©
Published by Fast On Water Publications 2014 All articles and photographs are copyright All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission. Editor Roy Cooper
Contributors Roy Cooper Nick Cripps
Cover photo Rene Schulz, Bristol 1982.
Editors note Firstly, many thanks for all the positive feedback on Issue 1. It has been a busy time since the last issue and interest in both the Fast On Water website and our plans is continuing to grow. We will be on show at the Silverstone Classic and I must take this opportunity to thank the people at Silverstone for all their help and support with regards to us being able to attend. We also now have a range of merchandise for sale, which includes T Shirts, Polos and Baseball caps. We are still looking for contributions for the next issue. So if you feel like putting pen to paper, we look forward to hearing from you.
Contents 4
CMBRC
9
Molinari – Italian Maestro
12
Club Racing – Then & Now
14
Two Boat Builders
16
Windermere 1979
17
History – who cares?
20
Memory Lane
22
British Circuit Drivers Ass.
The Cotswold Motor Boat Racing Club It’s 1959 and a small number of enthusiasts join forces to set up the Cotswold Motor Boat Racing Club. Situated in the heart of the Cotswolds, at Fairford, where the club purchased its own lake in the early 1960s, it was the perfect venue for circuit powerboat racing with vantage points where you could drive your car right up to the circuit. Just to add to its appeal, there was the Commodore, which doubled as the club house and a restaurant and bar. The club really hit the big-time when Charlie Sheppard, Chairman of the CMBRC Race Committee, finally got the go ahead to put on a trial race in Bristol’s Floating Harbour. That successful initial foray led the Cotswold Club to organise what was the premier powerboat race in the world, on a body of water that attracted drivers from all points of the globe. With the support of Bristol City Council and WD and HO Wills, the Embassy Grand Prix was born. Putting on a race in the confines of Bristol City Docks was no mean feat. Barriers had to be laid out along the full length of the course; all boats that were moored along the dockside had to be moved to other moorings, and then there were the logistics of organising pit space and accommodation for entrants and their entourage. Drivers alone numbered over a hundred at the height of the event. They say that from small acorns mighty oaks are born. And that definitely applies to Charlie’s vision of putting on a race in the centre of Bristol. It all ended in 1990 but will always be remembered as the most challenging course in the world.
The club, also put on some major events on their circuit at Fairford, including International Invitation races and the Embassy Challenge Trophy sponsored again by WD and HO Wills, the Rolatruc £1000 Grand Prix and National events sponsored by Rolatruc and Philishave.
In 1972 the club found themselves in dispute with a neighbour, a Mrs Kennaway, whose father had owned the lake and land on the opposite side of Whelford Road. In 1966 her father died and she became owner of the land, on which, in 1969, she applied for planning permission to build a bungalow. The bungalow was completed in 1972 and that’s when the club’s problems began. Her property was situated 390 yards from the start line of the circuit. By the time court proceedings were started in 1977 the Club's Water had become a
well-known centre for powerboat racing at club, national and international levels. In 1977, for example, there were races most weekends between 3 April and 30 October. There were national meetings on the Club's Water on five occasions and an international meeting on one. Mrs Kennaway applied for damages for the noise and inconvenience experienced and an injunction to stop all racing on the club’s water. The upshot of all this was that the Court of Appeal agreed that the club should pay damages but would not impose an injunction. The Judge said, ‘As I said, the noise at times is quite intolerable and wholly unreasonable and I would be prepared to grant an injunction in terms that the defendants be restrained from using or permitting the use of the waters in such a way as to be a nuisance or cause a nuisance to the plaintiff or to pursue their activities in such a way as to interfere with the plaintiff's reasonable enjoyment and occupation of her premises. But as I indicated... if I were to grant such an injunction this would only lead to further litigation almost certainly and it does not appear to me to be the right approach.’ He went on to say, ‘The question remains as to whether I should grant an injunction. I have considered the question most carefully and as to whether damages in this case would meet the position - and substantial damages. I have come to the conclusion from what I have heard there is considerable public interest in this club, that the public do attend in large numbers and that it would be oppressive in all the circumstances to grant an injunction other than the injunction I have indicated which would merely cause further litigation.’ The Judge awarded damages of £1000 for nuisance caused and £15000 for
future nuisance. Unfortunately this didn’t suit Mrs Kennaway and she appealed. On appeal the Judge’s view was, ‘We consider it probable that those who are interested in motor-boat racing are attracted by the international and national events, which tend to have the larger and noisier boats. Justice will be done, we think, if the club is allowed to have, each racing season, one international event extending over three days, the first day being given over to practice and the second and third to racing. In addition there can be two national events, each of two days but separated from the International event and from each other by at least four weeks. Finally, there can be three club events, each of one day, separated from the international and national events and each other by three weeks. Any international or national event not held can be replaced by a club event of one day. No boats creating a noise of more than 75 decibels are to be used on the Club's Water at any time other than when there are events as specified in this judgment. If events are held at week-ends, as they probably will be, six week-ends, covering a total of ten days, will be available for motor-boat racing on the Club's Water. Water skiing, if too many boats are used, can cause a nuisance by noise. The club is not to allow more than six motor-boats to be used for water skiing at any one time. An injunction will be granted to restrain motor-boat racing, water skiing and the use of boats creating a noise of more than 75 decibels on the Club's Water save to the extent and in the circumstances indicated. So one person, who built her house knowing she was opposite a powerboat race circuit, did serious damage to the potential future of what was the top powerboat club in the UK. The only way the club could afford to pay the damages was to sell the Commodore, which was bought by
Hazel, who became Mrs Derek Thompson and renamed it The Old Rangoon. If you wish to read the full court proceedings go to: (http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/E WCA/Civ/1980/1.html) The club had member’s who went on to become multiple world champions. John Hill, the Cheltenham based sign writer, was two-times F3 European and World Champion, two-times Formula Grand Prix World Champion, winner of Paris 6 hour race and F1 World Champion. Roger Jenkins was two-times F3 World Sprint Champion and F1 World Champion in the days of the OMC V8. Other drivers who were members included Nick Cripps (see article following this), Bella and Tony Covill, Graham and Andy Bateman, Peter Thorneywork, Tony Williams, John Pearce and Wil Taylor. Those who had brought the club on and played a major role in its success both at Fairford and Bristol definitely deserve a mention. Derek Thompson who raced in the early days and was Officer of the Day for thirteen years at Bristol, Charlie Sheppard, instigator of the Bristol races and Paul Moxey. All of whom had been Commodore, Officer of the Day and Assistant OOD. And all of whom had a very welcoming and supportive attitude to those who were new to the sport or wanted to get involved. Roger Jenkins said of Paul Moxey, ‘he gave me plenty of good advice. I owe a lot to him.’ Racing ceased at Fairford in the midnineties and the course is now a waterski club. If you’re ever that way and you remember Fairford in its heyday, drop by. Just standing on the side of
the circuit the memories come flooding back. If you were unlucky not to have seen any racing there, just go and take a look at what was a great race venue. Memories of the C.M.B.R.C. by Nick Cripps. ‘Way back in 1967 I joined the Club after getting married and my ‘new’ Mother in Law refused to let me continue racing my MGB GT sports car. I bought a small outboard ski boat and started to learn how to race at the club, along with my wife. Fairford is just up the road from where I lived, and I was amazed to find that most of the members were from far away, and it was their weekend getaway place for fun as well as die hard racing. I soon found out that since I was by far the slowest boat I had the best handicap times to play with, but it took a couple of races to find out how the timers worked out the 10 lap handicapping. This was helped by listening to the ‘big boys’ such as Peter Thorneywork, Roger Jenkins, Fred Oram, John Hill and others whilst swilling Hoffmeister beer into the early hours! Well I did my homework better than they did, since being much faster boats they all had to get around me over so many laps, whereas I was always hugging the buoys with no one to overtake. After a couple of improved races I came up with a brilliant idea, which was to have my beautiful wife, who sat alongside me, turn the seat around looking backward. She then distracted all the drivers by waving at them as they passed me, meaning they mostly took their foot off the pedal to wave back. Suddenly I was up there at the finish line and winning a couple of races while the bemused faster drivers
wondered what had happened with their carefully orchestrated handicap times. Later they would understand and either cut me up to give me some rough water or just not wave any more. It was all in good spirit and a good learning experience for me. The club racing was such fun, and what with the camaraderie at the bar later, it created an incredibly good atmosphere. The National meets gave me much thought for moving on to faster boats and of course Bristol GP run by the CMBRC was the ultimate test for any driver, and I loved it.
It is such a pleasure to know that members are still out there and with Fast On Water on Facebook we are able to communicate and talk about the past so easily. To me racing boats gave me a great sense of fulfilment and later driving on that fine, but dangerous edge was truly exhilarating. I hope by my sponsoring and organizing the Bahamas Grand Prix and Bristol, also run by the club, that I made a little difference in the sport that I enjoyed so much.’
Aerial view of the CMBRC circuit at Fairford
The aerial photo above shows what a fantastic circuit Fairford was. The water is now used by a waterski club and there are a few alterations that would make it difficult to put on any circuit racing. Although with the new, quieter four-stroke engines, I suppose it is theoretically possible that noise levels would be at an acceptable level for racing of the smaller classes to take place. As far as I know the CMBRC as a company still exists and there are still shareholders. How great would it be to see the name of the Cotswold Motor Boat Racing Club back on the scene?
The Heroes of Circuit Racing Renato Molinari The Italian Maestro
Renato Molinari is everything you would imagine an Italian race driver to be. Fast, daring, competitive and determined, which sometimes led to his behaviour being described as unsportsmanlike. I think we’ve heard the same charge thrown at Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher at various times in their careers.
driver. He gained much from his stay in the United States, which was interrupted by a trivial incident that had nothing to do with racing. He returned home as official driver for Mercury, who he stayed with until 1977. In 1976 he had taken the OE and ON Championships in Auronza during the same weekend of racing.
When Renato was born, on the 27th February 1946, his father Angelo, a carpenter who learnt all his skills from his grandfather, was already running his boat building business. Angelo was creating both recreational and racing powerboats, producing and racing one of the first catamarans. So Renato grew up in an environment steeped in powerboat racing, which was enhanced by the fact that the family lived very close to Lake Como.
It was January1977 when OMC started Europe-wide distribution and to top this event off, they had managed to get Molinari to change to Evinrude engines.
Renato started racing at the age of eighteen. In 1964 he was hired by the Texas based Glastron company as test
This change gave us the mouth watering opportunity to see the two most skilful circuit racers, Renato Molinari and Bill Seebold, go head to head with opposing factory equipment. In 1978 in a cat of his own design he set a speed record in the long distance race from Pavia to Venice of 117.693mph after 2 hours and 14 minutes of racing. In 1980 he further stamped his authority by winning the Duke of York Trophy in
Bristol for the 2nd time, the Rouen 24 hour race for the 2nd year in succession and the World ON and OZ championships. Something he will always be remembered for is the ‘Molinari Monster’. In 1979 Mercury Racing came to Bristol with the new big 3.4 litre V6, the T-4 and OMC could not keep up with there 3.0 litre V6. Molinari was upset as in 1979 OMC did not have their 3.5 V8, F1 engine, so Renato arrived at Milan with his Molinari Monster, with two Evinrude 3.0 litre V6s on the back. This wasn’t illegal in the OZ class but there was a Gentlemen’s Agreement to only use one outboard.
His skill as a racer and boat builder is undeniable. 18 World Championships in various classes; 11 times European Champion; 4 times winner of Rouen 24 hour; 4 times winner Paris six hour; 2 times winner Parker Enduro and 3 times winner of Berlin 6 hour.
Renato, Como 2010
The Molinari Monster
Not the greatest Molinari for its handling, the race was won by Billy Seebold. But Molinari was the first to race the 3.5, V8 f1 engine in anger at the F1 race in Brodenbach in 1981, where he came first. Renato won his final F1 World Championship in 1984.
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Club Racing – Then and Now Your understanding of Club Racing will depend on your age and when you attended your first circuit racing event. The important question is, ‘why is Club Racing so important to the sport?’ At first glance it seems to be a straightforward question with a straightforward answer. Let’s take a little wander down memory lane. It’s the late 1960s and you decide to head off to your nearest powerboat circuit as you’ve been told by a friend you go waterskiing with that it’s an exciting sport to watch and everyone is very friendly. You pack a picnic and load the family into the car and wend your way through the English countryside, finally arriving at your destination. A young lad on the gate takes your money (probably around a shilling) and gives you a roughly copied programme. He tells you that you can park anywhere so you find a nice spot at the waters edge, spread out a blanket, put out the folding chairs and make yourself at home ready to watch the events unfold. There’s a wide selection of craft taking part. Some you recognise, some look like one offs and there’s even one like your ski boat. There’s some very close racing and quite a lot of nudging and bumping between the racers but they all seem to be having fun out on the water.
Runabouts racing at Grangewater in the late 1960s. Photo – Maurice Crettenden
At the end of racing you head for the club house and a well-deserved pint. You get into conversation and it turns out the person you’re chatting with was one of the racers you saw earlier in the day. You say how much you enjoyed the day and that you have a small ski boat, which you take out when you go to the coast. One thing leads to another and it’s suggested you bring your boat to the next club race and give it a try. The family seem to think it’s a good idea as they have enjoyed the day being with other spectators and club members. Two years later… You’ve worked your way up to a new boat and engine and won the National Championship in your class. The sky’s the limit! If you look at the careers of the likes of Bob Spalding and Roger Jenkins, their entry into the sport
involved turning up at the LOBMBC and CMBRC respectively with their ski boats to take part in their first ever club race. At club level it was acceptable to race your runabout or ski boat as long as hull and engine were deemed safe. With the use of handicaps it didn’t really matter that there could be as many different boats as there were drivers.
If Bob and Roger were starting today would they have wanted to spend the sort of money required to get a boat on the water at club level? They may not be good examples as they both had the finances to purchase a race boat. But would they have wanted to make that amount of outlay before they knew that circuit racing was definitely for them?
Southend Motor Boat Club, 1965
OK, that was over 50 years ago but you get my drift. The fact that anyone could bring their boat along to race at club level gave anyone who wanted to, the chance to try their hand at powerboat racing. That is very far from the situation today and the continuing rule changes make it ever harder for a newcomer to get on the water.
With the introduction of enforced training courses it becomes even less likely that the general public will feel this is something they can have a go at. If you look at the number of new drivers entering the sport it becomes obvious that there needs to be a different attitude to what happens at club level.
Two Boat Builder articles from Powerboat and Waterskiing, May 1979
From Powerboat and Waterskiing Magazine – January 1989
History? Who Cares! Is the history of circuit powerboat racing that important? Would it make a jot of difference if it just disappeared into obscurity; vanishing forever? Of course it would. It’s totally unthinkable that those who blazed a trail at all levels in the sport are remembered and their exploits recorded for posterity. Possibly more important for circuit powerboat racing as it is very unlikely that we will ever see a return to the level it was at during the 1960s through to the late 1980s. Britain has always been a leading light where motor sport is concerned. Circuit racing was no different. We had some of the best innovative boat builders, more competitors than you could shake a stick at and our fair share of top drivers and World Champions. Add to this some dynamic powerboat clubs run by people who had a big vision for the sport and some great sponsors, and you had a motor sport that could hold its own with the best of them. So, why in 2009 was I so surprised that there was no online space dedicated to this glorious history? For that very reason – it was a glorious period for circuit powerboat racing. Suffice it to say, I’m not going to use this space to point the finger of blame. What I do want to realise is a top class, permanent record of what the sport achieved and stood for during those heady days. Working towards this is sometimes like trying to get blood from a stone but a
struggle always makes the end result more rewarding. What I do find amazing is that ‘the powers that be’ do not appear to have learnt anything from the history of the sport. But that’s an article for another issue maybe. So let’s use the legacy left to us to inspire a new generation to start building boats, tweaking engines and adjusting props, becoming media savvy, working with sponsors and racing. That’s the least we can do for all those that went before and the foundations they laid. That’s the aim of Fast On water; to create, not only a home to house the history of the sport, but a place to be inspired. A place that ignites peoples enthusiasm for a much undervalued sport that can offer so much for those who decide to get involved. If only the history of circuit racing had been recorded to the same degree as our four-wheeled colleagues – life would be so much easier. Here at Fast On Water we would love to see some of the old tunnel hulls back on the water. So if you know of any that are no longer loved or wanted, please get their owners to contact Roy Cooper at fastonwater@live.co.uk
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The Largest Classic Motor Sport Event in the World Find the
stand on the Village Green
Since the last issue we have been busy deciding on the way we wish to promote the charity. This hasn’t been an easy decision as options are limited due to costs. We feel there is very little to be gained from attending further powerboat events in the UK at the moment, as by now it is well-known to all in the sport that the charity exists. As Oulton Broad is the only venue that tends to get any new spectators, we will continue to spread the word at Oulton Broad and only attend other events if there are any organised for major city centres where there is the potential to make contact with a wider public. Here at Fast On Water, we believe circuit powerboat racing has more in common with motor sport than it ever had with other water sports and with that in mind we will be taking our stand and boats to the Silverstone Classic. This is the largest classic motor sports event in the world, with over 90,000 people attending last year’s event. The organisers have been very generous and helpful with regard Fast On Water, otherwise we would not have been able to exhibit at the event. A big thank you goes to the Silverstone Classic team. If only we could find this level of support amongst the organisers and governing body of circuit racing. But that’s another story. Hopefully there will be a full feature of how it went in the next issue. We also hope to have one of the UK’s most well known and successful circuit racers with us during the three day event. Finding premises is still our major headache but we will keep pushing to find at least a temporary home for the archives and boats. We would just like to say a very big thank you to all those people who continue to support us in our efforts. Without you none of this would be possible.
A strol l down memor y lane
The article opposite, for which I don’t have a year but probably mid 1970s, is interesting in the fact that circuit drivers back then obviously felt the need to create their own organisation to to protect their interests. Of course there were more of them back then, which gave them more clout if the governing body felt the need to make changes unopposed. It’s also interesting that a ‘communications barrier’ is mentioned, between the various bodies that met at all levels and the drivers. All organisations whether sporting or otherwise, are only as good as the communication that takes place from the top down and the bottom up. And what a Committee; Peter Inward – Chairman, Bob Spalding, Alf Bullen, Roger Jenkins and David Harper. Not a group you would want to tangle with unless you really had to. There’s some typical driver humour in the piece as well.
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