Spa 24 hours headlight pods?

[Adam43]

I wonder if someone could answer this for me. Back in the Group 1 and Group A days were headlight pods used in the Spa 24 hours?

e.g. Something like:

Current pods available from a well known retailer!

I've trawled through some old autosport and motorsports I have, but all the pictures are taken in the day!

[Eddy V]

I remember some cars using them as the pods were common on rally cars.
But most drivers complained about the obstructed view. And the bonnets got too heavy for the mechanics when they needed to work on the cars.

[Adam43]

I thought it was a little OTT for circuit racing.

Which cars ran them?

[Eddy V]

As far as I remember mostly the smaller ones. I know some of the Corollas did as well as the odd Capri. No BMW or Jaguar.

Def not the Jags, as I remember trying to pull a hood from between the armco after a night practice crash at Blanchimont. Left the hood there for the reminder of the practice to be honest.

I'll try to do some programme digging when I'm back in Belgium, might find the odd picture.

[Adam43]

That would be good.

It was a Jag thing that set me off, but the question wasn't specifically about them. I was looking through some old XJS photos at Spa and they had some big spot lights under the front bumper and it got me thinkng if they were any good.

I'd like to see the old programmes. I'm currently looking out for progammes of that era. Mainly 1982, but anything. I have a couple from Nurburgring and the Silverstone TT, but none from my favourite circuit Spa.

It is interesting that the smaller ones used it - you'd think it would make more of a (negative) difference on them. Although a FWD car may benefit from the extra weight over the front wheels

[Anuauto]

Group One regs had a limit of 2 extra lights. No idea whether any special exemption was given for Spa pre-82.

[gfm]

Adam, forgive me, slightly off topic.
Many years ago I bought a Rickman Kawasaki, picked it up on a Friday night and rode off to the Nurburgring, all rather jolly. I went to watch my ex-boss Tom Walkinshaw with the Jags, wup the arse off the works BMW (Stuck in particular) on the old circuit.
Please, am I getting my (race) facts screwed up?
I think it was one of the best fights ever to take on BMW on their home soil, a real heroic deal at THAT circuit, but I cannot remember the year.
Any self-respecting fan would know I thought!
Or was it the GP track not the big one?
PS On the works Mazdas we had little additional streamlined lights stuck on the bonnet for Spa. THey were fine till my co-driver Jeff wiped them off when he clanged down the armco. The technician simply nailed them on in a hurry to get back out, so from that time on, all we did as we lapped, was wake the Spa forest crow population up in the top of adjoining trees. Couldn't see a thing as to where we were going, but as it was wet, neither could anyone else.

[KA]

Originally Posted by Anuauto

Group One regs had a limit of 2 extra lights. No idea whether any special exemption was given for Spa pre-82.

Just been looking at pics on Racingsportscars.com, and there obviously wasn't a similar restriction under Group A- Volvo at Spa 84http://www.racingsportscars.com/etcc...-07-29-021.jpg

There doesn't seem to have been much use of lamp pods either- the 'hang a couple of spotlamps from the front bumper' approach seems to have been the favoured method...

[glyn parham]

Adam.

I took hundreds of photos at Spa from 1984 to 1991 and not one of them shows a rally style light pod on any of the cars. As Ka says it was more a case of nailing them on to the front of the car and hope they wouldn't fall off.

The Aussies used to mount their lamps in the bumper mouldings on the Holdens and TWR did the same in 1986 on the Vitesse, the nearest anyone got to streamlining during my time at the race.

Glyn

[Eddy V]

Hate to write it Adam, but it seems I threw all the 24 H programmes (and many other) in the bin when I moved house some years ago.


Shame on me. But you always realise it when it is far too late.
Maybe I can find somebody who still has some.