Classic Hot Rods

[MiniMadness]

I was at Ipswich at the weekend and there was some excellent racing. The most enjoyable was probably the classic Hot Rods.

Great to see old names like Bland, Lee & Polley back out in the cars that made them famous. There was a good mixture of Escort mk1's, a mk2, Anglia's, even a Mini and an Imp !!

Maybe Rod Birley could make a comeback !! How about it Rod ?

[superfox2000]

Originally Posted by MiniMadness

I was at Ipswich at the weekend and there was some excellent racing. The most enjoyable was probably the classic Hot Rods.

Great to see old names like Bland, Lee & Polley back out in the cars that made them famous. There was a good mixture of Escort mk1's, a mk2, Anglia's, even a Mini and an Imp !!

Maybe Rod Birley could make a comeback !! How about it Rod ?

351 Barry Lee is a legend!

[Minicross424]

Polley won a race from the back, it was classic and i cant wait to see them again.

[Rod Birley]

Find me a car!!
Lee and Polley may be at Brands on July 31st for the MSN 50th.

[Snapper Baz]

Havn't you got some old black Escort that you could hurl round an oval?

[Al Weyman]

I had better get my Ford engined Mini out (oh no I forgot they banned it after months and a fortune spent getting it right).

[Snapper Baz]

Al, who banned it, what were you going to run it in...and surely there must have been some regs you built it to?

[Al Weyman]

I was racing at a small track in Hertfordshire, Bovingdon and also another bigger outfit who used to run at Lydden and Brands but name escapes me.but we used to race to Spedworth regs and used to appear at other tracks. I had a 1.7 crossflow hotrod engine sitting on a Mini gearbox remember these were pre-Fiesta and hot hatch days. Anyhow I had a lot of trouble then at last began to get it right and it was getting very quick but after a visit by Spedworth to our home track (Barry Lee raced the ill fated 'works' Opel Kadett) there they promptly pulled the plug on Ford engined Minis, (thanks guys). I think in later years they were reinstated. As an aside you will never guess what I did with the bits next. I stuffer the mini front subframe engine and gearbox shafts the lot into the back of a Hillman Imp (I used to work for Nathan Racing). I debuted the car at Harringay man talk about understeer it was a complete disaster!

I broke that and built a conventional Escort and was doing quite well till I was taken off big time at Arena by a 'Team Mate' none other then Top Fueller Andy Carter (thanks Andy that put paid to me and Hot Rods).

Oh one other claim to fame and you will like this. We all went to Boston on an away match and all the top boys, Jim Mensley, the Grimer Bros etc was there. Anyhow I had just brokered a sale on a mini engined Mini for a young guy, proper built little car it was. Anyhow come the race and remember he was a white top novice, he lwas about to line up and bottled out so I stuck his helmet on and took it out and won the first heat. Then he decided to have a go lines up and gets slung out by the start marshall as a different driver so I was pulled in again and won that heat as well (remember I am starting up the front each time and should have been at the back as a Red top). In the final I had a terrific race and really leaned hard on the Escorts and either won or came second in that as well despite the big boys best efforts. Got a great right up in Motoring News with picture the lot only to my horror to read I was not even mentioned but the young guy who entered it and bottled out! :-(

[paulwjs]

The classic hot rods were brillant at the Spedeweekend, that era was before I was born but they great. george Polley blasted around the outside of everyone to win, Barry Lee was left trailing.

I run a hot rod website called Whistlin' Jack Smith and have a few pics of the classics on there, more will be added soon!

Hiya Al Weyman it was PRI or Promosport Raceways International that used to run the meetings at Lydden and Brands. RDC have just revived racing on the Lydden oval a few years back.

[Al Weyman]

That was them Promotasport. also had Haringay that was a a great venue but they knocked it down. There was another one over East London as well, not Walthamstow but can't remember the name but I raced there a couple of times. I know George he was goingto do a car for the championship I used to run (ModProds) nice guy as it happens.

[Alfaholic]

I have to admit to being a regular at Foxhall Stadium in the latter half of the 70s and early 80s and remember Polley, Lee and others in their prime.

There were some other strange vehicle in those days, not just Al's Ford engined Mini. Somewhere I have a picture of a rear engined Renault Hot Rod, The visitors from Europe used to turn up with their Opels and VWs (one converted from left to right hand drive by a bicycle chain & cogs being attached to the existing steering column and then linked to a 2nd column bolted on the right side!).

Also what has happened to Ormond Christie? A regular visitor to, and winner of, the World championship from (Northern?) Ireland. He seemed to run odd cars as well - the most memorable of which was a Triumph Herald which I'm sure he won the championship with one year.

[Snapper Baz]

Its been mulled over a few times before but I do think we should have a seperate "short circuit" forum on T'Tenths somewhere...may look into this a bit more!

[Al Weyman]

Yes I remember Ormonds Triumph it worked well. I will try to dig some pictures out of the Mini Ford and the Imp for a laugh, I know I have them somewhere if I can work out how to post pickys. Oh I also took the Mini Ford to the one and only meeting at Reading (I think it was the first and last) it went like a rocket on the shale till the flywheel fell off! I seem to recollect Rod Birley displaying a Sunbeam Talbot at a Brands Promotasport meeting but not actually racing it, don't know if he ever did in the end.

[ss_collins]

Baz I'm in big support of that myself. The whole spedeweekend was great a the Birleys were off swanning about on the continent, just cos they have a pool now...

Rod stop making excuses and get sue to make you a car

[MiniMadness]

There's a good book called 'Hot Rod Racing' The Golden years by Richard John Neil. There's loads of photos from the golden era including a picture of Rod's Sunbeam. I know it can be purchased on the Spedeworth website.

I've printed off the Incarace Classic Hot Rods regs and found the cars need to be pre-76 saloons. Shame I was looking at building a Talbot Sunbeam, oh well it look's like it might have to be another Mini.

That reminds me Al do you still have your Mini ?

[Al Weyman]

NAw it self destructed many years ago, I am a Chevy man now and they won't let those on the little ovals! Mind you (I may have told this before so bear with me) years ago a mate of mine who was the outright banger champion two years running at Bovingdon challanged the circuit owner to a match race around the track like they do in speed cycling i.e. start at opposite ends of the track. Anyhow my mate had a virtually brand new 76 Transam and this other guy had a 'priceless' Bullet style mustang fastback, crazy or what. Anyway with me sat in the car for ballast the race was run and my mate was the clear winner (wasted talent actually cause he really could drive) but the circuit owner declared it a foul as I was in the car!

[ss_collins]

I sense a challenge - rods escort vs your Chev (not a matiz I hope...)

[Rod Birley]

Yes I did race the Sunbeam, but eventually I sold it to an Irish driver and went back to Ford Escorts. Don't get too excited about the pool it is an inflateable type. Sam, are you willing to help Sue build another car???

[Al Weyman]

Originally Posted by ss_collins

I sense a challenge - rods escort vs your Chev (not a matiz I hope...)

It would be a none contest I am afraid as my black chevy is built to very modest ModProd regs and not even taken to the ultimate within these regs it also is fitted with road rubber, all steel shell and standard glass so I should think a good lapping by Rod would be on the cards!

To be honest the freedom of tyres in the TRC regs is the one thing that puts me off entering because I have not got a clue what I would fit, whats best, etc but I know it does sound expensive (and probably is) compared to running on List 1a rubber. Then once you are on slicks al the associated problems like oil surge etc come into the equation.

[Rod Birley]

Nick Williamson often beats the Cossies in class B with his Peugeot on TOYO tyres.

[ss_collins]

rally rubber!

[Al Weyman]

Well I will probably put the black car on Toyos just contemplating whether to order 18" rims or not as the tyre size I was using on 16" is not available. lot of money though and makes you think twice. This is the downside I guess of a control tyre if they don't have the size you want. On my other Chev just really to give it a run out not to be competitive as it is heavy and running on tiny 15" x 8" Minilites and built to pre 73 Touring car regs and it nearly ready to go, could I run it on Hoosier Street TA's although no longer in the Blue book?

[Rod Birley]

Yes

[ss_collins]

Rod - I vowed never to build another car after one of mine never got raced. Sue would do a better job without me!

[chezza]

No no no...Sam can't be involved in building a car for you Rod, until he has fixed the two sat on his drive way, the one in the local garage, and then there is the vee to think about! Also any car he touches usually breaks!

Spede weekend was fantastic! Love the short oval stuff!