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Old 13 Nov 2017, 14:23 (Ref:3780185)   #24
mikestow
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Join Date: May 2009
Location:
Winchester
Posts: 70
mikestow should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
I have not seen the film,but will try to.Having known Frank Williams from the Harrow Flat days to 361 Bath Road Chippenham,I always found him to be extremely helpful ,as I was trying to be an inspring F3 driver at the time.I know he used to use several different phone boxes to pretend his Race Car Parts Business was flourishing,but apart from Robs Lamplough in Adam and Eve Mews,there was no one else to talk to or get te right useable bits from.I basically went to him,having had little luck with the "Major" at Coopers trying to run an old Cooper T76,and he told me straight it had to be a Brabham.He shouted downstairs for his sidekick "Revs" Dawson to come up and introduced me.I had only bought bits and pieces from him before his move to Slough,and found this was an entirely different ball game.His front room were Customer Cars either self maintained or part helped by Frank's Kiwi Mechs and Bob"Dynamite"Lewis Evans,plus chassis for sale.Behind and down some steps was a Stores that covered every single nut and bolt/Accessory/Manifold/Sideplate/Ratio required for any self build of a chassis to a complete car.Off that room was Piers Courage's Brabhams Dave Mullah's shop,with other offshoots where privateers could lease space.As you went in the front behind the Pub was "Racing Gearboxes" of Kevan Riley and Howden Ganley.All in all it was a complete Racing Car establishment to cater from a nobody ,as I was,to one of the Stars like Courage!Out the back were a jumble of old and more recent Transporters.In fact even if your car was not kept there,Frank would allow you to use the "Volksy" for your race weekend for very little money on a bend it mend it basis.Loads of apochrapal stories have come out,regarding canabalising of spares and bits and pieces from customers cars that raced infrequently,but I never knew anyone that had actually been got at.Tyres were another very costly item,that he could help with.Down the road at Langley was Firestone Racing Division,run by Chris Parry.You coud arrive there with your old set up,and tell Ernie B and John D that Frank had told you to come down,and suddenly you were shown a great stack of barely scrubbed in Firestones in whatever size you wanted,which they would mount and balance for very little.It kept everyone going and made the lower Formulae great fun at little cost.Until Mike Ticehurst started Motor Racing Enterprizes at Penn,later Bourne End,no one could touch Frank with the Support he gave the youngsters in those days.His amusing Adverts in Autosport told the tale of him taking the mickey out of himself,with "I dont fleece you at the top of the page like others can"!!His private life was obviously another matter,but as a young wouldbe racer,he was most definitely the Man.I was most grateful to have been able to offered his help when I most needed it,so a great Thank You to him.
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