Old Irish Motorsport Pictures (merged) - Page 2

Motormouth · 13 Feb 2007, 18:42 (Ref:1840596)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Podd37

And who drove that Merc. 190?

Roger Eccles. Came over from the UK sponsored by Shanahans and won the Saloon Race in the Leinster Trophy, just, from Derek Shorthall in a rented Capri and Des Cullen in an RS2000. He then came back a few weeks later for the Phoenix Park races, which he won too!

MONDELLO MAN · 13 Feb 2007, 18:46 (Ref:1840601)

the Park was run before the Leinster Trophy , THAT YEAR.

graeme · 13 Feb 2007, 19:22 (Ref:1840633)

Quote:

Originally Posted by graeme

Those street races look mad

...although, looking at other threads, this is the same motorsport association which has brought in draconian regs for overalls this season - how things change!

Motormouth · 13 Feb 2007, 20:40 (Ref:1840692)

I think that was a mistake and has been sorted!!! Certainly I'm going rallycrossing on Sunday with no (fireproof) underwear!!! Commando I think they call it!!!!

davyboy · 14 Feb 2007, 08:00 (Ref:1840976)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Motormouth

That's Liam Rabbitt, still racing until recently, although a little more portly now, like us all!!! I don't think the second car ever took to the track, (although I may be wrong,) so I'm not sure who the second hopeful is with his lid on the roof!!!

Interesting, it looks a pretty professional operation for the day doesn't it. I wonder what happened to those imps.

davyboy · 14 Feb 2007, 08:07 (Ref:1840983)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Podd37

Dunlaoighre only ran the once...dont know why but I would hazard a guess that it was too dangerous even for us. Just look at the Capri.

That was Mick Fizgerald's Capri that decided to take a closer look at the Dun Laoire scenery. A few weeks later Mick had a 'careful owner, low mileage' MkII 3.0 Ghia road car for sale in the Evening Press (!)

Podd37 · 14 Feb 2007, 10:26 (Ref:1841080)

Yeah thats right, I had forgotten it was him. I think he hit every solid object between The Purty Kitchen and the hairpin at the end of the not very straight straight(!). I seem to remember a couple of big single seater (FF2000?) shunts too. I think RTE ran highlights on tv. Someone also had Dundalk on tv, as I recall seeing a round of the Fiesta series from the uk. Anyone got them on tape?

Point-5 · 14 Feb 2007, 10:52 (Ref:1841101)

Quote:

Originally Posted by davyboy

Interesting, it looks a pretty professional operation for the day doesn't it. I wonder what happened to those imps.

I'm Liams nephew and while most of this was going on I was only a very young boy (about 4 or 5) I do remember the Imp and being allowed steer it around the paddock and going for a passenger seat spin around the Park in it, hanging onto the rollcage...I took over Liams race Uno about 99 and he hasn't really raced since.

The IMP came to a end on a hill-climb in the Dublin/Wicklow mountains, Liam lost it coming out of last corner and crossed the line backwards, recording his fastest time of the day....Unfortunately he couldn't steer it too well in reverse and ended up on top of a small stone wall, destroying it forever.

The second car, was basically a spare rolling chassis as far as I know, dunno who the second guy is... I've sent the photo to Liam, so he might remember.

Fantastic to see these photos, really wished I was racing then and not now!!

davyboy · 14 Feb 2007, 13:19 (Ref:1841255)

Thanks for that... brilliant info there ! Such a pity the Imp came to a demise... may have been Cruagh, that final bend after the hairpin bridge was deceptive and made hazzardous by the cambered roads up there.

I think few would disagree with you on racing then rather than now.

***MagnetON*** · 14 Feb 2007, 13:32 (Ref:1841272)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Motormouth

Certainly I'm going rallycrossing on Sunday with no (fireproof) underwear!!! Commando I think they call it!!!!

OVERSHARE!!!!!!

Podd37 · 14 Feb 2007, 13:42 (Ref:1841287)

I do believe that was at Enniskerry Hillclimb. Ended up a fair mess so it did. The following year the finish was moved back down the hill to prevent it happening again. They still tried though! Spent many a wet Sat / Sun in May watching people crashing both there and at Cruagh further up the mountains. Oh how I laughed....'til I stuck my Golf through the gate at the last corner at Cruagh!!

graeme · 14 Feb 2007, 15:24 (Ref:1841366)

Quote:

Originally Posted by davyboy

I think few would disagree with you on racing then rather than now.

I think we all like to think that, but when I look deep into my heart, I'm quite happy racing now with the safety net of modern safety advances (circuits, organisation, car safety, etc)

davyboy · 14 Feb 2007, 22:24 (Ref:1841713)

Things have improved from a safety perspective you're right, which is a good thing... but the cars and the class structures have been dulled down a lot - not so good. I don't believe that one has been contingent on the other... just changes over the passage of time.

Point-5 · 15 Feb 2007, 10:14 (Ref:1841973)

I don't have a death wish, so obviously the safety these days is far more favourable... The whole scene just seemed to be healthier and better in nearly every other way..

I think it was the Cruagh Hillclimb by the way, name sounds familiar

Motormouth · 17 Feb 2007, 12:15 (Ref:1843652)

Display Cars?? Back in the 70's!! Liam was years ahead of his time!! If I slip on my anorak for a moment(!) I think the second car may have eventually taken to the track a few years later with Ray Fitzpatrick driving it!!
As for the last corner at Enniskerry, many, many cars came unstuck there. I was sitting on the ditch there with my dad in the early 80's when John Smith's Opel Kadett GT/E did a wall of death act there and destroyed the timing gear when it landed on its roof. I think Col's Dad had a big one at Enninkerry that year in the Imp too, I'm sure Col can tell us?

By the way, Con rang me the other night, he had heard about this thread and said he is working on his "Golden Oldies part two" pictures. He'll let me know when he is uploading it so I'll post here when I hear!!

Motormouth · 17 Feb 2007, 12:28 (Ref:1843661)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Podd37

Yeah thats right, I had forgotten it was him. I think he hit every solid object between The Purty Kitchen and the hairpin at the end of the not very straight straight(!). I seem to remember a couple of big single seater (FF2000?) shunts too. I think RTE ran highlights on tv. Someone also had Dundalk on tv, as I recall seeing a round of the Fiesta series from the uk. Anyone got them on tape?

Have Dundalk and Dun Laoire on tape!

col rooney · 17 Feb 2007, 13:41 (Ref:1843705)

Yes the old man went off on the hill in Enniskerry he came around corner flat in 3rd on slicks and there was a stream running across the road and from the second the car hit the water the old mad was just there for the ride and what a ride it was the 2 near side magnesium wheels exploded when they hit the kerb and the fiberglass front was ripped off but the damage was more to the left side front wishbone and the mount point for the shock so thats how the car ended up with a semi space frame front .

Point-5 · 17 Feb 2007, 16:34 (Ref:1843773)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Motormouth

Have Dundalk and Dun Laoire on tape!

PC World or similar shops do a converter thing for putting VHS onto your computer, only about €30. You should really archive that collection of yours Motormouth before the tapes (and you) get too old!!

davyboy · 17 Feb 2007, 21:38 (Ref:1843978)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Motormouth

By the way, Con rang me the other night, he had heard about this thread and said he is working on his "Golden Oldies part two" pictures. He'll let me know when he is uploading it so I'll post here when I hear!!

Can't wait to see this. Has he been taking pictures that long ? Who was the photographer who got behind the wheel of Norman Williams' black Capri in the 1980s [I very nearly bought that car to race in prodsaloons] ? He used to hang out at the Shell/Eircell [or whatever its known as these days] hairpin at Mondello waiting for us to bin it there.

Rob29 · 18 Feb 2007, 09:49 (Ref:1844196)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Point-5

PC World or similar shops do a converter thing for putting VHS onto your computer, only about €30. You should really archive that collection of yours Motormouth before the tapes (and you) get too old!!

Thanks for that info,I also have the Dundalk coverage on tape as well as a lot of other stuff people have asked for.Last VCR/disc copying machine I saw was around £250.

**touringlegend** · 18 Feb 2007, 10:10 (Ref:1844210)

Great pics. A bit of a more recent query, where and why were there DTM Alfa's in Ireland ?

MONDELLO MAN · 18 Feb 2007, 17:11 (Ref:1844448)

Quote:

Originally Posted by touringlegend

Great pics. A bit of a more recent query, where and why were there DTM Alfa's in Ireland ?

they ran a 2 car demo at the Phoenix Park in 1997.

Motormouth · 18 Feb 2007, 20:27 (Ref:1844630)

Quote:

Originally Posted by davyboy

Can't wait to see this. Has he been taking pictures that long ? Who was the photographer who got behind the wheel of Norman Williams' black Capri in the 1980s [I very nearly bought that car to race in prodsaloons] ? He used to hang out at the Shell/Eircell [or whatever its known as these days] hairpin at Mondello waiting for us to bin it there.

It was Michael Chester.
www.chester.ie

Point-5 · 19 Feb 2007, 23:51 (Ref:1845933)

I was talking to Con at Mondello on Sunday and he was delighted with the interest in his old photo's and promised plenty more soon, but obviously very time consuming to scan/save/upload every original.

Motormouth · 19 Mar 2007, 13:36 (Ref:1871377)

I dug out all my old pics from my days as a budding motorsport photographer (back in the late 80's) the other week and gave them to Con Connolly. He has just scanned them and they are now up on his site, www.conconnolly.com

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