Mar/Apr 2016 1
Officers and Committee Members CHAIRMAN
Matt Nichols ..........................07989 601774
VICE CHAIRMAN
Pete Hart ................................0117 9372611
TREASURER
Vickie Tubb ............................
COMPETITION SECRETARY
Paul Parker .............................01275 843478
SECRETARY
Paul Hemmings .....................0117 9566045
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY
Zoë Tooth .............................01454 329231 49 Bowling Road, Chipping Sodbury BRISTOL BS37 6EP
MAGAZINE EDITOR PRESS & PUBLICITY
Scott Boulton ........................01454 852959 Kate Boulton .........................01454 852959 159 Long croft, Yate, BRISTOL BS37 7YN
SOCIAL SECRETARY
Andy Laurence ......................07825 953858
WEBMASTER & PRESIDENT
Allen Harris ...........................07970 198718
AWARDS SECRETARY
Dave Greenslade ..................07966 540842
LEAD MARSHAL
Mike Cole...............................07980 416075
CMSG REPRESENTATIVE
Mark Benstock ......................01454 311712
ASWMC REPRESENTATIVE
Mark Chater
CHILD PROTECTION OFFICER Richard Marsh .......................(after 6pm) 07786 068830 COMMITTEE
Chris Dymock.......................(after 6pm) 0117 9394265 Chris Buckley ........................07946 482169 Ady Taylor .............................07957 545432 Mark Tooth ...........................01454 329231
www.bristolmc.org.uk 2
_____________In_This_Issue______________ Page 4.
Chairman’s Chat Matt’s latest thoughts and insights.
Page 6.
Chepstow AutoSolo Our first Solo of 2016.
Page 10. Great Western Sprint Reports and photos from the sprint season opener at Castle Combe.
Page 18. Claire’s Mini Adventure Claire tells us about her recent sprint adventures in Katie.
Page 20. A Busy Start Simon Clemow reports on his first events with new co-driver Dave Greenslade.
Page 22. Marshal’s Post Mike Cole talks about one of the most important roles in motorsport.
Page 24. Spring Performance Action Day A brief report and some photos from Castle Combe’s Spring Action Day.
Page 26. Bristol MX-5 Challenge A report and latest standings of our MX-5 Challenge.
Page 28. The Andyroos Visit Rockingham Andy Laurence and Andrew O’Malley talk about the BARC sprint at Rockingham.
Page 30. Drive By Chris asks an age old question, how much is enough?
Page 33. Bristol Speed Championship The current table of our Speed Championship after the opening round
Page 34. Edward Buckley-Mellor Matt pays tribute to a fairly recent but very active member who recently passed. Front cover: Steve Broughton secures FTV at the GWS. Photo by Scott Boulton, Jack Flash Photography
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Chairman’s Chat
“Leader of the Pack” by The Shangri-Las
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arch saw two brilliant events run extremely well meaning the 2016 flame continues to burn brightly for BMC. True it was more than a bit chilly at both the Chepstow AutoSOLO and Great Western Sprint but at least it didn’t rain at either. However behind the scenes our AutoSOLO did require some last minute adjustments to the organising team after a sad and sudden loss for one family the weekend before. Our thoughts and hearts went straight out to all concerned, but what happened next must surely epitomise the dedication of Bristol Motor Club members with every vacant post getting filled in just a few days.
for me at both Chepstow and Combe and that was the size of entry in our MX-5 Championship. To give you an idea the dedicated MX-5 Class A5 at the Great Western Sprint represented no less than 20% of the total entry. Basically without them we wouldn’t have had a viable event. Predicting the future is of course tricky, but when you consider how few Westfield and Caterham 7 type cars we had, especially when previously these cars were a default choice for many looking for a weekend track warrior. Also how few MX-5s there were in class A2 or A3 prior to us dedicating a class, it just makes you realise how we’ve really struck lucky and hit the mark with the MX-5s, great stuff.
The AutoSOLO was back on once again and in the end ran extremely smoothly with what was very close to a full entry. The whole team should be very proud, something also the case for the Great Western Sprint which again went off without major incident. It just shows you doesn’t it, you get the right people involved and you are virtually guaranteed success despite everything that might occur, or get thrown at you during the day.
This as you can imagine is beginning to get the old thought processes churning some more; what if there is another winning formula out there, another popular car considered uncompetitive in the current class structure that might also emulate the success of the MX-5s. Think you know what it is then please let me know your thoughts, we’ve got an idea in mind but it will be great to hear yours too. Also whilst you’re getting the old grey matter There was also something that really stood out working let me know if you think Colston’s is
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Club Nights
still the best place for us to meet up each month or whether it’s time for a change. There really isn’t anything driving this incidentally, or pressure for us to leave, just keen to understand your point of view.
3rd May Club Night 7th June Club Night 5th July Club Night
I’ve been tipped off that the Motor Sports Association (MSA) might have some potentially terrific news regarding AutoSOLO to take effect from 2017. Basically passengers will be allowed, which as well as meaning we won’t have to sweat it every year whether the MSA will grant us two Production Car Autotest Taster Permits; one for the South Glos Show in August and a second for the Stroke Association event in October. It also means that an adult with a valid driving licence can sit alongside a 14 year old at the wheel. Yes ladies and gentlemen it’s possible that next year a child aged 14 or older will be able to compete at one of our AutoSOLO’s. Now that really is exciting news, think son, daughter or younger sibling driving, what a brilliant way to get the next generation involved.
in the (dry and warm) control tower and indicates when the course is clear by pressing a button. When doing so if the car on the start line is correctly positioned and timekeepers ready, the lights go from red to green and the next competitor is released.
Looking forwards we have more, much more, to offer. Early May sees us back over at Llandow on 7th May where we need both competitors and marshals to help make it a success. Swansea MC have also invited us to join them at their Llys y Fran Hillclimb the following day on the 8th May and so for anyone heading west there is the opportunity to make a weekend of it. Sprint your car on Saturday and then Hillclimb it Sunday. Swansea MC have also kindly dedicated a class to MX-5s as well, defined by our very own championship rules no less, how cool is that.
Now I have to talk about recruitment and a key role we need more people trained to do. Both at Llandow and Castle Combe sprints we operate a Course Controller. This person sits
To avoid potential collisions or the unnecessary sending out of cars out during red flag incidents, the role requires you to be aware of what’s going on. As always there are shadow days available and rest assured we never put people into bigger roles like this unless safe to do so. If that does sound like you, let me know, you are very welcome to shadow at either Llandow or at our Dick Mayo sprint with absolutely no commitment either way. In the magazine this month you will find comments and photos from our Chepstow AutoSolo and Great Western Sprint. We also have reports from Claire Tooth, Simon Clemow and Andy Laurence on events they’ve recently attended and our photographer/editor Scott Boulton visits Castle Combe’s Action Day.
Matt Nichols 5
Chepstow AutoSolo
“Barracuda” by Heart
this point I thought the competition in class might be done as getting 5-6 seconds back on ’ve had plenty of practice on the new setup, the likes of James, Phil and Garry is a tough all wet maybe but practice all the same. I ask, they are unlikely to all make an error. arrived at Chepstow quietly confident that I should be able to put in a good performance Out for round 2, it was now mostly dry, first but also realistic in that James and Phil in their time I have driving this smaller, lighter, more nimble MX-5s would setup in probably walk it. At prior events they have anger in the been much quicker than me but it would be good to see where I stand after hitting nearly dry. I felt I could really every event I could get my hands on to practice since end of last year, there has been lean on it and I put in no off season for me. some I was in the first group out. The track was cracking wet from earlier rain, which meant the first times for the first 2 runs, on the third I group out would be cleaning it up, no thought I would try to slide the car around problem I thought, wet is all I’ve done, I’ve the figure of eight but ran out of talent and got this. Out I go for my first run, I run mostpicked up another cone, hit it quite hard. Oh ly well until I travel the wrong way around a well, at least I didn’t lose another radiator and cone and have to reverse, what a muppet. No the other two times are banked. problem, I’ll do it right next time. Out I go for To my surprise I picked up 4 secs on Phil but my second run, got a bit too greedy on the throttle and took out a cone, arse! I need to Garry was right there with me, so still need 5 on him. Out for round 3, with conditions calm it down, keep it clean, focus on the driving, not the competition. To be honest at getting ever better I started to really push the car. I was finding great grip when I needed it and I was managing to work the throttle around the figure eight section such that I could feel a bit of slide and the diff doing its thing getting the rear working for me, it felt good. I took 5 secs out of Garry, suddenly I was back in the game; but with little more than a second covering the top three who were me, Garry and Phil it was still all to play for.
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Out we go for round 4, pressure is on and I Can I carry the performance to the next one try a little too hard and make a mistake, that’s or was it a fluke? 5 secs, doh! These next two need to be good. I pop in a respectable 66.6 and felt there was more out there. On coming in I hear that people are doing 65, right better get on with it. Out I go, I try far too hard and make some sloppy errors overdriving the car. I do a 67.6, a good time but not great, I’d just have to wait and see what Garry and Phil do. The results come in, Phil does laps in 67s and Garry 69s, result! I maintain my lead and take the first round of the Challenge with Phil beating Garry to 2nd .
Sandy Smith
My first Autosolo trophy in the Mazda, it’s taken a long time and a lot of practice and many mistakes to get to this point.
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arrived at the venue feeling nervous and excited, the first event of the season is always a bit of a shock. I was slow to get in to the groove so was off the pace on the first course. I got my act together on the second course but had dropped well back by that point. I was very pleased with my final run on the second course though. I put in some respectable times in the afternoon and was reasonably happy with my performance. I need to do more events, however it is always a compromise with family. It was great to
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meet up with the MX-5 challenge lot, always good fun and a massive number of MX-5s seems to point to it being the car to have at the moment. I like the Chepstow venue and I think BMC solos are always well run affairs.
James Hurford
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Photos by Scott Boulton, Jack Flash Photography
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“Rev On The Red Line” by Foreigner
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Matt Carter (Radical), Steve Broughton & Matt Hillam (SBD Dallara) and Tony Jarvis (Dallara) were also competing in the British Sprint Championship and set new HSA records.
ound 1 of the 2016 SBD HSA Speed Championship saw around 20 HSA competitors turn up at Castle Combe on March 19th, for the Great Western Sprint organised by the Bristol Motor Club. It was also the first round of the British Sprint Championship and to accommodate the Top 12 Run Off practice was restricted to a single run in order to ensure a finish in daylight as the clocks were yet to be moved forward for British summer time.
Finally, Fyrth Crosse brought his 1098cc Mallock U2 MK2 along to set a new Class W record. Unfortunately Philip Stader, in his pretty Alfa Berlina, wasn’t able to set a time even though he managed to complete his practice run but this was more than Martin Pickles who had to retire his Jedi with suspected clutch problems.
There were a number of competitors taking part in their first ever event including Dave Mockford in his ex MG Maestro Challenge car which he had spent many months preparing and Peter Elliston in his Golf GTI.
Chris Bennett
Andrew Till was back in an MG after a spell in a Renault Clio and going well. Andy Mitchelmore, with new shock absorbers all round on his Elise – and 5 seconds up on his Combe PB, was only a second and a half away from Elen Worthington’s similar car. The MX -5 class had 15 competitors as this was a round of the Bristol Motor Club’s MX-5 challenge and was won by Sandy Smith in an astonishing time of 156.20s which put him ahead of all the Elise’s and a few Locaterfields. HSA competitor David Newman was third while Ken Morris drove hard (and got under the HSA record) but was some way behind in his less developed car. 10
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had a great time at the GWS, well run and friendly. All in all, an excellent way to burn 10+ litres of go-go juice!
Luke Trotman
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nce again the day ran very smoothly,and everyone was going quick! Maybe to do with the cold weather and and the new Tarmac seemed to offer quite a bit of grip. It was also the first sprint for my brother in law Steve Adams in his Subaru who was improving every time out and also enjoyed the day. Big thanks to all the organisers and marshals.
Matt Bennett
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Photo by Kim Broughton
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really enjoyed the format of the event this year, it was beautifully organised, which meant everything ran super slick. Castle Combe is one of my favourite events of the year, I have always loved the circuit and made even better by getting FTD. I look forward to doing the event again next year.
Steve Broughton
Photo by James
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irst speed event of the season, I had to fit a new exhaust as a hole had appeared after the solo. Thanks to Alex Millard for letting me use his garage and helping me with some metal work to seal a joint with a recalcitrant old CAT. Again great to see so many MX-5s, and whilst I didn’t think I would be challenging for the win I just wanted to be faster than last year. First practice was 10 seconds quicker than last year and in the first timed runs I managed to take another 2 off that. Everyone else had gotten faster and a couple of the new entrants were quick so I ended up 8th in class. I had a load of fun and was pleased with the improvement. The chat in the paddock was excellent and it was a laugh.
James Hurford
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n the middle of the winter preparation I came to the conclusion that it would be a miracle if the car was ready for GWS. Lots had to be done. The ROPS changes meant attacking the car with a nine inch grinder to cut off the old rollbar which only fitted one of the height definitions in the blue book bible. The new rollbar fits all three of the possible interpretations but was in fact a huge amount of work. So much taking apart that I decided to tidy up the car by fitting a complete set of fibreglass bodywork so the car looks much better but I was not expecting any performance gains which proved to be the case. Finally because of changes to the tyre rules I had to take the stab in the dark and choose a new set of tyres from the list which appeared only a couple of months ago. I went for Avon ZZS’s and the six meeting old ZZR’s are destined for EBay.
It was evident that some competitors had little to do to their cars in order to compete within the rules. Given all of the above I was 6 seconds slower than in 2012. Even Bob who beat me again was 3 seconds slower than my HSA target time. I have registered for the HSA championship but like all competitors in road going classes I can have no delusions of being competitive in the current situation.
Last year at this time I was facing a replacement knee operation. which has been successful. Left leg so only used for the clutch off the line. Look at my 64 ft times to see the effect. I intend to do a year at tracks and events I know I enjoy with the intention of putting the politics and irritations behind me and just enjoy the freedom of going as fast as I am allowed.
In view of all of the changes to the car the event was anticipated with some trepidation. In the event the car performed well. Nothing fell off but as expected the performance was slower than before. I was very disappointed to have worked so hard and stand still. The tyres held no surprises other than their lack of ultimate performance and I feel I have made a good tyre choice.
Mike Smith
It was a surprise that at scrutineering no checks were made of either tyres or rollbar.
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ll prep work had been done, felt like today should be good. David Newman will be a problem for sure and there are a lot of unknowns in Class, so we’ll see what today brings. I got in my car and started to drive down and noticed my wheel is not straight, bugger. Not sure how it happened but I’ve knocked the alignment out, can‘t fix it now, I’ll just have to drive around it, car felt fine otherwise.
3 and 4, perhaps a 3.5 gear which would be 4th in the 6 speed. Hey ho.
Turn up in the paddock and have a look at the competition, there were some tasty 5s in class, a couple of ITB’s mk1s, track prepped mk2s and even a BBR Super 200 which is like my car but on steroids. I was a little worried, one of those with the 6 speed box should be pretty hot. My 5 speed doesn’t have the ideal ratios in the box for Combe, I need a shorter
Go out for the first timed run, drive a bit harder, brake a bit later. I was a little too aggressive on the steering and could feel the car was quite unsettled and moving around under me. It felt quick, but I had scared myself a little. I checked the time and it was a 156.37 so a 2 second improvement, good stuff. I ran through the lap in my head and
Out we go for practice. The lap wasn’t too bad, I was a little bit cautious under braking and popped in a 158.49, which was within projections and was good enough to be 2s clear of Garry in second. Just need to repeat it in a run that counts.
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knew that I could tidy it up and do it better, I thought I could get another 2s. Looking at results from class I was 4 seconds quicker than 2nd place, this surprised me as the lap was messy.
be a new class record for both the MX-5 Challenge and the HSA Speed Championship. In addition, being the only MX-5 of 15 to run with the roof down, I think we can say that roof down is faster. Calculating the lap from the timing sheet I also got a new PB for a Combe lap time, a second quicker than the test day I recently went on, all in all a good day at the office.
Time for the second timed run. I sat waiting in the queue for our cars to be called, there was an off from someone though so it took a while. I kept running through what I was going to do, where I was going to shift my breaking points, try and go deeper for the late Apexes etc. plan was good. I got called up to run and off I go. I gun it away from the start line, from that moment any semblance of a lap plan got left behind. I managed to do what felt like a tidier lap, there were no heart attack moments, it felt smooth, like a normal lunchtime jaunt I might have around the country lanes. Me and the car working well together, it felt spot on, controlled, I came in and even congratulated myself, I must of knocked seconds off I thought. I went straight to the timing site, 156.2………..hmm, 0.17s quicker, Oh dear, I was properly disappointed.
The lap was a 9.78s improvement from last year’s, which is not to be sniffed at. Reviewing the video of my lap I can see where I had been a little cautious and took some lines a bit too tight. There is definitely more time left on track, let’s hope I can pick it up next time, assuming I still have this car next year. Next round is Llandow, the clear threats are David Newman and Garry but Llandow is not a power track so I can see threats from some of the new guys like Louis and of course experience Llandowers James and Phil, should be a tough but fun round.
On the plus side I was still 4 secs ahead of anyone else in class so it was a good result. Another MX-5 Challenge win plus it should
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Sandy Smith
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Photos by Scott Boulton, Jack Flash Photography
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“Family Affair” by Mary J. Blige
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he last time I wrote an article for Driving Mirror I had just achieved two consecutive victories over Dad at Castle and Prescott and was looking forward to starting my Physiotherapy Degree at Keele University. Six months with no motorsport; although I did fit in some spectating and marshalling on a couple of trials! Dad used Katie (my Mini) at Prescott and Castle Combe in October to get a bit more practice in, but both events were frustrating. Prescott was exceedingly drawn out, while the Pegasus Sprint was a complete wash out. His last run was red flagged following Phil’s heavy off at Camp. Dad decided to call it a day with Katie still in one piece. Two terms at Uni down and I was looking forward to Easter holidays and getting behind the wheel of Katie. Dad had spent the winter getting her up to scratch, including bodywork repairs and paint, having the cage modified with a HANS compatible harness bar, and sorting out various mechanical issues. As is usually the way, it was all close to the wire with Dad collecting Katie from the rolling road on the Thursday evening before the GWS. The flat spot with which we had been plagued for some time was gone, but
the intermittent misfire could not be traced. I arrived home on Friday to find Katie ready to go – arrive and drive motorsport at its best! Dad was very pleased with his last modification, a larger steering wheel, which he said made the steering much lighter. However, after six months driving my Skoda Citigo, it still felt very heavy to me!! The weather for the weekend was forecast to be dry, but very cold, and so it turned out. Because of the 2016 tyre situation, we would be running in modified. Not that it makes a lot of difference, as at the last GWS the winning time in modified was slower than in road going! The GWS had a slightly reduced entry and ran very efficiently with two new Clerks of the Course (Ian Hall and Glyn Hopkins) and the old hand Dave Potts at the helm. On the first timed run I managed a time some twenty seconds faster than my last attempt two years ago, much down to the new engine and diff, but I would like to think some due to my improved confidence. This proved my undoing on the second timed run, with too much speed into Quarry resulting in a spin on to the infield. The fast right though Folly also seemed to cause the misfire to briefly
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manifest itself. After a chat to engine builder Ollie, Dad proceeded to wiggle bits of the wiring loom to attempt to mimic the problem. In doing so the engine cut out – result. After unwrapping all the tape around the loom a broken wire was found and quickly fixed. Hopefully Hullavington the following day would be trouble free.
improved slightly, but I took off more time to finish a second ahead – what a result. As this was the last opportunity, we both took the non-counting forth run, but although they were timed, they didn’t appear in the results so we don’t know how we fared. However, it was a chance to experiment a bit and have some fun! What is more, Katie survived 12 runs without any problems!
By the end of the day, we were both coming to terms with the HANS device. We decided to get one (whether we were required to have it or not) after Phil’s accident last year. Having gone to quite a lot of trouble to get everything properly set up (including a trip to Safety Devices factory in Suffolk for the harness bar modification) it all seems to work very well. However, it was very apparent that others hadn’t gone to the same effort with Originally Dad wasn’t going to do the Craven some very dodgy set ups which looked more Hullavington and just do the Bristol event. of a liability than an improvement. The However, with the loss of the venue, he competitor in front of Dad in the queue at decided to enter as well – we both thought the start had belts which fell off the HANS the track layout was brilliant last year. So it device when stationary – goodness knows would be another Tooth family showdown! how it would all fare in an accident!
After the convoy run it was apparent that the more flowing Bristol layout had been adopted, but with the addition of an extremely tight chicane on the run into the long final straight, no doubt in a bid to reduce the terminal velocities. This obviously detracted to some extent, but it is still a cracking course. As seemed to happen last year, I was slower than Dad in practice, but sneaked ahead in the first timed run (of which we had four, three to count) by 0.2 seconds. For T2, we both went slightly slower, with Dad 0.06 seconds faster! For the last timed run Dad
Thanks to Dad, Ollie, Rob (Redland Bodyworks) and Rolling Road Dave (Mek Motorsport) for sorting Katie over the winter and Pete for the loan of his trailer. Special thanks to the marshals at both events for braving the biting cold wind. We both had a brilliant weekend. Back to Uni and a few exams now – looking forward to Prescott La Vie en Bleu in May already!
Claire Tooth 19
“The Heat Is On” by Glenn Frey
A Busy Start
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he last few weeks has proven to be a busy start of the season for me. My small winter job of just rebuilding the Mini gearbox to solve it baulking into third gear grew into a complete engine and gearbox rebuild, along with rebuilding the carburettors. I’m nearly finished, with just some painting and then putting it all back into the car. Unfortunately this meant I didn’t get started on my new project as planned, but I guess that’s a common story!
with some re-wiring, new CV boots, brake change, etc. However as we’re both busy with work and other commitments there was a bit of a rush towards the end to get new tyres and finish off the last little jobs. Never mind, we got there! We did our first two events on the 19th/20th March, Castle Combe followed by Hullavington. Both were a bit parky to say the
Over the last week the Mini has taken a back burner to get the Force back out and into action. As you may know Dave Greenslade has agreed to keep me on the straight and narrow and join me to double drive it, kindly extending an offer to let me try an AutoSolo in his Mitsubishi Lancer weapon. I tried the BMC Chepstow AutoSolo at the beginning of March. This was my first AutoSolo (excluding the very first one run by BMC about 10 years ago) and the first time I’d driven the Lancer or a 4 wheel drive car in competition. Well what can I say? Firstly it was great fun, secondly they have got very competitive with some extremely skillful driving, thirdly I need a lot more practice! It ended up with us bookending the field and we all know Dave wasn’t at the bottom end of it.
least, but were dry and ran very smoothly in both cases. Saturday at Castle Combe, left me with a win taking a PB (by a very small margin!) and the class win. This was Dave’s first time driving the Force at this kind of fast circuit so understandably he was taking a while to trust the downforce in faster corners. It was a cracking drive to take 2nd place in class by a large margin.
In terms of sprinting, we started off in January with good intentions of getting everything Sunday, however, gave him an opportunity to together early with plenty of time for Castle even the score, beating me at Hullavington by Combe and managed a reasonable job of it 0.43 seconds. I’m going to roll out all of the 20
excuses, such as I was out for a meal and a few beers for my birthday the night before, didn’t get back until 1am, made a few mistakes in a couple of the runs and didn’t get the times between timed run 1 and 2 so didn’t know how much I had to make up. But, the truth is Dave just drove it really well, and took a very well deserved class win! We took 3rd and 4th place overall between us, with only 2.5 seconds for the first 4 places. Unfortunately, it proves that we both need to make up a bit of time to be at the sharp end, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be taking
1st and 2nd! All in all a very successful first couple of events, one each and it shows promise of a good closely fought season, roll on the next event!
Simon at Hullavington, photo by Andy Dow
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Simon Clemow
Marshals’ Post! “The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats
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fter missing a few issues, I have finally got myself organised enough to submit an article on-time! The 2016 season is finally upon us and we kicked things off with our traditional season-opener at Castle Combe. The Great Western Sprint was yet another fantastic event for which we have gained quite a reputation. From an organisation point of view, the event passed seamlessly thanks, in no small part, to the 30-something Marshals carrying out their duties professionally and without too many 1. complaints about the cold! A big THANK YOU to all of them. Thanks is also due to the competitors who didn’t get carried away and 2. led to a very quiet event, although some MX-5 owners may need to pay a little more attention 3. to how they attach their numbers! Whilst preparing for the GWS, I realised that most of my Marshal’s kit bag had ended up spread around the house and it struck me that there has never been much advice available on what to bring to an event. Depending on experience, preferred roles and disciplines the contents of a Marshals kit bag can vary wildly so I thought it may be useful to share what I keep in mine. In most cases I have added these items to the kit after experiencing at least one event without it.
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5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
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Orange Proban Romper Suit – not essential but it does save the dilemma of what to wear to an event! Waterproofs – good quality jacket (i.e not showerproof) and over trousers. Steel Toecap Boots – trust me, it hurts if a car runs over your toes on the start line! Alternatively, any sturdy, comfortable footwear will do. Additional clothing – you may be grateful for a change of clothes after a day out in the rain, but also useful if weather gets colder during the event Towel – for drying hair (or head in my case) Protective gloves Sun cream – yes I even had some at Castle Combe in March! Clipboard with cover Whistle, pens & pencil (works better in the rain) Snacks & drinks (flask of hot drink as well as water)
The list above may seem overkill, but after several years of supporting events I have gradually built up my kit bag so I don’t have to think about it too much before an event. The method of carrying these items is also one that varies. Over the years I have seen everything from rucksacks & holdalls to toolboxes, and if you are really serious about Marshalling then you have to have a wheeled tool crate that also doubles as a seat for those quieter moments. Whatever you use I would suggest packing a couple of black bin bags as most zipped bags won’t hold off torrential rain for 8 hours. Looking forwards to coming events, our next Sprint is at Llandow on Saturday 7th May. As usual we will need the usual volunteers to Marshal and run the event. We are also looking for additional help as Course Controller as we have realised that we only have two experienced members who currently perform this role. The role is pivotal to any Sprint as they literally have their finger on the button and no car can leave the start line without their say so. We are therefore looking for people who would be willing to train alongside the current members with a view to having a number of people we can call upon for events. If you are interested in Marshalling, or any other of the official roles that are needed at events, please feel free to find me at club night or drop me an email at cole.mike@btinternet.com
Mike Cole (Lead Marshal)
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“Ride Wit Me” by Nelly
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aster Monday was the start of the Castle Combe racing season, or it would have been if Storm Katie hadn’t turned the half of the track into a lake. Despite the best efforts of the staff and the Orange Army the meeting was cancelled just before lunch. A mere 5 days later was the first Action Day, and the weather was back to its usual Spring self, unpredictable. The morning started with people putting on their thermals and gloves, and by lunchtime they were in shorts and eating ice-creams.
Ok, there are some people who attend these type of events that obviously have no idea what they’re doing or how cars work. And
There was the usual mix of club and trade stands, both with some very beautiful machinery on display, both classic and modern, heavily modified or perfectly restored to factory fresh condition. Whilst I know this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and some of you would rather watch repeats of the X-Factor than set foot in a polisher’s show, there are more similarities than you think. Sure the ultimate goals may be different but the subject matter is still the same, as is the amount of time, hard work and dedication put into achieving those goals.
yes, there are some people who are just dangerous on the track, but Castle Combe have really started to clamp down on them. The driving standards on Saturday were among the best I’ve seen at these shows, although that doesn’t mean incident free (but then when was the last time you went to an incident free motorsport event?). Stands stretched from Avon Rise all the way to Westway, and there were a few on the far end at Hammerdown as well (which I only found out when I was on the track during the parade laps of the top 25). I didn’t quite get to all of them despite moving all day, apart from the 45mins I spent at Quarry waiting for the drifters after being told the wrong time by a marshal!
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Overall it was a very enjoyable day out and I look forward to the next one.
Scott Boulton
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“Cut Your Hair� by Pavement
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015 saw the start of the Vincenzo & Son Bristol MX5 Challenge. And it was popular. Eight drivers competed in every round and after a close battle, Dave Newman took the spoils in his Mk1. Nearly 8 months had passed by the time the drivers pulled into the paddock at Chepstow for the AutoSolo to start the 2016 season. And it was even more popular! A dozen drivers started the first round and after the first test it was Phil Oliver leading the way in his Mk2, with a slender lead over Garry Hendy's Mk3 and James Hurford's Mk1 tied with Sandy Smith's Mk3 for third place. In a notable fifth place was Louis Workman-Ruff, who was new to the challenge and also to AutoSolo, having only tried out AutoSolo at our Supercar Saturday taster. We're not quite sure what happened next, but Sandy and Garry appeared to slow down time for their runs on the second test. Going two seconds quicker than anyone else on each run, they were in the game and Sandy kept it going after lunch too. Naturally, Sandy took the win, from Phil and Garry with Louis the best-placed rookie in fourth.
the entry for the sprint.
After practice, Sandy was leading by nearly two seconds from Garry with Louis an amazing third in his Mk2. Reigning champion, Dave Newman, had skipped round 1 and was back on form in fourth place with all four drivers under the class record, despite running 1A rubber this year instead of the 1B used last season. Still, this was practice and the times don't count. After the first timed runs, Sandy was even further ahead. He was now 8 seconds under the class record and four seconds clear of Dave, who was up to second. Garry was a few tenths behind in third and Louis a few tenths off him. There was a small gap of 1.5 seconds (don't forget this is 1.75 laps) back to Phil, who was just a couple of tenths ahead of newcomer Shaun West. Rich Welsh had switched cars over the winter and was half a second ahead of James Hurford.
Chris Lomax had recovered from his cold at the first round and was just over a tenth ahead of fellow newcomer Ken Morris, who had just pipped Mark Crookall. Nizar El-Chamaa was a few tenths back, whilst Ian The second round was at the Great Western Barnes and Nick Revels rounded off the Sprint held at Castle Combe Circuit. finishers. Steven Lock didn't finish the run. Theoretically, the AutoSolo should benefit There were some improvers and some who the nimble Mk1s with the Mk3s performing didn't in the second run. Garry just pipped better at Castle Combe, so it was with some Dave to second place, but Sandy was now nervousness that the competitors approached over 4 seconds down the road. That leaves the timesheets. There were 15 drivers batSandy at the top of the table and odds on for tling it out at the event making nearly 20% of
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the championship. Garry finds himself in a good second place ahead of Phil and Louis with Dave and James rounding off the top 6. Can Sandy do the triple at Llandow?
Andy Laurence
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The Andyroos visit Rockingham
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t’s been a long winter and things have not quite gone to plan, so it was great to finally start the season at BARC’s Rockingham Sprint. We arrived bright and early in the morning to discover that we were a race suit, helmet and Hans device short of what we needed. After scrabbling around the paddock, we managed to locate loan items from fellow competitors, because club motorsport’s like that. Thanks to you – you know who you are and I’m very grateful.
“Drive My Car” by The Beatles
inspire confidence. My lack of confidence was well founded and I limped round at 70mph this time thanks to making use of the overboost on shifting to get a bit more speed. Luckily, I was able to borrow a fast charger over lunch and get some useful juice in the battery.
After lunch, it was straight into the timed runs and I headed off the line in very much a learning phase but having to set a good time as the others were 20-30 seconds ahead of So onto the event. Borrowing a helmet my best in practice. The banked corner was meant that I couldn’t do the convoy run as its daunting and remembering that we’d done owner was using the helmet. I took the tow some aero work over the winter, I turned in car out instead to check the lines. This meant at a tentative 105mph, so I was surprised to I didn’t get to check the car was running OK, be backing it in sideways! The rest of the lap which was to prove problematic. Heading to was considerably sideways, suggesting the car first practice, the car cut out at the noise needs a little oversteer dialling out. I was test. It was an electrical problem – the somehow leading the class though as Pete battery was dead. I got a push to the start had slowed since practice. line but the ECU went into limp home mode Before the next run, we backed off the front off the line and I cruised around at 62mph. flaps and lowered rear tyre pressures as the Not ideal. car was oversteering at both the hairpin and I borrowed a charger and used Rockingham’s on the banking. On the next run, I made a handy power points to charge until second great start and pushed hard through the practice. When unclipping, I noticed the banking, the car still snaking a little to the charger was rated at 0.6A, which didn’t apex. On the infield section, I caught sight of a FF1600 ahead. At the finish, I was too close for the timing system to work and my time was disallowed. I was granted a re-run and had to refuel the car and re-seat myself in just 5 minutes to get back out. I was the final car to run and whilst the run didn’t feel as good as the previous run, it was good enough to improve over my first run and keep my class
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win. A shaky start to the season, but at least the result was good!
Andy Laurence
Photos by Scott Boulton, Jack Flash Photography
I
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don’t want to talk about it.
Andrew O’Malley
Drive By
H
mm, just how much is enough? Well, I suppose the answer to that question very much depends on what we’re discussing. If, for instance, you’re looking in the mirror and are carrying off a fair impression of David Dickinson, then that’s probably a very good indicator that you’re far beyond ‘enough’ in your daily consumption of orange juice. Equally however, if your intention is to appear positively ‘Day-Glo’ at that night’s city centre club venue, then the odds are stacked that you’re going to decide your current resemblance to a well-ripened Jaffa product is inadequate and will be adding another layer or two of fake tan before setting out to inflict pain on the retinas of others. The example we’re probably most familiar with being the mobile phone call beginning with “uhm, darling…” as you stare ruefully at the fuel gauge indicating empty in your static motor less than ten miles from home. Of course, the most famous example ends with that most iconic of cinematic catchphrases, “you’re only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!” See what I mean. So what started me pondering my opening question? Given that you’re reading this because of our shared interest in the world of everything automotive, as it happens a couple of car-related items occurring on the same day had me considering what is, let’s face it, a question with just as much a chance of an empirical answer - especially if your chosen career involves playing around with highly volatile chemicals… - as one that encompasses nothing more than a firmly held personal opinion. I was slowly smoothing my way home in the Jaaag after another exhausting stint as a
“Driving In My Car” by Madness
wage-slave, when the thought occurred that ‘Tiddles the S-Type’ has exactly the same engine configuration and swept capacity as the Ford Granada Coupe I owned way back in the mid-eighties, and yet the (much) younger Chris Dymock would have been truly astonished by the performance of the now somewhat elderly Jaaag and I think I would have probably briefly contemplated the idea of selling a number of spare body parts if that would have gained me such a ‘high performance’ motor at that time (work with me here). When I eventually fell through my front door (thank you Bristol City Council, for your ever more successful consumption of my life sat queuing in totally unnecessary traffic snarl-ups), I was greeted by the most welcome sight of the latest edition of an automotive publication waiting for me in the hallway. Relaxing later that evening and I read an article on the new Bugatti, the Chiron. If you’re not already familiar with this new VW group hypercar, Bugatti have been busy creating the answer to your continual dismay at the lack of performance of their previous offering, the 250mph, 1000bhp Veyron. By deciding that the quad (yep, that’s four) turbos bolted to their 8 litre W16 were responsible for the pitiful performance and immediately setting about upgrading them with new ones the size of most people’s recycling bins! The result? A far more useful 1479bhp and 1,180lb ft of torque to get you by that dawdling caravan when the opportunity presents itself. In your 2.4 million Euro repmobile (that’s repmobile as in, you’re probably representing something rather substantial, like a banking empire, or your country. Not flogging photocopiers…). And with those two observations came the question – just how much is
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enough? My very first car was an exceedingly rotten, 1100cc Ford Escort mk1. Now, if the 1300cc version of the Ford ‘Kent’ crossflow lump pumped out a less-than-muscular 56bhp, then the asthmatic coffin-dodger resting under the bonnet of my pride and joy was probably struggling to achieve, what, 40bhp?
examples of the products of that era; a 1600cc OHV engine would be rated at 85bhp or so and even the OHC ‘Pinto’ engined 2000E Cortina only possessed 98bhp and a 0 - 60mph time of 12.5 seconds. I believe I may be correct in saying even the hot GT versions of the 2 litre lump still only rattled out something less than 110bhp as they consumed their camshafts when the blocked oil spray bar deprived the cam of its life preserving essential oil. Again. And if you could stretch to the top of the range performance offering from the blue oval? Your wedge of hard earned got you a Capri that would rocket to 60mph in just under 9 seconds as its boat anchor of a 3000cc V6, which weighed the same as a small nation, wheezed its way to a not-exactly-heartstopping 138bhp. Not to worry though, the heart stopping moments were provided by the brakes… As this was the same engine fitted to my previously mentioned Granada And yet this scrapyard refugee did Coupe, this led to my comparison to ‘Tiddles sterling duty for a couple of years as my main the S-Type’ which somehow manages to (only) conveyance and notching up quite a produce 240bhp from the same capacity and reasonable mileage in that time. The context yet return an average fuel consumption more here being, that even this ancient slug of a than 50% better than the thirsty Ford. rust bucket still managed to not pose an Yet with the Chiron, Bugatti have seen obstruction to other road users, either fit to produce a car with the same during my daily commute or on my longer horsepower as a WW2 spitfire so, just how journeys out of town. much is enough? Which isn’t to say that I somehow It’s all relative; my old clunker of an managed to be the lucky owner of a Escort didn’t have a problem keeping up with particularly good example of the species other cars of the era because their own (quite the opposite in fact - I should imagine lumbering performance didn’t give them any it’s still talked about in hushed tones by MOT sort of substantial advantage, yet the same testers as the ultimate failure of all time...), cars today would be absolutely mullered by but that the average cars of the late 1970s/ any one of the modern small capacity turboearly 1980s weren’t blessed with overly diesel snot-boxes on our roads. Petrol powerful engines and usually achieved glacial engines? Even Ford’s own titchy 1.0 litre 0 – 60mph times of around 13 to16 seconds Ecoboost triple produces more power than or more. the 2000 GTs of my early driving career. Sticking with Fords as being typical So, in 1979, 40bhp was enough
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(just…) and I would hazard a guess that it wouldn’t need a great deal more than that nowadays to power something that would be perfectly adequate for most people’s everyday use. Except for us BMC personages that is; oh come on, you weren’t really thinking I was going to leave the debate with a serious suggestion that the performance of a 1970s family saloon represents everything we should ever need? Well, 60bhp or so may provide a level of ‘adequate’ if not ‘need’, but, for myself, I find 240bhp perfectly enough – a level of power and its associated torque providing Tiddles with a very relaxed gait and enough oompf when a spot of overtaking is called for. Although, I, uhm, have to admit that I have often wondered whether I should have purchased a V8 S-Type or maybe the rather delish XK and what they feel like to drive in comparison to my chosen steed. Or maybe what it would be like to shoehorn Tiddles’ free-revving V6 into a car with less than half the weight? Hmm… And there’s the truth of it - whatever you’re regularly driving on our roads, or even whatever it is you compete in and the goals you’re trying to achieve, it’s a given that you will soon be hankering after more performance. Now we’ve really hit the nail on the head for my opening question, because however much performance your car actually has, the human craving for new experiences demands you will rapidly become accustomed to the current level of dynamics involved and meaning what was a new experience for the first period of ownership soon becomes the new norm and ceases to provide a sensory high. It would take a situation that demands little or no change to someone with very limited travelling requirements to be able to ignore the urge for the next big thing; like only travelling within a large city with limited parking, endless traffic chaos and using a set
number of routes, in which circumstance you’re only ever going to need, or indeed want, one of the teeny city cars now available from most of the world’s automotive manufacturers. It would appear that my answer to the opening question is that the human condition does not allow us to accept that anything we drive will ever be enough – when it comes to cars ‘enough’ is an anathema, an unquantifiable that we will ultimately reject on every occasion as it infers settling for less than the best we might expect or deserve. And that would just not be good enough. So, is the near 1500bhp of the latest Bugatti just a silly bout of corporate, willywaving excess? Most certainly. Unless your goal is to drive at over 265mph that is, in which case it’s probably only just enough. Finally, more words of hard-won accumulated wisdom from yours truly so you can avoid similarly traumatic issues with your family. Yes, if you’re in a limo for someone else’s special event, of course it’s obviously great fun to drunkenly moon out of the window as often as possible. Just be aware this will certainly upset the other mourners... Enough now.
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Chris Dymock
I
t's been over 6 months since last season's championship finished at Wiscombe Park in September, so it was with great excitement that we welcomed the 2016 championship opener. Sadly, the loss of Hullavington has reduced the championship to just a 5 round endeavour with the best four scores to count. With Castle Combe having been resurfaced immediately before last year's Great Western Sprint and a year of rubbering-in having happened since, faster times were expected from the competitors. Sadly, the reigning champion, Phil Tucker, was not to be one of them, despite having rebuilt his car after the damage sustained at the end of last season. After a day of battle, Simon Clemow came out on top in his Force, having beaten his new driving partner, Dave Greenslade. Close behind in second was Sandy Smith who stunned everyone competing in the biggest class when he comprehensively won the MX-5 class. He knocked an amazing 8 seconds off the class record in the process, despite the winter switch from 1B to 1A rubber. Jon Lannon took a strong win in his Saxo, fending off a trio of Elises to finish third, whilst Steve Broughton beat everyone and nearly matched the class record to finish 4th. Stephen Moore rounded off the top 5 in his ModProd Evo 6. Next up is Llandow - see you there!
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Edward Buckley-Mellor
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t comes to me to share with you the sad news of the sudden passing of BMC member Edward Buckley-Mellor (Ed) on 20th January 2016.
Ed was a fairly recent recruit, being a member of Bristol Motor Club from 2014 to 2015. In fact it was in September 2014 that Dave Greenslade invited his Portishead neighbour to accompany him and help out at Wiscombe. Ed’s pastimes had previously included sailing and boating, but in seeking new interests and challenges he agreed and duly marshalled at Wiscombe that year. He enjoyed the day so much he joined BMC in October 2014 before marshalling again at both the Fedden and Allen trials. He then continued to marshal at our sprints in 2015, as well as manning the gate for a few hours at the very wet Family Sports Car Day the same year. Ed also joined us at a few club nights and at the last awards presentation we held at the Ship Inn, Alveston. It was in October 2015 that membership secretary ZoÍ Tooth received a letter from Ed to say he wouldn't be renewing his membership in 2016 due to ill health, and that he was disappointed to be missing out on the Fedden and Allen Trials as they were the two events he'd enjoyed the most, particularly seeing all the old cars competing on the Allen. In the letter he wrote he concluded by saying that he wanted his unused Reward Points to be put back into the club coffers and that he wished BMC good luck in the future, a true mark of the man Ed was. Although Ed wasn't a member for a great length of time he made a terrific contribution to the club marshalling at almost every event we ran. Our thoughts go out to all those who were closest to Ed, he will be very sadly missed.
Matt Nichols
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2016 Calendar Date 3rd May 7th May 8th May 3rd June 4th June 7th June 19th June TBC June 5th July 23rd July 24th July 2nd August 6th and 7th August 12th August 3rd and 4th September 6th September 4th October 7th October 28th October 29th October 1st November 13th November 27th November 6th December
Event General Meeting + Club Night Llandow Sprint Llys y Fran Hillclimb Driving Mirror Deadline Abingdon CAR-nival sprint and AutoSolo Club Night Chepstow AutoSolo Endurance Karting Event Club Night The Dick Mayo Sprint BMC Family Sports Car Day Club Night South Glos Show Driving Mirror Deadline 5 Clubs Wiscombe Hillclimb Club Night Club Night Driving Mirror Deadline Navscatter Supercar Saturday Club Night Roy Fedden Sporting Trial Allen Classic Trial EGM and Buffet
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OFFICERS & COMMITTEE MEMBERS’ EMAIL Pete Hart Paul Hemmings Chris Dymock Richard Marsh Paul Parker Mark Benstock Vickie Tubb Matt Nichols Mark Tooth ZoÍ Tooth Allen Harris Andy Laurence Dave Greenslade Kate Boulton Mark Chater Ady Taylor Mike Cole Scott Boulton Chris Buckley
peter.j.hart@btinternet.com paul@phemmings.freeserve.co.uk chris.dymock@intoheat.co.uk r_marshy22@yahoo.co.uk britishsprint@paulparker.f9.co.uk benstock.mark@yahoo.co.uk vickie.tubb@hotmail.co.uk matt@classiccarsdriven.com mark.tooth@tiscali.co.uk membership@bristolmc.org.uk allen@harris-bristol.com andy@andylaurence.co.uk davegreenslade@zoho.com kate-boulton@virginmedia.com mark@chater.demon.co.uk ady_tayloruk@yahoo.com cole.mike@btinternet.com scott_boulton@btinternet.com cbuckley@slb.com 36