Your personal racing biographies

[compte deGraves]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

And the duffle coats! Rallying in the 50s was sooo different..... (I dont think the hats were bought- more created!)

The car is a bit special- one of the four original Connaught L2s which carried MPH registration numbers. Ours was MPH 998. Duncan Rabagliati has MPH 996 which has exactly the same body, and raced it at Goodwood last year. Sadly 998 is lost. Occasionally I was taken to school in it and Mum was probably a faster driver than Dad- I can remember my bobble hat disappearing in the slipstream!

Well done Simon & Eric. Simon, I think your last sentence sums it up for a lot of us!

Mike, When Duncan was staying with La Comtesse and me a few years ago I casually mentioned that I had owned 785 MPH, an automatic XK 150 fixed head. You can imagine, out came the little book and much scribbling ensued!

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by compte deGraves

Mike, When Duncan was staying with La Comtesse and me a few years ago I casually mentioned that I had owned 785 MPH, an automatic XK 150 fixed head. You can imagine, out came the little book and much scribbling ensued!

Yes, can imagine! I was able to fill in some history of MPH 998 for him and know he has not lost hope of it turning up somewhere- possibly in the USA?

[simon drabble]

didn't one of these come up for sale about 3 years ago - I dont mean Duncan's one. I know he was selling his but this was a dealer. Have to say that your photo is the most flattering angle of them as the front is not classically beautiful (but as a Turner owner I appreciate I am in no position to comment!!)

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by simon drabble

didn't one of these come up for sale about 3 years ago - I dont mean Duncan's one. I know he was selling his but this was a dealer. Have to say that your photo is the most flattering angle of them as the front is not classically beautiful (but as a Turner owner I appreciate I am in no position to comment!!)

Yes, definitely touched by the ugly stick, but so were a lot of others in those days Best described as 'functional', methinks!

MPH 329 was the car you are thinking of- sold by the Belgian dealer, but no idea who to.

[Mike Bell]

Anyone remember when BBC TV did 'Driver of the Year' in late 70s? Peter Purvis presented the first from Cadwell. I entered- the first hurdle was a question regarding a grand prix winner in a certain year. No Google then but visit to decent book shop came up with the answer! Got a letter telling me that had been successful and next was to be regional autotest. Finally get date, and it is same day as was supposed to be heading for Ireland for some international sailing thing (yes, there is more to life than motor racing!). Anyway, work out than can stop en route and participate, so off we go with Dad's Merc 308 motorhome and boat trailing along behind. Get there and they are setting up- lots of bemused looks from sportscar types eyeing up my transport. Had arranged to get first go due to needing to catch ferry, and am presented with an 1100 Fiesta to use. Guess what my normal car was at that time! So I razz the little Ford round with lots of handbrake, get out, jump in the Merc and continue trip. When I get home after regatta, find that have got through to final at Cadwell! On arrival at the circuit weeks later, during reception do night before am told that mine was fastest time in country- no pressure then! Anyway, wasn't any better than average at most stuff like coach or forklift driving, but hoped that the rally stage might get me some points. Lovely Gp1 RS2000 to use, and when it came to my turn they stuck my name on the windscreen. Just as I was about to start it poured with rain, so not only did I have to contend with wet grass, but soon as I turned wipers on the 'name' strip slid down the screen in front of my eyes! Needless to say I was rubbish. That is how I didn't become BBC Driver of the Year.

[Alan Morgan]

My biography's nothing special, but in the spirit of the thread, here we go...

I began, as many of us, through the interest of a parent. My dad has always been a motorsport enthusiast (he's had every copy of Autosport from day one, and now I don't buy it any more, passes his copy on to me every week). We went to Silverstone clubbies (remember the canvas seats in the stands, where if one person stood up, the next five either side sank down?), RAC Rally stages at Camberley, Le Mans, British GP's etc.

In 1970 my cousin passed on an old kart (Fastakart with a JLO engine) to me, and I rebuilt it with the help of a school friend, Nick. We ran it at Blackbushe a couple of times, before saving our pocket money and buying a very tired Barlotti Imp with a Parilla S13 motor. Having suffered many siezes with the S13 (and later BA13), we decided to sell it and buy a Komet K77 engine. We now needed a chassis, and built Cirrus 001, a Taifun copy, from scratch. It used to go quite well, and Dick Parsons (who was later killed in F3 at Silverstone) drove it and reckoned it was pretty good.

Nick, my dad and I then built Cirrus 002 and 003 - rather nice karts, and immaculately finished, to race in 1974. In 1975, I was able to swap my 003 rolling chassis and £50 for a Brabham BT15/21 rolling chassis in bits (those were the days!) We put it together, built an engine, and went testing at Brands. Loads of engine problems ensued, but I entered a Monoposto race at Lydden (the day Niki Lauda had his accident) - more engine problems. We then went to Castle Combe, where a cracked rear wishbone let go, putting me into the wall at Quarry. Sold the engine to someone with a Lotus 7, and sold the Brabham to a Swiss guy.

I was working now, and bought a beautiful Chevron B15 with MAE which I raced in F4 in 1977. My dad and I decided to build a more modern car, so Cirrus 004 was born winter 77/78. We built it in six months (I can still remember the icy cold lathe handles in January!). I raced it in 1978 and 79, finishing 3rd in the '79 F4 championship.

Around this time I met Iain (Delta) Rowley - whose moustache and hair were both bushy in those days - a la German porn star. He used to come round on Saturdays and do welding, turning, and sheet metal work in our garage for his Spartan F4 car. In 1980 I answered an ad in Autosport asking for someone to develop and run an F3 car with works support. The ad obviously sounded too good to be true, because I was just about the only applicant. The car was made in Antwerp, and I was invited over, and made to feel very welcome. The planned debut was the British GP F3 race in 1980 (anyone with a programme will see my name there). Sadly, the car wasn't ready, and the only time I actually drove it was at Zolder in September '80. A driveshaft broke after half a lap.

Meanwhile, with marriage looming, Iain kindly bought Cirrus 004 to help me with my house deposit (I only found out his reason for buying it a couple of years ago). That was it with racing for me for a while. I kept an interest, and kept in touch with Iain for a while, but we lost contact in the early nineties.

In 2001 I bought a Davrian with the idea of going hillclimbing. It needed a rollcage, so who did I approach to weld it up? I sold the Davrian without ever driving it, but Iain dragged me back in, by inviting me to the Spa Six Hours in 2002 (that's a very long, involved story in itself!). Anyway, I began to help Iain at races, and got to know the drivers whose cars he ran. One of their number was Comte de Graves, and when he bought a Lotus Elite in 2006, invited me to share it in a few races. My first outing on a circuit for nearly 30 years was at Donington, in an open pitlane session with TGP cars on track at the same time as the Elite. I did a couple of races with Le Comte in 2006, and it was while Iain and I were on the way to his beautiful place in the Charente that the idea for the Historic FF2000 Association was born.

Since then, I've done three HFF2K races in cars borrowed from Iain and Stuart Olley, and Iain and I run the Historic FF2000 Association. I've made some very good friends in the last few years, and I really wouldn't change it for the world...

[wolf sun]

Originally Posted by delta

I enjoying this so much. Well done Wolfeeeeee.

So do I, and it's you who've done well!

As to 'tache n bushy hair, didn't ALL pornstars look like that at one time? Well, the male ones at least...?!

[rogerwills]

This is superb, well done to all for contributing! Some great stories.....

[compte deGraves]

Originally Posted by wolf sun

So do I, and it's you who've done well!

As to 'tache n bushy hair, didn't ALL pornstars look like that at one time? Well, the male ones at least...?!

...and the female ones in France (pre lady shave).

[wolf sun]

Hmmm, bit of a hairy topic...

[delta]

John! John !those naughty boys have gone off topic again.Right that's definitely last post off to catch the ferry.Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

[terence]

Originally Posted by delta

John! John !those naughty boys have gone off topic again.Right that's definitely last post off to catch the ferry.Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Iain,Iainnnnnnnn,wait a minuit!!!!!!!!!

[oneofapair]

Originally Posted by Al Weyman

Oh another thing on the Imp, Roger had said to me while you are going through it the bloody thing always suffered from chronic bump steer have a look and see if you can find anything wrong. Now the suspension on the car was designed by none other than Frank Costin and I swear as I am typing this I took a single cursory glance under front and said to Roger I can cure that in about 20 minutes. Of cause howls of laughter the 18/19 year old kid (I did leave school at 14 so was an old hand by that age) can cure it and Frank could'nt yeah right! So Roger said well go for it what harm can it do. Well half hour later the job was done and perfect no bump steer and how did I achieve it? I noticed the steering rack was running way out of line with the lower wishbone but by simply reversing the steering arms and turning them upside down they were perfectly inline! So perfect infact I think Frank had designed them like that but as he was known to like a bevvy or two may have got confused when bolting the thing together all I know is it worked leaving Roger walking off muttering words to the effect I raced that bloody thing for years like that!

AL, have just found this photo, thought it might be a little reminder about your formative years and also your "bump steer cure"
As an enthusiastic motor racing yoof I started an apprenticeship at Laystall Engineering in London, in there engine shop getting involved with all things balancing, head work and relavant machining.At the time there was a fair bit of sub contract coming in from Roger Nathan's and also Paul Emery's .This helped fire an interest in Imps so any chance of taking pictures and owning and tuning my own Imp were foremost in my life at the time.I stayed at Laystall for 14+ years finally leaving in 1982 to start up my own business, a thoroughly enjoyable period of my life.

I have a certain amount of envy for your "Roger Nathan" period not least because of the "Lianne Engemann"(?) chapter!! Certainly struck a Chord with this bright eyed observer!!

Hopefully attached pic as mentioned of a "Nathan Flying IMP"

Regards John Woods

[compte deGraves]

Originally Posted by terence bower

Iain,Iainnnnnnnn,wait a minuit!!!!!!!!!

Terence, that is the finiest ropli i hov sean todayte

[compte deGraves]

I have just found a couple of photos of the Morgan in period (circa 1969). Two going into Paddock at Brands and one the following year, in new livery, exiting Druids behind Bill Viney in his Healey 3000, HAS 2 (he towed with a Healey 100/6!). Sorry about the quality but look how close the crowd are at Paddock behind no more than a stick fence!

[Al Weyman]

Thanks for that John, that looks like the car, shame she rolled it into a ball at her first race at Lydden Hill at the elbow. I will always remember it, I had worked hard getting the car ready and took it down to the track with Kieth St John and there had just previously been a kart race on with a massive pile up and quite a lot of injuries being ferried off so naturally all a bit anxious. Anyhow off she goes on her first lap and I am standing there with Kieth halfway up Paddock Hill, she comes thundering round clips the apex and rolls the car right in front of us, Kieth yelled out 'Lianna' I yelled out 'My ****ing car, I have spent hours on that!', I don't think he liked me much!. :-( We dragged the car home and parked it in Roger's garage at home and that was the end of that little 'works' drive, I think it was repairable though just may have needed a roof skin and some panels as it was a clean roll.

[MGDavid]

Originally Posted by compte deGraves

I have just found a couple of photos of the Morgan in period (circa 1969). Two going into Paddock at Brands and one the following year, in new livery, exiting Druids behind Bill Viney in his Healey 3000, HAS 2 (he towed with a Healey 100/6!). Sorry about the quality but look how close the crowd are at Paddock behind no more than a stick fence!

<anorak mode on>
the Midget in pic #1 has round rear arches so it dates to October 1971 or later unless somebody was creative with snips and mig
<anorak mode off>

[compte deGraves]

Originally Posted by MGDavid

<anorak mode on>
the Midget in pic #1 has round rear arches so it dates to October 1971 or later unless somebody was creative with snips and mig
<anorak mode off>

Now that is very interesting as I don't think I raced after the 1970 season as I moved on to stock cars and then marriage!

[SAMD]

It looks modified to me, big flares on the front for a big set of wheels? Does the RWA model not have a wee lip? Was the race in the wet and he had slicks on the wider wheels?

[Cliff Ryan]

Guys this is a wonderful thread and sums up why newbies like me want to be involved, keep them coming, can't wait for the next story.

[john ruston]

Is that the Shipping forcast or a secret code ?

[zefarelly]

Masonic jargon perhaps?

or Welsh?

[Peter Mallett]

I don't think our mate has quite got the hang of linking pics.

[John Turner]

Yep, attempts at posting pics via Imageshack. Hopefully, he'll try again.

[compte deGraves]

Originally Posted by SAMD

It looks modified to me, big flares on the front for a big set of wheels? Does the RWA model not have a wee lip? Was the race in the wet and he had slicks on the wider wheels?

Slicks! I only had one set of tyres and I seem to recall they were Dunlop Green Spots.

I think that the track was at least damp and that it had been raining. The fact that I am that close to Bill Viney means that the track must have been wet!

Sorry about the quality of the photograph - it was not well stored.