Classic and Competition Car 18 March 2012

Classic and Competition Car March 2012 1

Classic &Competition

CarIssue 18

March 2012

VSCC Pomeroy Trophy

Contents


ContributorsPETE AUSTIN

Pete is the man for Historic racing, with an extensive

archive of black and white images covering the last few decades of motor racing in Britain.MICK HERRING

Mick’s first love is GT racing, though Historic GT, especially

Lola T70’s are a particular favourite.JANET WRIGHT

Janet has been taking photos for many years but her real

speciality is video work.

News Page 4 Tasman Revival Page 17 Shelsley Walsh Breakfast Club 3

Archive Photo Page 26 GT Cup Awards Dinner Page 27

MSVR Press Conference Page 31

60th Anniversary Pomeroy Trophy Page 34

Clunk, Click and Slide Page 38

Race Retro Page 41

Race Retro Live rally Stage Page 47

© Simon Wright

© Pete Austin


Simon Wright

Editor

February was a quiet month, with nothing much happening until the end of the month, when the usual happens and we get two major events on the same weekend! Fortunately Race Retro was held over 3 days and the Pomeroy trophy was just the Saturday, so it was possible to enjoy both events as you can see from our reports in this issue.This year is already shaping up into a year of special anniversaries with two BRM celebrations announced in the news section, 50 years of the MGB, Lotus Elan and AC Cobra with various races around the country and 25 years for the Ferrari F40 which will be celebrated at the Silverstone Classic in July.The season starts in earnest now, and it is great to see that Donington is back to a full seasons fixtures for the coming year. 2012 promises to be a great season for motor racing and Classic car events in the UK. We look forward to seeing you at some of the events during the year. Please come and say hello if you see any of us out and about.

Editorial

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Front CoverGillian Carr on her way to winning the Pomeroy Edwardian Trophy driving a 1918 Vauxhall A/D Type.Image © Pete Austin

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NewsJaguar Heritage Museum to Close!


The Jaguar Heritage museum will close its doors to the public in September 2012. It was opened in 1998 in Browns Lane, Coventry, the spiritual home of Jaguar, to celebrate the

History of Jaguar and its associated makes including Daimler, Swallow, SS and Lanchester. It is relatively small, allowing around 30 cars to be displayed, but these are changed regularly from the 120 strong collection. After Jaguar moved production away from the Browns lane site, the land

was sold for redevelopment. The collection will remain intact but there are currently no plans to build another public museum to display the vehicles. Parts of the collection will be made available to display at various public events such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and it is hoped that a new home may be found in the future.

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25 years of the Ferrari F40 celebrated at the Silverstone Classic.The Silverstone Classic continues to grow. Now the event will include a salute to a Supercar, celebrating 25 years of the Ferrari F40. The Ferrari Owners Club is hoping to have a world record gathering of cars at the circuit in July. Already there are 50 F40’s registered to attend for a parade on the Sunday.The F40 was first introduced in 1987 to commemorate Ferrari’s 40th anniversary and was the last car commissioned by Enzo Ferrari. The mid-engined sports car was track developed to be the ultimate road car. With ultra lightweight carbon fibre and Kevlar bodywork and even plastic windows to save weight and powered by a twin turbocharged V8 engine producing 478 bhp. It’s performance was like driving a Grand Prix car on the road. Only 1315 were built between 1987 and 1992 with a price around £300,000 making it a car worthy of the Supercar title.

Anthony Davidson joins

Toyota.After the withdrawal of Peugeot from the World Endurance series this year, the series needed two major manufacturers competing and only Audi were committed

to a full season. Toyota have bought forward their plans to compete from just selected races in 2012 and have entered the new FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) starting with the second round at Spa. The new TS030 electric Hybrid will be driven by Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima. British driver Anthony Davidson has been confirmed as one of the drivers in the second car at the Le mans 24 Hours along with Sebastien Buemi and Japanese GT racer Hiroaki Ishiura. The Japanese manufacturer has not competed at Le Mans for over a decade.

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Can Am Series.For 2012 Masters Historic Racing and Peter Schleifer’s Canadian American Challenge Cup will team up to promote a four race series for CanAm and Interserie sports racing cars. The

CanAm Interserie Challenge is for sports prototypes from 1971 to 1978 and CanAm cars from 1966 to 1974. The four races are Barcelona (April 21/22), Brands Hatch (May 26/27), Spa (September 21-23) and Donington Park (October 13/14).

History was probably made at the VSCC Pomeroy Trophy when cars that were manufactured 100 years apart competed in the same event at Silverstone. The 2011 Audi R8 of Justin Maeers finished behind the 1911 Scat Racer of Andrew Howe-Davies on handicap.

© Mick Herring

© Mick Herring


MURPHY IMPRESSES IN IMPROMPTU F5000 TEST AT HAMPTON DOWN

Top New Zealand-born V8 Supercar driver Greg Murphy impressed in an impromptu test in fellow expat Chris Lambden's McRae GM1 Formula 5000 single-seater racing car at the fourth round of the 2011/12 MSC F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series at the Hampton Downs circuit south of Auckland. As the MSC packed up for the day after their first 8-lap race of the weekend Murphy and fellow former New Zealand Grand Prix winner Andy Booth were given the opportunity to try the MSC series cars of Lambden (Murphy) and David Abbott (Booth). Both were quickly into the swing of things but Murphy really went to town, his best lap - a 1.01.250 - good enough for fifth place on the grid had he been qualifying for the afternoon's race."That was outrageous," he said as he was surrounded with well-wishers afterwards."Better

than sex!Booth, wasn't quite as quick but was just as excited as he related his first-time experiences behind the wheel of a Formula 5000 single-seater"That was ballsy stuff," he said, "My old man was racing 5000s the year I was born, and I'm always telling him I'm a better driver than he is. Let's just say I've got a lot more respect for the old man now!"

Left Andy Booth in the Lola T430 of Dave Abbott.

© Fast Company/Alex Mitchell



Testing at Donington By Mick herring

With unseasonal warmth gracing the day, Donington Park hosted one of it's traditional pre season test days to a packed and hugely assorted pit lane.Those taking advantage of this, probably the first representative test of the year, ranged from classic GT cars to the very latest Aston Martin V8 Vantage and classic single seaters to this year's crop of formula Renault aspirant. Renault were well represented in the saloon cars too

with several Clio Cup cars versus one each of Ford Falcon and Fiesta.The highest profile "tin tops" were the WTCC RML Chevrolet Cruze of Alain Menu, whilst the BTCC had Matt Neal's Honda Civic and Ollie Jackson's AMD VW Golf GTI, both running 2 litre turbocharged engines. Ollie Jackson completed both a simulated race and qualifying session with the car.

On hand to test the Aston Martin V8 Vantage were two of it's three drivers, our own Darren Turner and the hugely experienced CART, IndyCar, ALMS and Le Mans driver Adrian Fernandez.No stranger to Donington with three years in British Formula Ford in the late eighties. With it's bonnet-mounted "periscope" air pressure sensor the Aston enjoyed several sessions on track prior to being shipped to America, via London for it's official unveiling, to compete in the 60th running of the Sebring 12 hr.

Embodying GTs from an earlier era were an E-type Jaguar, the Gulf liveried Gelscoe GT40 and the famous ex-David Piper, ex-Shaun Lynn, Sandeman Port Lola T70 Mk3B, now with new owner Gavin Henderson, today shared with Ted

Williams and marque expert Simon Hadfield. Gavin's huge smile was ample evidence that he was enjoying getting used to the differences between his usual GT40 and the green Lola. Group C was represented by the Le

© Mick Herring

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Mans, C2 class winning, Spice SE88 of, American domiciled, Mike Donovan.

The sound of the latter three cars circulating was joyous with only one photo opportunity presenting itself to capture two but not all three together on the same piece of track.Contemporary sports car racing was represented by the Radical SR3 of Andy Cummings and Bradley Ellis.

Another famous car was the ex-Nelson Piquet F3 Ralt.The sight of cars from so many different formulae sharing the track simultaneously is always very interesting, serving to highlight the huge contrast in speed, handling and braking

between the different disciplines, new and old(er). © Mick Herring

© Mick Herring

© Mick Herring


Bourne BRM Celebrations

The small market town of Bourne in

Lincolnshire is planning a spectacular event to celebrate 50 years since BRM won it’s first World Championship in 1962. A previous event in the

town was held in 1999 to mark the the centenary of Raymond Mays birth, the 50th anniversary of BRM and the 65th anniversary of ERA. Graham Hill was the first British driver to win the World Championship in a British car in 1962 and it propelled Bourne to

the forefront of the World of Motorsport and the town want to celebrate this 50th anniversary in style. It is planned to give the town a 60’s flavour on the day with road cars of the period being paraded and displayed through the town and period music and costumes will attempt to recreate the atmosphere of the swinging 60’s. At the last celebration, racing cars were demonstrated through the streets, with the sounds of the BRM engines echoing around the buildings.

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Matt Neal tests new CivicReigning British Touring car Champion Matt Neal has now completed a couple of test sessions with the new 2012 Honda Civic which he will use to defend his title. The first test was at Brands Hatch and the second session at Donington. After the second test Matt declared that the car was ready to race! The season starts at Brands Hatch 1st April.

After several years competing in LMP1 with little success, Aston Martin have returned to the production based GT class for this years World Endurance Championship (WEC) with a new Vantage GTE V8. The carbon fibre body has been optimized aerodynamically for performance and houses the 4.5 litre V8 engine and mid-rear mounted six speed semi automatic sequential transmission in a bonded aluminium structure taken from the road car. A single car has been entered for the championship, driven by Darren Turner (GB), Stefan Mucke (D) and Adrian Fernandez (MX) and carries the iconic blue and orange Gulf colours. A second car will be entered for Le Mans.

Aston Martin Vantage GTE joins WEC.

Darren Turner and Adrian Fernandez at a recent test session at Donington Park

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DHL Donington Historic Festival.Former Le Mans winner and ex Grand Prix driver Jackie oliver is entered in the Donington Historic Festival to drive a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB with Rohan Fernando in the Pre-’63 GT race. The car will make its circuit racing debut at Donington, having only a short hill climb career half a century ago. Jackie will also be driving a BMW TISA 1800 in the U2TC saloon series.

Shelsley Walsh celebrate Graham Hill & BRM

The Midland Automobile Club (MAC) is organising a gathering of BRM cars at Shelsley Walsh for its hill climb meeting over the weekend of the 2nd and 3rd of June 2012, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Graham Hill winning the Formula 1 World Championship in 1962.It is anticipated that several BRMs will be present at the meeting and two of the front engined P25 cars have already been confirmed, including the famous 258 which scored the first Grand Prix victory for BRM driven by Jo Bonnier at Zandvoort, Holland in 1959. It is hoped that some of the cars may make a demonstration run up the hill.Various personalities connected to BRM will also be in attendance, including Tony Southgate the designer, former team manager Tim Parnell and David Owen MBE, son of Sir Alfred Owen.Shelsley Walsh has always had a strong connection with BRM. In 1950 the MAC organised an appeal for funds to build a Commer mobile workshop for the BRM team, which was handed over at Shelsley. Also Raymond Mays, one of the driving forces behind the establishment of BRM was a regular competitor at Shelsley and he held the hill record many times, setting Best Time of Day (BTD) on 21 occasions between 1923 and 1950.

Designer Tony Southgate sitting in a BRM P153 at the Race Retro Show (c) Pete Austin

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Cawley presented with Trophy at Race Retro

Dougal Cawley won 7 of his 15 races during 2011 to clinch the Vintage Sports Car Clubs two prestigious racing championships. He was presented with the Motor Sport Brooklands Trophy at a special presentation at Race Retro. His chain gang GN Racer ‘Piglet’ powered him to the MSA championship for competitors racing cars constructed before or using components from specified cars built before 1st January 1941. Former winners of this trophy include Mike Hawthorn, George Abecassis, Innes Ireland and Mike Taylor.Dougal also topped the points in the Longstone Championship (Sponsored by

Dougal’s own company Longstone Tyres). This championship is especially for competitors who drive on the road to race meetings in their vintage race car.

Dougal in ‘Piglet’ at the 2012 Pomeroy Trophy, with makeshift plastic hood

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Francois Migault 4th December 1944 – 29th January 2012

By Pete Austin

Francois Migault, former Grand Prix and Le Mans driver, has died at the age of 67 following a battle with cancer.

Being born in Le Mans it is appropriate that his local track should see his most famous results in sportscars. In the 1974 24 hours he finished third for Matra partnered by Jean Pierre Jaboulle but in 1976 he went one better and finished second in the Mirage GR8 with Jean Louis Lafosse. In 1981 he achieved another podium by coming in third with Gordon Spice in the locally based Rondeau.

Being a winner of the Volant Shell award he raced in Formula 3 (with a Tecno) and F2 in the early 70’s. His first Formula 1 drives came in 1972 with the ill starred Connew team. He didn’t start the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch because of suspension failure and failed to finish the Austrian Grand Prix, again with suspension problems. Engine failure in practice precluded the same car from racing in the Rothmans 50,000 again at Brands Hatch.

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In 1974 he joined the Motul backed BRM team for a season as partner to Jean Pierre Beltoise and Henri Pescarolo. By this time the Bourne based outfit was in decline and he spent most of the year driving the older P160E model. Unfortunately no success came his way. His last Grand Prix was with the Embassy Hill team in the 1975 Spanish event where he retired. He made an appearance for the Williams team in that years French Grand Prix but failed to start after engine problems in practice.

Classic and Competition Car sends its sincere condolences to his family and friends.

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Durham born Simon Blanckley is the latest driver to switch to the GT Cup Championship for the 2012 season. The 47 year old, former privateer in the British Saloon Car Championship in 2007, has already had a couple of races in the GT Cup last season behind the wheel of the Sibsport Porsche 997, seen above at Spa.

After Touring cars, he switched his attention to Sportscars and has enjoyed success in various championships. With the new regulations for GT Cup permitting GT3 homologated cars to compete, and a 23 race calendar for 2012, Blanckley needed little persuasion to join the MSVR run GT Cup grid for this season and is eagerly awaiting a full campaign. He said “ The GT Cup Championship is well presented and very professional. The racing is great too which helped me decide to join for the full season in 2012. I think to begin with I will be targeting group wins and then we will see how we go from there. The cars are very different to British Touring Cars but in my opinion GT cars are proper race cars. They are great to drive and we have a fantastic array of circuits to enjoy them on this year.” The season starts at Donington Park on the 28th of April 2012.

Simon Blanckley, former BTCC privateer, joins the 2012 GT Cup

Mendip Vintage and Classic Tour.The Classic and Historic Motor Club are organising one of the West Country’s best motoring events on Sunday 13th May 2012. Starting at Tyntesfield House, Flax Bourton, the Tour will

travel across the Mendips with a lunch halt at Bath University and will finish on Wells cathedral Green. The event is supporting Riding for the Disabled. For more information visit

their web site at www.candhmotorclub.co.uk or telephone 01749 678925

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Tasman RevivalPrepared by FAST COMPANY of behalf of the New Zealand Formula 5000 Association. www.F5000.co.nz


LYONS COMPLETES MSC F5000 CLEAN SWEEP AT SECOND HAMPTON DOWNS MEETING Series young gun Michael Lyons (Lola T400) completed an MSC F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series clean sweep with another lights-to-flag victory in the final 15 lap feature at the second New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing - celebrating BMW Motorsport historic

motor racing meeting at the Hampton Downs circuit south of Auckland this afternoon.Having qualified quickest and won all four MSC F5000 series races at the first NZ Festival meeting a week ago the just-turned-21-year-old did it again this weekend, claiming pole position in qualifying on Saturday morning before winning all three races contested, the first from series points leader Steve Ross

and visiting Canadian driver Jay Esterer (both McRae GM1), the second from defending series champion Ken Smith (Lola T430) and Ross, and the third from Ross and Smith.Though Smith got close before the Safety Car was deployed early in the second race, Lyons was literally in a class of his own again this weekend, proof the new outright track lap record, at 59.840, he set on the final lap of the second race.Since the Hampton Downs circuit has been operating, the outright track record has been steadily whittled down by MSC F5000 series drivers, Ken Smith setting the original benchmark at 1.02.279 in 2010. Toyota Racing Series driver Mitch Evans reduced it to 1.01.846 soon after but both Michael Lyons (1.00.536) and Steve Ross (1.00.497) went under that at the first 2012 NZ Festival meeting last weekend and after first dipping below the magic one minute mark in qualifying on Saturday morning this weekend (59.869) Lyons completed the job in the weekend's second MSC series race with his 59.846."There's something about doing it in a car that's 40 years old too," he said. "When you've got a bit of a streak going the pressure piles on and you've just got to put your head down and keep working away at it. But the flip side of that is that these things are just so much fun to drive. You know, five hundred horsepower, big fat tyres, they're proper racing cars!"

Michael Lyons (Lola T400) on his way to his fourth win in as many races at the two NZ Festival of Motor Racing - celebrating BMW Motorsport

meetings at Hampton Downs this summer.


http://www.F5000.co.nz/

http://www.F5000.co.nz/


Today's 15-lap final was held in warm, blustery conditions but came to a premature end when the red flags came out after Kiwi expat Chris Lambden (McRae GM1) and American visitor Eric Haga (Lola T140) tangled albeit without serious damage on the run up the start/finish straight.Before that the race had run pretty much to script, Lyons getting the jump on fellow front-row starter Smith then Steve Ross - who had been relegated to third place on the grid when Smith set a quicker lap time in the morning race - following Lyons through on the inside into second.Lyons then proceeded to pull out a five-to-six car advantage on Ross with Smith a frustrated third, Jay Esterer fourth and Mark Dwyer (Lola T400) fifth. Behind Dwyer, Roger Williams (Lola T332) led Brett Willis (Lola T330), Frank Lyons (Gurney-Eagle) and Greg Thornton (Chevron B24) with a gap back to another close-running multi-car freight train led by Russell Greer (Lola T332) from Stu Lush (McRae GM1), Chris Lambden, Shane Windelburn (Lola T400), Class A standout Alan Dunkley (Lola T140), David Abbott (Lola T430) and Dave Arrowsmith (Lotus 70).That's the way the order up front stayed until Jay Esterer got a run on Smith around the outside at Turn 1. Brett Willis was also on the move easing away from Frank Lyons as he set his sights on Roger Williams.Willis then got past Williams on the seventh lap, about the same time as John MacKinlay found a way past Russell Greer.The next big change was Smith launching a successful attack on Jay Esterer, who eventually retired with fuel feed problems, for third place. Roger Williams also slowed and headed for the pits at this stage leaving Willis chasing down Mark Dwyer for fourth and Frank Lyons in a lonely fifth.

Class A winner David Arrowsmith.Lotus 70© Fast Company/Alex Mitchell


The yellow flags then came out when Alan Dunkley beached his giant-killing Lola T140 in the gravel on the outside of the second turn and not long after the red flags were deployed to stop the race so that officials could tend to Lambden and Haga's stranded cars. Because more than 75% of the projected race distance had been completed the results were declared, then afterwards amended when Brett Willis was deemed to have passed (subsequent to him getting past Williams) after the race was red flagged.

With Dunkley out the best of the Class A runners was David Arrowsmith in his Lotus 70 in 12th place, while with Harin de Silva's Surtees TS8 breaking a suspension upright on


A 29-strong field faced the starter before the Feature 15-lap MSC F5000 series race at Hampton Downs on Sunday

Visiting American driver Seb Coppola in his Lola T192. Photo credit: Fast Company/Alex Mitchell



the warm-up lap the best of the three-man American contingent was Seb Coppola (Lola T192) who crossed the finish line in 16th place.Both Coppola and de de Silva thoroughly enjoyed their debut drives in a series they have been hearing good things about for years."It was very enjoyable to be part of such a big grid," said de Silva. "The level of noise you hear at the start with all these cars is quite incredible. I don't think I've ever heard anything so loud, even with ear plugs!" Race 2 (8 laps Sunday morning)This was the race in which Michael Lyons set his new outright track lap record - despite the majority of laps being run behind the Safety Car. Fortunately - as it did in the weekend's first MSC F5000 series race on Saturday afternoon - it returned to the pits with one lap to go, allowing Lyons to put down the hammer, his 59.840 final lap 0.29 quicker even than his pole time from Saturday morning.The young second-generation British driver got the jump on fellow front row starter Steve Ross off the line but this time it was Ken Smith who dived down the inside forcing Ross and fellow McRae GM1 driver Jay Esterer wide. As they sorted themselves out Mark Dwyer muscled his way into third place with Ross fourth, Esterer fifth and Roger Williams sixth.Behind Williams, Brett Willis led Frank Lyons and John MacKinlay but Greg Thornton was soon past MacKinlay (March 73A) who in turn led Russell Greer (Lola T332), Chris Lambden (McRae GM1) and Class A standout Alan Dunkley.The order then remained static until Stu Lush (McRae GM1) coasted down the start/finish race and parking his car at the side of the track after his car's low oil pressure light went on and Warwick Mortimer pulled off the circuit a lap later with what turned out to be a gearbox problem.It was Jay Esterer who brought the Safety Car out though, the Canadian running into the back of Steve Ross as the pair braked for the infield hairpin and ending up with his car prone in the gravel trap.


Jay Esterer (#59) and Steve Ross (#5) tangled in the second race of the weekend on Sunday morning


That wasn't the end of the incidents either, visiting American driver Eric Haga outbraking himself into the first turn and ending up stuck in the middle of the track soon after.Fortunately he was able to re-start his car and get it out of the way before Lyons and co arrived at the end of their penultimate lap. Race 1 (8 laps Saturday)With qualifying postponed from Friday afternoon because of damp track conditions the first of two projected MSC F5000 series races on Saturday was canceled, and when Clark Proctor (March 73A) blew an engine on the second lap of the afternoon race all but one of the remaining laps were run behind the Safety Car, leaving fastest qualifier Michael Lyons to

stroke to his fifth win in as many races since he arrived in New Zealand.Behind him Steve Ross slotted into second place with Ken Smith close behind in third then a gap back to Mark Dwyer, Jay Esterer - back in the series after having to sit out the first round with fuel starvation problems - Clark Proctor (before his car's engine blew), Roger Williams, Michael Lyon's father Frank, Brett Willis, and Stu Lush.Proctor's prone car brought out the yellow flags then the Safety Car, however, and the order remained the same until Ken Smith dived into the pits to have a loose right-hand-side muffler re-moved. Smith re-joined the race but had to remain line astern at the back of the field until the track went green again on the last lap. When it did he didn't waste any time, making it back up to 11th place by the time the chequered flag came out.With Lyon's fellow young gun Alan Dunkley under strict instructions to nurse home his giant-killing high-wing Lola T140 after a crack was discovered in its gearbox bell-housing after qualifying first Class A car home was the Lotus 70 of Christchurch driver David Arrowsmith.


Michael Lyons (Lola T400) completed a clean-sweep of wins and claimed a new outright track lap record at the second NZ Festival of Motor Racing meeting at Hampton Downs on Sunday.


2011/12 MSC New Zealand F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series Rnd 4 NZ Festival of Motor Racing - celebrating BMW Motorsport Hampton Downs Fri-Sun Jan 27-29 2012Race 1 (8 laps)1.Michael Lyons (Lola T400) 11.46.6622. Steve Ross (McRae GM1) +2.2603. Jay Esterer (McRae GM1) +4.2734. Mark Dwyer (Lola T400) +6.2005. Frank Lyons (Gurney Eagle) +8.4146. Roger Williams (Lola T332) +9.3657. Brett Willis (Lola T330) +10.6398. Stuart Lush (McRae GM1) +11.7759. Greg Thornton (Chevron B24) +14.01810. Shayne Windelburn (Lola T400) +14.78011. Ken Smith (Lola T430) +15.42112. Russell Greer (Lola T332) +15.84513. John MacKinlay (March 73A) +16.12814. Chris Lambden (McRae GM1) +16.68015. David Abbott (Lola T430) +18.77616. David Arrowsmith (Lotus 70) +19.76617. Alan Dunkley (Lola T140) +20.42418. Scott Drnek (Lola T400) +20.73119. Aaron Burson (McRae GM1) +22.20520. David Banks (Talon MR1) +25.26521. John Bryant (Lola T140) +27.42422. Warwick Mortimer (Surtees TS5) +28.45123. Tim Rush (McLaren M22) +29.67324. Eric Haga (Lola T140) +32.32425. Judy Lyons (Lola T332) +56,390DNF Per Burson (McRAe GM1), Seb Coppola, Clark Proctor (March 73A).DNS Alastair Russell (McRae GM1), Harin de Silva, Michael Whatley Race 2 (8 laps)1. Michael Lyons 11.19.8822. Ken Smith +2.1643. Steve Ross +4.8314. Mark Dwyer +4.970

5. Roger Williams +7.7426. Frank Lyons +10.2327. Brett Willis +10.5408. Greg Thornton +11.9189. John McKinlay +13.08810. Russell Greer +15.60711. Chris Lambden +16.07112. Shayne Windelburn +16.43713. David Abbott +18.51714. Alan Dunkley +18.67515. David Arrowsmith +19.75716. Harin de Silva (Surtees TS8) +23.19117. John Bryant +26.65618. David Banks +27.74919. Tim Rush +28.21620. Seb Coppola (Lola T192) +29.74921. Aaron Burson +39.92522. Judy Lyons +56.319dnf Eric Haga, Jay Esterer, Warwick Mortimer, Stu Lush. Race 3 (15 laps)1. Michael Lyons 12.15.7322. Steve Ross +12.22.2863. Ken Smith 12.29.0074. Mark Dwyer 12.42.6225. Frank Lyons 12.55.9326. Greg Thornton 12.56.7287. John MacKinlay 13.14.1368. Shayne Windelburn 13.15.7449. Russell Greer 13.17.40010. David Abbott 13.18.79811. Aaron Burson 12.17.39812. David Arrowsmith 12.21.46513. Chris Lambden 12.22.36714. Peter Burson 12.42.77215. Tim Rush 12.47.46416. Seb Coppola 13.09.16717. John Bryant 13.20.16018. Warwick Mortimer 12.34.752dnf Jay Esterer, Alan Dunkley, Roger Williams, David Banks, Eric Haga, Stuart Lush , Judy Lyons, Harin de Silva, Scott Drnek. DQ Brett Willis

Breakfast Club at Shelsley WalshBy Simon and Janet Wright

Shelsley Walsh is the oldest motorsport venue in the world, and is located in some of the most beautiful countryside in Worcestershire, England. The venue is used on certain Sunday mornings during the year to host Breakfast Club meetings, where owners can bring their interesting cars along and meet up with other owners for a social gathering and admire cars. If you feel particularly energetic, you can also walk up the famous Shelsley Walsh hillclimb course and admire the wonderful views over the valley.The latest meeting took place on Sunday 19th February 2012. We live not too far from the course in the West Midlands and we had woken to a light dusting of snow. This may have affected other peoples choice on attending

as there was not a very high turnout for the meeting, even though there was no sign of snow as we approached Shelsley and the sun was shining.The meeting is held in the paddock area,

utilising some of the classic Shelsley garage sheds as well as the paddock assembly area. On arrival we were greeted to an interesting mix of modern and classic cars lined up in the courtyard assembly area and several vintage cars lined up in the paddock garages. Among

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the modern cars was a Lotus Sports, a couple of Honda S2000’s and a couple of Morgans, plus a Mitsubishi Evo a Maserati Quattraporto and a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow II. Next to the return road gate were a red Porsche 911 Carrera and an Aston Martin Vantage.The older cars were parked in the

garage shelters and included an MG TF, an original Morris Minor upright Saloon, a Riley 1.5 saloon in two tone blue and white bodywork, an old Ford pickup truck, a late model Morris Minor and a Sunbeam Alpine Sports Car.A special silver grey Ford GT40 replica arrived next. Built in South Africa, the CAVGT is not a kit car but a fully assembled, factory built and painted car in which the customer selects which engine and transmission is fitted. Built by California Advanced Vehicles in Cape Town, South Africa, the car is designed to take any small block Ford engine and a choice of

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either the Getrag five speed transmission, the ZF 50825 or the RBT6 transmission. The monocoque chassis is made from stainless steel, with integral rollover and side impact protection. The body is made from high strength fibreglass composite, painted in whatever colour the buyer required. In road trim the car has 5 inches ground clearance. The car

looked and sounded fantastic. It was the first time that the owner had driven it on damp roads, so he had been a little cautious on his run to the meeting. It was one of a batch of four that had been imported from South Africa by four friends. The current owner had recently purchased this car from one of the original four.I’m sure that during the summer there will be a larger turnout for these events, and the dates for the next Breakfast club meetings are 18th March, 15th April, 13th May, 17th June, 15th July, 12th August, 9th September, 14th October and the 11th November 2012.

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Archive PhotoBy Pete Austin

"As you can see elsewhere in this issue, one of the featured marques at this years Race Retro was the Porsche 956/962 which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. During its career these models raced in a multiplicity of colour schemes and pictured here is the New Man sponsored 956 entered by Sorga S.A. at the Le Mans 24 hours in 1983. Driven by Volkert Merl, Clemens Schickentanz and Mauricio De Narvaez this car finished 4th in the race. The race could certainly be called a clean sweep for this model as they filled the first 8 places!"

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GT Cup Awards DinnerBy Mick Herring.

The fourth annual GT Cup Awards Dinner took place at the spiritual home of it's founder, Marc Haynes, at the renowned Haynes International Motor Museum in Somerset.In addition to founding the GT Cup, Marc is also managing director of the museum, currently undergoing a major revamp and expansion programme at the time of our visit.

From the entrance, the walk to our destination was nostalgic and

thought provoking, with so many cars and motorcycles that were once commonplace but now seldom seen lined up in echelon and rare cars from so many different eras contained in the 400 exhibits on show. What a destination it was for the champagne reception.The "Red Room" simply contained red cars as far as the eye could see, from the smallest Caterham 7 through to the stunning Lamborghini Countach, encompassing along the way so many of the evocative sports cars that the world has produced, especially in the last sixty years.The cars complimented the evening dress of the guests and vice-versa, you could imagine drawing up to an event in (almost) © Mick Herring

© Mick Herring

any one of them, Gordon Keeble to Gilbern, "D"-type to Datsun, Countach to Cobra or Corvette to Caterham, well perhaps not that last one.

After a whirlwind and photographic tour of the exhibits it was on to the business of the evening.

The presentation of the awards, hosted jointly by Marc, GT Cup television presenter Charlie George and two beautiful Pirelli grid girls saw Group 1 and overall champion Andy Ruhan collect his trophies and an "Autographics" painting by Ian Cunningham of his championship winning Porsche.

Many other awards were presented ahead of the 4-course dinner, the guests greatly enjoying this and the wine produced and labelled for the museum.As the guests departed at the end of the night, it was another nostalgic walk back through time and the history of the British motor and motorcycle industry.

It doesn't have to be a special event to warrant a visit to the Haynes International Motor Museum, the sheer variety and imaginative settings of the exhibits is enough.

GT Cup Champion Andy Ruhan Collects his rewards© Mick Herring

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Above English Open

Right A Good evening

Below Michael Schumacher Ferrari

Bottom right:English Aristocrats

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Lola T70 By Mick Herring. Photos of the famous ex-David piper Lola T70 Mk3B Chassis SL76/150

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The media centre above the pit lane at Brands Hatch gives a panoramic view of almost the whole Indy circuit and it was here that MSVR supremo, Jonathan Palmer, welcomed the hundred or so media delegates, photographers and racing co-ordinators, to introduce the MSVR promoted championships and series' for 2012.MotorSport Vision Racing (MSVR) is the racing division of MSV, now entering it's sixth year as a race meeting organising club, organising 34 race meetings in 2012, including BSB and D.T.M. But it is MSVR's dedication to providing the best packages available to club racers that this day was all about.Jonathan outlined the club's philosophy and with so many headline International race meetings run at a financial loss, it is by looking after the far greater numbers of UK and European clubmen that ensures not only the viability of the circuits but also that of the championships concerned.

The F3 Cup championship is a prime example of this, with full grids and budgets of around £30,000 per season ranged against the £600,000 budget required to run in British or European F3.

MSVR Press ConferenceBy Mick Herring

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Split into three classes for cars built between 1981 and 2007 with engine specifications and weight limits used to balance performance across the classes to ensure close racing.A five year old F3 car, whilst still incredibly fast, would be totally uncompetitive at

International level, rendering it worth comparatively little and with nowhere to race without such initiatives.F3 Cup drivers are also eligible for entry into the Sunoco Grand-Am 200 Challenge and by winning 14 out of 18 races in 2011, Aaron Steele won a funded drive in a Chevrolet Camaro in a support race to

the Rolex Daytona 24hr. The same ethos applies to the Monoposto Championship and the single venue Champion of Brands Formula Ford 1600 series, run at the circuit where it all started in 1967.

Saloon car devotees are equally well catered for with several different classes of VW and BMW products each having their own championships plus the well supported Project 8 Racing Saloons.Such stability sees race sponsors offsetting some of the cost of competing and racers returning to defend their titles year after year, such as 2011 Production BMW champion Mike Tovey competing again in the re-named Marangoni Tyres championship.

Sportscar racing features high on the list with three separate series' for Lotus cars across the Elise, Exige, Evora and 2-Eleven types, each competing in all of the categories.Radical Sportscars are sure to provide a huge variety of great racing with their Clubman's Cup, UK Cup and Radical European Masters.The latter is now an "International Series" after receiving backing from the FIA.

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MSVR will also be associated with making the next generation of racing a reality by joining forces with the team at EV Cup and the exciting developments in the field of electric car racing.

Single marque, festival fans will be be drawn to Brands Hatch for both the (Classic) Mini Festival, 16th/17th June and, returning to the Kent circuit, the Lotus Festival, 18th/19th August.The Lotus Festival will feature Lotus F1 demonstrations, like today's, by the ever-enthusiastic Steve Griffiths in his Type 101 and a 50th birthday race for the Lotus Elan, with a promised 50 cars from the UK and Europe in this CSCC organised event.

Raising it's profile ever higher is the GT Cup which, this year, is opened up to welcome full GT3 cars to it's bumper 23 race schedule.Response has seen the confirmation of two Ultimas, a Mosler, Lawrence Tomlinson's new GT3 Ginetta G55, the new Chevron GT3 and at least one McLaren.Current British GT champion Jim Geddie is set to also enter his Ferrari 458 in the GT Cup with it's single driver races.The aim of GT Cup is to compliment, not compete with British GT.

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At last the 2012 track action season has started. The Vintage Sports Car Club (VSCC) held the 60th anniversary Pomeroy trophy on the national circuit at Silverstone on Saturday 25th February 2012. This event is unique, as where else in the World would you find cars competing in the same event, for the same trophy, built 100 years apart?The Pomeroy Trophy was first run 60 years ago to find the best overall Touring Car through a series of different challenges. These tests still remain today to find the best overall road car. Vehicles competing have to have driven to the event and cannot arrive on a trailer. To ensure this applies, all competing cars have to pass a checkpoint at Towcester Race course and drive to Silverstone on the public highway. This ensures that the cars are road registered and legal for road use.

The 60th Anniversary Pomeroy Trophy.Ford Escort the Ultimate GT Car.

By Simon and Janet Wright with additional photos by Pete Austin and Mick Herring.

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2nd place Dudley Sterry 1939 HRS Sport won Densham Trophy

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Some of the tests do not rely on vehicle performance, but if the car fails these tests penalty points are deducted from the overall score. For comfort the car should have a roof or hood. If the car has a hood, it must be up for at least two of the tests. Special mention must be made at this point of Dougal Cawley who made a yellow plastic hood for his GN/Ford “Piglet” which appeared to be held together with string! If the vehicle has no hood, penalty points are given. The car should also have a boot large enough to carry a standard suitcase. Here the new Audi fell foul as the boot is small, and if you want to fit a suitcase, then Audi will supply a special custom made suitcase designed to fit the boot! The car must also complete the event fitted with legal road tyres, no racing tyres allowed.The VSCC expert handicappers try to evaluate the performance of each vehicle and apply a target number of laps to be completed by each competitor during the 40 minute high speed trial which takes place round the National circuit at Silverstone. The other tests

include a slalom course against the clock, and an acceleration and braking test.

The entry covered one hundred years of motoring history. The newest car on the entry list was a 2011 Audi R8 of Justin Maeers, while the oldest was a 1911 Scat driven by Andrew Howe-Davies. The most popular type of car entered was the Frazer Nash with around 17 variations taking part. Frazer Nash account for 10 winners in the last 16 years on this event.

Bright sunshine greeted the competitors as they lined up to start the event as VSCC PR Manager Gillian Carr leading off the field in a 1918 Vauxhall A/D Type which she drove with increasing skill to win the Edwardian Trophy. The car had just had a rear axle rebuild, so she was cautious from the start. The very large field was split into three groups for the high speed test, placing the more modern supercars in the third group. It is not a race, although each group of cars are all on track at the same time. Each driver is given a target number of laps to complete in 40 minutes. Also during the first 40 minute High Speed Trial the track was slippery through Brooklands and Luffield through what appeared to be leaking fuel.

This year, victory went to Mike Smith driving a 1970 Ford Escort Mk 1. Mike is a regular competitor on Tour Britannia, having used this same Ford Escort on that event several

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Oldest car 1911 Scat Racer Andrew Howe Davies © Ja

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times in the last few years. Former Pomeroy winner Dudley Sterry finished 2nd in a 1939 HRS Sport and was awarded the Densham Trophy for the best performance by an eligible VSCC Pre-war car. The battle of the Century between the Scat and the Audi was settled in favour of the Scat which finished 6 places higher after the Audi suffered brake problems during the high speed trial. The classiest ride must go

to regular racer Rudolf Ernst driving a very large 1926 Rolls Royce Phantom 1 which unfortunately retired from the high speed trial after only 7 laps completed, resulting in him

being last on the scorecard.

Gillian Carr Vauxhall A-D Type Pomeroy Edwardian Trophy winner.

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Another VSCC regular James Baxter was out having fun in an immaculate 1954 AC Ace finishing 3rd in class. VSCC Club Secretary Mike Stripe had borrowed his wife’s Alfa Romeo 146 to enter the event and finished a respectable 52nd overall with at least half the field behind him. Patrick Blakeney-Edwards who has won 4 of the last 5 Pomeroy trophy meetings only managed to finish 2nd in class this year in his Frazer Nash Targa Florio. Other Class winners were Dr David Pryke in a Riley 12/4 TT Sprite Rep, Adrian Goding in a Ford Cortina, Andrew Hall in the first of many Frazer

Nash (Saloon), Alex Ames in another Frazer Nash (TT Replica), Charles Gillett at the wheel of a Triumph TR2, Jason Kennedy in a Fiat Coupe and finally another Frazer Nash

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Frederic Wakeman Frazer Nash Supersports finished 2nd in class

Clunk, Stick and Slide. By Mick Herring

Grip was always going to be at a premium on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit today but exploit it we did.As a reminder it was still very much winter, a large pile of ploughed up un-melted snow still stood near the end of the pit lane where it doesn't get the sun and with the season still a little way off, a cold damp day in February still didn't dampen the spirits at all.

Following Jonathan Palmer's introduction to all of this year's MSVR categories came the chance for passenger rides in all but the single seaters present.I was fortunate enough to sample three very contrasting cars.The GT Cup provided my first ever laps around the 1.199 mile Indy circuit with The Silverstone Auctions Porsche 997 GT3 being

driven by Nick Whale.That immediate thrust from the back accompanied by the familiar Porsche howl propelled us out of the pit lane and towards the inside line of the infamous Paddock Hill Bend.A sharp tug on the long gear lever changed the gears in the sequential box as we gained significant speed up the hill, before the huge brakes and clutchless down changes set the car up for the Druids Hairpin. The process repeated down the hill on the other side as we straight lined the track's natural curve before Graham Hill Bend.Even in these conditions, once the car is settled down, a large proportion of the 450 bhp could be applied to take us towards the next left hander at Surtees where the characteristic rumble could be heard and felt as we ran over the left hand kerb and onto the brakes.In a seemingly never ending but undulating right turn, McLaren gave way to Clearways, the Clark Curve and onto the pit straight for the first flying lap.Nothing can prepare you for Paddock Hill Bend at speed, braking and changing down with nothing but gravel, tyres and sky in front of you before turning right over what seems like a cliff face.I've walked round Brands many times and Paddock Hill has always seemed steep but accelerating down at considerable speed and feeling the huge compression at the bottom needs to be experienced first hand.Porsche 997 GT3s are hugely competent, strong cars both physically and mechanically, flattering it's driver up to a point but you need to be very competent and confident to extract maximum speed from it. This was evidenced by the constant inputs of throttle and steering required during subsequent faster laps through all the corners as the car moved around.

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By contrast the next car I sampled from the passenger seat was the Radical SR3SL (Street Legal). After seeing it launched at Autosport I couldn't wait to sample it.Climbing over the high cockpit sides and down into the comfortable seats placed you very close to the driver, Roger Green.Once out on the track, immediately apparent was the speed of the SR3SL, the civilised way the Ford based 2 litre turbo EcoBoost engine delivered it's 240 bhp through the sequential paddle shift transmission and to the track.What was not readily imaginable was the sheer amount of grip and speed this car was capable of carrying through each and every corner and onto the next straight.The mechanical grip provided by it's chassis complemented the aerodynamic grip provided by the tri-plane wing and diffuser perfectly.Competently driven and despite the very greasy track conditions, this street-tyred fully

road legal car was just about the fastest car out there with absolutely no drama at all.The only cars that seemed to pass us on a regular basis were the full race SR3s.For a road car, albeit one based with as little compromise as possible on it's Radical racing siblings, the SR3SL seems to defy many of the laws of physics.

The only disconcerting thing was the amount your crash helmet lifted at speed, symptomatic of cars such as this and the KTM X-Bow.

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Rounding off a good day, I was strapped into the the Lotus Elan by attractive and diminutive Vicky Brooks, who will share the car with her father, Bob, in the longer races.In spite of only starting racing last season, with the Elan as her first car, Vicky has already gained her International race license.Here to promote the Classic Sports Car Club's 50th birthday race for the Elan during the Lotus Festival in August, where it is expected to join around 50 more Elans from the UK and Europe.What a difference four decades makes to development.The least powerful of the three, the Elan was by far the most "talkative" and provided one of the most entertaining rides I have ever experienced.

I've been overawed before but never smiled out loud so much in a car.So nimble, it told you exactly what it wanted and changed attitude so easily as it skated from dry to damp patches with lots of notice.The classic snarl from it's willing, Webberised Lotus Twin-Cam engine made traction difficult due to the car's light weight, it was never going to put it's power down like a big heavy Cobra but it would sneak underneath on the brakes and through the turns. A fitting example of why classic racing is so popular and entertaining from the outside, this time witnessed first hand from the inside.

My thanks to MSVR, the championship organisers and car owner/drivers for making this day possible and to Brands Hatch for being an enduring icon.

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Race Retro set, as it is, in the tranquil rolling countryside of Warwickshire at the National Agricultural Centre, Stoneleigh, provides the perfect relaxed opportunity to finalise plans for the forthcoming historic race or ongoing rally season or even to buy the car or motorbike with which to enter the sport.Away from the hustle and bustle of the

N.E.C, this event showcases the entire spectrum, interest and scope of cars, series, suppliers and engineering services available in the largest growth area of motorsport from the earliest karts right up to the glorious looking and sounding F1(30s to 80s), national and international sportscars/Group C from every era.Historic kartists and rallyists always flock to the live outdoor events where both disciplines can enjoy some speed. This year 1979 world

rally champion, Bjorn Waldegard combined the tarmac stage with some spectacular mud-spraying, off-roading in his Safari Rally Porsche. He shared the stage with so many iconic cars and original drivers of Mk1/Mk2 Ford Escort, Mini, Subaru, through the legendary Group B era and beyond. A taste of Isle of Man T.T's gone by could be heard with regular "sound-off's" by the equally legendary motorbikes.

Back inside the four halls, the stand areas reflected the ethos or history of the participant clubs and race organisers. From the welcoming, sumptuous leather sofa of the VSCC, with most beautifully patinated Monza Alfa Romeo alongside to the (literally) grass-roots of grass-track racing. Whilst not,

Race Retro By Mick Herring.

With additional photos by Simon Wright, Pete Austin & Janet Wright

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perhaps, spending the same amounts of money, their preparation and presentation is equally thorough. For those who are time-poor but still need their motorsport "fix" are the "arrive and drive" organising companies for each discipline, some could be sampled whilst at the show. Having bought your car, kart or

bike the ability to keep it running is no less well catered for.The Autojumble vied for space with the tool and component suppliers, together with car builders and restorers.It is gratifying to see the level of old school crafts are still viable, alive continuing to thrive alongside the equally well represented, 21st century technology. With Porsche being the featured marque this year examples of the evocative 956/962 were to be admired together with the ground breaking 908/03s from an earlier decade.Finally, having bought it, prepared it, raced it and repaired it you would find no shortage of imaginative ways to immortalise it on "canvas" or read about your exploits or your car's past life via the dedicated booksellers, artists or magazine titles represented at the show.Race Retro has something for everyone, the above is only a brief sample.

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© Pete Austin

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Porsche were the celebrated marque for 2012

Blaupunkt Porsche 962 1988. Rothmans Porsche 956C 1982. Gulf Porsche 908/3 1971. Martini Porsche 908/3 1971

Dunlop Porsche 962 1988. Sir Stirling Moss Porsche RS61.

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Triumph TR4, registration No. SAH 137, was bought new in 1962 from Triumph dealer and tuner Sid A. Hurrell (SAH) and raced by club racer Neil Dangerfield.It replaced and had it's registration transferred from a previous TR3A, purchased from Hurrells, which Dangerfield had also raced.The car was continued

to be prepared by SAH until late 1963 when it was taken over by Chris Lawrence. Earlier in 1963 the car had been driven to Monza where it took part in a 3 hour race, a support to the Grand Prix meeting, finishing second in class before being driven back home.In consultation with Chris Lawrence and John Sprinzel, the original TR4 body was removed and Williams and Pritchard built a streamlined, curvaceous, low drag aluminium body for the car. Built up by Lawrence, the car was christened SLR (Sprinzel LawrenceTune Racing) and unveiled at the Olympia Racing Car Show in January 1964.

This car is unique and not to be confused with the familiar, subsequent three cars built Morgan chassis' all complying with Group 3 Appendix J regulations of the period.The TR4 SLR was raced nationally and internationally in 1964/65 until a change in the rules rendered it ineligible for international competition for 1966.As a consequence of this the car was further developed for inter-marque racing with the addition of the wider Borrani wheels, Lawrencetune cross-flow cylinder head and a capacity increase.It was the last car to leave the grid in a race at Goodwood before the circuit closed in 1966, it is now a regular invited returnee to the Revival meeting since the circuit re-opened and driven by Neil Dangerfield at the inaugural event.

In 1986, the current owner purchased the car in a poor condition and began the restoration process.It is now in the care of Nottinghamshire based TR Enterprises, who are tasked with helping the owner achieve a reliable, competitive driveline package and secure it's FIA papers, hopefully with the period modifications still in place.

Triumph TR4 SLRBy Mick Herring.

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(Above) Techcraft BRM

(Right) BRM P57-3

(Left) Nanette Brooklands Special(Below) Austin Healey 100 Streamlined.(middle) Rover P5 Trojan T101 - F5000

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What ultimately became a 7,000 hour restoration of the Low Drag Lightweight E-type S850662, registration No. 4868 WK is a fascinating story, with many twists and one that suffered tragedy at an early stage.The car began life as an "ordinary" Lightweight before returning to the factory, being the only one of the twelve built to be

converted to low drag specification, the design of Jaguar's chief aerodynamicist, Malcolm Sayer, whose previous groundbreaking work had included the D-type. It's owner Peter Lindner, a German Jaguar, Lotus and Aston Martin dealer was killed in a crash in the car at Montlhery in 1964.French authorities immediately impounded the wreck in a lock-up near the circuit for ten years, where it survived a fire and attempts by Lindner's family to secure it's release.When it was finally released the car passed through many hands untouched until it reached Lynx Engineering where all salvageable parts were built into a spare low drag monocoque that Jaguar had previously sold, as it was considered impossible at that time, that the wrecked shell could be rebuilt.The car was raced in this form and fortunately all of the wrecked parts had been retained by Lynx.The "spare" car went through more owners and the wreck was given to one of them to prove the authenticity of the current car.In 2007, Classic Motor Cars chairman, Peter Neumark began the lengthy process of restoration having bought "both" cars.This would involve drilling out every rivet to separate every single panel and bracket in order to flatten out, repair and ultimately re-form each and every element that the wrecked shell was originally made up of.At the same time the "spare" car was stripped of all the parts that belonged to the wreck and also many of it's unique reinforcements and other parts, for reference, so that the original damaged parts could be restored with total accuracy.Pete Southan, the craftsman panel beater, spent an incredible 5,500 hours on taking the damaged body/chassis panels apart, straightening them back into sheet, re-shaping and rebuilding them into the car.It is a tribute to his work that 90% of the original monocoque was re-used and a small box of aluminium strips were the only leftovers.After painting, all of the refurbished parts were reassembled and re-united in their original home and the car ran again for the first time in 2011 in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Jaguar E-type.

Lindner Nocker Low Drag E-type By Mick Herring.

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One of the special features of Race retro is the live action Rally stage which is run twice on both the Saturday and Sunday of the show. Some of the greatest rally cars ever made gather to run ‘demonstration’ laps round the tarmac course laid out within the Stoneleigh park grounds. It is not a competition and the runs are not timed, but that does not stop the drivers from attacking the course and putting on a spectacular display for the crowds. They also have some of the most powerful rally cars ever assembled, the Group B supercars from the 1980’s. They also manage to get some of the original drivers, who have lost none of their skills. Regular attender Russell Brookes was back with various of his former Andrews Heat for Hire cars and this year, former World Champion Bjorn Waldegaard joined him. In line with the Porsche celebration within the Race Retro exhibition this year, Bjorn was lined up to drive a special Porsche 914-6 now owned by Pop star Jay Kay. He also drove a Safari spec Porsche 911 which was most spectacular, taking to the bank on the

Race Retro Live Rally Stage By Simon & Janet Wright. Additional photos by Pete Austin and Mick Herring.

Bjorn Waldegard Porsche 914-6

Jimmy McRae & Bjorn Waldegard chat before the stage

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powerslide corners. With Safari high suspension settings, the car was entertaining all round the course, with very visible rise and fall under acceleration and braking.The line up of cars was very impressive, with several Audi Quattros present, a

couple of Rover SD1’s, a couple of MG Metro 6R4’s, various Escorts, Opels, Peugeots and Renault 5 Turbo’s to name just a few. Quite a few of the cars were getting the tail

out on the sharp 90 degree corners, except for the original Mini Coopers that due to their Front Wheel Drive systems tended to under steer and slide wide on the exit of the

John Hanlon Audi Quattro A2© Pete Austin

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corners. They still seemed quick over the stage, even though they were underpowered compared to some of the turbocharged Group B cars.There were local cars to cheer on as well. Triumph were built in Coventry

and there was an example of the Works TR8 V8 rally car and a Dolomite Sprint. Talbot also used to have a factory in Coventry and there were several examples of the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus in action.One of the more

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unusual cars was the Fiat Abarth X1-9 with its large wheel arches and periscope air intake to the mid engine compartment. Finally mention must be made of the fabulous Holden

Firenza with its big engine, loud exhaust note and very high rear wing. It only seems to know how to go round corners sideways and even managed a spin at the Powerslide corner.

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Classic and Competition Car 18 March 2012

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Transcript of Classic and Competition Car 18 March 2012