5G8juZqvoMhelEzJqzUfZwLIkG7C7lH3DoJdiRiveYHYAwFvB_kODSVQvXJ_n4rcV-Q/s1600/DSC02183.JPG" height="370" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8BQfYBqkWM6fhOd9aRZ6AAgrcrSyyrLH8HCjOuoF1x4r8nVsgLIjAlZWedjF_QDS2PZ_45rfV9oLyr4ydX5hJRRv7e_sNZkhohaSn94oDPfZNIMYanKuXD2Z-sbREkoAyMNTkCgDFmw/s1600/DSC02184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8BQfYBqkWM6fhOd9aRZ6AAgrcrSyyrLH8HCjOuoF1x4r8nVsgLIjAlZWedjF_QDS2PZ_45rfV9oLyr4ydX5hJRRv7e_sNZkhohaSn94oDPfZNIMYanKuXD2Z-sbREkoAyMNTkCgDFmw/s1600/DSC02184.JPG" height="310" width="640" /></a></div>
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Though this one was a bit different<br />
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However, back to Mallory Park and for the only car meeting of the year I thought the crowd was a bit disappointing in size, though I presume the organisers must have been pleased by the numbers as apparently they ran out of programmes.<br />
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The stars of the day were the Special Saloons and Modsports and I make no bones about it that these are some of my favourite cars on the British circuits today - as they were 30-40 years ago when some of them were in their heyday. Unfortunately there were were few originals from that era at Mallory as far as I could tell but it is always great to the see the Vauxhall Carlton of Pete Stevens who apparently has had the car for 24 years - and it is always immaculately turned out as you can see below:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBJSvgC6Z9Hkd-kBT0roCnAgdFfofbSiznRb05JbBw2O7U0meF92pUezjMfdDmkXFwuL8egR9PGMyqzeXMKDDZMksknrQdeq9we2oZ86u2uxYCwDpML8zCIsY8JyFR7IFy9Fy88ykNcY/s1600/004+Pete+Stevens+-+6.0+Vauxhall+Carlton+TS+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBJSvgC6Z9Hkd-kBT0roCnAgdFfofbSiznRb05JbBw2O7U0meF92pUezjMfdDmkXFwuL8egR9PGMyqzeXMKDDZMksknrQdeq9we2oZ86u2uxYCwDpML8zCIsY8JyFR7IFy9Fy88ykNcY/s1600/004+Pete+Stevens+-+6.0+Vauxhall+Carlton+TS+1.JPG" height="260" width="640" /></a></div>
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And here it is at Brands Hatch in 1993 - sorry about quality of photo - pre - digital!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBjZpI4-o87MFjA67ak3HQJEuXVfHcFepP4CSkvjxONtDgqfvqfl-oT7VRMwdWg4Qfv5ln6DtGO-I6mLGQSrNYAnri9OUsNAZcoySxh4leWG63w5VDfA7ftRr8xoXI2TLQlW-w-X4xi3o/s1600/Pete+Stevens+Carlton+1993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBjZpI4-o87MFjA67ak3HQJEuXVfHcFepP4CSkvjxONtDgqfvqfl-oT7VRMwdWg4Qfv5ln6DtGO-I6mLGQSrNYAnri9OUsNAZcoySxh4leWG63w5VDfA7ftRr8xoXI2TLQlW-w-X4xi3o/s1600/Pete+Stevens+Carlton+1993.jpg" height="376" width="640" /></a></div>
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It always looks so much less 'modified' than some of the other specials - for example what car would you say this was?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvuNZel7Nxe-GzKa4QVwlndzKgMNQMi45GQIicu_fkDEiD4IhwxmQWtXOoiPTRKvJ7cl-gi9JwmDsgp4hV9Y-ZfRNb9mx2HWyP6oc82zZq2G65j88EhK78zX_JT6V1q05h4D4FsAS5DY/s1600/059+Rob+Compton+-+6.7+Vauxhall+Belmont+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvuNZel7Nxe-GzKa4QVwlndzKgMNQMi45GQIicu_fkDEiD4IhwxmQWtXOoiPTRKvJ7cl-gi9JwmDsgp4hV9Y-ZfRNb9mx2HWyP6oc82zZq2G65j88EhK78zX_JT6V1q05h4D4FsAS5DY/s1600/059+Rob+Compton+-+6.7+Vauxhall+Belmont+1.JPG" height="278" width="640" /></a></div>
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That in fact is Rob Compton's Vauxhall Belmont (Astra Saloon) which has a 6.7 litre engine and is therefore very much in the spirit of the original Super Saloons such as Mick Hill's VW. That car of course is still running and it was out at the first revival of the Super Saloons at Mallory Park in 2011.<br />
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My favourites however are the many Hillman Imp / Sunbeam Stiletto variations, none as outrageous as the Chimp (Chevron / Imp) of Jonathan Buncombe, but here is a selection of those on the circuit at Mallory Park this year:<br />
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Martin Baker<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQ6W8_QIEz36RZfnodbP2FKZdAHpiWeTjK6dnvPxWYIofzsDXH9I6ZTmqnBryJJVOcYABbiIcNQN4wc32OCz3reDH-FMiTEVXSW0RJ9As1ZdL3jD1JNrU61bE8OdSztVaEypE6sAEQcY/s1600/019+Martin+Baker+-+Hillman+Imp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQ6W8_QIEz36RZfnodbP2FKZdAHpiWeTjK6dnvPxWYIofzsDXH9I6ZTmqnBryJJVOcYABbiIcNQN4wc32OCz3reDH-FMiTEVXSW0RJ9As1ZdL3jD1JNrU61bE8OdSztVaEypE6sAEQcY/s1600/019+Martin+Baker+-+Hillman+Imp.JPG" height="266" width="640" /></a></div>
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Kevin Cooper in the ex-Charles Barter hillclimbing Solo Stiletto in which Charles dominated small saloon hillclimbing in 1980<br />
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and this is John Woods in the Maguire Stiletto<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXd6RTkgP5oy_gKK30cpqOrDJELF-qQ8OyWPi3jds0x4c1I2f5nQyb71aTiQP5x0HB5rW8u68mqfb9hAVQRwvVjxoOOqFQuHfBVf-9D6fhLs0lFDe8tBJ8RkzLM0Krx3bsaHZK2tlqDU/s1600/034+John+Woods+-+Maguire+Stiletto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXd6RTkgP5oy_gKK30cpqOrDJELF-qQ8OyWPi3jds0x4c1I2f5nQyb71aTiQP5x0HB5rW8u68mqfb9hAVQRwvVjxoOOqFQuHfBVf-9D6fhLs0lFDe8tBJ8RkzLM0Krx3bsaHZK2tlqDU/s1600/034+John+Woods+-+Maguire+Stiletto.JPG" height="300" width="640" /></a></div>
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and Andrew Jones / Mike Bratby's AG Shrigley Hillman Imp<br />
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In actual fact not all of the Special Saloons are historic and one of the modern interpretations of the theme which always catches attention, even if only because of the colour ,is Steven Moss's Ford Anglia spaceframe: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEeh0MyTWGPmzpVhpFet6q6U2t2holcrY6EbdfLNO6rktYnldHHb1s7OB_QcRkNRW_iGo1oHfiqWeItycOUt9Jj5is_lpOvIlx5ita-n_Z5-Jk3gaIqIEgs8bBoelL1zx-6qticOsYzIY/s1600/071+Steve+Moss+-+2.4+Ford+Anglia+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEeh0MyTWGPmzpVhpFet6q6U2t2holcrY6EbdfLNO6rktYnldHHb1s7OB_QcRkNRW_iGo1oHfiqWeItycOUt9Jj5is_lpOvIlx5ita-n_Z5-Jk3gaIqIEgs8bBoelL1zx-6qticOsYzIY/s1600/071+Steve+Moss+-+2.4+Ford+Anglia+1.JPG" height="274" width="640" /></a></div>
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There was a fantastic turnout of 31 cars at Mallory Park and even though the numbers dwindled through the three races until only 16 started the third race they put on a great show and for me they have been the highlight of the year so far. Many more pictures on my Flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/125284417@N04/sets/72157645403009327/ - for these cars in particular.<br />
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The rest of the Mallory programme did its best to match the Special Saloons and Modsports and probably, if truth be told, provided better racing. The CSCC Sports v Saloons smaller classes were highlighted by a duel between Pete Edwards in a Fiesta and Ian Collins in his Clio in which no quarter was asked or given while the larger engined classes matched Porsche Boxster of Will Sharpe against the Morgan +8 of Tony Lees with one win apiece being the final tally.<br />
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A small field of 7s entertained but the monoposto single seaters tended to get a bit strung out except for a race long battle between Tim Cameron and Craig Hurran which ended with retirement for Tim on the last lap.<br />
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At the end of the day it was great to have Mallory back again - for viewing purposes there can be fewer better circuits in England and the short length of the track always seems to produce exciting racing somewhere in a race. For the new owners a small plea - can we have tannoys between the Esses and the hairpin - there is a gap in the coverage there and I am sure there would be a greater crowd in that area if they were able to know what was going on.<br />
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One final point - there is a book on the market called England's Motoring Heritage From The Air - ISBN: 978-1-84802-087-0 which includes 4 photographs of motor racing circuits - Brooklands 1921, Silverstone 1971 and that is a wonderful shot of the old pits, Brands Hatch 1955 - before the GP loop was built but interestingly the path it eventually did take is clearly seen as a clearing in the woods, and Mallory Park in 1956 and the main change here is that there is no lake in the middle!! Grab a copy of it if you can - Amazon have it at £14.74 upwards - there are another 150-odd fascinating photos all reflecting the title of the book between its covers.<br />
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Circuit number 10 is Knockhill and for that I am going to the BTCC round on 14th August - here's hoping the good weather continues because I have some bad memories of the weather at Knockhill - can you imagine a Rallycross being cancelled because it was TOO MUDDY!! More next time.John Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438862501056289859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5465251845763637057.post-46003172973185175682014-07-11T04:36:00.000-07:002014-07-11T04:36:58.550-07:00Number 8 - RockinghamAs this is number 8 it means that we are over halfway there in my tour of mainland motor racing circuits and a visit to Rockingham was in marked contrast to the previous one at Lydden - talk about sublime and ridiculous. If you have never been to Rockingham or know nothing about it then the first few photos will give you a flavour of the place:<br />
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The pits and paddock from the main grandstand<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWDGKtBpoys1_7Bg8fCR8HpygZs2UrF7ZfcZuOXQU84ML9GLG01L_f8K2GRifI5iSgDTrxyAzkRK46jUMOfJrW4S5BMxuww5W1Cg3XUqrldK8UL13_9p9qw52f3fsmZbK41Fn4MY0YyE/s1600/Looking+ahead+from+Grandstand.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWDGKtBpoys1_7Bg8fCR8HpygZs2UrF7ZfcZuOXQU84ML9GLG01L_f8K2GRifI5iSgDTrxyAzkRK46jUMOfJrW4S5BMxuww5W1Cg3XUqrldK8UL13_9p9qw52f3fsmZbK41Fn4MY0YyE/s1600/Looking+ahead+from+Grandstand.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Looking left......<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9WodM1jvEr0nAsLznPjAUaz2NrDNL1vHboFeHxYyrlljulIel2i19rzl4XHR1j3KAMYvOj685wVzc-jLgEWHgYZH_mVZPlxbWa12QXUw-IklNffDolFPLZ8l4PM_RX7YO0Vt2fMAOUI/s1600/Looking+Left+from+Grandstand.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9WodM1jvEr0nAsLznPjAUaz2NrDNL1vHboFeHxYyrlljulIel2i19rzl4XHR1j3KAMYvOj685wVzc-jLgEWHgYZH_mVZPlxbWa12QXUw-IklNffDolFPLZ8l4PM_RX7YO0Vt2fMAOUI/s1600/Looking+Left+from+Grandstand.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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...and right from the main grandstand<br />
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From the pits<br />
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<br />
And yes you can spectate from the top tier - and with the luxury of lifts it means that those in wheelchairs can also get great views.<br />
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<br />
This is the tunnel under the track from the grandstands to the pits - looks like something from a science fiction film and you expect a space ship to go hurtling away from you as the photo flashes to stimulate movement!!<br />
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<br />
The circuit is on the edge of Corby and you get there via industrial estates and business parks but it is a stunning place and it is just unfortunate that the original idea of attracting Indycars only lasted a couple of years. Now the only cars that use the oval are, I believe, the Pickup Championship while the rest use a combination of the oval and the infield which has been made interesting with a number of gradients unlike Daytona for instance.<br />
<br />
One curious, and sometimes, unsettling aspect of Rockingham is sitting in the grandstand and being able to see cars race from left to right, right to left, left to right and right to left all at the same time as the circuit twists and turns through the infield, and with the whole circuit in view it is sometimes difficult to know where to look - like watching 6 lanes of ten-pin bowling at any one time.<br />
<br />
There is a small diner in the grandstand and a burger van in the paddock which was not enough to cater for all the entries, the overflow being housed in an outer paddock behind the grandstand with a separate tunnel to access the main paddock and the track.<br />
<br />
So what did I go and see? I have been fortunate that, in selecting the circuits to visit by availability rather then taking into account what might be happening, I have seen a variety of classes and Championships so far and this time it was the 750 Motor Club that were hosting a two day event, of which I attended the Sunday, and once again it was a bargain with 13 races for my entry fee of £10 which is a bit better value / race than the meeting happening the same day just down the road at Silverstone. And it was so much quieter with only a few hundred spectators, if that. No crowding and free access everywhere.<br />
<br />
The racing was varied with single make classes like the Renault Clio 182s, the Stock Hatches (just one non-Citroen Saxo in the field), BMW Compacts and Toyota MR2s plus the unique 750 Trophy and Formula 750 cars and a variety of sports cars / kit cars. Since you all know what the single make cars look like I have added below examples of the other classes but it is now possible to see my photographs on Flickr by going to <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/125284417@N04/collections/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/125284417@N04/collections/</a><br />
<br />
I should say that not all my photos are there as I still take photos on film as I like to have some in boxes that I can take out and look at but I will scan in some of them if I think they are particularly interesting. In time I may get all my photos digitised but that could take a while! You will find some old Interseries races at Brands Hatch on Flickr at the moment - I digitised these so that I could add them to the database on the Racing Sports Car website - <a href="http://www.racingsportscars.com/">http://www.racingsportscars.com/</a><br />
<br />
It is probably easier to describe what the various classes are by quoting from the 750MC website!!<br />
<br />
<b>Protech Shocks Sports Specials Championship</b><br />
<br />
Catering for genuine ‘production’ Sports Specials, Kit Cars, Caterhams,
& Westfields as well as’ one-off’ road-going two-seater specials,
all using production car engines with modifications.Classes are 2000cc Duratec; 1800cc Zetec incorporating Westfield Cup
Class and Tiger Zetec's; Roadgoing two-seater specials including one-off
Sport Specials/Caterham R300/R400 with power-to-weight ratio up to
340bhp/tonne.<br />
<br />
So we have the STM Phoenix of Colin Benham <br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFASHCrMB-uk1V9KuqKfUhjLlB_yJzTWj9UoSQibCjhhNUpSIvwAxlIvOaJrR4GN65zO1Fv9B-S3u1HQ0-d03CLEv17N313GMIFpzL0ffkYi8JopCpBwIznT6dugo-brCSXYNulVYkC1U/s1600/01+Colin+Benham+-+STM+Phoenix.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFASHCrMB-uk1V9KuqKfUhjLlB_yJzTWj9UoSQibCjhhNUpSIvwAxlIvOaJrR4GN65zO1Fv9B-S3u1HQ0-d03CLEv17N313GMIFpzL0ffkYi8JopCpBwIznT6dugo-brCSXYNulVYkC1U/s1600/01+Colin+Benham+-+STM+Phoenix.JPG" height="288" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The Eclipse SM1 of Clive Hudson (one of the leading cars along with its stablemate of Paul Boyd)<br />
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<br />
The Arrow 2013 of John Moore<br />
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<br />
The Cyana MX500R of David Roberts (with a Sylva Phoenix behind)<br />
<br />
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<br />
and the MEV MX150R of John Potter, one of a number racing here having been displaced from the Mazda MX5 series.<br />
<br />
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<br />
And then we have<br />
<br />
<b>The Disklok RGB Championship</b><br />
<br />
<div>
Created in 2001, the Disklok RGB Championship (Road-Going <b>Bike-engined </b>
(mainly up to 1000c.c.)cars) is for two-seater cars built to road-going specification and
capable of passing an MoT on the day of the event. The cars can be
‘one-off’, converted sports or <a href="http://www.750mc.co.uk/formulae/sports-specials.htm" target="_blank">Sports Specials</a> or one of the many bike-engined <a href="http://www.750mc.co.uk/formulae/sports-specials.htm">Sports Specials</a>.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
The dominant car here has become the Spire - there were 8 entered and an example driven by Matthew Higginson won both races with others filling out the podium in both races, but there are a number of 'interesting' designs competing as shown below:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Matthew Higginson's triumphant Spire</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<br />
The AB Arion of Kevin Bolton<br />
<br />
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<br />
the Genesis RR of Edward Scotney<br />
<br />
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<br />
the BDN S3 of Bob Mortimer<br />
<br />
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<br />
the svelte Contour of Paul Rogers<br />
<br />
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<br />
and in contrast an interesting take on an AB Sabre from Tim Horverd<br />
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</div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_AnF7YcPiRVSjUZSNFiX9mS0XD8kZgic9blP4pAvhOxonlHRCjCu331q2E3cadXqyg49-_VtEn5YaDz_NDhsNPIgh47UR51s6Unrp0cl4ZCAZHnNwr6bdrap6ud-6Gnt_3fuU-DMWVCc/s1600/50+Tim+Hoverd+-+AB+Sabre+2A+-+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_AnF7YcPiRVSjUZSNFiX9mS0XD8kZgic9blP4pAvhOxonlHRCjCu331q2E3cadXqyg49-_VtEn5YaDz_NDhsNPIgh47UR51s6Unrp0cl4ZCAZHnNwr6bdrap6ud-6Gnt_3fuU-DMWVCc/s1600/50+Tim+Hoverd+-+AB+Sabre+2A+-+2.JPG" height="458" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
especially as this is also down as an AB Sabre!!!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwgLSRgcZAuBiJSZIhWruyTRT-WgGfWWgDD0qwJKtLBaguv3yeKem_dC_VcIS4IxzRluq8uxn5QZaYFL2k-unangsoobvGAWJgGUzSIGuKS7Lo2cDOAdSDzLh0rYB9vG9i_IzTNwLQDZs/s1600/21+Kelvin+Rawles+-+AB+Sabre.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwgLSRgcZAuBiJSZIhWruyTRT-WgGfWWgDD0qwJKtLBaguv3yeKem_dC_VcIS4IxzRluq8uxn5QZaYFL2k-unangsoobvGAWJgGUzSIGuKS7Lo2cDOAdSDzLh0rYB9vG9i_IzTNwLQDZs/s1600/21+Kelvin+Rawles+-+AB+Sabre.JPG" height="390" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
But they make a fine sight lined up in the Assembly Area waiting for their race:<br />
<br />
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<br />
And my final selection for this post is:<br />
<br />
<b>750 Trophy</b><br />
<br />
The 750 Motor Club’s ‘Historic’ racing series, for early 750 Formula,
Austin 7 specials, 1172cc side-valve front-engined cars, Historic 500cc
F3 cars and other historic and classic cars. New cars have to be built
within careful guidelines to ensure compatibility.<br />
<br />
The last sentence is interesting as the number of totally new designs appearing in the 750 Trophy is limited but Rockingham marked the debut for the Racekits Merlin, though it was the much older Gerrell of Ben Myall which was triumphant coming through the field after a troubled practice. I do not have a photo of either of those cars at the moment but here are a few of the other competitors upholding the traditions of the founding fathers of the 750MC.<br />
<br />
Cliff Ringrose in his Rapide: <br />
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Michael Harvey in his JB Special<br />
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John Slatter in his Centaur Mk XI which unfortunately for him refused to start<br />
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and the fastest car there, which however, did not finish the supercharged Austin 7 of Christian Pederson.<br />
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As we head into the second half of the season and of my grand tour it was interesting to see a chart in Autosport this week showing the number of car race meetings being held at British circuits this year: Silverstone tops with 28, followed by Brands Hatch with 25, Snetterton with 23, Oulton Park and Donington with 21 and all the rest with fewer than 10. A number of the other circuits are restricted because of noise so that Thruxton has as few as 5 and Croft just 9. The full list of the rest is: Cadwell Park (10); Anglesey,Croft, Knockhill and Rockingham (9); Castle Combe (8); Kirkistown and Mondello Park (7); Pembrey and Thruxton (5); Lydden Hill (3) and Mallory Park (2 - now that the Boxing Day event has been announced).<br />
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This is headed as the "number of meetings" but obviously some meetings have more than one day and so I am not sure if those numbers would be higher if those were counted additionally.<br />
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So I now look forward now to the Mallory meeting on 20th July but then I have a break until Knockhill for the BTCC in late August before an intensive final round up with the last 5 circuits being visited in 3 weekends at end of September / beginning October, the final one being Pembrey on 5th October.<br />
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However, to save me from getting bored (wife off to visit mother in Scotland) I am off to Castle Combe tomorrow for a repeat visit which I may mention in a future post!!<br />
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<br />John Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438862501056289859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5465251845763637057.post-78173393815208177322014-07-08T05:44:00.001-07:002014-07-08T05:49:31.433-07:00Number 7 - Lydden HillIt seems to take me about a fortnight to get around to writing a new post for this blog - I guess I do not want to publish too many too close together in case you miss one and only read the newest. Thanks by the way to those who are reading these ramblings from me - hope you like them and that the photographs, especially the older ones, bring back some memories for you if you are old enough to remember them!!<br />
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One restraint in planning my programme for this year has been the small number of meetings being held at some of the circuits. I used the Autosport National Racing Calendar to plan my itinerary and that shows just the one meeting at Mallory Park, which is fairly well known, but also it only shows 2 meetings for Lydden Hill - one in October and the one I visited recently - the Truck Fest meeting which had races for 4 car categories. So a total of 8 car races over the weekend, very much the minor partner alongside a number of oval racing categories and a very small field of trucks running 'demo' races - i.e including passenger rides as part of the 'race'. So compared to the18 races over the weekend at Snetterton two weeks previously it was a much reduced bill of fare.<br />
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It was pretty quiet on Saturday morning when I arrived about 0930 and paid my entry fee and was told that there were no programmes left!! The chap on the gate had only been given 12!! Mmmm - more on that later.<br />
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Lydden of course has a great sloping field with acres of parking but I wanted to go to the paddock and so I parked reasonably close to that side of the field about halfway down the hill in this vast area of field. Before I had even got out of my car somebody had parked right next to me!!! Here is a picture of this taken from the far side of the circuit a little later. My black Suzuki Swift is the left hand of the two cars parked towards the right of the picture and you can see how close the car to the right has parked!! He probably parked in that half of the field for the same reason as me but why so close??<br />
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And then a third car joined us<br />
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And by the end of the afternoon we had a nice little community going!!<br />
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Previous visits to Lydden had been many years in the past when I was living in Essex and it had been a fairly quick trip over the river and it was good to see that it still had a friendly feel about it with easy access pretty much anywhere and of course you can see the majority of the circuit from almost any spot around it, particularly from the grandstands on the outside of the circuit at Hairy Hill (below), except for the dip at Pilgrims where it goes down and behind the bank of the rallycross circuit.<br />
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In fact there were 4 circuits in use for the weekend - the full circuit for the cars, the shortened circuit, for the trucks, which cuts out North Bend and comes through the section blocked by the tyres above and the oval which you can see in the background and which was used in both directions!<br />
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The following picture shows a couple of trucks powering out of that short link and heading down into Paddock Bend.<br />
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My first aim, however, having arrived was to find a programme - and I will admit here that I was eventually given one by one of the people in the meeting office which somebody else had been using because there just did not appear to be any available at all for the public, or if there were they were only released in small batches and thus sold out pretty quickly. I know it must be very difficult to gauge how many programmes to produce and also to judge how many might be needed on the Sunday (when I did not think to see if any were available) but it is always disappointing when you cannot get one. These days it is usually possible to get the timetable and the entry lists from the Internet and I now try to take these with me just in case it is all the information I will have available to me on the day.<br />
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The 4 car classes were organised by the BARC SE and were the familiar Cannon Motor Spares Tin Tops, the Quaife - Motorsport News Saloons, the Quaife Intermarque Championship with Avon Tyres and RDJ Smith Machinery (to give it its full title) and a new series called the Sevenesque series being another one for the various Lotus / Caterham 7 / Westfield / Tiger type cars.<br />
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In the Tin Tops the Honda Civic of Chris Whiteman (above) was dominant while the variety of models on display was wide - witnessed by a Toyota Starlet (Barnaby Davies) and a Ford Escort (Russell Turner) being his nearest rivals. My favourite was the shocking pink Renault 5 of Oliver Davies - all of these pictured below!!<br />
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The Quaife - Motorsport News Saloons were dominated, as more often than not, by Rod Birley in his Escort Cosworth as he racked up another 2 wins. Rod's total of wins is many hundred now and I can remember him many years ago driving a road saloon Hillman Imp at my home track of Ingliston in Scotland - afraid have no pictures from that time but I seem to recall it was red and cream / white.<br />
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The Quaife Intermarque Championship in previous years had a number of classes picking up the odd Caterham racer and even the Birley Escort at times, but this year it is really just the one class for 2.0 litre Hot Rods which are otherwise seen on the oval circuits around Britain. The Vauxhall Tigra body shape seems to be the most popular but there were the odd exceptions in the shape of Mercedes SLK, BMW Z4 and VW Corrado for example. The reigning champion Matt Simpson won the first race with Chris Brockhurst taking the second. Some examples below of these interesting dual-purpose machines.<br />
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The Sevenesque cars were - just like Lotus 7s!!! Both races were won by Ian Conibear but because, I suppose, we see these cars everywhere I did not take any pictures - sorry Sevenesque fans but that's the way it happened.<br />
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So what of the rest of the day's activities - there was an unusual mix of oval racers ranging from the mighty Belgian-based CAMSO V8s, through Sprint Cars and Hot Rods of various sizes to grass track racers from the SEGTO series and I have popped a selection in below:<br />
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The Autograss Hillman Imp of Mick Browne <br />
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The Sprint car of Duncan Panton<br />
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The V6 Hot Rod Lexus of Danny Ellis<br />
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and the CAMSO V8 of Paul Sweeney - who is British by the way!!<br />
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And then there were the trucks!! - not many but they created their own smoke screen so there could have been others hiding in there somewhere!! A few pictures to get the taste.<br />
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This one was overheating and so had some panels removed to assist in cooling!<br />
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And that was another different type of motor racing weekend ticked off and the next outing would be from one extreme to the other - from Britain's smallest to its potentially largest, but certainly the newest - Rockingham - but that's another story as I pass the half way mark on my tour of the country's motor racing circuits.John Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438862501056289859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5465251845763637057.post-26947392689583862612014-06-24T03:25:00.000-07:002014-06-24T03:25:05.514-07:00Number 6 - SnettertonEarly start on the Saturday morning for the trip to Snetterton for the HSCC meeting featuring the Autosport 3 hours. I do not usually go to both days of a two day meeting but with the 3 hours on the Saturday and the single seater races on the Sunday it was difficult to decide which day to choose and so I found myself a bed and breakfast place on the Internet for the Saturday night and set off for what would be a packed weekend of racing with the majority of the HSCC classes featuring.<br />
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When I first went to Snetterton from Chelmsford I was able to avoid the dreaded A11 and also Thetford, which was at that time not bypassed, and used a cross country route that included some lovely quiet East Anglian roads. When I moved to Bedford and the prospect of using the A11 loomed I continued to avoid the direct route which was getting busier and more congested as they, piece by piece, built the dual carriageway. Now the new road is almost complete and it remains to be seen whether I will continue to use my 'pretty' route or if I will exchange it for the blast up the A11. I remember the days when Norfolk County Council used to boast that they were the only county in the country without a dual carriageway!!<br />
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And speaking of that first visit, here is a picture taken in 1989 of the view back towards Coram showing the layout at the time - this I think was after a very sharp Russell Bend had been removed from the track and replaced by this gentle curve - I must admit to getting very confused about what has happened in that area over the years - what fascinates me about this picture is the distinct kink in the white line marking the edge of the track, on the right as you see it in the picture (on the left as you drive it) - can anyone explain its purpose?<br />
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You will see also cars parked quite close up to the track on the inside of Coram and just to the left edge of the picture the old grandstand at the Bombhole.</div>
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The next picture was taken in August 1992 and shows the the alignment of Russell at that time with a field of Monopostos racing through. From the state of the ground on the right of the picture I would say that the new section was fairly new at this time.</div>
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Now of course the bend is called Murrays and has a faster entry - as can be seen from the photo below.</div>
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Snetterton of course is owned and operated by MSV, and as with Brands Hatch (and I presume Cadwell Park and Oulton Park which I shall visit later in the year) it has been transformed since MSV took over - everything is tidy and well looked after and investment has been made which was lacking before - one small indicator of the care which they take over the condition of the place, and which I hope is reflected by the spectators, is the sheer quantity of litter bins around the track - all smartly painted red and regularly emptied during the day if required. It may seem a small point but it all adds up to the place looking good.<br />
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I had never attended a race meeting on the new 300 circuit and I will say that I am a bit ambivalent about it still. Maybe the historics were not the best classes to see there because, as with the Silverstone GP, the cars do take a long time to come around and I think for the slower cars the spectators would get a better value from using the 200 circuit which is similar to the old Snetterton and would cut 30-40 seconds off the lap time. I do not know what others think but to me the best way to keep casual spectators interested is to have the cars coming past as often as possible.<br />
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It did not help that some of the fields at Snetterton were in single figures and I will admit that I resorted to reading a book during some of the races while waiting for the cars to some around again.<br />
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As the fields were small I wondered why some of the classes had not been combined for the races - for example the Historic and 1970s Road Sports which had practised together, as had the FF2000 and Classic F3. I suppose the question to be asked is why were the fields so small - it is not as if the cars are not out there as they have appeared at other rounds - but what made people decide to miss out on Snetterton - is it too far away - will the new A11 help to increase its attractiveness??<br />
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Of course the old adage says that it takes just 2 cars to make a motor race and certainly the dice between the Lotus Europas of Oliver Ford and Jim Dean and the TVR of Peter Shaw (OK that is 3 cars!!) in the Roadsports enlivened up the race in spite of the small entry but the races of the day were the Formula Fords where a 5 car battle for the lead in the first race was great but even that was overshadowed by the 3 car dice in the second race with victory being taken by just one-thousandth of a second. Pity that that was the last race of a long weekend and so was missed by quite a few but the prospect of it occurring was enough to keep me there through a couple of dreadfully boring Classic F3 and Classic Racing Car races.<br />
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However, one word for the drivers - do we need to have so many <b><span style="color: red;">RED</span></b> Formula Fords - I am sure the commentators would be grateful for some more variation in colour!! <br />
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The actual racing is of course only one part of the enjoyment to be gained from going to a motor race meeting - the actual cars themselves are the stars - and I am probably out of kilter with the rest of the world here but I have never been interested in hero worship of a driver - I will go and see motor racing no matter who is driving - even if all the drivers are amateurs they will all be doing their best and racing flat out. The question was asked in Autosport about the low attendance at the Silverstone Blancpain Endurance round and the answer suggested was the lack of big name drivers, but whoever was driving there was driving faster than I could ever go and they were still providing an exciting race. I think the main reason for the small attendance was probably that it was Bank Holiday weekend and there were conflicting attractions both motor racing and non motor racing.<br />
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So for me it is the cars that are the stars and once again I caught up with a few which I had not seen before or had not had a chance to study close up. My favourites from the weekend are shown below in no particular order. Next trip on the agenda was to Lydden Hill and more on that next time.<br />
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A rare Tui BH2 Formula Super Vee <br />
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Mike Painter's gorgeous Brabham BT16<br />
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The one off F3 Belgica of Dick van Amsterdam<br />
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My namesake in his Merlyn Mk9<br />
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The McLaren M1B of Marcus Mussa<br />
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The Merlyn Mk 6 of Bob Brooks and his daughters<br />
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A very rare saloon racer - Richard Conway's Volvo<br />
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Anybody recognise this as a Gilbern GT?<br />
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Jeremy Bouckley's North Star FJ<br />
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and finally an immaculate Brabham BT35 of Andrew Thorpe<br />
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<br />John Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438862501056289859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5465251845763637057.post-89013954636681213602014-06-11T03:45:00.002-07:002014-06-11T03:50:17.174-07:00Number 5 - Brands HatchAfter the hectic Bank Holiday weekend when 3 tracks were visited I had a weekend off before heading down to Brands Hatch for the return of International Sports Car Racing to the circuit - the Blancpain Sprint Series races on the full GP layout.The last International Sports Car races had been there in 1996 when the Global GT Championship race was won by Hans Stuck and Thierry Boutsen in a Porsche 911 GT1 followed by 3 McLaren F1s. Photos from that race below:<br />
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The winners - Stuck and Boutsen<br />
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Second Place - Wallace and Grouillard<br />
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Third place - Raphanel and Owen-Jones<br />
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Fourth place - Nielsen and Bscher<br />
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You will maybe recognise that three of those photographs were taken from the inside of Surtees with not a fence in sight but of course that is not possible these days but there are still a few places where you can get fence-free photos at Brands and I got a few of this year's entries from there. Once again McLaren's were involved, though perhaps not as prominently as in 1996 and this year the top three were from Lamborghini, Mercedes Benz and BMW. There were two one hour races and the results were the same in each one:<br />
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The winners - Proczyk and Bleekemolen<br />
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Second place - Gotz and Buhk<br />
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Third place - Jimenez and Bueno<br />
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I cannot remember too much about the race in 1996 and so whether or not it was thriller escapes me but I must admit to being underwhelmed by the races this year - there were very few place changes and the high speed train did start to get a bit boring after a while. Although the Brands GP layout is a great one to drive it does not have too many overtaking opportunities and so stalemate sets in quite quickly.<br />
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The support races were for Formula 4 - a typical boring one make single seater formula, Radicals and the GT Cup - great variety in this field even if the results were a bit predictable. Some of the more unusual cars in the GT Cup field are illustrated below:<br />
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An Aquila: <br />
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A Noble <br />
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and this one is called a SIN (yes really) <br />
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and the new Radical coupe<br />
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I have recently treated myslef to my first digital camera - yes I know I am a bit behind the times - and am still getting used to the best settings etc. but was pleased with this shot of a Porsche sliding off at Sheene Curve - in particular the high definition of the gravel!!!<br />
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I first went to Brands in 1987 - on the 1st March which I can remember as being a bit chilly. Top of the bill that meeting was FF2000 and it must have been a bit cold as I only managed to take a few photos, the best of which is below - of Pat Mannion's Stiletto from the Special GT race. Other races were for MGs, Triumphs, Formula Ford, pre-65 Saloons and Formula Vee.<br />
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The following my family and I moved to Chelmsford and Brands became our 'home' track and my two boys grew up with many Sunday trips across the river to see the great variety of motor racing that was staged there - Trucks, karts, Rallycross and a multitude of motor racing classes including one of my favourites - the Interserie races of the mid 1990s which showcased a wide variety of wacky conversions from single seaters to 'sports cars' - judge for yourself with apologies for the poor quality of some of them (the pictures that is not the cars!!):<br />
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Brands Hatch is still a great circuit to visit and spectate at - it also has an on-site bookshop which is usually bad news for my wallet and since MSV took over it is really looking very smart and tidy - and I will talk more on this in my next blog when I visit Snetterton, another MSV circuit.<br />
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Those of you who are interested in Sports Car Racing and its history might like to visit the <a href="http://www.racingsportscars.com/">Racing Sports Car website</a> - here you will find masses of information about Sports Car Races over the past 50 plus years - it is a contributory site and maybe if you have photos or old programmes you could send them in and add to what is a fascinating database from around the world.<br />
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Next stop on my tour was Snetterton for the Autosport 3 hour race and a full weekend of HSCC races - watch this space.<br />
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<br />John Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438862501056289859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5465251845763637057.post-34909121206997384692014-06-02T03:46:00.001-07:002014-06-02T03:46:35.076-07:00Number 4 - Castle CombeA leisurely start for this visit as staying just a few miles away and decided to give morning practice a miss. Still a bit chilly but at least it is dry as I drive into a surprisingly quiet, I thought, Castle Combe. Managed to park close to Camp Corner and wandered into the paddock where there was a definite lack of entries - for the first time that I have been there - and my experience only stretches as far back as 3 years, the overflow paddock was not being used for competitors but as a public car park, which explained why I had seen an unfamiliar direction sign pointing to Chippenham Road parking.<br />
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The programme included the usual Castle Combe Championships, of which more later, while the visiting championships were for the Nippon Challenge / Tricolore Trophy and the Toyota MR2 / Hyundai Coupes.<br />
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As I said above I first visited Castle Combe 3 years ago as it seemed quite a long way from Bedford, though the reports about it were always very enthusiastic.I wish I had seen it before the chicanes were put in mind you as it must have been quite a sight to see the cars barrelling down to Old Paddock or Camp Corner at full speed. As far as distance - well it is actually less than 100 miles, closer than Shelsley Walsh to which I regularly travel, and although the roads are cross-country I have usually found them to be quite quiet early on a Sunday morning or late on a Sunday evening. I have now found a friend who lives close to stay with and so that certainly cuts down the feeling of distance.<br />
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It is a great viewing circuit although obviously there are high fences at certain points - which were well needed when a Toyota barrel rolled at Camp this year - and it is possible to get close to the track and get some good photographic viewing points. While it is relatively flat, the land in the middle of the circuit is a slight rise and so you cannot really see right across to the other side, and when the crops are in even the tops of helmets are hidden.<br />
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It is a good circuit for close racing between closely matched cars as an element of slip-streaming is possible and there are 3 or 4 overtaking opportunities so the local Formula Ford, for example, usually provides a good scrap.<br />
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As I wandered round the paddock there was a good selection of cars from the guest categories - here are a couple of shining Hyundais - of Adam Shale (66) and Paul Manyweathers (10):<br />
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and here are a couple of the front running Japanese cars - Nick Holden's 5.0 litre Toyota GT86 and Adam Lockwood's very quick Nissan 200SX:<br />
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One good thing about Combe is the ability to get into the assembly area and take pictures of the cars / drivers preparing to take to the track. The freedom to walk around the paddock has always been one of the attractions and this year when I arrived and wandered in at lunchtime I had no problems - however later in the afternoon - about 3 pm I was stopped and asked for my paddock pass - apparently I should have had one before but it was never mentioned at the gate when I drove in and I had wandered in easily enough earlier. As I had never needed a paddock pass at CC before I wondered if this was somebody trying it on and so I wandered along the track past the startline / pits to watch a race from there before entering the paddock through the car park with no sign of anybody wanting a pass to be shown.<br />
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I was now a bit paranoid but on wandering around I did notice a few people with passes on and so obviously I should have had one earlier or been stopped. I must admit I would actually have had no idea where to buy one from if I had wanted to anyway!!<br />
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Castle Combe has always had a set of thriving local Championships. Being a bit out on a limb geographically it has a wide hinterland which sees the circuit as its local one and so the fields are often large and varied, none more so than the saloon car championship. An excellent field of 34 cars formed up on the grid for what turned out to be a thrilling battle at the head of the field between 3 turbo-charged cars - a SEAT Leon, a Vauxhall Astra and an Audi TT:<br />
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With such a diverse range of cars - lap times varied from 1min 16 secs to 1 min 34 secs - there would always be lappery in a 20 minute race and interaction with one or other of the leaders spread them out or squeezed them up until inevitably, perhaps, one went off and eventually Gary Prebble in his first drive in Rob Ballard's SEAT (left in the picture above) won the day from Tony Hutchings' Audi TT (number 33 above and below).<br />
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So all well and good on the Saloons front, and the Formula Fords had their usual fraught battle, though a smaller number of starters than previous years I think, but the Sports / GT / Sports Racing Cars were a shadow of their former self.<br />
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Much more so than with the saloons, lappery has always played a major part in these races with sometimes a much higher speed differential between the front runners such as Simon Tilling's Radical which was down in the 61 secs mark I believe last year and some much slower saloon based entries. So this year the entry has been split into 2 races - one for the out and out sports racers an one for the others - the result has been 2 small fields - in May there were 7 Sports Racers and 12 Sports / GT.<br />
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Regular readers will know my passion for sports racers by now and so it was great to see Simon Tilling out in a new Ligier - with a turbocharged Honda engine:<br />
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As he had qualified 3.4 seconds faster than anybody else there was obviously only going to be one winner and he duly did so, easing off by half a minute. All 7 cars finished but the last was 3 laps behind and the only really close gap was 2.3 seconds at the end between a Nemesis and a Radical.<br />
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In the Sports GT field, practice times indicated a closer race with just 0.7 secs in qualifying between Simon Norris' Mitsubishi Evo and Chris Milner's Caterham CSR. And this was a better race with a number of 2 / 3 car scraps down through a field of variety ranging from the above 2 to a Ford Fiesta ST and a VW Golf VR6. In the end Norris held on to win by 2.3 seconds from Keith Dunn's Caterham (below)<br />
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So the question to be asked is - should the fields be merged again. At the May Bank Holiday meeting the entry numbers were 8 Sports Racers and 11 Sports GT - together they would make a decent size race - only 4 Sports Racers finished in fact in their race.<br />
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The lap times varied between 1 min 07 secs and 1 min 21 secs on that occasion (and between 1min 04 and 1 min 22 secs when was there) and so the speed differential is no greater than in the Saloon Championships, though at a higher absolute speed. I am presuming that the format will remain for the rest of 2014 but maybe a re-think is necessary before next year?<br />
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So that was the end of my triple header Bank Holiday - a varied selection of the good and not quite as good in British motor racing and it was time to head the Suzuki in the direction of home and my own bed. Next on the calendar was to be Brands Hatch - and a step up in prestige for the Blancpain Sprint GT Championships - 18 years since top-flight International Sports / GTs had graced the circuit - would it be as good as the days of McLaren F1s and Porsche GT1s? - we would soon find out.<br />
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<br />John Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438862501056289859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5465251845763637057.post-74829729176351841182014-05-23T04:57:00.001-07:002014-05-23T04:58:43.861-07:00Number 3 - ThruxtonAfter the historics at Donington, the next morning saw me up bright and early and leaving Leicester by way of the M69 to get to Thruxton for the BTCC meeting. It is about 140 miles but the route is mainly motorway or dual carriageway - M69, A46, M42, A34 - and on a quiet Sunday morning it was easy to get settled at a decent speed and let the miles roll by. One of the interesting points about travelling on a Sunday is to see groups of people obviously heading off to a venue you have just passed and so it was this day as the Kit Car show at Stoneleigh, near Warwick was obviously attracting kit cars from all around as I was still meeting some when I left the A34 to join the A303.<br />
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Approaching Thruxton on the A303 from the East on a major race day, spectators are signed to carry on past the circuit and to come off at the next junction and enter the circuit from the West via the entrance off the A338 . Last year I did what I was told and found myself at the end of a reasonably moving queue on the access road off the A338, but this year the traffic was queued back up onto the A303 and I settled down for a longish drive in. However as I approached the roundabout on the old A303 / A338 junction where the queue was turning up the A338. as I expected, the actual sign for public parking was back along the old A303 towards the main circuit entrance. Nearly all the traffic was still going up the A338 but I decided to follow the sign, along with a few others, and 10 minutes later we were parking our cars in the circuit, very close to the main gate.<br />
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So the question I have is - why did others not similarly follow the sign along the old A30, and how long did it take people to get from that sign to the car park via the A338?<br />
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Anyway, enough on that. I always like to walk around the paddock at race meetings as it is a good chance to find cars sitting out just begging to be photographed and last year I bought a paddock ticket for the BTCC meeting at Thruxton only to be disappointed when so many of the cars (practically all in fact) were in awnings and not able to be seen - so this year I spent my time walking right around the circuit as far it is possible to go to the entrance of Noble and there on a high bank I found a great place to take photos and see the cars coming through the complex and even going through the club chicane (from the side) away across the other side of the circuit.<br />
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So here is a picture of the complex taken from that viewing bank:<br />
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and here is a photo taking of track action in front of me:<br />
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The BTCC field was a stunning site with the cars immaculately turned out and in the races the action was pretty much all the way down the order, but I have to admit to being fairly uninspired by the supporting races which apart from a few exceptions were pretty much bereft of excitement. The Pro-Am dice at the back of the Porsche races was good, and the odd bit of Ginetta Junior action made those races lively, but too many of the others were follow-my-leader for the entire duration, except where a faster car had to start from lower down the field. Here are a couple of Porsches enjoying themselves - Kevin Fletcher (17) and Peter Kyle-Henney (22):<br />
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I drifted off during the Formula Ford race for a coffee and took a walk behind the viewing bank to get round to the start line area a bit quicker, but from what I did see the Fords are now as exciting as those previous one-make (yes I know FF is not one-make but it 99% is) slicks and wings thrillathons of Formula Renault, Formula Vauxhall, Formula Forward, F2000- the cars sound flat, they do not move around and there is never any overtaking - bring back multi-makes, skinny tyres and wing-free cars!! Rant over.<br />
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I left after the last re-start in the BTCC Race 3 because I reckoned getting out would be more of a problem than I had getting in and I had a dinner date to get to at my friends where I would be staying before going to Castle Combe the next day.<br />
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Thruxton is a great circuit because it is so fast and it has a couple of good overtaking opportunities at the complex and the chicane and one hopes that there is no knee-jerk reaction to the accidents in the BTCC races this year - the problem is not the layout of the circuit, it is the protection for the cars after they go off and it would seem entirely feasible to increase that protection on the outside of Church as there is plenty of room there.<br />
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That was my 5th visit to Thruxton, the first few were back in 1983, 1984 and 1987, when my sister-in-law and her family were stationed at Tidworth, and so it was easy to nip out and say I was just going to be a few hours when we were visiting - and I tried to make sure the visits were arranged for the right weekends - BTCC in 1983 and 1984 and a historics meeting in 1987. So last year was my first visit for 26 years and it was pretty much the same as it had been - I would like to go again when it is not a BTCC meeting, when the crowds are fewer and it is possible to get a good view at the chicane for example.<br />
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So to finish off here are a few photos from 1983 and 1987, I have none for my visit in 1984.<br />
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With apologies for the Kodak Instamatic photos again, here is the midfield of the Touring Cars with Alfasuds, Metros, Escort, Scirocco and Toyota going through the complex:<br />
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and then this is the entire FFord field with Van Diemens and a Lola leading the way.<br />
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And finally from 1983 a view of the Padock at the end of the day - this is Hamish Irvine's privateer Mazda but look at the set up in the background for Andy Rouse's Alfa GTV - looks like a converted bus is being used as his transporter - wonder where it is these days? <br />
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By 1987 I had a better camera and here a few from the historic meeting:<br />
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Firstly we have a Ginetta G16 being driven by Roger Fowler, and this make and model is winning these days in the hands of James and Graeme Dodd in Guards GT Trophy races.<br />
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Next is Marcos founder, Jem Marsh in one of his original cars<br />
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And then 2 McLarens in the hands of John Foulston - firstly a Can-Am M8 which my notes say is an M8B, though it has the later M8D bodywork<br />
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and finally a glorious M19 in evocative Yardley colours.<br />
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<br />John Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438862501056289859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5465251845763637057.post-57941342217488001862014-05-20T02:12:00.001-07:002014-05-20T02:12:53.178-07:00Number 2 - DoningtonThe first question is what to call these blogs I am writing and after much thought I have decided just to number them as I go through, ticking off the 15 circuits.<br />
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The May Day Bank Holiday is always the opportunity for a triple-header for me as my wife goes off on a weekend to Wales with her friends and for the last four years I have tried to cram in as much motor racing as I can. This year, as last, it was Donington on the Saturday, Thruxton on the Sunday and Castle Combe on the Monday - more about the last two in future postings.<br />
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<b>Donington</b> of course has a very chequered history and it is really great to see it gradually getting back to some form of normality after the bid to host the Grand Prix a few years ago ended up in it being left as an unfinished building site. My first visit to Donington as a venue was in 1987 to a F3 meeting as a result of winning tickets in a magazine competition. In the days of only having one car, my wife had seconded it that weekend to take our new born son to visit her parents and I managed to persuade a friend that she would really like a day out at a motor racing event just so that I could get there. It was to be another 13 years before I returned, however, but I have managed to get there at least once most years since then, mainly for the major sports car races or the historic festivals.<br />
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That F3 meeting was not my first visit to Donington, however. In October 1976 as a student in Birmingham I caught a bus one Sunday to visit the Donington Collection. This was at the time when Tom Wheatcroft was just preparing the circuit for its re-opening and I was able to walk out into the circuit and take some photographs which I hope you might enjoy seeing - apologies for the poor quality but in those days a Kodak Instamatic was the weapon of choice. All the photos appear to be looking back along the track - and the first one is from the Old Hairpin looking up the Craner Curves.<br />
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Next we have looking back to Schwantz Curve and the old bridge<br />
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And the final one, which I think is the most amazing is actually taken looking back from Mcleans! - what a lovely tree-lined circuit it looked in those days!<br />
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But enough of history, how was this year's Historic Festival? I arrived early on the Saturday having spent the night before in Ashby-de-la-Zouch and, unlike previous years there was qualifying first which is always good for enabling you to get a good idea of what you will see later. With the whole meeting lasting three days I was only to get a view of a proportion of the entrants but, fortunately, the racing on the Saturday included some of my favourites - 2 litre Sports Cars of the 1970s, Historic F3 of the 1960s and big saloons of the 1980s.<br />
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One problem I have with Historic Racing is that over the years it can get quite repetitive seeing the same old cars coming out to race and so it is always exciting when new ones appear on the scene. This year there were a number of 2-litre sports I had not seen before, notably Kevin Cooke's Royale RP17, Julian Hire's Chevron B26 (though I have no doubt I have seen it before in different hands) and Mark Richardson's Lola T290 - pictures of them all below:<br />
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Similarly in Historic F3 I had not seen Mark Witherspoon's Tecno before - an earlier example than those usually seen of Dean Forward and Peter Hamilton, while the sight and sound of the Group 44 Jaguar XJS was awesome.<br />
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For spectating at Donington there are a number of great viewpoints around the circuit - the outside of Hollywood or the Old Hairpin - but once again there is a problem with fences getting in the way of photography. One place to get a good view of the cars is from the Grandstand at the Pit Entrance where you can get photos of cars on the main circuit leaving the chicane or as they enter the pit lane (or even sitting on the grid), while the new fence position on the inside of the Craners gets you closer to the action without the dreaded wire mesh spoiling the view.<br />
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Here are a couple of examples from the grandstand -<br />
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while this Aston Martin got it wrong coming down the Craners and it took a few laps to get it out.<br />
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As you can see from the photos it was a bright sunny day but there was still a bit of a chill wind and of course there is always the smell of aviation fuel hanging around if the wind is in the wrong direction as planes take off from East Midlands Airport. It has been a while since I saw planes landing at the airport over the circuit but I will never forget the sight of a Boeing 747 more or less skimming the treetops it seemed as it slowly descended to the runway.<br />
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One impressive addition to Donington this year is the HQ of the new Formula E which looks amazingly large for a fairly small number of cars, and obviously they will be hoping for constant expansion, but if people are fussed about the perceived lack of noise from the current Formula 1 how will they treat the much quieter Formula E?<br />
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And finally how was the racing that I saw? The best dice of the day was between Martin Stretton in Lotus Cortina and Sean McInerney in BMW 1800 in the Under 2-litre Touring Car race. Before the pit stops McInerney, driving solo, had a lead of around 8 or 9 seconds I think, but he stopped a couple of laps after Stretton's co-driver and those laps were enough for Martin to make up the gap and be right on the BMW's tale after its pit stop. A further 15-20 minutes of great racing ensued with the cars running nose to tail or alongside each other until finally Sean managed to hold on and take the win. It was the last race of the day and sent everybody away happy. <br />
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I must admit that much of the rest of the racing was fairly tame, but the sounds of the Broadspeed Capri, the Jaguar XJSs and the XJC were enough to keep us smiling. Most unusual car of the day must have been Graham Robson's Standard Pennant<br />
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though David Wylie's Armstrong Siddeley was probably a close second:<br />
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So at the end of a varied day it was off to the Premier Inn at Leicester ready for the early morning start to the trip to Thruxton on the Sunday morning - but that is the next episode of my story.John Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438862501056289859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5465251845763637057.post-53599307779311933452014-05-12T14:51:00.000-07:002014-05-12T14:51:05.526-07:00Number 1 - Silverstone<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Well here we are nearly half way through May and I have
visited 4 of the circuits on my tour of the 15 major motor racing circuits in Great
Britain and so far, touch wood, it has been a fairly mild start to the season
with only Silverstone at Easter suffering from poor weather.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Silverstone</b>, as
my nearest circuit was my starting point for the year’s travels and as I have
done for many years, I went to the 6 hour race meeting, though only on the Saturday
for the qualifying and the ELMS 4 hour event. The weather forecast for the Sunday
was not very good and so it turned out, with the main event being curtailed
because of a flooded track.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I have really fallen out of love with Silverstone in recent
years and I will try to explain why. When I first went in the late 1970s – the 1977
F2 meeting <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was my first experience – it was
pretty well flat out around the 6 corners and I will never forget the sheer
feeling of speed watching Mike Thackwell qualifying the Sauber-Mercedes around
Club seemingly without lifting. And it was not a case of peering through a wire
fence either – this picture was taken at a very wet 6 hour race in 1981 and if
I was standing there today I would be staring straight across at the
monstrosity of the “Wing”.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQaI-7GuR9ufItPU3x1HYhPFDkqP4CRkUchocARTmTrGmvrK2y95aO3ElN5hOXt9vftViLSGfuF93wpfo-3itma0lHNyalcR0jMzwmm844jUmV7Bjg2oj6aDccrrI_r4gRfH1jS8Y40zY/s1600/Photo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQaI-7GuR9ufItPU3x1HYhPFDkqP4CRkUchocARTmTrGmvrK2y95aO3ElN5hOXt9vftViLSGfuF93wpfo-3itma0lHNyalcR0jMzwmm844jUmV7Bjg2oj6aDccrrI_r4gRfH1jS8Y40zY/s1600/Photo1.jpg" height="448" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The “Wing” has seriously cut the viewing for spectators at
that end of the circuit – no more can you stand between Stowe and Club and see
the cars heading up through Abbey and not only that the new GP circuit takes so
long to circumnavigate that you see the cars less frequently for shorter
intervals!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To my mind the GP circuit is
just too long especially for historic racing – with the majority of historic
cars taking 2 minutes plus to get round and the great speed differential
between them some of the slower runners only get maybe 7 laps in a 20 minute
race. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the great joys of going motor racing is taking pictures
to remember your day by when you look at them later - and another confession <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
still take photographs using film – so much easier to show the results to your
friends later, though I have recently bought a digital camera to enable me to
populate this blog. But, to return to the point, there are very few places
around Silverstone where the spectator can take a picture without that darned
wire fencing blocking your view – and don’t think I am going to reveal my
secrets of where those are – I am sure most readers know anyway.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I now prefer the National circuit to the full GP
/International circuit – it is not very different to what was called the Club
circuit when at the end of what is now the Wellington Straight the cars turned
right, around the end of the pitlane, and onto the start / finish straight –
the sight from the Grandstand of hordes of Formula Fords racing down towards
you and braking as late as possible to get round to the finish in a typical
Silverstone style finish was one of the great sights of motor racing. You
certainly found out who was the latest braker!! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Back to this year, however, and as usual when I go to
Silverstone these days I packed my bicycle to get around the place as easily as
possible. Having both paddocks / pit lane in use was not a real problem as
there was no way to see into any of the garages and so the most one could hope
for was to see the European F3 teams in the open paddock. But if any of you
have a bike at home then I would seriously think about taking it to Silverstone
as it is so effortless to get around with the lack of hills – the worst part is
getting over the bridge into the old paddock area!! I noticed a few more than
previously and so maybe the Olympic cycle craze is having an effect on motor
racing fans as well.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Now you might be thinking – why go to Silverstone if there are
all these issues – I just love sports car racing – the variety of manufacturers
and the combination of the different classes means that there is almost always
something happening<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for the whole of the
race, somewhere in the field. The absolute speed of the Audis, Porsches and
Toyotas was astounding<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and they were
just like Scalextric cars through the Becketts complex in particular – but am I
alone in thinking they are so ugly looking – I know the central fins are there
for safety but side on you could mistake the profile for that of a van – and especially
with the new more upright nose treatments as well!!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxRa8WL4i6i69_hr4SqbDGzqk7dsqsyfOAUI41-kSwklf6hIuE4rEnYSNU9e6iVNacUqLCazDdVnbnRxO62Ljq92wOe25IIWLQaLkZw1H2rgKZC6HtjLJ-9cc5HloxLk2OE5deHxoBUUU/s1600/WEC+07+2+Toyota+TS040+Wurz,+Sarrazin,+Nakajima.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxRa8WL4i6i69_hr4SqbDGzqk7dsqsyfOAUI41-kSwklf6hIuE4rEnYSNU9e6iVNacUqLCazDdVnbnRxO62Ljq92wOe25IIWLQaLkZw1H2rgKZC6HtjLJ-9cc5HloxLk2OE5deHxoBUUU/s1600/WEC+07+2+Toyota+TS040+Wurz,+Sarrazin,+Nakajima.JPG" height="378" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The ELMS 4 hour race was riveting as the various driver
skill levels in the LMP2 cars saw much shuffling of position and the final 30
minute dash to the flag was incredibly tense. Without the help of the radio of
course it is almost impossible to follow what is happening and that is another
recommendation for the casual spectator – take a small radio as well and tune
in to the commentary on FM – it will add so much to your day’s enjoyment.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I sat at home and watched the race on TV while my sons went
off to the circuit and as the rain poured down later in the afternoon I was glad
to be snug and warm at home – I was at the 1978 International Trophy and
survived!!!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Getting to Silverstone is usually quite easy from Bedford –
again the prudent use of back roads avoids the crowds <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- but how do you get there without a car? One
experiment that was tried back in 1978 was a bus service which ran from
Northampton Bus Station to the circuit in time for the first race with a return
service about 5 pm. This was laid on for all meetings, not just the
International meetings , and I used to catch the bus in Northampton having travelled
up from Bedford on a connecting service. It was always a double-decker but on
the majority of occasions I was the only passenger using it!! It was obviously
contracted for a year as it kept running to the end of the year but it never
appeared again as far as I am aware.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And to finish off a few more photos from my collection of
Silverstone outings over the years.</div>
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First - a young Nigel Mansell with plain white March in 1978 </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLDyVfxnXKlkojR0rMdQtUIkXd1NHYVfSC7QhXrMj4ICyKNEtHQsuH3XSSLcHqd2_ImXShFTIvd5t4sbRAI5tlebTsH6SJgvkv_YU2gERSKvYwLNUVwZIteW0EnaO1qQGR1_ku1xkMlQ/s1600/Nigel+Mansell+1978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLDyVfxnXKlkojR0rMdQtUIkXd1NHYVfSC7QhXrMj4ICyKNEtHQsuH3XSSLcHqd2_ImXShFTIvd5t4sbRAI5tlebTsH6SJgvkv_YU2gERSKvYwLNUVwZIteW0EnaO1qQGR1_ku1xkMlQ/s1600/Nigel+Mansell+1978.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Ginger Marshall's Reliant Kitten estate in 1983 - I had had one of these as a road car a few years previously and loved its nippiness and handling:</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qJB6Uc5W0uqkz_j5AIfPHwmcYrrP8RNoD5lObAVnUSFgwX-JwAm0-GVJX-EKS8-vflcS3NMas4Yw7pmSMP_qiVohjQIjIR576KYh8NnuCuT_mgTsujNdPnfV276FgWd4-8mXQSEw-PA/s1600/Ginger+Marshall+Reliant+Kitten+1983.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qJB6Uc5W0uqkz_j5AIfPHwmcYrrP8RNoD5lObAVnUSFgwX-JwAm0-GVJX-EKS8-vflcS3NMas4Yw7pmSMP_qiVohjQIjIR576KYh8NnuCuT_mgTsujNdPnfV276FgWd4-8mXQSEw-PA/s1600/Ginger+Marshall+Reliant+Kitten+1983.jpg" height="442" width="640" /></a></div>
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The sports car grid at a BMRMC meeting in 1985 - that is Phil Barak's Esprit on pole.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIR-VeuxnWINkF4O8oetBJaqHAPpXcUop7Xa4gXNXOgoUKzHh0H8smUG7-aWTr5ceG8Kbcc4nqe8QkpdTr3Q18t58g7jsmg-_3BRYuu-EmgAdKpAQEHXLFErEVRhBBMMViHI3JuVyEVo/s1600/Formula+Libre+1985.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIR-VeuxnWINkF4O8oetBJaqHAPpXcUop7Xa4gXNXOgoUKzHh0H8smUG7-aWTr5ceG8Kbcc4nqe8QkpdTr3Q18t58g7jsmg-_3BRYuu-EmgAdKpAQEHXLFErEVRhBBMMViHI3JuVyEVo/s1600/Formula+Libre+1985.jpg" height="444" width="640" /></a></div>
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The old Dunlop Tower with field of F1300 cars waiting to go.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJs82l7Cr8Y6-fqGKfFH0nqcW32c9nSDRWM4pIuOUyAltg5YnqFRZdOWyz_jrih0a9jQMdFgw1E2MUWD5HLK1Kh70ynrgvMo3xHR5m-0WO9PB2K3UuDAWL4t4llBRaECKF-gvjouGPR8/s1600/Silverstone+Dunlop+Tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJs82l7Cr8Y6-fqGKfFH0nqcW32c9nSDRWM4pIuOUyAltg5YnqFRZdOWyz_jrih0a9jQMdFgw1E2MUWD5HLK1Kh70ynrgvMo3xHR5m-0WO9PB2K3UuDAWL4t4llBRaECKF-gvjouGPR8/s1600/Silverstone+Dunlop+Tower.jpg" height="450" width="640" /></a></div>
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The short lived Woodcote Esses with Damon Hill negotiating them in 1987, the first use of this new corner installed after the Woodcote chicane was removed and the start of the major changes which led to the circuit as it is today.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQqsJpE-608vmGYQM_vi3F4ILwVl0NwulxwwdjPf3HQZcxx7zC_QqS2-5nNP27isZmUEDTpWFu6oJtleVl6Lm6TMb9XO5fHG1RcmgxnRemAlo_OReBBFAPyz-lDgVedBkc29Dqg5thf3g/s1600/Damon+Hill+at+Woodcote+Esses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQqsJpE-608vmGYQM_vi3F4ILwVl0NwulxwwdjPf3HQZcxx7zC_QqS2-5nNP27isZmUEDTpWFu6oJtleVl6Lm6TMb9XO5fHG1RcmgxnRemAlo_OReBBFAPyz-lDgVedBkc29Dqg5thf3g/s1600/Damon+Hill+at+Woodcote+Esses.jpg" height="438" width="640" /></a></div>
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John Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438862501056289859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5465251845763637057.post-29520578828951202242014-04-20T10:31:00.000-07:002014-04-20T10:37:42.135-07:00The Fun Starts here<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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When I was trying to think of a way to celebrate my 60<sup>th</sup>
birthday I decided that I would try and visit all 15 of the full time motor
racing circuits on the British mainland – Anglesey, Brands Hatch, Cadwell Park,
Castle Combe, Croft, Donington, Knockhill, Lydden Hill, Mallory Park, Oulton
Park, Pembrey, Rockingham, Silverstone, Snetterton, Thruxton. This was also to
celebrate over 50 years of spectating at motor sport events dating back to a
holiday in the Isle of Man in 1963 which coincided with the Southern 100 races
on the Billown circuit.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is not just motor racing or motor cycle racing that have given
me pleasure over the years however – hillclimbs, sprints, rallycross,
autocross, autograss, rallies, short circuit oval racing, karting, on-street
parades with a motoring theme, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>scrambling, motoX have all entertained me and
if this year is a success there are a number of hillclimbs and motor cycle
circuits I have yet to visit and which may form the itinerary for future tours.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In total I have probably been to around 450 motorsport
events of all types, which on reflection is not a great many per year – at only
9, but bringing up a young family is not always conducive to getting away very
often though I was fortunate to have two sons who quickly came to appreciate as
much as me the excitement to be had from watching cars go round and round.
Indeed while I write they are on their way back from the WEC round at
Silverstone, I having decided that, with the forecast wet weather and the ability
to watch the race live on TV, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would
settle down in front of the box and keep warm and dry, particularly after
freezing at the qualifying day yesterday. It must be my age!</div>
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<br /></div>
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I had thought of including the Irish circuits as well, but
the extra cost was a factor in excluding them though they are on my wish list
for future years, and I also decided not to include Goodwood which, apart from
the Revival, has just had the one other meeting, this year’s Members
Meeting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The news of Mallory Park’s
closure was a blow, but the better news that there would be a meeting there in
July put it back in the itinerary, though it did mean that that was one weekend
when I could not be anywhere else. Other circuits which were constraints on the
tour were Lydden and Pembrey where events are limited, but eventually I came up
with a skeleton structure which covered every circuit but did not exclude
repeat visits at other events.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My home base for this tour is Bedford which is fortunate in
being central to a good ring of circuits within easy reach of a day’s return
trip – Thruxton, Silverstone, Rockingham, Mallory Park, Donington, Snetterton,
Brands Hatch, Lydden Hill but I have had to a bit of planning for the further afield
places to try and get two events in one weekend. As such there are a couple of
weekends where I start off at Cadwell Park on Saturday, then go to Croft on
Sunday, travel to Scotland to stay with friends and relatives and back down to
Oulton Park an Anglesey the next weekend. Knockhill will be a special visit for
the BTCC in August while Pembrey also means a weekend away. That leaves Castle
Combe and that will be the last leg of my spring bank holiday triple header
which I first did last year – Donington Park on Saturday, Thruxton on Sunday
and Combe on Monday.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For a number of years I have championed Premier Inns and
with early booking it is not too difficult to get a room for £29 and an early
visit to the circuit for breakfast is usually good enough to set one up for the
day.<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are only three of the circuits I have not visited
before – Anglesey, Pembrey and Oulton Park. Of the rest it is Silverstone which
has been most popular with me, probably because it is closest to my home, with
83 visits, followed by Brands Hatch with 29, Snetterton (14), Donington Park
(14), Mallory Park (12), Knockhill (9), Castle Combe (7), Thruxton (4),
Rockingham (3), Lydden Hill (2), Cadwel Park 91) and Croft (1). Also on the
list , but sadly no longer operative, are Ingliston which I visited 60 times
when I lived in Scotland, and Birmingham where I survived the first on-street
race meeting monsoon! In addition I have visited Le Mans, Hockenheim and Spa.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To me club racing is the essence of motor racing in this
country and I would far rather go to a good varied clubbie than a Grand Prix –
in fact I have only been to 3 Grand Prix in my time – the British at
Silverstone, the German and the Belgian but in all instances the trips have
been the result of winning tickets / trips in a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>competition. I love sports car racing and in addition to one trip to Le
Mans – in 1988 for the Jaguar win, I have attended a major sports car round at
Silverstone or Brands or Donington nearly every year for the past 30. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So enough of an introduction. The aim of this blog is to
share memories of great (and not so great) motor racing, to feed back on my
anniversary tour and to share with you some of the pictures I have taken over
the years – far fewer than I would have liked owing to the lack of a decent camera
for quite a while. It may be boring and I will soon find out I am sure from any
comments, but hopefully you will not begrudge some nostalgia<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- I need something to do in my retirement!!</div>
John Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438862501056289859noreply@blogger.com0