Monthly Archives: December 2014

2014 Highlights – Motor Racing

45 years after I was taken to my first motor race meeting in the middle of Africa it is hard to believe that one of my greatest joy’s is getting up in the middle of the night and heading to the next one.

M4 East Bound

This year I managed to get to at an average of one meeting month from March through to October.

Gould GR55, Colin Calder, Great Western Sprint, Castle Combe,

For the last couple of seasons my motor racing year has got underway in March marshaling at the Bristol Motor Clubs Great Western Sprint, this year my duties in the pit lane were over for the top ten run off, above Colin Calder made his 15 hour trip from Scotland worthwhile by grinding out the fastest time of the day narrowly pipping his daughter heather by just over 1/10 of a second.

Lola, Goodliff, Elva, Woodhouse, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone

The VSCC Spring Start meeting at Silverstone saw the start of the 80th Anniversary of ERA celebrtions, top race of the day was the Formula Junior event which saw a race long scrap twixt the red 1960 Lola Mk2 of Simon Goodliff and the 1959 Elva 100 driven by Mark Woodhouse fall in Simon’s favour.

Ocon, Verstappen, Dallara F312, Silverstone

2014 was Max Verstappen’s first season in car racing, in his third car race ever, above, he is seen overtaking Esteban Ocon on his way to second place in the 3rd European Formula Three championship of the season run at the Silverstone 6 Hours meeting. Even then he probably would have found it unlikely to believe that aged seventeen years and one hundred and sixty-six days old he is set to become the youngest driver ever to start a Formula One Grand Prix when making his 33rd race car start driving a Torro Rosso in the 2015 Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne next season.

Benhard / Webber / Hartley, Porsche 919 Hybrid, 6 Hours of Silverstone

The 6 Hours of Silverstone meeting was my second visit to Silverstone in 8 days. Timo Benhard Mark Webber and Brandon Hartley in the #20 Porsche 919 Hybrid above started the event in 6th place and survived to finish 3rd. At the end of the season Mark Webber became world news and ended up in hospital after crashing his 919 Hybrid with in half an hour of the finish of the race run in São Paulo an event which completely eclipsed the fact that #14 Porsche 919 Hybrid team mates Romain Dumas, Neel Jani and Marc Lieb went on to score the teams first World Endurance Championship race win since returning to top level endurance racing at the start of the year.

Maserati MC12 Goodwood Cent 100, Michael Bartels, Goodwood Festival of Speed

At the end of June I popped over to Goodwood for the Festival of Speed where Sebastian Loeb driving his 2013 Pikes Peak winning Peugeot 208 was tipped to make an attempt on the Goodwood Hillclimb course record set by ‘Quick Nick’ Heidfeld driving a Formula One McLaren Mercedes in 1999. Dark horse for the Goodwood Hillclimb turned out to be Michael Bartles driving the specially liveried Maserati MC12 ‘Goodwood Cent 100’ which finished just over a second down on Loeb who missed taking the outright record thanks to the gearing being short on top speed.

Lotus Cortina, Shedden, Meaden, Silverstone Classic,

Gordon Shedden and Richard Meaden provided the tyre smoking dice of the day driving their Lotus Cortina’s on the Super Saturday morning of the Silverstone Classic meeting. Richard Meaden seen following above won with team mate Grant Tromans after Gordon’s car over heated during the mandatory pit stop in the Sir John Whitmore Trophy.

07 14 07 26 Lola T70 Voyazides Hadfield_2455sc

Having already won the Mustang Celebration trophy during the afternoon of the Super Saturday Silverstone Classic meeting Leo Voyazides swapped his Ford Falcon for his Lola T70 Coupé and won the FIA Historic Masters Sports Cars race with Simon Hadfield after Martin O’Connel’s 2 litre/122 cui Chevron B19 mysteriously went off road with out injury to the driver.

Mallock Mk 9, Michael Mallock, Oulton Park,

Over the August Bank Holiday weekend I managed to get up to Oulton Park for the Gold Cup meeting, while the day was fairly wet and miserable the racing was hot from beginning to end. Michael Mallock achieved the rare feet of not only winning a race in a car, #9 Mallock Mk 9 Formula Ford, bearing his family name but also beating a field of rear engined Formula Ford cars with the only vehicle carrying it’s engine in front of the driver.

Plymouth Satellite, Cheng Lim, Brighton Speed Trials,

Having encouraged readers to help save Brighton Speed Trials at the beginning of the year I managed to make my way down to Sussex for the saved event in September. Slowest car in the event but none the less entertaining was Cheng Lim’s Plymouth Satellite.

BY-Pod, Chipping Sodbury School, Renishaw Castle Combe Heat 2014

Counting as one of the most awesome vehicles I have seen all season is Chipping Sodbury Schools BY-Pod electric vehicle taking part in the Renishaw Castle Combe Heat 2014 of the Greenpower Challenge. I left the meeting with my spirits for the future of motorsport in what ever form it might take thoroughly uplifted.

Cooper Mk X, Steve Jones, Cooper Mk XI, George Shackleton, BAC MSC Challenge Trophy, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe,

One of the many highlights of the third Autumn Classic meeting run at Castle Combe was the dice between the Cooper 500 Formula 3 cars of Steve Jones and George Shackleton for the BAC MSC Challenge Trophy, Steve claimed the spoils in his slightly older #74 Mark X. Next year among the many attractions of the 4th Autumn Classic at Castle Combe on October 3rd will be one of the BRM V16’s which for my money would be worth the price of entry if nothing else showed up.

Thanks for joining me on this “2014 Highlights” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for Americana Thursday. Don’t forget to come back now !

2 Lathes and 3 Employees -Delage Type – R

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Louis Delage founded the company bearing his name in 1905 by giving up his 600 Fr monthly income and borrowing 35,000 Fr, his company had two lathes and three employees on if whom was a former Chief Designer at Peugeot.

Delage began manufacturing bodies for Helbé before building cars to it’s own design powered by a one cylinder de Dion motor.

Delage Type R, David Barker, VSCC Loton Park,

By 1910 Delage had experienced competition success and steady growth such that it had moved into it’s third premises to keep abreast of the required production capacity.

The move coincided with the launch of the Type R powered, I believe by a Delage built side valve 4 cylinder motor that produced 15 hp.

Delage Type R, David Barker, VSCC Loton Park,

The Type-R had a top speed of 40 mph with a full body equipped to deal with adverse weather.

Production of the Type R lasted until 1913 by which time the factory was manufacturing 1,000 4 and 6 cylinder vehicles a year built by 350 employees.

The Type R seen with Dave Barker at wheel at a VSCC Loton Park meeting was built in 1910.

Thanks for joining me on this “2 Lathes and 3 Employees” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Mesopitamian Wind – Maserati Shamal

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Named after the Mesopitamiam summer wind the Maserati range topping Shamal was launched in December 1989 with a range topping price of 125 million Lire (One Hundred and Twenty Five Million Italain Lire).

Maserati Shamal, Auto Italia, Brooklands

The Tipo 339 Coupé is powered by a 32 valve 3.2 litre / 195 cui twin turbo charged V8 that produces 322 hp.

Maserati Shamal, Auto Italia, Brooklands

Marcello Gandini was responsible for updating the original Biturbo body that features his signature slanted rear wheel arches first seen on the Lamborghini Countach.

Maserati Shamal, Auto Italia, Brooklands

Fitted with a six speed gearbox the Shamal also features a Koni active suspension sytem which adjusts the shock absorber stiffness with real time information about the road conditions.

Maserati Shamal, Auto Italia, Brooklands

Top speed is said to be 170 mph with 62 mph being reached in 5.2 seconds from rest.

Maserati Shamal, Auto Italia, Brooklands

Factory records show just 369 Shamals were produced, like the 1994 example seen here at Brooklands Auto Italia, between 1989 and 1996.

Thanks for joining me on this “Mesopitamian Wind” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Almost Superflous – Lola Chevrolet T332/T330 #HU23

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Towards the end of 1973 although the Lola T330 had not won any Formula 5000 (F5000) championships outright, though one had been used to assist Jody Scheckter win his US F5000 title alongside his Trojan, the Lola T330 was rapidly becoming the fastest car on the US and British circuits when the company sold it first improved T332 models with fashionable tall airbox and a rudimentary body extension over the motor to the rear axle.

Lola T332, Gold Cup, Oulton Park

Today’s featured car has a history complicated by the fact that the T330 #HU23 chassis plate was actually fitted to a T330 bought in July 1973 by Australian Johnnie Walker and fitted with a Repco Holden V8.

Lola T332, Neil Glover, Gold Cup, Oulton Park

After Johnnie severely damaged his T330 at Surfers Paradise in September 1974 he replaced the chassis with a new T332 type, but stuck the T330 HU23 chassis plate on it. Possibly to save himself some import taxes. The de-plated T330 chassis was subsequently repaired and is now referred to by experts as T330 HU23(A) while today’s feature chassis is referred to by experts as T330 HU23(B), for the purpose of this blog I shall continue to refer to today’s featured chassis as T330 HU23 as there will be no further reference to the de-plated chassis crashed at Surfers Paradise.

Lola T332, Gold Cup, Oulton Park

Still using the salvaged Repco Holden V8, Johnnie was a regular top four finisher in the 1975 Tasman series winning at Surfers Paradise which made him a title contender, in today’s featured car, two races before the series finale at Sandown Park.

Lola T332, Neil Glover, Gold Cup, Oulton Park

At the finale, with the title all but wrapped up, Johnnie started from pole before crashing when his car inexplicably turned left on the back straight on the opening lap. Johnnie rebuilt the HU23 and continued to race the car until February 1976.

Lola T332, Gold Cup, Oulton Park

Peter Edwards bought HU23 in 1977 and continued to race it with a Chevrolet motor, similar to the Small Block Chevrolet seen above, until 1982. Peter sold HU23 on to Bernie Van Elsen who had HU23 stripped and the parts, including the motor but excluding the chassis, fitted to the Veskanda Group C sports car being built in Adelaide by Dale Koennecke and Harry Aust of K&A Engineering with help from former ex VDS Can Am engineers John and Bob Murphy.

Lola T332, Neil Glover, Gold Cup, Oulton Park

After selling his car Jonnie drove a Lola T330 belonging to fellow competitor Max Stewart in 1977 but that only lasted until Max was killed driving his Lola T400 during a practice session at Calder Park in October 1977.

In the aftermath of the tragedy Johnnie entered into an agreement to race the Lola T332, actually plated T330 22 by former owner Kevin Bartlett, in the Magnum Wheels livery of owner Martin Sampson until they won the Australian Gold Star series, after which both agreed they would retire from the sport.

Jonnie won the Australian Grand Prix at Waneroo and the Gold Star series in 1979. At the end of the final race of the series at Sandown Park Jonnie pulled into his pit to pick up Martin so that they could both complete a lap of honour in a final farewell to the sport an event which can be seen in the second photo of this Nostalgia Forum post by Ray Bell

Note the 1979 Sandown Park race was also the same one in which Kevin ‘KB’ Bartlet crashed the Brabham BT43 I featured last week and that Jonnie Walker is seen driving Martin Sampson’s Magnum Wheels Lola T332, T330 HU22, in the background of the photo of Kevin before his crash. That Lola T332, T330 HU22, is obviously not the same one as T330 HU23 featured in today’s post, as I incorrectly believed it to be last week.

Chassis T330 #HU23 appears to have been restored by Hall & Hall in 2001 and has been raced in the white and orange Magnum Wheels livery of Martin Sampson by Neil Glover who is seen at the wheel in these photographs, all taken at Oulton Park, since 2007. Last year, 2013, Neil won the Derek Bell Trophy with the car.

My thanks to Ray Bell, author with Tony Loxley of F5000 Thunder, for his infinite patience with my infinite dumb questions, to both Ray and Lee Nicole at the Nostalgia Forum for giving me a run down of some of the differences between a Repco Holden and Small Block V8 and to facebook acquaintances,Tom Rosenthal, Peter Brennan, Phil Straver, Stephen Morici, Dave Hudson, Sam Henderson, Dave Wolin, John S Buckley, Peter Phillips, Rob McDonald, Graham Wadsworth, Tim Meehan, Derek Kneller, Steve Price, Cliff Bennett, Darren Ciantar, Rory McDonald, Danny Fondren and Bill Sherwood.

SM Approved – Wingfield Special

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Aged just 17 Bryan Wingfield built his first special in Glasgow with a 1172 cc Ford 4 cylinder motor.

Wingfield Special, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe,

While still studying and completing an apprentice ship with Albion motors Bryan built a second special, today’s featured car this time a Bristol engine.

Wingfield Special, Peter Campbell, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe,

It would appear the car was raced by a Miss Jill Hutchinson but I have been unable to confirm any results.

Wingfield Special, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe,

After completing his apprenticeship Bryan went to work for Ford and his Special had lain dormant for decades before it was taken to Spencer Lane Jones in Warminster to be revived.

Wingfield Special, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe,

Peter Campbell is seen driving the car which has been fitted with a new nose cone and bonnet fabricated by Coachbuilt Cars also of Warminster.

When Sir Stirling Moss saw the impressive Wingfield Special he was moved to sign the bodywork.

While at Ford Bryan continued building reproductions of Jaguars in his spare time such that by the time he retired from Ford in 1986 he moved Bryan Wingfield Racing into supplying parts for GT 40’s and more recently acquired a Group C Ford C100 which he has single handedly refeteled despite being well into his seventies.

Thanks for joining me on this “SM Approved” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Lola Formula 5000 car. Don’t forget to come back now !

Last Noble Kit – TDR Noble P4

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The Ferrari P4 is considered by many to be one of the most attractive racing cars ever built, the only one I have seen in the flesh was a David Piper continuation and even though it was a bit scruffy it left me awestruck.

TDR P4 Replica, NEC, Birmingham

At the recent NEC motor show I stumbled across today’s featured car which is registered with the DVLA as a 1996 TDR but in fact is claimed to be the last P4 replica kit from Noble, better known these days for building high performance road and track cars.

TDR P4 Replica, NEC, Birmingham

I’m not sure of the chassis origin on this car but am aware of at least one other that was built around and Ultima chassis. The motor in this one is a Terry Drury Racing 500 hp YB Cosworth turbo 4 cylinder as used in the Ford Cosworth RS500.

The most striking thing about this car is the quality of the workmanship, it was very hard to take my eyes off it. This car appears to be for sale, usual ‘Caveat Emptor’ disclaimers apply.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘Last Noble Kit’ edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at another Bristol Special. Don’t forget to come back now !

Belchfire Runabout – American Bantam 60 Convertible

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In 1935 former American Austin Car Company salesman Roy Evans bought the American Austin Company assets after they had manufactured 20,000 American Austins and filed for bankruptcy.