What year were these taken?

[MG Rover Sport]

The subject matter is a little early for my knowledge, but I just wondered whether any of our British Saloon Car Championship regular gurus could identify what year these photos were taken please?

I know that they're all at Woodcote Chicane at Silverstone, but if anybody could also identify some of the drivers that would be excellent - many thanks!

At a quick glance I think I can make out Alan Minshaw in the Demon Tweeks Racing VW Scirocco with John Morris' similar car just behind Richard Longman in the Patrick Motor Sport Mini Clubman? On another photo here's a Triplex Dolomite and a Pentax RX7...

...the crowd also looks massive for a BSCC car meeting so I wonder if these were an actual support race for a major meeting like the British Grand Prix?

Your thoughts and opinions are always appreciated!

[VIVA GT]

My guess is that these pictures were taken during the support race for the 1979 British Grand Prix. I'd also guess that the Dolomite Sprint is being driven by my hero Gerry Marshall (I'm sure it's No 22) and the Mazda should be Tom Walkinshaw.
If I'm right, then these pictures must have been taken on the first lap, as the two cars tangled at Club Corner on Lap two, causing Gerry to have a horrendous accident!
(I'm sure that GBRM will be along soon to either confirm or disprove my theories regarding his dad...)

[MG Rover Sport]

Many thanks for that VIVA GT - very much appreciated! It has however sent me off on a bit of a search for the 1979 British GP support race, and I have found the following page from Frank de Jong's excellent touring car results site...

http://homepage.mac.com/frank_de_jon...tone%20GP.html

Which also states (in bold)...

"I'm going to win". There was no doubt in Gordon Spice's mind of that and, of course he did. But it was nevertheless a fabulous race, which saw four different leaders and dices throughout the field. Chris Craft bounced right back onto top form to follow his team mate home, ahead of Vince Woodman, who was later cruelly stripped of his third place for allegedly overtaking under yellow flags. Brian Muir was therefore the official third, ahead of early leader Jonathan Buncombe. The other early leaders, Andy Rouse and Stuart Graham dropped out with blown engines. In the 2300ce class, Rex Greenslade took the laurels for the first time this season, proving able to head Walkinshaw's record breaking Mazda for lap after lap. The Mazda eventually limped over the line with a sick engine. However, Gerry Marshall fared even worse, crashing out at Club and writing his car off. He suffered minor injuries. There was yet more drama in the 1600cc class, where the organisers stripped Win Percy of the laurels handing Richard Lloyd another victory.
Richard Longman took another 1300cc class win.

...so I wonder if it could be Rex's Dolly leading Tom's RX-7 during the race, rather than Gerry's Dolly on the first lap?

[M Greenslade]

If it is the year that Gerry had that bad accident at Club, I can remember being there marshalling, the frightening thing was seeing his helmet come off and out the window rollong down the track, we first thought it was his head!!! On getting to the car we found the Big Man in the back of it as the seat had collapsed with a bleeding head. He was OK, next day he was seen wandering around with a damm great big bandage on that looked like a turban.....................

Bladders......................

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by MG Rover Sport

Many thanks for that VIVA GT - very much appreciated! It has however sent me off on a bit of a search for the 1979 British GP support race, and I have found the following page from Frank de Jong's excellent touring car results site...

http://homepage.mac.com/frank_de_jon...tone%20GP.html

Which also states (in bold)...



...so I wonder if it could be Rex's Dolly leading Tom's RX-7 during the race, rather than Gerry's Dolly on the first lap?

It could be so David. I must admit that by enlarging the picture size I didn't think the bonnet number looked like 22 (which would be correct for Gerry), but probably more like 21. However I discounted that being Rex's number as I expected Gerry to have the lowest number.

[GBRM]

Dad was 22 and on enlarging those pics the number doesn't look like 22 and the driver looks too small, so must be Rex, plus Rex drove brilliantly that race and stuffed one up Mr Walkinshaw!! Short book excerpt, all donations to the BHF please ():-

"Going into the prestige BTCC round of the year, that supporting the Silverstone Grand Prix, Gerry was not a happy man and an unhappy Gerry would vent his feelings on all around him! Unfortunately it got worse.
Here’s how Motoring News reported the biggest crash in Gerry’s career and one that required a ten day sleepover. “Entering Club for the second time it appears that Walkinshaw and Marshall had a slight collision, which sent the Dolomite into the dirt.Somehow it tripped up and went into a sickening series of cartwheels, which left the car virtually destroyed and Marshall lucky to be alive. He was taken to hospital with head injuries and cracked ribs.”
Walton was Silverstone that day and has heard the incident discussed by all concerned—and distant onlookers/web sages for 30 years afterwards—without getting a definitive picture of all that happened. I was out on the fastest sections of the circuit, where the accident occurred and the Dolomite certainly rolled onto the elevated spectator protection fencing. Both Gerry and Tom were tough racers, Tom behind at this stage with Rex Greenslade leading both. Walton’s impression was that there were some fairly heavy race impacts before Gerry finally went off.
This was Gerry’s account in a contemporary Autosport column, “At the end of the first lap my Dolomite was up with Rex and Tom. I was able to get past both of them coming out of the chicane. At Copse we caught a Capri—Vandervell’s I think—and I lifted off. Rex went by, but Tom was still behind in the Mazda. I followed Rex down to Stowe with Tom right in, virtually under my back bumper, trying to keep up with the unusually down on power RX-7.
“We went nose-to-tale along from Stowe to Club. I remember thinking that, when we got to the slightly uphill drag from Club through Abbey, the Dolly would pull away, because it had a little more torque than the Mazda, and I had an especially good unit in, [so] club is now a top gear corner.. That means you must approach at about 120 mph, lift, dab the brakes, and settle the car around the corner under power.
“Tom was right with me and a Dolomite is not renowned for its braking powers. Tom’s intention was clearly to out-brake me on the inside.. I lifted off an braked, but Tom didn’t expect me to do that so suddenly and so early. Eyewitnesses tell me that the resulting collision between Mazda and Triumph lifted the rear wheels of my car clear from the ground.”
Not unnaturally, the Triumph got very sideways as a I piled on the opposite lock. I don’t really remember too much about the next few seconds, as the World went mad. The car must have rolled sideways and cleared two layers of catch fencing, before going end-over-end [arse over tit is the technical expression] and attempting to vault the 15 foot high safety fencing, coming down on its back.
“I am told I gave a better display than the Red Arrows, but the finish wasn’t quite so polished!”
Not so amusing were the injuries sustained in those aerobatics. “Assorted head cuts, three skull fractures, cracked ribs and assaults on my jaw, teeth and kidney, Mugged by a Dolomite Sprint, I ask you,” quipped Gerry. Although Gerry could be loudly volatile over apparently insignificant incidents, he rarely complained about his hospital spells. Jenny Cook recalled “ it was helluva time in his life. The big accident took a lot out of him and any money was getting gobbled up in the racing. He never complained about the hospitals or the operations in later life, he was very brave in that respect.”
Rex Greenslade had a good rear view and recall of this monstrous accident, which would subsequently lead to a major back operation for Gerry. You can read his account in our sidebar: Rex Greenslade:1979 team mate, and we should note that Rex managed to beat Tom that dramatic day, a rare and fine achievement"
.

I won't add Rex's recollections, that's up to him.

[Alan Raine]

Originally Posted by GBRM

Dad was 22 and on enlarging those pics the number doesn't look like 22 and the driver looks too small, so must be Rex, plus Rex drove brilliantly that race and stuffed one up Mr Walkinshaw!!

Gregor, I think you are right. The bottom photo shows the RX-7 with a bit of front end damage so it was possibly snapped after Gerry's accident.

[MG Rover Sport]

Many thanks for the input chaps. I'll get the magnifying glass out on the original photos and see if I can see any further details more clearly. Yes I do actually have them in my possession at present, but...

...only wanted the additional information so that I could list them accurately on ebay!

Shameless plug I know, but they're still up there till Friday evening if anyone's interested.

[Nick Ellis]

The first photo:Longmans PMS Mini,John Morris;`Morris Vulcan' VW Scirroco,then i
first thought it was Brian Peppers red/yellow Scirrocco but i dont think he was in
this race so it could be Alec Poole in the second Hughes Toyota Celica.The following Minis look to be;Alan Curnowatapost,then i think Jon Mowatt and
Tom Pitcher.There is another car at the back of the group which may be the
Dooley Alfa-Sud.I agree with the previous thoughts on the Dolly & Mazda shots,
Gerry would have more, shall we say in-car presence,and would probably be taking
more kerb too! It was good to see the RX7 beaten that day.