The best FF1600 driver ever? - Page 2

sk8er gal · 8 Jun 2003, 13:54 (Ref:624541)

Bernard Devaney

noweels · 9 Jun 2003, 19:19 (Ref:626305)

Watching FF1600 races in the late 70`s and early 80`s was something else. Nothing today comes close to it.Bring back catch fencing!

darcym · 18 Jun 2003, 15:49 (Ref:635636)

Ok these guys maybe not the best ever (but maybe they are..) the bottom line is that this Sunday at CastleCombe some of arguable the best drivers of their era (and maybe the current era) are to make a one of come back race, in a non-championship event

Kevin Mills, Gavin Wills, Bog Higgens, Robin Parsons, Adrian Coterill, John Hutchinson will all be racing along with the tallented front end of the regular grid.

As I said maybe not the best ever, but will make one hell of a race, and certainly start the argument of "best of the era"

Keep an eye on it if you can !!!

RMR · 18 Jun 2003, 18:09 (Ref:635769)

darcym, sounds like carnage

darcym · 18 Jun 2003, 18:27 (Ref:635788)

heres hoping.....

verglas · 19 Jun 2003, 19:13 (Ref:636909)

Mills and Wills attempting to share the tarmac? Hmmmmm, it'll all end in tears before bedtime, mark my words!!!!!!!!!

RMR · 20 Jun 2003, 09:23 (Ref:637373)

Well, according to a source, they all are racing this weekend!!!well Hutchinson, Mills, Wills and Parsons at least. A long with the likes of Barnes and probably Higgens cant see them all finishing.

Super Tourer · 20 Jun 2003, 09:40 (Ref:637394)

Russell Ingall ?

Dunzer · 20 Jun 2003, 12:20 (Ref:637539)

Fionn Murray

Andrew Kitson · 20 Jun 2003, 12:51 (Ref:637569)

Yes, poor Fionn. RIP friend.
1600s were so much better than the Zetecs of today.
I worked at Royale as the lad / gofer in the 70s - marvellous days. The last lap coming into Woodcote on the club circuit - magic! Thing was, we had three heats to enjoy at most meetings before the final. How I miss those days and that corner. Silverstone actually had a great atmosphere then unlike now because the action happens miles away.

Barny · 20 Jun 2003, 13:29 (Ref:637607)

Couldn't agree more Andrew, my father took me to watch a club race in the early 70's, it was the sight of 30 FF's comming down the club straight and through Woodcote that captured my imagination and I have been hooked on racing ever since, nothing quite matchs that nowadays, Zetecs are too smooth and quiet and there are not enough of them.

RMR · 20 Jun 2003, 13:36 (Ref:637619)

too much grip in zetecs, Kents have the perfect ratio of power and grip. After everytime im out in my RF89 I have a huge grin on my face, and I know my car control has been tested everytime, just wish i was old enough to witness the greats drive proper FF.

Andrew Kitson · 20 Jun 2003, 13:59 (Ref:637644)

Yes, modern Zetecs are over engineered and far far too expensive! What is it, about £700 for a nose cone these days? More?
I remember in '77 Trevor Van Rooyen was working at Royale building cars in the daytime to earn a crust and working on his own ' loaned' car in the corner of the factory in the evenings. The designer (Rory Byrne) would try trick bits on Trevor's RP24 car. TvR also built his own engine using Minister's dyno. This motor went on to many more victories with various drivers. He got a big sponsor - SDC builders who sponsored him to the tune of exactly £1000 for the season - at least one race meeting each weekend! He had to have the car sprayed and signwritten from this money first. He went on to win the RAC FF Championship, 2nd in the Brush Fusegear ( lost out to Mansell by one point) ,5th in the TT Championship and third in the Festival. Yes, there were three major FF Championships in those days. I remember we did four different meetings over easter.
In all, he won 34 races that season.

OK, I know inflation comes into play but what would it cost to do 40 odd FF Zetec races in a season these days? It is expensive enough with the ( only) nine or ten meetings they do already. Trevor is still involved now building the Scholar motors for Comtec. But he is in agreement that the old Kent days were better, but we cannot 'unlearn' the technology. Perhaps costs could be brought into line though.

Anyway, back to the debate, but Trevor definitely deserves a mention.

JR Ewing · 20 Jun 2003, 14:15 (Ref:637664)

I'm sure I said Fionn Murray on the first page...

Andrew Kitson · 20 Jun 2003, 14:21 (Ref:637670)

JR Yes you did. Lovely guy was Fionn.

Andrew Kitson · 20 Jun 2003, 19:14 (Ref:637908)

Fionn Murray - sadly missed.

A photo I took of him in the works FCS Reynard at the 91 Festival.

Junior Senior · 20 Jun 2003, 20:26 (Ref:637967)

I remember Fionn getting on the podium at Mallory driving for JMB in F Renault, he was so excited and overjoyed at his achievement that day, agrred he should have been on my original list. Also his move on Boullion in the Festival final was pretty good..........

Junior Senior · 20 Jun 2003, 20:32 (Ref:637971)

Andrew, is TvR still building engines? I remember Andrew McAuley winning the Kent final in 93 with an absolute flyer in the back of his Reynard.

Andrew Kitson · 21 Jun 2003, 14:56 (Ref:638482)

Yes. He builds them the engines solely for the Comtec Zetec entries. He is always on the dyno, down at Scholar.

Edgar Jessop · 23 Jun 2003, 21:20 (Ref:640742)

Hmmm, no one's mentioned Geoff Lees. I seem to recall he had quite a decent year one year!

I remember at the Brands Formula Ford 25th anniversary meeting in 1992 a group of us decided the best three ever were Moreno, Senna and Lees.

Then we watched Magnussen win the race in that yellow Foundation car but I don't remember it being that low that early in the season!! It was very obviously very low by Festival time. He'd obviously found which way to twist the brake balance by then.

**ghinzani** · 24 Jun 2003, 18:09 (Ref:641722)

Quote:

Originally posted by darcym
Ok these guys maybe not the best ever (but maybe they are..) the bottom line is that this Sunday at CastleCombe some of arguable the best drivers of their era (and maybe the current era) are to make a one of come back race, in a non-championship event

Kevin Mills, Gavin Wills, Bog Higgens, Robin Parsons, Adrian Coterill, John Hutchinson will all be racing along with the tallented front end of the regular grid.

As I said maybe not the best ever, but will make one hell of a race, and certainly start the argument of "best of the era"

Keep an eye on it if you can !!!

who won? I can remember Bob sticking people over the pit wall - he was hard, but so was Gavin.

paddy · 25 Jun 2003, 13:58 (Ref:642689)

Senna is the best I've seen, but I loved the era before him. Derek Daly, David Kennedy, Steve South,Derek Warwick etc. Huge entries and great racing. 1600s will never be beaten in my view.

Bob Pearson · 25 Jun 2003, 14:19 (Ref:642705)

I like the idea of the cockpit udgustable droop stops

Dunzer · 25 Jun 2003, 22:10 (Ref:643167)

Andrew,nice pic of Fionn....he gave me a lot of help with my Reynard when I started out in FF1600.On that note,anybody know the whereabouts of my old car, Reynard FF90 chassis no.8,sold to John Loebell in March 2001? I don't think John raced it..often wondered where it is now.

Mr Jinxx · 25 Jun 2003, 22:14 (Ref:643169)

paddy - why was Senna the best you've seen? What specifically did you see to make you think that? Not a challenge, just curious.

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