Tag Archives: Sprint

Second Coming ? – MG Maestro 1600

The Sunlight Textile Services – Pegasus Sprint

Last Saturday I had another 6am start, but this time not to go and spectate at an event but to act as a marshall for the The Sunlight Textile Services Pegasus Sprint run by the Bristol Pegasus Motor Club. Despite a healthy breakfast which included melon, tangerine, kiwi and a banana by the time I got through signing on I was ready to wolf down a traditional Full English Heart Attack in the Castle Combe Canteen. Even with long johns double layer trousers, three fleeces and a coat I was going to get cold under the cloudless skies with temperatures peaking at 8 degress C but with the wind chill factor making it feel like 9 below zero.

In between my second breakfast and the marshalls briefing I managed to snap Jack Taylors 1954 Lotus MG Mk VI this car is chassis #6-18 in theory the 24th Lotus ever built, it’s powered by an MG XPAG motor and appears to have a one off body, quite possibly by Williams and Pritchard though I have yet to confirm that.

Wondering around the pits during the half hour lunch break I managed to take a few more photo’s including John Marshall’s Lotus Mk VI, followers of my blogs at the much missed Rowdy.com, and I know there are one or two of you, will remember me originally mis recognising this car as a Lotus 7. Many mis recognitions since I have found out it was also originally supplied with an MG motor and gearbox which has since been swapped for a Ford 100E motor and Triumph gearbox. In John’s hands this car has won at least 54 trophy’s most no bigger than egg cups.

Perhaps the most extraordinary car and for my money cor of the day was Jeremy Hawkes 1933 MG K3, built as on offset single seater to compete at Brooklands where like the 24 litre “Napier Railton” it holds a record in perpetuity, for vehicles up 1100 cc / 67.126 cui having recorded laps in excess of 120 mph.

Anthony Smith brought his 1937 MG TA along to compete in the production road going A2 class.

This was only the second occasion on which I have ever seen a contemporary MG A Coupé this one was driven by Martin Wollacot in Class A2.

Regular readers might recognise this Bristol 403, which was not competing from the first Coffee Croissant and Cars blog I posted back in April.

SEAT’s León Cupra R (Typ 1M) was voted 7th best hatch back of all time in a poll conducted by Autocar in 2010, four years after production had switched to the newer Typ 1P. This 2004 Tdi Cupra R shows signs of how tricky the conditions were forcing the brothers who competed with it to go home after the practice sessions were completed to repair the damage which was incurred some where between Avon Rise and Quarry Corner during the second practice runs.

Richard Girling was running his 1st generation 2009 all wheel drive Nissan GTR R35 in the most powerful A4 road going series production class, his car left the factory with 478 hp and a conservative 193 mph capability matched by a rest to 60 mph of 3.2 seconds. Needless to say the car looked quick on the track.

Micheal Kason was running his 2 litre / 122 cui FIAT X1/9 in the modified limited prodiction class C3, notice it sits on slick tyres which would not have been easy to heat up in the prevailing conditions.

Running in the largest C4 modified production class were Andrew Fraser and Tim Painter in this 2004 Porsche (996) 911 GT3. This car is for sale at £37,500, if you would like Andrew and Tim’s phone numbers send me an e-mail and I’ll gladly forward the details, usual disclaimers apply.

Last runners of the day were David Hardcastle and Simon Allaby who were competing in the Revington TR / TR Register Sprint & Hillclimb Championship.

I did not manage to get many photographs of the on track action but while taking a break from marshaling duties I did get a photo of Ian Hall’s 5.2 litre / Darrian T98 GTR which set fastest time of the day by nearly ten seconds.

Thanks to a combination of few too many thrills and spills with short hours of sunlight competitors only got one timed run in before the event started to get too far behind schedule for everyone to get a second time in. Out at Tower we were great full for the hour or so this spared us standing in the delightful sunshine but freezing wind.

Thanks for joining me on this “The Sunlight Textile Services – Pegasus Sprint” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Dick Mayo Sprint – Castle Combe

Two Tone Paint Standard – Lotus 36 Elan Sprint

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It is well known in the motor trade that you know a model is coming to the end of it’s life when the limited editions and special paint jobs start appearing.

Falling Elan S4 sales and the suggestion that the Elan was falling behind the competition in a group test may have led Lotus Sales Director Graham Arnold suggesting that a revamped Elan be launched with a paint job derived from the Gold Leaf Team Lotus Grand Prix cars which were about to seal the teams forth World Constructors Championship in 1970.

The Elan Sprint was also given a new big valve head that is said to have been developed in just 10 days which boosted power from 115 to 125 hp. The Webber carburetors of Elan Sprint motor did not need the power bulge, required by the earlier S4 model Stromberg carburetors, in the bonnet / hood though early examples like the one seen here at Oulton Park are thought to have been fitted with bonnets from the previous S4 series to use up the surplus stock.

The badge on the wing celebrates World Constructors Championship victories in 1963, ’65, ’68 and ’70, this badge on the last Sprint models produced between November 1972 and May ’73 included a fifth 1972 championship victory.

It is suggested in some circles that the gold stripes between the two tone paintwork were applied to cover quality issues where the two colours meet, however the Gold Leaf Grand Prix cars on which the Elan Sprint paint scheme is based also featured a gold stripe twixt the red and white colours. Sprints could be ordered in single colours, at additional cost.

When Autocar tested the Elan Sprint in 1971 they liked the refinement, speed and handling but were not so keen on the ride, cramped cockpit or heating and ventilation.

It is thought 1353 Elan Sprints were built between January 1971 and March 1973 when Elan production ceased because the model did not meet new regulation requirements introduced for 1974 in US and European Markets.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘Two Tone Paint Standard’ edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Quintessential British Sports Car – MG J2

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The MG J series produced from 1932 to 1934 came in 4 distinct models the J1 a 2 door 4 seat open or closed sports car with a 847 cc / 51 cui motor, J2 a two seater open only version, as seen in todays blog, of the J1, J3 similar to a J3 but with a 750 cc / 45 cui supercharged motor and the J4 a pure racing version of the J3 with a 72 hp supercharged motor.

The 1932 J2 is easily distinguishable by the front cycle style mud guards which in 1933 were replaced with front mudguards joined by running boards to the rear wings a feature that was to remain with all subsequent MG sports cars all the way through to the TF model which was manufactured until 1955.

The 36 hp motor, was similar to that used in the earlier M-Type looked at last week, featuring a cross flow cylinder head and twin SU carburetors but only a two bearing crankshaft which had a limited life at maximum rpm. The Castrol GTX oil breather catch tank is a relatively recent requirement for competition.

Lifting the side opening bonnet panels of the J2 reveals the four speed gearbox and foot wells. The steering column operates Marles steering gear and the drivers side front brake cable can be seen emerging from the chassis rail above.

The two humped dash scuttle of the J Series would turn out to be another trade mark MG feature that was continually carried forward over twenty years to the 1955 MG TF. Note the how the potential crankshaft saving engine revolution counter dominates the dash board instrumentation.

Just over 2000 J2’s were built out numbering the combined total of all the other J series MG’s by more than 2 to 1, this particular example, seen at last years Wessex Sprint, was acquired by Mike Hawke for £85 in October 1953, the car cost just short of £200 new in 1932.

Mike is known to have campaigned this car successfully at both Castle Combe and Silverstone before passing the car on to his son Jeremy who won his class at Castle Combe on the day these photo’s were taken.

Thanks for joining me on this Quintessential British Sports Car edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil psycho on tyres’ I hope you will join me tomorrow when I’ll be featuring a hot version of “The car you always promised yourself. Don’t forget to come back now !

2011 GALPOT Review #4 – Motor Sport

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Today I am reviewing some of the competitive events covered on GALPOT over the past 12 months.

The GALPOT motor sport year started with the Cross Trophy a production car trial organized by the Bristol Pegasus Motor Club at the farm belonging to Duncan seen at the wheel of his air cooled chain driven GN in the photo above.

Above Bristol Pegasus Motor Club Vice President Richard Craddy presents yours truly with the Cross Trophy and Mug.

(Photo Courtesy Martin Baker)

I’m not to sure how I ended up competing in my land ladies 20 year old Volkswagen Passat but I am pleased I did, I got a welcome dose of beginners luck and ended up winning the event out right ! Unfortunately the Passat was replaced soon afterwards and I am not too sure how I’ll defend my trophy next year.

When I met ‘Crazy’ Chris Hartnell in the back of a bus on my way to Race Retro I became totally infected with his enthusiasm for Drag Racing, at the end of May I managed to catch up with Chris and his classic sling shot dragster Backdraft at Shakespeare County Raceway. Catching him popping a wheeley proved quite difficult so I am looking forward to catching him again next year.

I got to see several events at Castle Combe courtesy of Simon Lewis of Simon Lewis Transport Books including the Tour Britannia event which featured a cracking race between the front row starting ex New York cabbie Danny ‘spin and win’ Sullivan in his Porsche 911 RSR and the ex private airline pilot and Formula 5000 champion Ian Ashley who started on the back row of the grid in his Caterham Super 7. I still pinch myself when I am reminded the 1985 Indy 500 winner visited our local track this year !

A couple of weeks later I returned to reality with a bump when I entered a Kia Picanto in the Bristol Pegasus Motor Club Gymkhana held in the hills of the Welsh border just out side Chepstow. The little Picanto had a huge weight advantage over the Passat but had absolutely zero traction in the long grass. My run of novice success was over I came in 10th out of 11. But I still had fun sitting in the passenger seat of Alan’s Hawk HF3000 seen above which finished one place ahead of me.

At the end of July it was back to Castle Combe again courtesy of Simon Lewis for the Britcar 2 hour endurance race. What an experience it was with the early leaders eventually giving way to the Scuderia Vittoria Ferrari 458 being shared by Phil Dryburgh and John Gaw who set a new record for most laps covered in a single race at Castle Combe. I believe this was also the first time I have seen a Ferrari win a race outright in person.

Three weeks later I was back at Castle Combe for the August Cup meeting which was overshadowed by the death of Pete O’Shea who suffered a heart attack at the wheel of his Formula Ford car. The meeting was hastily rescheduled after Peter had been taken away. A cracking weekends racing ensued as if to do the memory of Peter proud. There were several Caterham races featuring race long wheel to wheel battles through out, but it was the Formula Fords who celebrated their fallen comrades life with the most scintillating display of all as Rob Hall, seen leading above from Felix Fisher and eventual winner Ben Norton, were joined by Steven Jensen in an entertaining four way shoot out.

On another diversion this time twixt airport and home I managed to visit my local short track Mendips Raceway for the first ever, last time I saw anything like this was over 30 years ago and most entertaining it proved as the ever present short track conundrum about inside lane of inside lane was repeated again and again. Liam Rowe is seen getting airborne above going for the inside lane.

For my final two visits to Castle Combe this year I volunteered to be a marshal. At the Wessex Sprint I was assigned to the start line team responsible for ‘staging’ the cars. I loved every ultimately exhausting minute of it. Shame I only got to take photo’s during the occasional unscheduled breaks but if you love motor racing I can’t recommend marshaling highly enough as a great way of getting close to the action.

Over the August Bank Holiday I made it up to Oulton Park for the first time since the early 1990’s, the facilities and track have been considerably improved since my last visit but the circuit still has the same atmosphere. The feature race of the meeting was the Derek Bell Trophy race for the open wheelers dating from the 1970’s back to the late 1960’s. Michael Lyons in the Chevy powered F5000 #64 Lola T400 lead for most of the race but towards the end Richard Evans giving away a 3400 cc / 200 cui advantage managed to line Micheal up for a clean pass in his Formula Atlantic #54 March 79B a couple of laps from home and hold on to win the race.

I was a corner marshal for the Regency Laundry Pegasus Sprint during my last visit to Castle Combe for the year, again this proved to be a very entertaining way to get close to the action, the TVR’s seemed particularly difficult to drive, while ‘stood down’ from marshalling duties I managed to take a couple of photo’s of the cars in action of which, as a previous Volvo 144 owner, I found the example driven by John Dando particularly appealing.

So there it is my motor racing year started by winning a cup in a muddy field and ended as a corner worker in the sunshine at Castle Combe with all manner of entertainment in between. Life can’t get much better than this can it ?

My thanks to BPMC treasurer Martin Baker for the use of his photo.

Many thanks for joining me on this Motor Racing edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I will be reviewing the 2011 GALPOT Fridays. Don’t forget to come back now !

PS Don’t forget …

Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz

December 26th – January 2nd

Win a set of Paul Chenard Greetings Cards

Set 1 Sports & GT Cars

Set 2 Phil Hill World Drivers Championship 50th Anniversary Edition

Set 3 1934 Season

Set 4 Grand Prix Engines of the 1950’s

Set 5 Mike Hawthorn’s Race Cars

The Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz will comprise 8 categories.

Overall winner chooses one set of Paul Chenard Greetings Cards from the five sets shown above.

The cards measure 15.24cm x 11.43cm, come in packs of 12 with 3 copies of 4 designs in each set, plus A6 envelopes.

Which set will you choose ?

The free to enter Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz will run from December 26th – January 2nd Entries close January 8th 2012, Winner announced January 16th 2012.

Full details on December 26th at GALPOT.

Looking for Automotive Seasonal Gift Idea’s? Visit Automobiliart Now !

The Regency Laundry Pegasus Sprint

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A week last Saturday I got up at 6 am and headed down the hill to meet Mark a fellow member of the Bristol Pegasus Motor Club at 7:15 am to catch a lift out to Castle Combe where we were both volunteer marshalls for a day at The Regency Laundry Pegasus Sprint.

Unlike the Wessex Sprint held at Castle Combe which started from the pit lane earlier this year the start of the Pegasus Sprint was at the entry to Camp Corner with the usual finish line on the straight following Camp meaning the sprint course was just over a lap and measured 2.05 miles.

Participants from an additional twenty clubs, including the Morgan CC were invited to take part around 120 entries were expected to make two practice runs in the morning and two competitive runs in the afternoon.

For the morning sessions I was assigned to the inside of Quarry Corner with fellow members Andy and Lewis. We all agreed that the TVR would probably provide the most entertainment during the day and we were not dissapointed. Matthew Oakley’s #100 6158 cc / 376 cui TVR Griffith sounded like it was running a super charger though this was not marked on the entry list.

At Quarry the morning passed relatively uneventfully no spiners, cars with all four wheels off the track or anything of significance to report from a marshaling perspective. Things were a good deal more exciting at The Esses just down the track from us where several competitors spun, dropped oil and in a couple of cases completely failed to take the Esses and headed safely down the escape road.

After a fabulous courtesy chicken curry at The Tavern I had about ten minuets to take some more snaps in the paddock before joining Andy and Lewis at Avon Rise for the afternoon sessions. Above John Dando driving his magnificent Volvo 144 was the sole representative of the Volvo Owners Club present.

Toby Harris sharing the turbocharged #31 Ford Puma, fitted with what appeared to be carbon fibre bonnet and boot panels, above with Lisa Selby was particularly impressive for it’s neutral handling in the corners making it look smooth and fast.

Tim Painter driving his heart warming Ferrari 360 around Castle Combe for the first time did not have such an easy run of it managing just one clean run.

Appearing with rally spec ground clearance was this 2 litre / 122 cui mid engined Darian T9 shared by Colin Early, seen above and Carole Torkington.

Among the fastest cars of the day was the #79 SBD Westfield S2000 of Matt Hillman seen driving above and Steve Broughton, this car has all the go faster bits including Kevlar steering wheel and sequential gearbox.

Finally as the days track activities drew to a close this Convertible Jenson Interceptor pulled up behind our marshalling post in the hands of a new owner who had just purchased it for a very reasonable £24,000. More on this car on Sunday.

I’d like to thank Mark for saving me a long uphill walk by dropping me off right outside my house.

Thanks for joining me on this Regency Laundry edition of ‘Gettin a li’l psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Vintage Vauxhall. Don’t forget to come back now !

Gettin' A Li'l Psycho On Tyres

Art Tidesco blogs on all things motoring