Dink's Spa Classic Car Racing blog - dialup unfriendly
Discussion
dinkel said:
Wrigley's '77 Hesketh 308E (2:31). Remember the bike's?
Indeed I do! A friend of mine had a couple of them and I went to the factory (erm, stable in fact...) on the former Hesketh estate (now sold). Amazing bikes, not overly good at anything like speed or handling but beautifully made.
L100NYY said:
dinkel said:
. . . whoah, Bizzi 5300 GT driven by John Bendall and B. Wykeham (3:00) . . .
That Bizzarrini is one car that really stuck in my mind after seeing it in action at the Oulton Park Gold Cup this year. What a sound....truly thunderous 
Gorgeous as well 
jellison said:
dinkel said:
Dink's Spa Classic Car Racing blog (9)
The only Macca around was this Dodkins bros '71 M8E 80-03 with the Chevy 5.8 and Lucas injection, Brodix, Vertex mag; Hewland LG600 . . . which was a bit messy. Richard is sorting the box out here and worked all through the night to get the car right for next afternoons race.
Dink that is an M6. Engine way to small if a small block, they all had big bock by the time the M6 and later came out and the 8 has its suspension mounted to the engine and gearbox, 6 like in lower pick has subframe coming round the engine - God I sound like a Can-am GEEK....! The only Macca around was this Dodkins bros '71 M8E 80-03 with the Chevy 5.8 and Lucas injection, Brodix, Vertex mag; Hewland LG600 . . . which was a bit messy. Richard is sorting the box out here and worked all through the night to get the car right for next afternoons race.
Thinking again it may even me an M1? That had the small block and the chassis coming that far back.
GEEK............!!!!!!!!!
Edited by jellison on Thursday 12th October 07:46
My God, you got a picture of Richard with his hands dirty!
Thats me in the background covered in gearbox oil. 
In the first race we were entered for, running pre-66 spec the car destroyed it's Crown Wheel and Pinion whilst lying second and well on the pace for a great result. It was a real disapointment to have the box fail so early. The organisors then accepted our entry for the sunday race where the cars were running on the wider, higher grip post 66 tyres, with us starting at the back. We hadnt planned to do the sunday race so only had the narrow M section tyres to run on.
Richard and I worked until 3am to get the box rebuilt with a new CWP and then fully race prepped as i was due at the Nurburgring 8am sunday, when i got the results of the race i was chuffed to bits, especially considering what tyres we were running. The car was about 2s per lap quicker than the fastest lap on the saturday race we had to retire from, which proved the pace was there for a good result in that race.
The car is an M1B, it was driven by Frank Lyons and Mike Wrigley at Spa. It's the same car that Nick Whale drove at the Goodwood Revival this year to 2nd by 0.3s from Frank Sytner's T70 Spyder. Nick also drove it at the British GP suport race, winning the open car trophy and also finishing first of the M section tyred runners. He also drove it with Richard at Donington the week before Spa at the GP100 meeting, where we finished 2nd to the Chris Chiles T70 Spyder after losing the lead in the driver change.
You have some fabulous photos in this thread, thanks for posting them!
dinkel said:
Hotel Le Relais de Pommard Francorchamps is nice, but I had a guesthouse for this one, and it was cosy and nice. Wasn't the girl called Christina? She'd met Senna . . . very briefly.
Thanks Dink I will drop them an email and see if I can get booked now.
matius said:
yeap i think your right dad this is the way to go! forget le mans classic, plus it gives me another couple of months to squeeze a bigger engine into the spitfire.
Oh God I can see this being an expensive trip now my sons have found out about it!
My bar bill has just gone through the roof!
Better make that one vette and a snazzy green Triumph Spitfire trailing along behind! But probably not too far behind!
Graeme
VetteG said:
dinkel said:
Hotel Le Relais de Pommard Francorchamps is nice, but I had a guesthouse for this one, and it was cosy and nice. Wasn't the girl called Christina? She'd met Senna . . . very briefly.
Thanks Dink I will drop them an email and see if I can get booked now.
matius said:
yeap i think your right dad this is the way to go! forget le mans classic, plus it gives me another couple of months to squeeze a bigger engine into the spitfire.
Oh God I can see this being an expensive trip now my sons have found out about it!
My bar bill has just gone through the roof! Better make that one vette and a snazzy green Triumph Spitfire trailing along behind! But probably not too far behind!
Graeme
I can't wait! Best I give my 2002tii project a kick up the you know what so that it's ready in time
L100NYY said:
I can't wait! Best I give my 2002tii project a kick up the you know what so that it's ready in time
Yes i think you should mate. We haven't that long to plan this
Edited to add, where abouts in essex are you mate as i'm only down the A13 a bit !
Edited by M3John on Friday 27th October 11:50
M3John said:
L100NYY said:
I can't wait! Best I give my 2002tii project a kick up the you know what so that it's ready in time
Yes i think you should mate. We haven't that long to plan this
Edited to add, where abouts in essex are you mate as i'm only down the A13 a bit !
Edited by M3John on Friday 27th October 11:50
The sleepy hamlet of South Woodham Ferrers!
L100NYY said:
M3John said:
L100NYY said:
I can't wait! Best I give my 2002tii project a kick up the you know what so that it's ready in time
Yes i think you should mate. We haven't that long to plan this
Edited to add, where abouts in essex are you mate as i'm only down the A13 a bit !
Edited by M3John on Friday 27th October 11:50
The sleepy hamlet of South Woodham Ferrers!
Ok then you got me there mate, don't know that one. I'm only up near Canary Wharf, just 15min from the Lakeside/Orset area of Essex
M3John said:
L100NYY said:
M3John said:
L100NYY said:
I can't wait! Best I give my 2002tii project a kick up the you know what so that it's ready in time
Yes i think you should mate. We haven't that long to plan this
Edited to add, where abouts in essex are you mate as i'm only down the A13 a bit !
Edited by M3John on Friday 27th October 11:50
The sleepy hamlet of South Woodham Ferrers!
Ok then you got me there mate, don't know that one. I'm only up near Canary Wharf, just 15min from the Lakeside/Orset area of Essex
It's near Chelmsford, I work just outside of Romford.
L100NYY said:
M3John said:
L100NYY said:
M3John said:
L100NYY said:
I can't wait! Best I give my 2002tii project a kick up the you know what so that it's ready in time
Yes i think you should mate. We haven't that long to plan this
Edited to add, where abouts in essex are you mate as i'm only down the A13 a bit !
Edited by M3John on Friday 27th October 11:50
The sleepy hamlet of South Woodham Ferrers!
Ok then you got me there mate, don't know that one. I'm only up near Canary Wharf, just 15min from the Lakeside/Orset area of Essex
It's near Chelmsford, I work just outside of Romford.
Ah got ya. We'll have to sort a shandy or two before the trip to Spa.
M3John said:
L100NYY said:
M3John said:
L100NYY said:
M3John said:
L100NYY said:
I can't wait! Best I give my 2002tii project a kick up the you know what so that it's ready in time
Yes i think you should mate. We haven't that long to plan this
Edited to add, where abouts in essex are you mate as i'm only down the A13 a bit !
Edited by M3John on Friday 27th October 11:50
The sleepy hamlet of South Woodham Ferrers!
Ok then you got me there mate, don't know that one. I'm only up near Canary Wharf, just 15min from the Lakeside/Orset area of Essex
It's near Chelmsford, I work just outside of Romford.
Ah got ya. We'll have to sort a shandy or two before the trip to Spa.
Sounds good to me.
Cheers Jon 
Dink's Spa Classic Car Racing blog (26)
Worldfamous livery on the Lotus 77 (2:31) driven by Locke. The 77 was an unusual car in two respects; firstly it was incredibly narrow with a sharp pointed front and an odd suspension configuration. The suspension had been design to allow for rapid track-side modifications to take place. It worked after a fashion although the idea was not pursued for too long and Chapman reverted to the usual coil spring arrangements for the next model the 78. This 77 was Andretti's
Michael Scott's March 702 (2:47). Slim body with the 1.6 Cosworth FVA and Hewland FT200 looks the bits.
Longtime enthusiast Sidney Hoole restored and prepared Andretti's Lotus 80 (2:31) and locks up here at La Source.
A bit of history: never shy to experiment, Colin Chapman replaced his championship winning Lotus 79 with a new racer that took ground effects design not one, but three steps further. Whereas the previous F1 racers relied on both ground effects and wings to provide the downforce, the new Lotus 80 was a wingless design. Another striking difference was the change in livery from the traditional black and gold of John Player Special to a green and red with Martini sponsors.
Constructed for the 1979 season, the 80 was technically very similar to its predecessors with an aluminum monocoque and the Cosworth DFV engine. Carlos Reutemann drove the thingy but Andretti preferred the 79, changed to that one half way the season but eventually left the team.
Mark Griffith's TS15-07 (2:40), originally sold new to Bob Gerard for Robert Salisbury.
Brabham BT30 (1.6 Cosworth FVA) driven by Gray (2:49). Expect to pay close to a tonne if you want something like this.
In battle with the Brabham . . .
Dink's Spa Classic Car Racing blog (26)
Worldfamous livery on the Lotus 77 (2:31) driven by Locke. The 77 was an unusual car in two respects; firstly it was incredibly narrow with a sharp pointed front and an odd suspension configuration. The suspension had been design to allow for rapid track-side modifications to take place. It worked after a fashion although the idea was not pursued for too long and Chapman reverted to the usual coil spring arrangements for the next model the 78. This 77 was Andretti's
Michael Scott's March 702 (2:47). Slim body with the 1.6 Cosworth FVA and Hewland FT200 looks the bits.
Longtime enthusiast Sidney Hoole restored and prepared Andretti's Lotus 80 (2:31) and locks up here at La Source.
A bit of history: never shy to experiment, Colin Chapman replaced his championship winning Lotus 79 with a new racer that took ground effects design not one, but three steps further. Whereas the previous F1 racers relied on both ground effects and wings to provide the downforce, the new Lotus 80 was a wingless design. Another striking difference was the change in livery from the traditional black and gold of John Player Special to a green and red with Martini sponsors.
Constructed for the 1979 season, the 80 was technically very similar to its predecessors with an aluminum monocoque and the Cosworth DFV engine. Carlos Reutemann drove the thingy but Andretti preferred the 79, changed to that one half way the season but eventually left the team.
Mark Griffith's TS15-07 (2:40), originally sold new to Bob Gerard for Robert Salisbury.
Brabham BT30 (1.6 Cosworth FVA) driven by Gray (2:49). Expect to pay close to a tonne if you want something like this.
In battle with the Brabham . . .
dinkel said:
It's a small block 5.7 / 5.8, acc to the owners info.
He also has a 800 bhp big one (500+ CID).
Maybe next time.
He also has a 800 bhp big one (500+ CID).
Maybe next time.
The Big Block car is the only March 717 built, originally the Kelleners Interserie car that holds the lap record at the Nurburgring Sudsliefe. It uses an 849BHP, 830Lbft 8.8ltr on Kinsler injection, this car we race in the Orwell Supersports Cup. Richard drove the car at this and last years Goodwood Festival of Speed, winning the sportscar class on both ocasions. We also run another M1 which we debued at the British GP suport race this year.
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