70s Newsletter April '17

seventies

AN HSCC CHAMPIONSHIP SINCE 1996

May 2017 – No1

70’s is really becoming one of the best race series going. Great battles from the front to the back of the grid.

PHOTO © JOSHUA BARRETT

IT WAS ONLY A BIT OF DRIZZLE! CHARLES BARTER

Silverstone – 20.05.17

HSCC 70s Road Sports – May 2017

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There is a real buzz around 70s this year, the HSCC office continues to receive enquiries from potential new competitors and the social media following grows larger each week.

Building on the momentum from last year the traditional winter break appeared to be kept to a minimum as many competitors adopted an attitude of serious intent towards this year’s Championship.

We have also been joined by a number of new competitors and this was reflected in the tremendous 33 car entry for the first race of the season at Donington on 8 April.

Successful Championships are built and sustained by the competitors themselves, their attitude, quality of racing, presentation of the race cars and a general enjoyment in being part of something good.

This is all reflected in what is happening around 70s at the moment with a steady stream of enquiries from new drivers looking to join in.

Also in this issue of the Newsletter we have a fascinating Donington race report written by a number of competitors providing a real insight into a 70s race weekend.

Our Video of the Month has been taken from David Tomkinson’s Triumph Spitfire, a full 20 minutes of drama and excitement.

Also included is a Spa accommodation recommendation and in the next issue will be a Spa Safety Equipment update, because its never too soon to start preparing.

And how Howard Payne’s involvement with 70s is helping the next generation of motorsport engineers at Huntingdonshire Regional College.

An even brighter spotlight is shining on 70s which is all thanks to you the racers.

In the true tradition of 70s it hasn’t been all work and no play, the Annual 70s Dinner was again held at The Lambert Arms, near Oxford on 28 January.

Organised by Robert Barter this is an excellent venue for the dinner, with exceptional food, if you didn’t come you missed a treat of an evening with much laughter and many wide and varied conversations.

HSCC 70s Road Sports – May 2017

DONINGTON SATURDAY 8TH APRIL 2017

33 starters collected on the Melbourne Loop tarmac at Donington ready for the fray, including two Invitation cars. The weather was VERY kind all weekend, and no amount of rain dances from Chris Fisher or Sarah Hutchison could cloud the skies.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

The following race reports have been compiled by Sarah Hutchison, with thanks to many contributors.

Much pre-event chatter on Facebook covered problems with brakes (Mark Oldfield), clutch (Chris Fisher), diff (David Tomkinson), harness (Martin Dyson, total rebuild of 924 (John Hillon), windscreen (David Tomkinson), rolling roads (various), in-car cameras (John Hillon), testing (Chris Fisher) – shouldn’t be allowed, blown turbo (in the van) and the race day timetable – a pleasant change from being first or last out!

HSCC 70s Road Sports – May 2017

‘ALMOST AS MUCH FUN AS DRIVING!’ PETER SHAW

It was interesting sitting-out the 70s race and watching Iain Daniels in the new car.

Almost as much fun as driving! Julian and I were cheering everyone on from the banking at Redgate and watching as you all went down the Craners and around the Old Hairpin.

What a great field of cars with superb variety and superb battles right through the field.

The battle between Charles and Jim was epic and could have gone either way. Well done to Iain on bringing the Europa home on the podium on its debut!

IN THEIR OWN WORDS PHOTO © PAUL LAWRENCE

DONINGTON 08.04.17

‘ROBBED OF BRAGGING RIGHTS’ JON WAGSTAFF

So we (the current Mrs Dyson and me) start to strip the engine down, head off, exhaust off, steering off, sump off.

Fluffing my second gear change robbed me of the We cancel the hotel and the meal out! Diane bragging rights of passing a Ferrari. Also nice to makes me promise she will get a manicure meet the new Alfa pilot Peter Sloan, apparently out of this – her nails are ruined. he’s raced before in the ARCA series.

By 11pm and a lot of frustration (we are working with a mirror to locate the con-rod ‘LAST MINUTE.COM’ bolts via a 1 ½” gap) we finally have the new MARTIN & DIANE DYSON piston fastened in.

It’s Friday, the day before the Donington race, I’ve booked the day off so we can have a leisurely run down to Leicestershire, check into a nice hotel, enjoy a glass of wine and evening meal with the Mrs.

So, I turned the engine over on Friday morning and noticed that the engine breather was breathing more than usual, so I decide to check the cylinder compression. Number 1 was down to 20 PSI. Bang goes the race! Or does it?

I’ve been informed that I can change number 1 piston without removing the engine – just!

I decide to check the spares I have available: Spare Head Gasket – Yes Spare Piston – Yes Spare Piston rings – Yes Spare Sump Gasket – Yes Water pump Gasket – No (but cereal packets are very handy).

By 2am everything is back together. Phew!

Will it start? We’ll have to wait until the morning.

Up at 06:30 – load the car, 07:15 the car starts up first turn! (the neighbours appreciated the early alarm call!)

We arrive ahead of schedule at Donington, a little jaded with only 4 hours’ sleep.

A spin in qualifying wakes me up. A great race follows with plenty of swapping of places, although not the best way to bed in a new head and piston! I still owe the Mrs...

‘I’LL BE BACK’ PAUL UGO As a virgin 70s racer, I want to say what a nice bunch you lot are, I felt very welcome and enjoyed the day , mind you 25ºC at Donington in early April felt like cream on the cake.

I will certainly be back for more.

HSCC 70s Road Sports – May 2017

IN THEIR OWN WORDS PHOTO © PAUL LAWRENCE

DONINGTON 08.04.17

‘THE LANCIA WAS THEIR RIDE HOME’ MARK OLDFIELD

‘DISASTER’ WILLIAM JENKINS

Being hampered by having to use a “spare” Mark had already experienced all his thrills on engine and gearbox, his own not forthcoming the way to the track: His tow car expired on from the preparer and lapping 15 seconds a the M1 and he completed the journey to the lap slower than when he raced the 914-6 in circuit in his race car leaving brave Johanne the nineties with 70s he retired on lap 3, with the broken down tow car waiting to be clearly very disappointed. rescued by the AA. Mark qualified 4th in class before returning to collect Johanne in Will Morton’s tow truck.

Mark ran for 11 laps before pitting 3 lap from the finish as the Lancia was required as their ride home!

Mark would have finished 3rd in Class with a fastest lap of 1:32.552. All credit to Johanne for her 4 hour wait on the hard shoulder!

‘GOOD FUN NEVERTHELESS’ CHRIS FISHER My Donington weekend was a mixture of highs and lows with no clutch all weekend. I spent qualifying stuck in 4th gear and total loss of rear brakes half way through the session was interesting.

Starting the race from the pitlane again with limited clutch usage I clawed myself up to 16th and a class win which we were all very pleased about.

Not exactly highflying moments but good fun nevertheless.

HSCC 70s Road Sports – May 2017

‘IF ONLY THE GEARBOX HAD LASTED A FEW MORE MINUTES’ MARK LEVERETT I started 5th after a shortened practice due to clutch problems.

We were 4 abreast going into Redgate from the start. I got up to 3rd overall after some great scraps with Rob Gates in the green E-type, swapping positions a few times, side by side around Redgate and down the Craner curves.

I got past Iain Daniels in the Europa and was a clear 3rd for most of the race. However towards the end I couldn’t change down, the gearbox got worse and I completed the last few laps in 3rd gear and Rob and Iain eventually caught me.

If only the gearbox would have lasted a few more minutes, I would have been 3rd – drat!

Thoroughly enjoyed it though! :)

IN THEIR OWN WORDS DONINGTON 08.04.17

Charles Barter won the first race of the season in his familiar Datsun 204Z after a mighty battle with the Europa of Jim Dean.

‘MUCH OVERTAKERY ENSUED’ ‘FROM DARKEST CORNWALL’ SARAH HUTCHISON STEVE BELLERBY Swapping her rain tyres (doh!) for new boots Sarah was in the middle of a gaggle of 1m 33s across about six cars.

The trip from darkest Cornwall was relatively uneventful. The facilities and paddock at Donington were great and the staff friendly.

Much overtakery ensued, including by a recovering David Tomkinson and Chris Fisher, but she held Chris Holland and Martin Dyson at bay.

It was my first race here but I really enjoyed the circuit. I was on new tyres which didn’t warm up as quickly as the old ones so I was a bit over cautious through the Craners but it did offer an excellent grandstand view of Dave Tomkinson’s early spin.

Sadly, a beautifully performing engine and brakes meant more fuel was consumed than was available, causing starvation on the last two laps, letting Chris and Martin by on the last lap.

Two and half litres of fuel remained in the tank, but that’s clearly not enough! Lesson learned!

I was pleased with gradual progress up through the field. Through a combination of overtaking and attrition I made 10 places to finish 7th overall and was delighted to be Class B runner up behind Charles.

The 70s paddock was as friendly as usual so I can’t wait for Silverstone.

‘I MISS RACING WITH THE 70s GIRLS & BOYS’ OLLIE FORD I stayed up to watch the live timing in Singapore, but that’s about the most exciting contribution I can make I’m afraid!

It looked like it was a cracking race all the way down the order!!

I certainly miss racing with the 70s girls and boys!

PHOTO © PAUL LAWRENCE

Cheers, Ollie HSCC 70s Road Sports – May 2017

35

LAP CHART

DONINGTON PARK: SATURDAY 8TH APRIL 2017

01 24 Charles Barter 02 72 Jim Dean 03 47 Iain Daniels 04 30 John 30 Williams 05 20 Mark Leverett 06 11 Howard Payne 07 131 Mark Bennett 08 35 Robert Gate 09 19 Will 25Leverett 10 15 Paul Ugo 11 68 Jon Wagstaff 12 70 Steve Skipworth 13 12 Neil Brown 14 67 Tim 20Hayes 15 33 Matthew Nichols 16 45 Rupert Ashdown 17 55 Steve Bellerby 18 10 Nigel Ashley 19 07 David 15 Tomkinson 20 18 Martin Dyson 21 73 Peter Sloan 22 57 Mark Oldfield 23 50 Dave Karaskas 24 56 Sarah 10 Hutchison 25 21 Will Morton 26 65 Steve Cooke 27 76 Dave Erwin 28 77 Simon Holmesmith 29 14 Chris 5 Holland 30 27 Chris Fisher 31 74 Simon Adkins 32 25 William Jenkins

0

Laps Start

HSCC 70s Road Sports – May 2017

Lap1 1

Lap2 2

Lap3 3

Lap4 4

Lap5 5

Lap6 6

7 7 Lap

La

01 Charles Barter

+0

02 Jim Dean

+0

03 Iain Daniels

+0

04 Robert Gate

+4

05 Mark Leverett

+0

06 Steve Skipworth

+6

07 Steve Bellerby

+10

08 Paul Ugo

+2

LAPPED

09 Mark Bennett

-2

10 Jon Wagstaff +1 11 Matthew Nichols

+4

12 Tim Hayes

+2

13 Rupert Ashdown

+3

14 Neil Brown

-1

15 Will Morton

+10

16 Chris Fisher

+14

17 Nigel Ashley

+1

18 Dave Karaskas

+5

19 David Tomkinson +0 20 Martin Dyson

+0

21 Chris Holland

+8

22 Sarah Hutchison

+2

23 Simon Holmesmith +5

NOT CLASSIFIED

6

Lap7 7

Lap8 8

Lap9 9

Lap1010

Lap1111

Lap1212

Lap1313

24 Peter Sloan

-3

25 Dave Erwin

+2

26 Simon Adkins

+5

27 Mark Oldfield

-5

28 John Williams

-24

29 Howard Payne

-23

30 Steve Cooke

-4

31 Will Leverett

-22

32 William Jenkins

Lap1414 HSCC 70s Road Sports – May 2017

-0

The Huntingdonshire Regional College race team returned from Donington Park frustrated with its recent race performance but thankful they still had an undamaged car.

The Lotus Europa owner and driver Howard Payne underlined the potential of the car, tended by the student based team, by securing sixth place on the 70s Road Sports grid just one second off the quickest Lotus time.

“I’m really pleased with that performance” confirmed Payne. “We know that the others have full race engines which are 15 to 20bhp up on ours and can rev much freer”.

Sector times and speed trap figures confirmed Payne was one of the quickest drivers through the technical section but was several mph down on the all-important main straight compared to his rivals.

However all was not well with the Europa as the engine bay was covered in oil and water, which the team put down to an engine breathing issue.

“ “At least the car didn’t catch fire...” reflected a frustrated Howard Payne HSCC 70s Road Sports – May 2017

“Had we been able to get any meaningful running at a recent test session this problem would have materialised and we could have addressed it” explained Lewis Beales, Motorsport Course Leader at HRC. The student crewed team worked tirelessly between qualifying and the race to clean up the car and instigate an improvement to the breathing system to allow Payne to take up his grid position.

Sadly all of their hard work was undone when Payne headed pitward after just a few racing laps complaining of fuel starvation which was traced to a loose fuel pipe.

NEWS

‘APPARENTLY SPA IS COMPULSORY THIS YEAR? OR SO I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY DAVID TOMKINSON!’ LAURA TOMKINSON HOTEL BEAU SITE, HOCKAI SPA FRANCORCHAMPS 14-18 SEPTEMBER

MOTs & VEHICLE IDENTITY FORMS (VIFs) REGULATION 5.2

A number of 70s competitors have already booked rooms in this country-style hotel just 8 km from the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

All cars in classes A to E must have current HSCC Vehicle Identification Forms (VIFs) approved by the Registrar.

We would recommend it as an alternative to camping or self-catering and suggest booking for 4 nights from 14 – 18 September 2017.

Cars must remain road legal, with valid MOT, and if Road Driven have current insurance and valid road tax if required.

For more information contact Sarah Hutchison All documentation must be available at who will be happy to help and offer advice: events entered, produced when required at sarah@prestigetrackclub.co.uk scrutineering and post race checks.

Or book direct at: http://www.hotelbeausite.be/en/

NEW HSCC TREASURER ROBERT BARTER Following the retirement of Anthony Goddard at the end of last season, Robert Barter who moved to Oxford with Grant Thornton in the 70s (now retired), was elected as the Club’s new Treasurer during the AGM. The club will relocate to new offices at the end of this season following the decision by Silverstone to open a Heritage Experience at the Circuit in spring 2019 which will incorporate the current HSCC office.

Cars must at all times be entered in a presentable manner, in the true spirit of 70s Road Sports, including sponsors decals.

Gaudy colour schemes are not acceptable.

Online MOT checks have been carried out on cars competing in the 70s Road Sports Championship. Any competitor unable to present a current MOT Certificate at Cadwell Park will be moved to the Invitation Class and will not be eligible for Championship points During the season, 70s Registrar, Matthew Smith will be checking cars against their VIFs and sealing a number of engines.

Cars will also be weighed regularly throughout the season.

HSCC 70s Road Sports – May 2017

VIDEO OF THE MONTH HSCC DONINGTON PARK 2017 David Tomkinson – Triumph Spitfire

After a difficult opening lap dropping to the back of the field David’s video provides a great example of determination and car control as he wrestles the Spitfire from 32nd to 19th place at the finish.

The purest example of how infectious 70s racing can be. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVSYuXxEJSc

70s ROAD SPORTS CALENDAR 2017

08 April

Donington Park

1x 20 minute race

20 - 21 May

Silverstone International

1x 20 minute race

17 -18 June

Cadwell Park (Wolds Trophy)

2x 20 minute races

01 - 02 July

Legends of Brands Hatch Super Prix

20 minute race

05 - 06 August

Croft Nostalgia

2x 20 minute races

26-28 August

Oulton Park Gold Cup

1x 20 minute race

15 -17 September

Spa Six Hours

2x 30 minute races

14 -15 October

Silverstone Finals

1x 25 minute race

The 70s Road Sports Championship is organised and administered by the Historic Sports Car Club [HSCC] in accordance with the General Regulations of the Royal Automobile Club Motor Sports Association [MSA].

70s WEBSITE

http://70sroadsports.co.uk/

70s TWITTER

https://twitter.com/70sRoadSports

70s FACEBOOK

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Road-Sports/253593504740651

CHARLIE WOODING

http://charliewooding.co.uk Historic Motorsport Photographer The views and opinions expressed in this Newsletter are solely those of the original authors and other contributors.

These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the HSCC. HSCC 70s Road Sports – May 2017

Historic Sports Car Club Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, Northamptonshire NN12 8TN web: hscc.org.uk tel: 01327 858 400 email: office@hscc.org.uk