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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
Scott Boulton ........................01454 852959
PRESS & PUBLICITY
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
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 Mike Cole...............................07980 416075
www.bristolmc.org.uk 2
_____________In_This_Issue______________ Page 4.
Chairman’s Chat Matt’s latest thoughts and insights.
Page 6.
MR2 Reaches For The Clouds Mike Smith back in his MR2 Trials car.
Page 10. The Great Western Sprint Thoughts and photos from our first sprint in 2017.
Page 30. Bristol MX5 Challenge An update and points table from our MX5 Challenge.
Page 31. Bristol Clio Cup An update and points from the first round of our new championship.
Page 32. Rallying on Tables Mark Griffiths tries his hand at a tabletop rally.
Page 33. Drive By Chris gives his thoughts on the new Top Gear.
The next Driving Mirror deadline is the 2nd of June If you have anything that you would like to send in, whether it’s work you have done on your car or an event you went to, send a few words and some photos if you’ve got them to scott_boulton@btinternet.com
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Chairman’s Chat
“Alpha Dog” by Fall Out Boy
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ow what a day the Great Western Sprint proved to be. If you were there in any capacity, then thank you very much for your support. We certainly had an eventful day and I think serving hot drinks to all marshals in the afternoon was a very good call and the least we could do. After all the single Top 12 run-off only just finished before the circuit curfew, and so a very long day for everyone involved.
In February, the confident talking young Karter seemed well, confident. Then in March just ten days before the GWS there was, dare I say, some nervousness. Now I for one think that is important in leading up to any competitive motorsport event because it means you both care and the event means something important to you. So, intrigued, I decided to monitor Matt’s progress throughout the day at the GWS to see how he fared. Was this going to be Matt the confident Karter or Matt the nervy Sprinter.
In case you were wondering, I’m sure you were of course, it didn’t take me long the following day either to clean all the cement dust off my 330D Tourer after Deputy Clerk Dave Potts used it to help absorb the oil put down from Bobbies to the pit-lane entry. The same oil that caused the leaking vehicle to catch on fire. See what I mean about the day. Still anything to keep the event moving forwards and at the end of the day what a great team we had in place to get through it all.
I needn’t have worried. There are many words to describe his performance but I would choose one, storming. Now perhaps not too surprisingly Matt couldn’t match the low 140sec pace of the lead cars in A4 (on that score well done to Matt Bennett, although even Matt’s potent 996 Porsche Turbo was pushed back down the order by said Evo and a Nissan GTR). None of which detracts from what our new-recruit Matt P achieved in his Golf, which was utterly Looking out at what was happening on track astounding in ringing out a 150.34sec time on there were some truly great performances by the last run of the day. Less than 2secs some of our newest members as well. Take behind Trevor Hartland’s Evo 6 RS no less. Matthew Parr for instance. A recent recruit having a go at Sprints to fit alongside his more regular karting duties. Matt’s steer is a MKV Golf GTi which puts him in the rather open class of A4 where some quite serious machinery often lurks. I’m thinking 600BHP Evo’s for instance. Having met Matt twice, once in February and for a second time in March, just before the GWS, I had also noticed a slight change in his attitude.
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To my knowledge that is the best performance of any road going FWD hot hatch at the GWS. I am confident in saying that because I thought my best time of 152.97 from 2010 piloting a Megane 230 R26 was relatively safe. All of which just goes to show, time moves on and so does the batting order. Very well done to you Mr Parr, you see there is nothing wrong with a few nerves beforehand after all.
Club Nights 2nd May General Meeting & Club Night 6th June Club Night 4th July Club Night and BBQ
Looking elsewhere I was very pleased to see competitive runs from our new Clio Cup and of course MX5’s. The entry in both was also the Cotswold Clouds and Mark Griffiths similar to the more traditional classes and so knocks over someone’s pint. I hope shows that we’ve made some great choices (thank you Andy Laurence). Therefore, very well done to Peter O’Connor and Louis Ruff for their respective class wins as well as Trevor McMaster in A3, Chris Bennett in B2, Simon Clemow in E2 and Terry Holmes for his quite incredible 116.84 FTD. A time that would not to be bettered in the Top 12 Run-Off. Still it was getting dark by then and they don’t have very good lights.
Matt Nichols
In Driving Mirror this month you will find photos and comments from the Great Western Sprint, Mike Smith takes his MR2 to
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“Get Off of My Cloud” by The Rolling Stones
MR2 reaches for the (Cotswold) Clouds
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fter our Exeter adventure, which in terms of finishing both Paul and I were slightly annoyed with what had happened. Out of the massive list of what could have gone wrong we had put in a creditable performance but were let down by the tyres picking up punctures.
Combe” Bellerby had the info and maps to follow us in the regal Isuzu Tosser Trolley. This was all done admittedly in the nick of time and we started at the appointed minute. Off we went to Alf’s Delight which was tame after you had left the line. The restart crew readying for Class 7 were a little too eager and we nearly had to do one but the tape was We did take the opportunity to have a good raised just in time for us to pass without any look at what tyres other competitors were lost momentum. This first test was to lull us using and found many van (8ply) tyres in into a false sense of security because next action. Another look at the ACTC tyre list was the fearsome Crooked Mustard so showed that the other MR2 in the event was named because it is very crooked (bendy) and using these tyres in a make that will be the clay is mustard coloured. It was very slimy banned in Jan 2018. They must be good we and we scored a 5 which in truth we were thought!! A look on the internet revealed very happy with. We had that frustrating they had an aggressive tread (M+S), 8 ply, feeling that another yard or so and we could retreads and very cheap. What’s not to like. A have made it. At this stage, we were pair were ordered and an entry put in for the becoming much more confident with the car Cotswold Clouds Trial on 5th Feb run by purely down to the grip from our expensive Stroud Motor Club. At this point we were still retreads. under the mistaken impression that MR2 came with a limited slip diff so entered Class7 On to Axe and the first major queue of the as at Exeter. It hasn’t so we were guided to day. We started to celebrate and class 6 by the Stroud Club. New tyres were congratulate one another too soon because planned to do just two events, the Clouds and about 50 yards from the end the sting in the tail was a steep section just after the 90 bend. the Allen in October. Hearts in mouths as the car dug in and made Sat Feb 5th was grey and misty but without it to the line. precipitation. It had been wet during the preceding week so we expected some muddy On to Nailsworth Ladder – another famous test which we had heard about. We had not conditions. seen anything of King Bob at this stage so we We took the easy route to the start opting for gave him a ring. He was spectating at the the motorway rather than the narrow cross Ladder and gave us a vital piece of info. “Stay country roads and arrived with plenty of time left and gun it”. As always, we do what the for breakfast, scrutineering and the start. King commands and boy did it work. The little Everything went well until no hot water was car flew up wagging its tail as we passed his available for the magic ingredient of a tea to highness up to the top without hesitation. go with the bacon butty. We also had to ensure that our support crew Bob “King of
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Photo by Dave Cook: hoits.smugmug.com
to Mark as we avoided the lake. 15 yards forward to a stop astride accompanied by shouts of “Stop Stop Stop”. The marshal was unsure of whether we stopped in time (I think we crossed the line) and consulted a higher authority. Paul Parker was at least 20 feet above us looking down on the line and I am sure he said something along the lines of “give it to them”. Fortunately, the result was not used to decide a tie but we did set the fastest time in the whole field. Result.
Bob
Ham Mill was a tail out blast which we cleared. Bryans and Wicked Juniper were both uninteresting blasts at hills which were paths between trees. We lost lots of marks on both not through lack of skill or guile but through a lack of power. We just needed a more effective blast.
A few hundred yards to the start of the next section and we found Nick, Zoe and on the line Allen. We had to stop for a chat this must have broken our obviously high level of concentration. After a steep section the hill levelled and we had to make a choice of After a long run through the forest who routes. Our class had to take a lane on the left should we come across, none other than of the track. Paul swung the car to take this Mark Tooth doing the role we are more route but sadly we clipped tree which we familiar with at Bristol sprint events as were to find out later made a real mess of our starter. Classic Trials run these against the front bumper. On my side of the car you clock tests to sort out ties. It was a matter of know!!! Pressing on regardless we cleared the pride to sprint competitors that we did well section. About half a mile after the end of the on this test. It was more complex than we test I required a comfort stop and then I had come across before and Mark took lots of realised that I had not got our route book or time to explain what we had to do including score card. Chatting at the start I left them on avoiding the lake when reversing. Just as well the roof and when dislodged they fell into the he did because the test was not well signed. dish of one the spare wheels on the boot The MR2 accelerates well and the M+S tyres where I found them. I think we used up all make sure it has not lost this edge on dirt our available luck on those two tests. roads. We had gained lots of speed and when Whilst I made the error on the previous it became obvious to me that Paul had not section Catswood was the scene of a major picked up the steep uphill road to the right. “Right Right Right” I shouted and off we went error by Paul. In truth, it only cost us a couple of marks but we may have cleared the up the start of a roller coaster ride. 25 yards up the hill was a stop after line marshalled by difficult slot he missed. We will find out next the British Sprint Championship Co-Ordinator. year because it’s a mistake not to be Paul Parker missed who it was on the way up repeated. Everything went quiet in the car for but we went so far past his line accompanied 30 seconds and then we moved on. by shouts of “Stop Stop Stop” that he had We did Merves Swerve with the bumper time to wave on our way back down. I increasing the width of the car and looking discovered my chauffeur had been listening again at the video the annoyance of the 7
driver about Catswood can be seen and heard in the way the car is driven. Climperwell was very rutted and the restart was done without drama. We exited the test without slowly down under marshal control as the track between end of section and the road was worse than the test.
The remaining tests were mostly impossible for cars in our class and we did as badly as the others. By now we were beginning to feel the effects of the long day so the signing off and a meal and pint (passenger bonus) at the finish was very welcome. It had been an enjoyable and very well run trial.
Photo by Dave Cook: hoits.smugmug.com
The car had the damage to the front bumper but a heat gun and wrecking bar has made an effective repair. The new tyres were great and I have purchased a similar (but not to be banned) set of 4 to be used next season at the massive cost ÂŁ103 for 4. The car is now ready for another trial but it must wait as the Striker is about to be woken from its slumbers.
We finished the trial. We got finishing certificates !!!!! and were not last in class. Bull Banks was on the face of it a grippy albeit Out of approx. 80 entries we finished 39th O/A and lost 55 marks. The other MR2 was steep climb which caused no difficulties till 23rd O/A and lost 43 marks. Our class winner the restart. MR2’s handbrake is poor and lost 31 marks and was 7th O/A. We are rolling back on the restart was probably the cause of our failure. Lots of bouncing and revs moving in the right direction and know where produced some progress but we failed. As my to improve. Half the battle. driver put it B******D. The penalty given With the sprint car, major works involve here put us well down the scores. hours in the freezing cold garage during the winter. MR2 is about to have work done to it but I will wait till the balmy days of summer before fitting the Celica 190 engine which is lying at the back of the garage.
A complex of tests near each other brought the trial to a close. Jerrys, a very steep affair, we made a fair attempt losing 4 marks. We got to the bottom and joined a queue for the next test and both got out at precisely the wrong moment as a Dune Buggy Beetle went up the previous test. He managed to put more mud on the inside of the doors than we had got on the bottom of the car.
The Allen trial is to be our rehearsal for unfinished business at the Exeter in 2018.
Mike Smith
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Help Required Windwhistle Motor Club Ltd – 11th Bovey Down Single Venue Classic Trial Sunday 30th April 2017 Bovey Down Woods, MR 192:203,912 / SY 20330 91182 / 50.714788N, 3.1298376W
This year, our trial will be run on the May Day Bank Holiday weekend at the end of April. This is to allow a 2 week gap after the Lands End trial. We continue to develop this event and are looking to introduce yet another two new sections again this year. There will be a local charitable catering marquee on site all day. Bacon rolls, pasties and homemade cakes etc. And a toilet facility. However, we need marshals – we are looking for a minimum of 30 to be able to run all these sections, so if you are not planning to enter, why not make up a car-full and have a good day’s motorsport in East Devon. Please contact me if you can come along…..
Anna Robinson - 07780787529
David@robinson2x.plus.com
2017 Calendar Date (Provisional)
Event
Saturday 13th May
Llandow Sprint
Sunday 9th July
AutoSolo TBC
Saturday 29th July
Dick Mayo Sprint
Sunday 30th July
Family Sports Car Day
Weekend 5th-6th August
South Glos Show
Weekend 2nd-3rd September
5-Clubs Wiscombe Hillclimb
Wednesday 27th September
Llandow Track Day
Sunday 12th November
Fedden Sporting Trial
Sunday 26th November
Allen Classic Trial 9
“Road to Hell” by Chris Rea
The Great Western Sprint
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s Diane, one of our neighbours, commented, 'it's that time of year again' as I hooked the transporter onto the back of the Audi. Indeed it was, despite last minute pressure to get the Audi MOT'd although no fault of Dialynx who stitched together a solution to get the handbrake working to the tester's satisfaction. This the first sprint event of the 2017 season, 1.75 laps of Castle Combe starting from the marshalling area exit, the finish just after 'Bobbies'. Blessed with almost perfect weather for the time of year, clear blue sky although a chill easterly breeze, the short journey meant I was early enough to walk the course and check the reported changes at The Esses and Bobbies, in fact not used and of a minor nature. The track was obviously dry, very clean but cold. Bristol Motor Club, the organisers, must have been delighted with the oversubscribed entry list, reserves allowed to practice should runners fall by the wayside, which some did, so all reserves had competitive runs.
been left. As an aside, after a winter of discussion and speculation about the MSA's decision to enforce their Blue Book regulations regarding ROPS – rollover bars to you and me - there were apparently no problems highlighted by the scrutineers. They have the unenviable task of dealing with this at the coal face and I do wonder if an unintended consequence of this will be a reduction in the number of scrutineers, a group vital to the future of our club motorsport.
Following a tatty start line in 2016 this section of tarmac had been resurfaced so there was no This event is the first round of several loose material flying up as cars departed. The championships including the Hillclimb and start area seemed better organised with less Sprint Association and the British Sprint delay between arriving in the marshalling area although for the latter there seemed fewer strapped in and ready to go, and actually large single seaters than I remember from starting. That's to the organisers credit because previous years. I chose the Mallock to start the there were delays in practice with mechanical season, in the 1100cc single seater class with failures and cars falling off, happily few with several modern bike engined cars, carefully damage. Single seaters were run in the middle warning the startline marshal that I would be of the programme and our single practice run slow – very slow! The driver's meeting was at was called relatively quickly as the programme 8.30 but I left everything in the Mallock for the ran with 2 or 3 cars on the track simultaneously. scrutineer; fortunately he knew the car and Some of us were viewing driving with a degree when I returned the signed approval sticker had of trepidation, this being the first event for
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everyone although a few might have done some non competitive testing. It certainly was for me despite the Mallock fitting like an old pair of shoes. Having disgraced myself in practice last year, spinning on cold tyres in The Esses, I drove with, perhaps, excess caution but at least nothing untoward happened, the Mallock running sweetly. In the past practice has comprised 2.75 laps so that after a lap heat gets into the tyres, on the Mallock's rather hard Avons the grip being immediately obvious and reassuring. With just 1.75 laps this could not happen. After P1 there was plenty of time to check the car and make a few small adjustments, check spark plugs although I was confident the fuel mixture was correct. Most single seat competitors were fiddling, body panels strewn about, someone looking for welding equipment as a suspension link had cracked, others engrossed with their PCs downloading data from their ECUs, some checking suspension geometry.
It was pleasant catching up with people I'd not seen since last autumn. New cars purchased and interesting to learn that a Mallock Mk11 will be returning to the hills in the Aldon Classic
Championship, although I expect someone will disapprove of it's original rear wing.The weekend sprint normally held in May at Crystal Palace has been moved to August Bank Holiday and it was useful to hear the background from Andy, competing at Combe with his quick Elan +2. Partner Jackie is the entry secretary, although they will both miss the event due to previous arrangements. Andy remarked about how his Elan lifted significantly at speed, Combe of course rather quick in places, the Elan a product of it's time and the available knowledge of aerodynamics. For a sprint like this Combe is perfect, plenty of space in the paddock with hard and level tarmac with roads to quietly drive the car around before the action to confirm that everything works. After the customary break timed runs started at 1.00am. Again there were a few delays although nothing serious, until.....funnily enough, I was on the start line willing the light to turn green when a marshal loomed from the right indicating that I might as well turn the engine off. Not one but two problems – a car had stopped on the track whilst another was halfway down the return road, apparently on fire. Well perhaps - I thought that sounded more like oil which it was, something having left go in Bobbies and a proverbial Torrey Canyon oil slick from there, through the finish, continuing along most of the return road, to a point where the oil must have been exhausted. Of course I did not know all this but there was a significant delay laying cement and sweeping, during which I relaxed in the Mallock. Having competed for a few years now, I've become used to this sort of delay, so to pass the time I mentally drove the track logging braking and gear change points in
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my brain, this, of course, so much easier than doing it for real! The delay was at least 30 minutes and I had the dubious pleasure of being first on the track after the oil, although the C of C carefully explained where it was and anyway, it's not as if this hasn’t happened before. The first lap was good and the oil was off my normal line through Bobbies, obvious due to a copious amount of cement, which I had to then cross as I headed towards Camp. I confess to slightly lifting there but nothing happened and the Mallock sang through the corner and off down the straight. A significant improvement on my practice time was the reward, the Mallock feeling smoother than P1 although I expect that was due to more seat time, although I did reduce tyre pressures and the sunshine was providing some tyre warming.
enjoy the little motor singing away at 8500 in top. However it was soon over, precious little track time although some with mechanical problems will have thought differently. The Mallock ran effortlessly and mechanically only a small adjustment necessary to the gear mechanism at the end of T2. I understand the driver of the car that dumped the oil arrived at Combe having forgotten to pack his 'Hans' safety device and bought a new one from the onsite retailer Merlin. In the circumstances I admire his fortitude and commitment – I too visited Merlin but only to top up my stock of numbers for the forthcoming season. Due to the delays there was only time for one Sprint Championship Top 12 runoff before the 6 o'clock curfew whilst FTD went to Terry Holmes in his 3.5 litre Lola Judd on 116.84s.
I'd little enthusiasm for Combe in the preceding fortnight, perhaps remembering the truly miserable weather that can happen at this time of year. I'm pleased I made the effort for if the weather's fine it's generally a good day - and for me it was. Quite a few competitors were off to Rockingham for a sprint on Sunday, also blessed with perfect track conditions. Next week it's an MGCC sprint at Curborough, their organisation with problems as their entry secretary is indisposed, although I understand that the sprint will happen. This emphasises the Everyone successfully navigated the oil. The demographics of UK club motor sport where programme ran steadily into T2 and track organisers and officials are often 'of a certain conditions remained good although the sun was age' and there are few younger enthusiasts dropping in the clear sky, the clocks not going wishing to become involved. Now that's forward until 1.00am on Sunday morning. This something that the MSA should be seriously time there was little delay and the Mallock once involved with. again quicker by a decent amount as I was not worrying about the spillage and starting to www.fyrth.com
Fyrth Crosse
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Photos by Scott Boulton jackflashphotography.co.uk
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antastic day with lovely weather and it was great to see so many of our customers there. Unfortunately many of them were having first event of the year issues so I spent most of my day running up and down the paddock helping customers, instead of working on my own car. Even with the limited amount of time on the SBD Dallara, with a new rear suspension set up, I managed to win class. The car was handling great through the corners, unfortunately we had been having problems under braking with the back end trying to overtake the front all day and not having
enough time to work on it meant I had to run in the Top 12 with this set up. In the one and only Top 12 run I took Avon Rise at over 155mph off the start line, which was even quicker than I had done in the qualifying runs, the back again tried to overtake the front under braking but this time I couldn't catch it, which meant I went backwards into the Armco. I managed to drive the car back with only minimal damage, bit of a shame but that's motorsport. Looking forward to the next Castle Combe event.
Steve Broughton
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irst of all I would like to thank the organisers, I did enjoy the 1 and 3/4 lap format which I know is the marshals and everyone else who helped to a bit controversial with some competitors and support the day. leads to there only being time for one practice run. I think a convoy run for those who are there Great weather but as this was my first event for a before 0730 or some such time would have been couple of years I felt a bit rusty particularly on the helpful and would practice run. I have to say the other competitors in make up for the my class were all very nice people. single practice run.
John Mearns
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brighter start to 2017 than we've had in previous years! After a lot of discussion about the tyres left on the chicanes they decided to leave them on the apex's but remove them from the exits. This was probably a reasonable compromise but still took the edge off them for me. The times were looking ok in first practice, but then just before our first timed run, a car decided to drop pretty much all of it's oil on the track from Bobbies to the finish, while not their fault it did kind of ruin the chances of faster times, running 5s slower than last year. Never mind! Onwards and upwards. Thanks very much to all who organised the event, definitely not an easy one with the number of incidents!
Simon Clemow
Photos by Steve Kilvington sbkmotorsport.com
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hanks to Bristol Motor club for making my first Sprint a very enjoyable day with great people and some great competition in class even when I thought I'd be left behind and was in the mix! Can't wait for the Dick Mayo sprint now!
Matt Parr
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hat a great day in the end! The weather was great, which always helps. I started and ended the day at third in class, which is my first pot from a speed event. I am happy with that as it is two seconds quicker than last year and felt comfortable so plenty of scope for improvement though 6 seconds to beat Louis may be a stretch. Gives me something to aim for. The new setup is working well and I am now a lot more comfortable in the car which is a good platform for getting quicker. Thanks to Bristol Motor club for organising and running the event. I think the marshals need a bigger thanks than usual as they had a very busy day.
James Hurford
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irst time out in the developed M3 E92 ESS Supercharged. Work included lightening, Intrax suspension and reduced rear diff gearing main items reduced weight by 230kg from last year. Same power. Time dropped 151s 2016 to 141s 2017 and until the first practice run, I had not driven the car at all since having the work done. Lots more there for sure, sub 140s a good next target. As for the event, I’ve been a number of years and can see why it is over-subscribed. The 1 3/4 lap is format is very special and makes a great high speed challenge at Combe. Great organisation and well done with weather. Thanks for putting this one on each year.
Mike Butler
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Photo supplied by Matthew Bennet
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ad another great day sprinting, it's always great to get out on the track for the first sprint of the year after the winter. Big thanks to all the marshals and organisers
Matthew Bennett
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homsoever ordered up the weather needs to get a medal, or a least a big pat-on-the back. Plus, a whole bunch of people in BMC worked their socks off getting 90 cars around the track 3-times for their lap and three-quarters (the odd person did loose count, I’m told?) before 6pm - including the top-twelve run off - amazing!!. In A2 we had 10 contenders, which sadly went to nine after P1; cold tyres and a Quarry are an evil combination. I had the MR2 Mk 3 re-fettled during November with two new camshaft and an ECU re-tune and a nice Union Jack “wrap” for the roof!! So it seemed ages before I could try it at the GWS. Minus my Carbon Fibre Wing – Scrutineer did not like it - P1 gave me 4th and a serious re–learning of how many gear changes it needs, T1 moved me to 2nd and T2 saw a small improvement to win by 2 secs, whilst “others” fell away. My first ever Class win at BMC and in such an exulted company. Well done BMC, Organisers, fellow competitors and the brilliant Marshals who volunteered their free time!! And finally, well done & commiserations to Luke Trotman; well done in a PB this early in the season and hope the broken gear linkage gets a fix soon.
Trevor McMaster
Photo by Trevor’s daughter
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T
he great western sprint was my first ever sprint and whilst I have done a couple of car races I have never driven my Renault Clio on the track or done a sprint round. However I must confess I have done lots of karting across the UK and Europe, nevertheless I arrived at Castle Combe on Saturday with not really an idea of what to expect and how best to prepare. I found all of the other competitors to be very friendly and the Clio people to be a great bunch of people. Practice came after a lengthy wait for a few other competitors who had encountered trouble but lucky for me my practice run came and went in a blink and I was 3rd fastest about 1.8seconds off the fastest time in my class. I was pretty chuffed but knew there was time to find so after a healthy northern lunch of chips and gravy the 1st of the timed runs came along and with a bit more confidence I was able to go quickest by about 7 tenths shaving 2 seconds off my practice time. After a bit of review of my video footage I knew I had more time to find and the other Clio drivers were hot on heels. So after figuring out my Clio had traction control (thanks Mark Tozer) I gave it my all and went close to flat out in my final stint, my Clio is my daily driver after all and does about 800 miles a week managing to go quicker again with a 159seconds to win the class! Overall a great day, meeting lots of friendly people and getting the chance to watch the insane single seater cars. Just can't wait for Llandow now but might have to do some testing first.
Peter O’Connor
Photo by Peter O’Connor
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A
sunny Castle Combe circuit was the venue for the Great Western Sprint and for me and my fellow MX5 drivers the second round of the Vincenzo and Son MX5 Challenge. I got to the circuit early for signing on and driver briefing, scrutineering, a bacon sarnie and final car checks (attaching numbers and a timing strut) then ready at 9.00am for the start of practice. A large field included the usual mix of road-going cars, right up to purpose built single seater racing cars. I turn up with a tool box and a pop-up tent, some of these guys have a trailer, multiple tool-kits, tyre changes and a pit crew!
and track positioning. it was all over pretty fast but managed an OK 175 seconds, the experienced guys were doing 168 ish! I could see where I could improve but managed 5th gear and about 100mph at the end of the straight which I was happy with.
Our class was a long way down the running order so with some of my fellow competitors I took up position track-side to watch the first view cars out in practice. This being an “early season" event there were a few incidents and delays, Quarry once again claiming a few victims! Eventually we were called to the pit lane for our practice run. So it’s final checks and on with all the approved safety gear. I like these type of events—the organisation is excellent, there are lots of marshals, everyone understands and knows where they are supposed to be and what to do, it adds to the sense of occasion and of a proper motorsport event. Waiting to start is where I try to stay calm and not (a) go off the boil, or (b) get too over-excited! And then it’s my turn and I'm off. Combe is a great circuit and to have it to yourself is a splendid experience so while I pushed on (cos I like driving fast - obvs!) I used the practice to think about lines
After lunch it was the competitive timed runs and more of the same - a car dumped oil on track so that needed to be cleared but we managed our 2 runs and I improved each time with 171 and then 170 secs, leaving me in 4th position out of 10 which was pleasing at my first sprint. Finished quite late in the day so packing up in a hurry I failed to collect my licence upgrade card; sorry Ady! On the plus side the car performed well and the new bucket seat and harness is a good positive addition, get a nice feeling of security when you are all strapped in and not flopping about on the standard seat! A great day out with a good bunch of people, my fellow competitors are a friendly lot so what was a long day was made shorter with all the chat and banter around the paddock! A very big thankyou to Bristol Motor Club and all the people who give their time to ensure this is a good event. I am still in second place in the championship and closed the gap slightly on first who finished 5th at the sprint, but still a very long way to go. Next stop the Kemble Autosolo in 2 weeks and Llandow sprint in May, can’t wait!!
Richard Glindon Photo by Scott Boulton jackflashphotography.co.uk
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he Great Western Sprint was the first round of the BMC Clio Cup and the start of me trying to defend my Welsh Sprint and Hillclimb Championship. New tyres and refreshed brake discs and pads was the limit of winter work to this Standard Car specification Clio. Practice was good, just a few tenths off the class lead and I felt I’d finally worked-out the lines around Combe. However before timed runs there was some drama. While fellow competitor Suze Endean, my daughter, and I were watching from the bank above Camp Corner Jeff Wiltshire came into the pitlane with his Sylva Phoenix’s nearside front corner on fire. It seemed he hadn’t noticed this, so he pulled into the paddock. While the marshals on post at pit entry were on the radio to control to summon support, we realised we might be first on scene and sprinted down the bank into the paddock. With the help of a lady spectator to grab some extinguishers Suze and I managed to get the fire suppressed and ultimately extinguished before the Rescue crew got to us.
The rest of the event was something of an anti-climax for me. I carried more speed into Avon Rise in first timed run, but went slightly slower overall. For second timed runs I reduced tyre pressures, which simply didn’t suit my new type of tyre. The back end was loose at Quarry and my half spin and recovery at the Essess entertained a spectating Andy Laurence but earned me a marginal fail. Lessons from the day?
Pleased I’d done marshal practical firefighting training in the last six months and I’m now encouraging others to do likewise. Congratulations to my class and championship rivals and winners at the start of a long season. Lessons learned and time to move-on to the next event. #thanksmarshal to all marshals and organisers for your work on a long day. See you at Llandow
Photos by Richard Handley
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Andrew Bisping
I
n 2016 I dipped a toe into the murky waters of the sprinting and hillclimb world, competing at Hullavington, Llandow (twice), Llys-y-Fran and at the Dick Mayo Sprint at Castle Combe in my trusty Clio 172 Cup. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience (especially endless battles with Andrew Bisping for fastest Clio honours) and decided to do things a bit more properly this year, entering both the Bristol Clio Cup and the Trident Engineering Welsh Sprint and Hill Climb Championship. Both series started at the Great Western Sprint so - having given the car a quick polish and hoover - I turned up bright and early at Castle Combe on 25th March. After saying hello to my competitors in the Clio class (A6), a quick walk of the track, and doing my best to annoy Andrew (who’d spent the winter covering his car in stickers boasting of his 2016 Welsh Championship success) I set-off optimistically for my practice run. The optimism didn’t last long, I had no idea what was happening and ended up a disappointing 4th in class (of 6). With hindsight and a chance to think of some excuses I’d like to blame a knackered front strut and complete apathy regarding tyre pressures.
The first timed run was better, I found three seconds and ended up 2nd. Oddly Andrew’s timed run was a bit slower than his practice (he’d
probably blame breathing in smoke and extinguishant while tackling a fire in the paddock, whereas I maintain that he was slowed by the extra stickers he’d applied to his car between runs) and Mark Tozer (who’d been massively quicker than the rest of us in Practice) had his ludicrously fast time disallowed. Although my second timed run was faster I'd expected to revert to my rightful 4th place once the others had completed their runs. Amazingly that didn’t happen and I remained 2nd in class. Class honours went to Peter O’Connor who found loads of time on his last run and won by one -and-a-half seconds. Mark had over-compensated after his previous mistake, was a bit too cautious, and finished third. Andrew had an uncharacteristic spin at The Esses (he blamed tyre pressures but we all knew he'd been distracted by his stickers), while Alan Wakeman and Steve Hills finished 5th and 6th with barely a hair’s breadth between them. Thanks very much to the organisers and marshals who ran a great day, and to my competitors. The next round of the Clio Cup is at Llandow in May, but before then I’m doing a double-header at Wiscombe at the end of April. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the year.
Rob Thomson
Photos by Scott Boulton jackflashphotography.co.uk
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F
or most it was their first event of the season and for some their first event ever. And it showed with both practice and the first timed runs beset with offs and mechanical failures. However, the Bristol Motor Club stuck with it and clawed back much of the time so that the event was brought to a satisfactory conclusion by close of play at 6pm. Happily the weather played ball and remained dry and sunny throughout with even a hint of warmth during the afternoon. Notable performances included Jon Maycock in his turbocharged MX5 having only his second ever event who won the large 1800 to 2600 Roadgoing series production class. In the same class, Sandy Smith came third in his MX5 beating the HSA A2 class record into the bargain. Paul Torkington, son of British Sprint regular Carole Torkington, was having his first ever event with a pristine MK2 Escort which he had spent the last ten years preparing! With the experience of the SBD team (in the form of ex HSA Champion Matt Hillam) to call on, Paul improved his times and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Welcome to Speed events! Mike Butler was also running in the Class for big Mod Prod cars with his BMW M3 and easily saw off the Quattro of Clarke/Trayner.
Another pair of former HSA Champions (Alan and Nick Mugglestone) were at the tail of a long list of reserves but allowed to practice and, following a number of withdrawals, were allowed to take part. Alan was initially very unhappy with the handling of the RAW Fulcrum on its 13” wheels and tyres but this problem disappeared after a couple of runs – rubber pick up at a recent test being the most likely culprit. For others the day wasn’t quite as successful. Jeff Wiltshire had a major engine blow up out on track while the Mike Smith Striker developed an oil leak in the oil pump area and had to be withdrawn leaving Chris Bennett to take the Class win. The Bill Gouldthorpe (good to see Bill back after missing out most of the 2016 season) / Carole Torkington OMS suffered a number of problems which ended their day and reigning HSA Champion, Matt Carter lost his diff during T2. Elen Worthington went well in her Elise but was just pipped for the Class win by a Toyota MR2 while in the same class Andy Mitchelmore (Elise), Andrew Webber (Elan +2) and Mike Henney (Elan S3) were closely grouped with Mike viewing every run successfully completed as a minor victory!
Chris Bennett for the HSA
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he event started off with a very long and dull drive along the M4 on a Friday night, not the most fun you can have in a noisy rally car. However once we got to Castle Combe on the Saturday morning the sun was already shining and the day was shaping up well. Scrutineering and noise all went straight forward. However the absence of my normal timing strut meant I had to resort to my back up ‘composite’ one which I made last year out of cardboard and tank tape.
The work of getting the car prepped ready to be first car on the track meant I missed the chance to walk the course, I would have to rely on my wits and a vague memory of when I was last here in 2001! The first timed run was a little scrappy as I found my way round the track. The very open and flowing nature of the track meant it was a good fun run. By the time I got back from checking my first run times, I came back to the car to find others in my class looking over the Micra as they were surprised by my speed. At this point I had a 7 second lead in the class. However I wasn’t fooled by this, sprinters by their nature tend to sand bag in practice, where as rally people tend to drive everywhere flat out!
sticky List 1B tyres. A real mix of approaches in our class then. We were running List 1A tyres (my usual favourite the Yoko A539), as this was all we had available. On to the second runs, this was the first timed run which actually count. I wanted to get a good banker time in on this run, to allow a bit of a push on the final timed run. This worked and I found another 3 seconds, however the competition also found time, and got to within 4 seconds.
The second timed run, went very well. I had the confidence in the car, to play with left foot braking though Quarry and Tower bends. This found me yet another 2 seconds. By the end of the day I took the class win by 3 seconds, which over a 3.3 mile course is pleasing to be nearly a second a mile quicker than the rest. The course was great fun, and proved to be quite a different challenge to stage rallying. The speed element was much higher with quite a bit of use of 5th gear and I was never lower than 3rd gear apart from the start, and on my final run I averaged 72mph. This gives quite a different feel to the car, and makes the challenge all about carrying the speed, but at a much higher starting point i.e. needing real commitment and trust in the car.
Matt Endean
The other cars in my class were all Fiesta’s of varying ages from an almost brand new 999cc turbo, to some very modified older ones running
Photo by Steve Kilvington sbkmotorsport.com
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Photo by Steve Kilvington sbkmotorsport.com
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hanks Bristol Motor Club for a fantastic season opener. I’m sure everyone had their own stories from the day, but happy to share mine for you. Practice 1 - got red flagged as car stopped on track. practice 2 - all sorts of weird warning messages on dash so had to abort having just installed a fresh engine! The missed timed run 1 having spent 2 hours or so trying to find a loom fault - perhaps a small chaffed señor wire and 5v and 0v was getting mixed. After giving up on the event I tried unsuccessfully to cancel the night’s hotel and planned to abandon the weekend, I found a significant leg of the loom completely
severed in two. All hands to deck and we soldered, taped and heat sleeved some 10 wires together to make Timed run 2 and qualify for the run off. With one V8 losing its wing at 180mph, another going straight on at the final chicane second lap, a 2 litre putting it in the Armco, I ended up wining the run off to lead the British Championship after the first round! Despite my Mercedes in limp mode all the way to Rockingham, I managed to lower the outright course record the following day. Time for a beer!
Stephen Miles
S
triker back from its winter break in Bobs CH garage. Performed faultlessly at Harewood Practice Day last week but bit our backsides at GWS. A combination of a small oil leak on the oil pump and water temp problems meant a discretionary withdrawal saved the engine. Particularly annoying when the practice times were as good. Never said this before "lots of grip from the ZZS's". 4 secs behind Bob having backed off after Hammerdown.
Mike Smith
Photo by Scott Boulton jackflashphotography.co.uk 23
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he Great Western Sprint was the season opener for my first year competing in the HSA Championship and my first sprint event so anticipation was high. Castle Combe holds a sense of nostalgia for me as it was my local track as a teenager and I spent many race weekend here in the company of a friend and his Dad. The nostalgia was particularly prominent as this opening round was shared with the same pair, Jon Maycock (who had a stellar weekend and a class win!) and his Dad, in addition to my wife.
starting blocks was a real eye opener, definitely more pronounced in the track environment compared to a hillclimb! Not knowing quite how much grip I’d have into Quarry certainly focused the mind.
My timed runs yielded steady improvements with my second timed run being significantly quicker for the most part, however, a last corner moment of massive self-induced oversteer put an end to hopes of climbing the order! An entertaining end to an exciting day of competition which was only I learned a lot, not just about the car but also enhanced by the organisers, marshals and other about myself and how I prepare and cope with the competitors who encouraged a friendly but pressures of competing! My opening practice run competitive atmosphere - can’t wait to return next started after some delay with masses of wheel year! spin and some real amateur-hour missed gear shifts but was otherwise fairly smooth but not particularly fast! The lack of grip straight out of the
Robin Holden
A
day of mixed fortunes.... PB in practice (nice!) much waiting in and out of the car (It really was a challenging day for the organisers), followed by gear linkage failure halfway through my first run (no it didn't actually come off in my hand but....). However it was a sunny day, friendly atmosphere - can't complain at that :-)
Luke Trotman
Photos by Scott Boulton jackflashphotography.co.uk
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U
nleashing the beast.
I turned up to the GWS with some apprehension. This is a 46 year old Ford Capri, Perana V8. Only mods are new callipers on the front and Electric power Steering, both intended for better road use. The practice run went well, if not quite slow by my standards, until coming into Bobbies the second time around I spun it, well over corrected and stalled. Oh the shame of then having to be towed back in as I couldn’t re-start it (fuel surge on the Holley carb).
(modified) class, which they went away to investigate further… not factory built but sanctioned by FORD with full main dealer warrantee. My timed run was even slower, (I’m not being towed in again) but I got around in one peace, and had loads of fun in the process. As usual the organisers were up against it with all manor of delays that were out of their hands, crashes, breakdowns, a long stream of oil and then a fire on track. They did their best and many thanks to them and the marshals for there efforts.
Still my car got lots, and I mean lots of attention in the paddock. It’s amazing how many people used to own a 3.0 MK1 Capri back in the day lol.. and I explained the South African Perana Capri, and its production process.
Still I had fun, and that’s what the day is about. I won’t be taking my Capri on track again though, it’s just to nice… and I don’t want to make it any less nicely mannered on the road, just to have fun on the very odd occasion I use it on track.
The MSA stewards were also interested in this aspect as to whether it should be in A (road) or B
Wave if you see me :-)
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Garry Hendy
S
aturday’s Great western Sprint saw me return to Castle Combe for the first time since 1986 to do a full lap of the circuit. I came last year for the short lap and had to come back for the season opener. It was also my first time running in the British Sprint Championship. The day started well with good weather and everyone ready to get out on track. First practise and I think some people forgot that this was practise and the winter break frustration to get back on track showed, we had a few incidents but these were handled very efficiently by the marshals. For me first practise was a bit slow and steady but made it round in one piece. I had a second practise run and queuing up in the holding area we were held up but soon got underway. I am just starting to get a feel for the car but Castle Combe is such a hard track to master and I found myself sitting over lunch analysing where I could go faster for the timed runs.
and was shocked to see how far the oil trail went around the track, I made it through the dust and improved my time again. The last timed run of the day found me having a new belief in the car and it showed with a 3 second improvement over my last run but just not enough to catch Grahame Harden his time being 134.07 to my 134.67. So second in class but to my surprise my name is called out over the tannoy system to say I had made the top 12 run-off. One quick check over the car fuel added and I was first in line, time was running out for us as it was after 5pm with a deadline of 6. One more run under my belt but could not improve on my time but came 7th in the run-off what a great first effort. To sum up the day it was a great start to our season, Castle Combe has so much more to offer me with improvements in my driving and lap times but the biggest praise of the day goes to all the marshals that kept us all going, the 2 people that rushed from the sidelines to put the car out that was on fire and of course Bristol Motor Club for organising a great days racing smooth running of the event and lastly bring the sunshine with them.
The theme for the day was set queuing in the holding area, we were stopped for what seemed like hours but in reality was half an hour. A car had I cannot wait for the next event at Combe. dropped loads of oil over the track and was being cleaned by the marshals. I was car number 2 out
Simon Boulter
Photos by Steve Kilvington sbkmotorsport.com
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A
fter parking up the car at the end of September with every intention to get it prepped over the winter and get back behind the wheel before its first outing. Well of course that all went out the window, with 2 weeks until the GWS it still needed a new windscreen and some fresh tyres. Luckily that was all taken care with by my sponsor Homestead Garage Racing but it also meant that I was unable to drive the car until the day of the event.
After some unfortunate delays, which I’d like to say BMC handled very well, I was ready to set a time and knew my practice session could be improved. I bagged a 161.77 and was back on last year’s pace. Putting me in good stead for my last timed run I went out to push that bit more and it paid off bagging myself a PB of 161.16 and taking home the 1st place trophy.
It was nice to celebrate this with my family and This could definitely be seen in my time. First friends on the day and unfortunately I am away for practice was some 4 seconds of last years and with the next round. Bring on Llandow! everything feeling very alien it was time to watch both back to back and see what was going wrong.
Louis Ruff
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Photos by Scott Boulton jackflashphotography.co.uk
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The last photo of Terry Baker I took before legging it... And as soon as I go back to the same spot, Tom Caldecourt does this.
Think I’ll stand somewhere else.
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“Love Rollercoaster� by Red Hot Chili Peppers
T
he first round of the championship was a last minute switch from our cancelled Chepstow round to the Ross event at Mitcheldean. Unfortunately, the late date change meant a poor turnout and only Rich Welsh and Richard Glindon competed, finishing in that order. The Great Western Sprint was a different manner with 11 cars lining up for the first practice run.
setting his marker in the afternoon. The rest were in quite a tussle as the times were closing.
The final run as the sun set was chips down time. Louis found a few more tenths, breaking the class record in the process of taking his first win. Andrew lopped a second off to finish second and collect his first trophy. James could only find a couple of tenths but held on to third place. Richard improved, whilst Rich was unable After first practice, Andrew O'Malley led by 4 to and they switched places for the first time seconds from Louis Ruff with James Hurford a this season. Tom made a great improvement, couple of seconds behind him. Was this the sign finishing just behind Rich. of an ominous domination? Rich Welsh and Nick Revels managed to collect 7th place, a few Richard Glindon were just behind and tenths tenths clear of Steven Lock, who was himself a apart with everyone else looking like a good few hundredths clear of Ryan Lock. Phil Hawkins battle forming behind. was a few tenths behind them in 10th and The timed runs changed things a little. Louis Andrew Thomson finished a few tenths behind knocked 5 seconds off his practice time, whilst Phil. Rich now leads the championship from Andrew went slower and James improved. Rich Richard and Louis. Next up is Kemble in April and Richard were still a couple of tenths apart, before Llandow in May. Who will come out on closely followed by Tom Caldecourt who was top? unable to record a time in practice and was
Andy Laurence
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“Baptism By Fire� by AC/DC
Bristol Clio Cup
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he Great Western Sprint was the first round of the inaugural Bristol Clio Cup. Six drivers lined up for practice covering a variety of models; three 172s, a 182, a 182 Trophy and a 200. In practice, Mark Tozer went fastest in his 182 by a few tenths from Andrew Bisping in his 200. Peter O'Connor wasn't far behind in his Trophy and Rob Thomson was in touch in his 172 Cup. Alan Wakeman was a bit further behind in his 172, this being his first ever lap of Combe, and Steve Hills was just behind him in his 172 Cup.
Peter improved to take the class win and set the record for the class. Rob also improved to slot into second. Mark put in a solid run for third place, whilst Andrew had a massive moment at The Esses and was unable to improve, slipping down to 4th. Alan and Steve both improved to take 5th and 6th places, respectively. And that's how the championship standings now look. Next round is Llandow in May.
The first timed run saw marked improvements and Peter O'Connor took the lead, a few tenths clear of Rob Thomson and Andrew Bisping was close behind too. Alan Wakeman was in 4th with Steve Hills in 5th and Mark Tozer 6th after a small off. It was all to play for on the final run and it was clear how close everyone was as finish speeds were within 1.5mph.
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Andy Laurence
Rallying on Tables
I
t seems a bizarre concept entering a motorsport event without any kind of vehicle (which admittedly saves on fuel and tyres) but that’s exactly what I did when I took part in the table top rally organised by Bath Motor Club at the Rose and Crown in Hinton Charterhouse on Feb 13th 2017. The exercise was branded suitable for novices in navigation techniques which seemed to fit my profile. Matt Nichols will testify to my lack of experience having to follow a 'plane while lost and off-map on a Nav scatter, hoping it was heading towards Bristol and not Barcelona.
“POW” by The Beastie Boys
checkpoint for the current stage was reached. The actual navigation clues would have been familiar to anyone who has taken part in a Nav scatter using tulips, herringbones, co-ordinates and compass entry exits of grid squares. Scoring was by way of counting map features along the given route. What soon became apparent was the route was key. it was all about the route. With a Nav scatter a missed turning is no problem as the next left will get you to the destination. This would be of no-use in a 12 car/table top as the route must be followed exactly.
After about 2 hours of poring over maps I The event was an open invite to members of completed the route, an anti-clockwise circuit local clubs who have an interest in learning of Bath starting and ending at a pub (as all techniques of road and map navigation. With good events do) and waited for the results. members of Bath, Bristol, Devizes and Tavern The podium positions were all taken by the clubs the experience was diverse with some experienced participants but I walked away in having only competed on off-road stages the top section of novices with a creditable while others were veterans of 12 car 5th place out of 11 entries. I'd happily do the rallies. As we signed on I found that I was the same again, maybe for real if a 12 car only Bristol member present and so formed a opportunity came up, but would be glad of team by myself, possibly as a result of some company. Many thanks to Bath Motor knocking over someone’s pint. club for organising the event. The exercise was essentially a paper-based 12 car rally split into 6 stages. The clues for each stage were only given out once the
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Mark Griffiths
Drive By “Are you enjoying it, darling?”
“Jessica” by The Allman Brothers Band
condemning all thing motorcar – made me fear that I might well be facing eternal Sunday mm, bear with me here, because that’s night television programming containing actually quite an interesting enquiry and nothing more entertaining than Mary Berry no doubt your imagination can certainly work arguing with Paul Hollywood over a bloody overtime when I let on it was my other half loaf of bread. asking this particular question so, before you mucky-minded bunch of over-age adolescents Fortunately the BBC saw sense and leap to some rather improper conclusions, I eventually we were eagerly awaiting the new had better point out that I had just Top Gear show which would now encompass mentioned in conversation with Lynnette that a team of presenters headed up by that well the next episode of the current Top Gear known petrolhead, Chris Evans – I mean, the series would be on the telly that night. bloke’s called Chris, what could possibly go wrong… I know that a number of you reading this certainly aren’t enamoured of Top Gear as As it turned out, uhm, an awful lot. Chris it’s perceived by many to be ‘not a proper car Evans might have made his name as the host programme’, but I was a great fan of the of rather anarchic Friday night TV shows, but Clarkson-era show as I felt its portrayal of a there’s no doubting his obvious love of cars group of men my age regularly hooning and his hugely popular Carfest events rightly around some spectacular parts of the world, made him one of the prime candidates to often in equally spectacular cars whilst taking take over where Jeremy Clarkson had left off. part in some really silly challenges, and its sometimes borderline politically-incorrect, Unfortunately that same frenetic, shouty style irreverent attitude to, well, pretty much that made Evans so popular on TFI Friday everything and everyone, was a real antidote grated not only with the audience, but also to the vanilla, risk averse mentality that with his colleagues. Coupled with an unwieldy prevails throughout our modern society. sized group of presenters who never really seemed to gel as a team and the inevitably When Jeremy Clarkson decided that stilted episodes saw viewing figures plummet continuing his BBC career was secondary to week on week. his desperate need for a steak supper, and with his exit from the programme being Unsurprisingly Top Gear Reinvented rapidly followed by that of Richard bombed, and after the series finished we Hammond, James May and producer Andy were once again inundated with seemingly Willman, the almost inevitable subsequent endless news articles containing smug ‘I told mitherings from the leadership of the BBC you so’ death warrant requests from selfindicating that Top Gear was probably no righteous critics who erroneously operate in longer relevant, despite the show being the the unfathomable belief that their own BBC’s top selling export and greatest income opinions are more important than those of generator – a case of not letting the facts get others. in the way of a politically correct attitude to
H
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With the show now seemingly having a life expectancy somewhat shorter than that of a suicidal Lemming, a depression-fuelled Chris Dymock even briefly contemplated the purchase of several bags of flour and a selfhelp book on ‘bread making for idiots’ in a thoroughly misguided effort to join in with the likely Sunday night entertainment to be endured after a gleeful BBC hierarchy pulled the life support plug on Top Gear.
Or, more likely, the bean counters put the pressure on the decision makers after realising the potential income value if the show could be made great once again but, hey, I prefer my more romantic version of events in the absence of any facts… Month after month dragged by as fearful Top Gear fans awaited the dreadful day of notification that the show had fallen, only to be somewhat stunned when the good old beeb finally announced that a new series would be in the offing and that Chris Evans had wisely decided to pursue his career elsewhere – followed by much exhaling of breath and deep-into-the-early-hours partying by the fans, no doubt.
Which brings us to the current series. The Top Gear front of house is once again manned by three main protagonists, this time headed up by the star name of the previous Chris Evans series presenting team, American Random Supercar photo actor, Matt ‘Joey’ Le Blanc; another dyed-inOkay, admittedly there are a number of other the-wool petrolhead and top of the Star-in-ahigh quality car programmes that I also very Reasonably-Priced-Car challenge leader board much enjoy watching; Car SOS, Wheeler during Jeremy Clarkson’s tenure ship of the Dealers and Fast n’ Loud, to name but a few, show. His co-conspirators are another but, for me, they just don’t offer the sheer Evans-era team presenter, motoring journalist escapism and breadth of content of Top and racer, Chris Harris, and motoring Gear. journalist and presenter, Rory Reid. And yet, even as the killjoy critics smugly sat back safe in the knowledge that Top Gear appeared to now have its head firmly on the chopping block and was merely awaiting the imminent blow of the executioner’s axe, somewhere deep in the bowels of the BBC, a small band of heroic men and women refused to bow to the insidious covert fascism of imposed political correctness and met, plotted and formulated a rescue plan for the reinstatement of the world’s once most popular car programme.
So, is the new series any good? And this is the interesting question… Well, it’s certainly infinitely better for returning to three main presenters and continuing with a same-but-different overall format, but the really interesting observation is that there is already a spark of strong interpersonal dynamic growing between Matt, Chris and Rory which very much reminds me of the early couple of series when the Clarkson-Hammond-May team became the firm line up all those years ago.
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With regard to the actual presenting, I know that Matt Le Blanc is regularly accused of being rather wooden as an actor, but as the new series has progressed he’s started to relax into the role and his presenting skills have been growing rapidly and with an obvious enjoyment in what he’s doing - I think it’s more a case of getting used to his American style hyperbole as opposed to Jeremy Clarkson’s near constant stream of similes and metaphors.
commenting (which I used to enjoy so much, but I guess we should never stop growing up…), appears to be succeeding in dragging the show kicking and screaming into the 21st century and far more suitable for a modern day audience – a very good thing, in my opinion.
So, whilst some elements of the current presenting and the portrayed camaraderie is still very much scripted and a little awkward, there is already sight of a potential for, Chris Harris is pretty much at the same stage whisper it, this new Top Gear to equal or as Matt Le Blanc with the presenting thing, perhaps even better the Clarkson-era series and with his excellent segments thrashing a that became such a favourite with so many number of current hypercars, not to mention people around the world. Embrace it readers; being the first journalist to be allowed to Top Gear is dead, long live Top Gear. drive the new, 1500bhp Bugatti Chiron, he’s already proven that it’s a very good idea to Finally, in the pursuance of your own marital have a racing driver as part of the team. bliss, here’s another Chris Dymock Faux Pas for you to avoid. And Rory Reid? Rory is a new quantity to myself (and probably a lot of other Top Gear I guarantee that you will be the only person fans) and seems to have currently assumed a thinking it hilariously funny if you’ve been Richard Hammond type, jokey sort of role celebrating your favoured footy team’s latest within the show. But here’s the thing, and win long and hard at your local hostelry, and mark my words; it’s my genuine belief that then staggered through your front door, Rory Reid has what it takes to become one of thrown up all over the innocently sleeping this nation’s all-time great presenters of ancient moggy in the sitting room and then television car programmes – he’s an spent the next few minutes doubled up in a fit absolutely first class presenter with a very of the giggles further fuelled by impressively relaxed and natural style, has a wonderful way dynamic beer farts as you endlessly repeat “I of imparting pertinent technical information can’t remember eating that?” whilst remaining highly entertaining and I Regrets? As it transpires, more than you can fervently hope that that the Top Gear possibly imagine, especially if you totally failed producers will be wise enough to quickly to notice your other half and her visiting grow his role within the show to be equal to parents in the room… that of his co-presenters. The overall format of the show, whist remaining very familiar to long term Top Gear fans with a similar-but-different general content, is now very much more focused on the cars themselves, and with moving away from the Clarkson-era near-the-knuckle innuendos and politically-incorrect
Chris Dymock Chris Dymock: puzzling humanity since 1962.
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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 paulhemmings2@btinternet.com 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