Club race pic's

Author
Discussion

chevronb37

6,471 posts

186 months

Saturday 8th September 2012
quotequote all
Hi guys! We're in Milan and have been at Monza the last couple of days. It's very hot but the circuit is incredible - I've never enjoyed watching F1 cars so much. You can't overstate how bloody quick they are and how close you can stand. I've really struggled with photos I'm afraid as I've generally been shooting through catch fencing in bright sunshine - recipe for disaster!

I hope these give a little flavour of activities so far :-)
































RESSE

5,702 posts

221 months

Sunday 9th September 2012
quotequote all
National B Event @ Loton PArk Sunday 9th September













RESSE

5,702 posts

221 months

Sunday 9th September 2012
quotequote all










RESSE

5,702 posts

221 months

Sunday 9th September 2012
quotequote all















RESSE

5,702 posts

221 months

Sunday 9th September 2012
quotequote all














RESSE

5,702 posts

221 months

Sunday 9th September 2012
quotequote all





















Skylinecrazy

13,986 posts

194 months

Monday 10th September 2012
quotequote all
Looks a good entry at Loton as per usual with some very interesting cars. Mr Manning and his Puma are always very exciting (the most successful closed car in hillclimbing) as are Mick Harriman in the Quattro. The Short wheel base Intergrale is interesting, First saw that a few months back at the practice day, looked quick!


dapearson

4,320 posts

224 months

Monday 10th September 2012
quotequote all
Was anyone at Cadwell at the weekend? I'd be interested in seeing some pics of my car. Caterham Graduates Classics, car 99.

chevronb37

6,471 posts

186 months

Monday 10th September 2012
quotequote all
Couple of final shots of the Italian GP and support races for you guys. :


























[/quote]

srob

Original Poster:

11,609 posts

238 months

Tuesday 11th September 2012
quotequote all
chevronb37 said:
Smashing idea! I'm there all 3 days too so would be great to chat Lotus and old cars :-)
Did you get my PM about Goodwood mate?

OlberJ

14,101 posts

233 months

Tuesday 11th September 2012
quotequote all
Clocked this thread last night and just worked my way through it tonight.

I absolutely adore it. The variety of machinery and the standard of the pictures are excellent.

Thank you, every single person who has contributed. Magic smile

chevronb37

6,471 posts

186 months

Tuesday 11th September 2012
quotequote all
srob said:
chevronb37 said:
Smashing idea! I'm there all 3 days too so would be great to chat Lotus and old cars :-)
Did you get my PM about Goodwood mate?
Not checked my e-mails in about a week. I'll let you know ASAP!

chevronb37

6,471 posts

186 months

Thursday 20th September 2012
quotequote all
I'm mega busy after 3 weeks away but here's part one of a Revival report.

Last weekend saw the annual Goodwood Revival. Hope this serves as a quick summary of the best bit of the whole event – the on track action.

In a break from tradition, the racing opened on Friday evening with an evocation of the Goodwood Nine Hour races which rocked West Sussex thrice through the 1950s. The 90 minute contest took place as the sun set over the former RAF West Hampnett with a representative grid of Astons, Jaguars, Ferraris, HWMs and the rest. In period, Aston Martin prevailed over their Coventry rivals but in 2012 the tables turned with first Anthony Reid putting in a fierce drive in Nigel Webb’s C-Type to lead before mechanical maladies called time on a terrific effort as the car stuck in gear. Current GT racer Alex Buncombe took put in one of the drives of the weekend to win in another C-Type from the plucky Cooper of John Ure and Nick Wrigley, which proceeded throughout as if completely bereft of brakes. A wonderful spectacle as day slowly turned to night and the cars picked out their lines around the track by headlights alone.










Saturday morning and it was time to get cracking with some more racing. The Goodwood Trophy showcases Grand Prix and Voiturette monoposti of the period 1930 – 1950. In historic racing this means ERAs to the fore and qualifying suggested Mark Gillies would be the form man in Mary Smith’s R3A. He was headed to the Madgwick on the first lap by Mac Hulbert in R4D but the lead barely lasted a lap. Behind, the supporting cast of Bugatti, Alfa Romeo and Maserati was left in the wake of Bourne’s finest. Duncan Ricketts completed the podium in the E-Type GP1.








The Fordwater Trophy featured an eclectic array of 1960s production GTs with everything from Morgans to Ferraris in the thick of it. The highlight for Lotus enthusiasts was the appearance of three Ian Walker Racing ‘Gold Bug’ Elan 26Rs in the hands of Martin Stretton, Nick Fennell and Sean Walker – son of the illustrious entrant. At the front the JCB entered Ginetta G10 used brute force to take the lead and epic 4.7L Ford power meant even balletic progress from Stretton looked certain to win out. For once though, it wasn’t a Lotus suffering reliability woe, as the Ginetta’s rear offside wheel came loose putting it out. Stretton in the unique aluminium-bodied fastback Gold Bug won at a canter but sharing the podium was 1969 Le Mans winner Jackie Oliver in another 26R. In a triumph of pathos, Oliver was aboard the very car which his father bought for him in 1964 and which he debuted at Goodwood in 1965.








The headliner on Saturday is the St Mary’s Trophy for saloon cars. This year featured a remarkable variety of unlikely vehicular heroes from the 1950s piloted by an array of stars from around the world of motor racing. A wonderful four car battle emerged at the front as Goodwood debutant Rob Huff introduced his Austin A40’s doorhandles to the tarmac in tandem with Anthony Reid’s Mk2 Jaguar, Jackie Oliver in a BMW 700 and Kenny Brack in another A40. This terrific scrap succeeded Friday’s entertaining wet qualifying session which saw every driver sideways for virtually the entire 20 minutes. Huff prevailed in Saturday’s thrash, but not without winning a few new fans in the crowd with a committed drive in close company with three of Goodwood’s acknowledged stars.










Big news over the weekend was the Shelby Cup. Honouring the 50th anniversary of the Cobra and named in memory of the car’s brilliant creator Carroll Shelby who sadly passed earlier this year, the race promised to be an event highlight. And what a spectacle in made as the whole pack hurtled into Fordwater in a line on the opening lap, seismic in its assault on the senses. A two-driver, 45 minute thrash which looked set to be dominated by the glorious Daytona Coupe of Kenny Brack and Derek Hill, Brack having earned TT glory in the same car 12 months previously. However, the competition was close and behind the thundering Coupe a three-way chasing pack of Caron, Hall and Hart emerged to challenge. Mid-race and the Daytona Coupe was out with a problem and so Reid assumed the lead. Following his disappointment in the C-Type on Friday, the race looked in the bag when one of the Cobra’s famous sidewinder exhausts came loose necessitating a desperate last-minute pit stop, handing the win to Rob Hall and Andy Wolff. It was a tense end to a special race, the like of which we’ll probably never see again.







An added bonus was the famous AC Le Mans Coupe leading a parade lap before the start of the race. Rarely seen out and surely the finest-looking of all the Cobra variants.



Meanwhile, during a wet qualifying session Martin Brundle blotted his copybook with his frightening smash. At the wheel of Bill Shepherd’s car Brundle lost control at St Mary’s, spearing into Graeme Bryant’s stationary Cobra and narrowly missing a marshal. All concerned were lucky to escape uninjured but it was particularly poor luck for the Bryants after the same car was corregated on the Woodcote barriers at the Revival last year.







srob

Original Poster:

11,609 posts

238 months

Thursday 20th September 2012
quotequote all
Great pictures and write up mate. I've put a couple of mine up in the Goodwood picture thread, but I'm going to put the rest up in here. It's just a case of getting time to go through the 500(!) I managed to snap!

The little BMW 700 was the car - well, performance - of the event for me smile

chevronb37

6,471 posts

186 months

Thursday 20th September 2012
quotequote all
srob said:
Great pictures and write up mate. I've put a couple of mine up in the Goodwood picture thread, but I'm going to put the rest up in here. It's just a case of getting time to go through the 500(!) I managed to snap!

The little BMW 700 was the car - well, performance - of the event for me smile
Tell me about it - I've got about 900 not-very-good shots and about 50 OK-ish ones. I want to get this out of the way as I have some published work to get done and the write-up of our big trip to Europe over the next week or two before I forget everything! I look forward to seeing yours over the next few days.

chevronb37

6,471 posts

186 months

Thursday 20th September 2012
quotequote all
Part 2.

The Whitsun Trophy features the weekend’s fastest machinery as big-banger sportscars terrorise Goodwood. Pitting early Group 7 spiders against Group 4 cousins, the lead battle this year was the finest of the entire weekend as acknowledged historic masters Gary Pearson, Roger Wills and Simon Hadfield took one Canadian equivalent Jay Esterer and McLaren development driver Chris Goodwin. The five turned in a mesmeric display with the lead in constant dispute. Hadfield’s Genie retired, leaving a brace of McLarens facing down Pearson’s Lola T70 and Esterer’s Chinook, brilliantly described by commentator Marcus Pye as “extravagantly moustachioed”. Esterer has car control to give away and lap after lap he brought the Chinook back from angles which would have Ken Block crying. He ended the race second as Pearson avenged a poor race in 2011 (through no fault of his own) with a fine win. Historic racing doesn’t come any finer as the leaders topped 170mph down the Lavant Straight inches apart.













Saturday’s curtain-closer was the Chichester Cup for front-engined Formula Junior. Another fierce lead scrap saw Mallock, Stanguellini and Elva mounted automotive pugilism. As the sun slowly set on a stunning day so further pathos was added as Will Mitcham starred with a storming race from mid-grid to win in the boxy U2. This coming just a few days after a terrible road car accident had left his father in hospital. Despite their diminutive powertrains, the little Formula Juniors never fail to thrill over the sweeps off Goodwood and slipstream-aided overtakes proliferated on every lap, the result in dispute right up until the chequer.







After the glorious sunshine of Saturday, Sunday dawned overcast but with historic warbirds in the sky, the great and the good in the finest period dress on the spectator banks and such fierce racing on the track, it’s impossible to have a bad day at Goodwood.

The Brooklands Trophy kicked off proceedings with big pre-war sports cars of all shapes and sizes going toe-to-toe. Patrick Blakeney-Edwards lead into the first corner in his upright Fraser-Nash saloon but despite his usual heroic efforts, he had to give best to Max Werner’s Alfa Romeo and Gareth Burnett’s evocative Talbot 105 works car. This pair thundered around in close company, the drivers towering high above the tarmac, narrow treaded tyres yawing furiously. It really was terrific stuff and neatly showcased exactly how much effort is required to properly pedal a big pre-war jalopy. At the flag Werner was ahead and he revealed after the race that he’d driven the Alfa all the way from Germany and was preparing to drive it home again afterwards. You can’t argue with that.









The battle for Richmond and Gordon Trophies honour was blighted by a major startline shunt which disabled several of the race’s leading runners. Race favourite Will Nutthall’s Cooper T53 had already gone lame but the crash at the start saw a brace of Lotus 18s out with damage, ditto a pair of 250F Maseratis as well as Lancia D50 recreation and BRM Type 25. It was sad to see but that’s motor racing. At the front, Gary Pearson was typically committed in his beloved ex-Bonner BRM, which he always drives so beautifully. However, he could only watch as the mid-engined Coopers of Alastair McCraig and Rod Jolley set a searing pace at the front. McCraig did everything he needed to in the Lowline T53, as Jolley doggedly pursued in his earlier T45/51. With the inside front wheel cocked in the air, his committed progress netted fastest lap, though not the win.










The second St Mary’s Trophy race, for owner-drivers allowed the two Mk2 Jaguars of Grant Williams and Justin Law to head into Fordwater abreast on the opening tour. Mindful of a potential aggregate win, Law took the gentlemanly approach and settled for a comfortable finish which netted him and Anthony Reid the overall victory. Meanwhile Richard Shaw proved Jackie Oliver’s performance in the little BMW 700 was no fluke as he showed competitively, despite a spin, taking 6th. Behind the big Jaguars, the Austin A40 twins took 3rd and 4th, with Desmond Smail limping after suffering a puncture towards the end as a result of contact. Sounds very much like modern touring car racing, doesn’t it?

The main event of the weekend is always the TT Celebration for 1960s GT weapons. With the Cobras absent on Shelby Cup duty, it fell to the evergreen Jaguar E-Type to head the pack. Pre-event favourite was the lightweight of F1 design deity Adrian Newey, partnered by Martin Brundle. As a two driver race over an hour and featuring a mandatory pitstop, the TT Celebration has proven in the past that nothing can ever be relied upon and Newey must’ve thought that as he left the track at St Mary’s on the opening lap as he and Gary Pearson disputed the lead. Despite some terrific drives from the likes of Jean Alesi in Nick Mason’s legendary 250 GTO and Bobby Verdon-Roe in another E-Type, Newey used a substantial performance advantage and a perfectly-timed safety car to hit the front; his fastest lap a second and a half quicker than any other car managed all race. Behind the lead battle, the usual chasing pack comprised jewels from Ferrari, Maserati, Lister, Chevrolet and Sunbeam. It was stirring stuff, even if the win was always destined to head Newey and Brundle’s way.











The Glover Trophy for 1.5L Grand Prix and Tasman cars featured the shrill short-stroke V8s from Climax and BRM revving to infinity. Qualifying looked as if the formbook was to be torn up as Nick Fennell headed Andy Middlehurst in the Lotus 25 tussle. Fennell led the opening tour and Middlehurst had to battle past on the run down to Fordwater a couple of laps in. Once ahead he stroked John Bowers’ to a classy victory, successfully defending the title he took on a wet track in 2011. Behind the 25 twins, the action lacked a little of the sparkle of the previous races, though it’s impossible to tire of listening to those signing V8s as the pilots dared themselves to try Fordwater flat.











The weekend’s final bout was for the coveted Sussex Trophy. Late 50s sports racers from Ferrari, Jaguar, Lister, Maserati, Sadler et al hit the track as dusk started to fall. Alex Buncombe, fresh from his storming win in the Freddie March memorial Trophy was looking good to follow up his Silverstone Classic win aboard the Costin bodied Lister Jaguar. Sadly he retired from the lead after just 5 laps completed, fastest lap being scant consolation. Buncombe’s loss was the spectators’ gain though as the lead battle hotted up commensurately. Julian Majzub’s twitchy Sadler took up the batten at the lead and he battled valiantly to keep the reluctant beast pointing in the right direction, enjoying its prodigious performance on Goodwood’s generous straights. It was a terrific drive in a difficult car and he took a deserved win ahead of the Lister due of Andrew Smith and Tim Harvey – the former BTCC champion at the Revival for the first time. Borrowing British GT team mate Jon Minshaw’s Jaguar-powered Lister, Harvey took to historics like a duck to water and raced cleanly with Smith whose Chevrolet power in his Lister Knobbly couldn’t quite overcome the inspired Majzub. The chasing pack was left breathless in pursuit, and even the likes of Mark Hales and Anthony Reid couldn’t touch the pace leading trio.












chevronb37

6,471 posts

186 months

Wednesday 26th September 2012
quotequote all
I'm onto part 3 of my account of the Belgian/Italian GP trip. The thread is here if anyone's interested:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Skylinecrazy

13,986 posts

194 months

Wednesday 26th September 2012
quotequote all
chevronb37 said:
I'm onto part 3 of my account of the Belgian/Italian GP trip. The thread is here if anyone's interested:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Brilliantly written Andy, really enjoyed reading the first two articles. Will put some pictures up from Harewood when I can!


Skylinecrazy

13,986 posts

194 months

Wednesday 26th September 2012
quotequote all

chevronb37

6,471 posts

186 months

Wednesday 26th September 2012
quotequote all
Skylinecrazy said:
chevronb37 said:
I'm onto part 3 of my account of the Belgian/Italian GP trip. The thread is here if anyone's interested:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Brilliantly written Andy, really enjoyed reading the first two articles. Will put some pictures up from Harewood when I can!
Thanks mate! Really pleased you're enjoying it. It's been fun to write about as well.

Love the Harewood pics. Shame I couldn't be there, but you can't do everything in life. Get some more shots up soon!