Kick Those Shoes Off and Relax. It's the Delta 2017 Tea Break

[John Elwin]

By coincidence, the dates in 1967 fell on the same days as this year, so fifty years ago on Sunday 1 October 1967 I was at Snetterton for the BRSCC Formula Libre Car Races & now I've checked the programme I do actually recall it!

The meeting was memorable for the appearance of Japanese driver Tetsu Ikuzawa. After winning the Autosport Trophy Race in an MRS-entered F3 Brabham, he went on to perform a bit of giant-killing in the Marque Sports Car Race, terrorising established names like Warren Pearce (Jaguar E-Type) & Dickie Stoop (Porsche 911) in his tiny Honda S800.

The saloon car race was won by Terry Sanger's 4.7-litre Cortina from Albert Betts's road-going Jaguar Mk1, the same car that Justin Law/Anthony Reid drove at Goodwood this year.

[bauble]

Our first baby Leanne was taking up a lot of my time back then, and we had just bought a house, so not much else to report.

[justracing]

"tiny Honda S800" - i remember them, an ex schoolfriend with a lot more money than I had one, very nippy road car with an unusual roller bearing/split crankshaft which never really caught on in mainstream production. I never could get near him on the road despite manic efforts in Ford Pop! I remember shaving 40 thou off the head in an attempt to raise the compression which quite frankly had little or no effect as I recall.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by John Elwin

The saloon car race was won by Terry Sanger's 4.7-litre Cortina from Albert Betts's road-going Jaguar Mk1, the same car that Justin Law/Anthony Reid drove at Goodwood this year.

Out of interest, John, who else was in that race, and was it a particular championship?

[John Elwin]

Originally Posted by justracing

"tiny Honda S800" - i remember them, an ex schoolfriend with a lot more money than I had one, very nippy road car with an unusual roller bearing/split crankshaft which never really caught on in mainstream production. I never could get near him on the road despite manic efforts in Ford Pop! I remember shaving 40 thou off the head in an attempt to raise the compression which quite frankly had little or no effect as I recall.

The owner of our local laundry in Norfolk had one, which amused me as he was very tall, goodness knows how he got in it.

[John Elwin]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

Out of interest, John, who else was in that race, and was it a particular championship?

I did look for your name Mike, but didn't spot you there! It was a Redex Gold Cross Championship round, actually two races split by classes, both with a big entry.

As I said, the 'big' race was won by Sanger from Betts, with John Ewer's Mustang third, Alan Peer's Anglia fourth.

Other entries included Roger Taylor (Anglia) Ken Costello & Terry Harmer (Mini Cooper's), Bernard Unett's Fraser Imp & even John Wales' NSU.

I didn't put the results in for Race B, but it was almost entirely Mini's. Names include David Cuff, Bernard Farthing, David Alexander & Costello again. There was also an A40 (R.Bunting) which, going by Goodwood last week, must have been a runaway winner...!!! Local man David Coleman was there too with his Anglia.

I also noticed that one Max Mosley came second in the Clubman's race.

[Mike Harte]

Thanks, John, for looking. But it just dawned on me that from June '67 until the end of the year I was working for a foreign government agency, and was actually out of the country in October. Racing was put on hold for a lot of the year, unfortunately.

Out of further interest, was a Tim Goss entered in the Clubmans race? Our racing at the same meetings coincided an awful lot, and his girlfriend, who I knew before he met her (they married around the same time as I did, and she unfortunately passed away recently) always made sure that all the important bits and pieces on my car (boot, bonnet, seat belts, etc.) were properly secured and the paint work polished before I went out on track. A sort of talisman, and when she wasn't around, something invariably went wrong!

[John Elwin]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

Thanks, John, for looking. But it just dawned on me that from June '67 until the end of the year I was working for a foreign government agency, and was actually out of the country in October. Racing was put on hold for a lot of the year, unfortunately.

Out of further interest, was a Tim Goss entered in the Clubmans race? Our racing at the same meetings coincided an awful lot, and his girlfriend, who I knew before he met her (they married around the same time as I did, and she unfortunately passed away recently) always made sure that all the important bits and pieces on my car (boot, bonnet, seat belts, etc.) were properly secured and the paint work polished before I went out on track. A sort of talisman, and when she wasn't around, something invariably went wrong!

Tim Goss - that's a familiar name, it's amazing how all the memories come back! He was on the entry list but I've got him marked as a non starter. The race was won by Howard Heerey in a Chevron, another familiar name.

[VIVA GT]

I was at high school (but not on a Saturday) and remember getting up extra early so I could record the start of radio One on our reel to reel tape recorder from my transistor radio.
There's three things today's eleven year olds wouldn't understand...

[John Elwin]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

I was at high school (but not on a Saturday) and remember getting up extra early so I could record the start of radio One on our reel to reel tape recorder from my transistor radio.
There's three things today's eleven year olds wouldn't understand...

Have you still got the tapes? Or anything to play them on?

I've still got the Philips Portable Tape Recorder that was my prize for passing the 11+ but sadly it no longer works. Haven't got the heart to throw it out though.

[Riley Blue]

50 years ago I was at a British forces boarding school at Hamm in Germany. During WW2 it was a Luftwaffe barracks and I have an aerial photo of a B17 dropping bombs on it - they missed...

I also went to school in Malta but in the early 1950s when my Dad was recalled into the RN during the Korean War.

I'm another reel-to-reel owner though mine is a Telefunken.

[midgetman]

I was living in Cornwall but can't remember much about what I was doing as I was too young. I vaguely remember the change as "something that happened" but it didn't impact on my life much. I was probably at school by then but it wasn't a major topic of conversation in a rural C of E Primary School. No sign of tape recorders or even radios much TBH.

Would it have been Pete Murray on Radio Two mid morning? Or was he later?

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk

[delta]

I was 14, we were all very excited as we all thought we could play the music at a much bigger volume. I had an transistor radio which i would tune in with all the crackling could just about listen to radio Caroline and Luxembourg. Happy days.

[John Elwin]

Originally Posted by delta

I was 14, we were all very excited as we all thought we could play the music at a much bigger volume. I had an transistor radio which i would tune in with all the crackling could just about listen to radio Caroline and Luxembourg. Happy days.

Luxembourg seemed like an exotic far-away place in those days, but of course Radio Luxembourg became motor racing sponsors.

[Peter Mallett]

Indeed. Didn't they sponsor Teddy Pillette's F5000 Lola?

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by John Elwin

Luxembourg seemed like an exotic far-away place in those days, but of course Radio Luxembourg became motor racing sponsors.

As did Radio London, I seem to recall.

[John Elwin]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Indeed. Didn't they sponsor Teddy Pillette's F5000 Lola?

My programmes are a bit disorganised at the moment but I've got one to hand for a 'Radio Luxembourg Formula 5000 Trophy Meeting' at Silverstone in August 1973. Think I did that one on my way home from holiday in North Wales.

The ShellSPORT Luxembourg team drivers on that occasion were Gijs van Lennep & Clive Santo. The cars were actually entered as 'ShellSPORT Luxembourg T330 Smith Chevrolet' & ShellSPORT Luxembourg TS11 Smith Chevrolet'. Presumably a Lola & a Surtees in reality.

Without digging further, for some reason in my mind I link Tom Belso with Luxembourg sponsorship, but I could be wrong.

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by John Elwin

Have you still got the tapes? Or anything to play them on?

I've still got the Philips Portable Tape Recorder that was my prize for passing the 11+ but sadly it no longer works. Haven't got the heart to throw it out though.

Unfortunately, although we found the tapes and recorder in the loft when clearing Mum's house out a few years ago, the recorder no longer worked so we threw it, and the tapes away. Sad really, I'd recorded a lot of the early Radio One stuff, in particular the Sunday morning Kenny Everett Show.

Originally Posted by Riley Blue

50 years ago I was at a British forces boarding school at Hamm in Germany. During WW2 it was a Luftwaffe barracks and I have an aerial photo of a B17 dropping bombs on it - they missed...

I also went to school in Malta but in the early 1950s when my Dad was recalled into the RN during the Korean War.

I'm another reel-to-reel owner though mine is a Telefunken.

Our tape recorder was a Telefunken too, quite rare/posh in those days I used to think!

[John Elwin]

Originally Posted by John Elwin

My programmes are a bit disorganised at the moment but I've got one to hand for a 'Radio Luxembourg Formula 5000 Trophy Meeting' at Silverstone in August 1973. Think I did that one on my way home from holiday in North Wales.

The ShellSPORT Luxembourg team drivers on that occasion were Gijs van Lennep & Clive Santo. The cars were actually entered as 'ShellSPORT Luxembourg T330 Smith Chevrolet' & ShellSPORT Luxembourg TS11 Smith Chevrolet'. Presumably a Lola & a Surtees in reality.

Without digging further, for some reason in my mind I link Tom Belso with Luxembourg sponsorship, but I could be wrong.

I've just spotted, right at the bottom of the programme there was actually a third ShellSPORT Luxembourg entry with race number 208 - and it was Tom Belso in a ShellSPORT Luxembourg T330 Smith Chevrolet.

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by John Elwin

I've just spotted, right at the bottom of the programme there was actually a third ShellSPORT Luxembourg entry with race number 208 - and it was Tom Belso in a ShellSPORT Luxembourg T330 Smith Chevrolet.

Didn't Radio Luxembourg also sponsor a Production Saloon Opel Monza at one stage? I seem to remember one running with the race number 208. (Or am I getting mixed up with a Noel Edmonds Radio One car numbered 247?)

[John Elwin]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

Didn't Radio Luxembourg also sponsor a Production Saloon Opel Monza at one stage? I seem to remember one running with the race number 208. (Or am I getting mixed up with a Noel Edmonds Radio One car numbered 247?)

I'd thought of that too, but then remembered they also sponsored a BMW 3.0 driven by Don MacLeod in Production Saloons.

Don is better known as a Formula Ford driver - he was Van Diemen's first-ever works driver, winning the Formula Ford Festival at Snetterton in 1973 after Derek Lawrence was slung-out for running his illegal engine (not for the first time). However, Don had a day job as a salesman for BMW, hence the Prod Saloons exploits. As well as Shell colours the BMW also ran in a muddy brown livery, sponsored by a perfume company, possibly Aramis.

[justracing]

I think Radio Luxembourg also sponsored some cars driven by Chris Meeke, I seem to remember a Lotus Europa for one.

[MartinH]

Originally Posted by John Elwin

Luxembourg seemed like an exotic far-away place in those days, but of course Radio Luxembourg became motor racing sponsors.

We ain't all exotic 'ere you know ! & although it isn't really far away, I still needed to look on a map to see where it is, as I prepared for my job interview that eventually brought me here, 30 years ago.

Concerning the famous 208 radio Luxembourg, when it ceased trading, some of the the famous DJ's stayed on & worked for a new, legal english speaking station here, the most notable being Stuart Henry, who sadly suffered from MS & eventually passed away in the 2000s I think ; he is buried in a cemetery not far from me.

[John Elwin]

Originally Posted by MartinH

We ain't all exotic 'ere you know ! & although it isn't really far away, I still needed to look on a map to see where it is, as I prepared for my job interview that eventually brought me here, 30 years ago.

Concerning the famous 208 radio Luxembourg, when it ceased trading, some of the the famous DJ's stayed on & worked for a new, legal english speaking station here, the most notable being Stuart Henry, who sadly suffered from MS & eventually passed away in the 2000s I think ; he is buried in a cemetery not far from me.

I assume you are not buried in the cemetery!

I did once spend a night in Luxembourg many years ago.

[terence]