TSCCNI awards night
Discussion
One of the many highlights of being a member of a car club is its social side which culminates each year with an annual dinner and awards night. So last Saturday night (3rd of March) I had the pleasure of attending the Thoroughbred Sports Car Club 29th annual dinner, hosted in the elegant surroundings of the Royal North of Ireland Yacht club, Cultra.
These dinners are an occasion to celebrate the clubs competition winners and a time to honour individuals or organizations, who have made a significant contribution to the club or motorsport in general. One such award that the TSCC presented on Saturday night was the The George Windrum Memorial Trophy, which was raised 1989 and named in honour of the club’s founding President who raced both cars and boats. The Windrum Trophy recognizes outstanding contributions to Northern Ireland motorsport and then to the TSCC in particular. Past recipients include 500 Motor Racing Club Of Ireland, Northern Ireland’s region of the British Motorsport Marshals Club and last year’s award winner being the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.
This years recipient was “Crossle Racing Cars” and was represented by current proprietor Arnie Black, with the committee of the TSCC deciding to reward their unstinting support of the historic Cultra Hillclimb Event and their services to motorsport in general and as a car constructor. On the night it was widely felt that Crossle cars hasn’t had the recognition it deserves, especially here in Northern Ireland and the hope was that this award will go some way in correcting the situation.
John and Rosemary Crossle founded the Crossle Car Company in 1959 and is still based in Holywood, County Down. Their vehicles have proved to be successful in races across the world, and a number of famous racing drivers, including Nigel Mansell, were trained in Crossle cars. John Crossle competed in some of his own cars and famously won this car’s début race at Kirkistown in April 1960. He went on to win several races in Mk3/No1, competing mainly at Kirkistown but also at Phoenix Park and Dunboyne. Crossle are probably the only competition car company to produce cars that have competed from grass-roots level (trails cars) up to European F2 Championship, Formula 5000 and International Sportscars Racing level.
The Crossle Car Company Ltd is still based in Holywood, County Down and continues to build and repair racing and trials cars under the leadership of Arnie Black. In recent times the company undertook the full restoration of the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum’s Crossle MK3 and the ex- Laurie McGladery four wheel drive McCandless R2, which was built by Ulster inventor Rex McCandless.The craftsmen who carried out the restoration work were Jonathan Freud, Michael Henderson, Steven Hodgen and Adrian Turnbull.
Only two of the Norton-powered machines were built with the first of the handlebar steered machines finishing in eighth place at Goodwood in 1953 and last September Arnie Black had the honour of again racing the McCandless at the world renowned Goodwood Revival in the Earl of March Trophy race. The event’s first 500cc F3 race since 2008. Unfortunately Arnie’s race was cut short by mechanical gremlins, but Ulster’s motorsport fraternity will have the chance to see two McCandless cars running in anger again at this years Cultra Hillclimb Event, having provided inspiration for the events 2012 4WD theme.
Report by Tony Gregory, Belfast
Contact; 07968154097
More information on www.tsccni.co.uk
These dinners are an occasion to celebrate the clubs competition winners and a time to honour individuals or organizations, who have made a significant contribution to the club or motorsport in general. One such award that the TSCC presented on Saturday night was the The George Windrum Memorial Trophy, which was raised 1989 and named in honour of the club’s founding President who raced both cars and boats. The Windrum Trophy recognizes outstanding contributions to Northern Ireland motorsport and then to the TSCC in particular. Past recipients include 500 Motor Racing Club Of Ireland, Northern Ireland’s region of the British Motorsport Marshals Club and last year’s award winner being the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.
This years recipient was “Crossle Racing Cars” and was represented by current proprietor Arnie Black, with the committee of the TSCC deciding to reward their unstinting support of the historic Cultra Hillclimb Event and their services to motorsport in general and as a car constructor. On the night it was widely felt that Crossle cars hasn’t had the recognition it deserves, especially here in Northern Ireland and the hope was that this award will go some way in correcting the situation.
John and Rosemary Crossle founded the Crossle Car Company in 1959 and is still based in Holywood, County Down. Their vehicles have proved to be successful in races across the world, and a number of famous racing drivers, including Nigel Mansell, were trained in Crossle cars. John Crossle competed in some of his own cars and famously won this car’s début race at Kirkistown in April 1960. He went on to win several races in Mk3/No1, competing mainly at Kirkistown but also at Phoenix Park and Dunboyne. Crossle are probably the only competition car company to produce cars that have competed from grass-roots level (trails cars) up to European F2 Championship, Formula 5000 and International Sportscars Racing level.
The Crossle Car Company Ltd is still based in Holywood, County Down and continues to build and repair racing and trials cars under the leadership of Arnie Black. In recent times the company undertook the full restoration of the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum’s Crossle MK3 and the ex- Laurie McGladery four wheel drive McCandless R2, which was built by Ulster inventor Rex McCandless.The craftsmen who carried out the restoration work were Jonathan Freud, Michael Henderson, Steven Hodgen and Adrian Turnbull.
Only two of the Norton-powered machines were built with the first of the handlebar steered machines finishing in eighth place at Goodwood in 1953 and last September Arnie Black had the honour of again racing the McCandless at the world renowned Goodwood Revival in the Earl of March Trophy race. The event’s first 500cc F3 race since 2008. Unfortunately Arnie’s race was cut short by mechanical gremlins, but Ulster’s motorsport fraternity will have the chance to see two McCandless cars running in anger again at this years Cultra Hillclimb Event, having provided inspiration for the events 2012 4WD theme.
Report by Tony Gregory, Belfast
Contact; 07968154097
More information on www.tsccni.co.uk
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