Vintage Racer Magazine December 2008

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Vol: XXXIV NO. 4 December 2008

Season’s Greetings from VARAC

And, they’re safer to race on. %VERY TYRE WE MAKE IS CLOSER TO THE ORIGINAL SIZE TREAD PATTERN AND GRIP THAN MOST OTHER BRANDS #OMPARE ONE OF OUR TYRES OF ANY SIZE TO OUR COMPETITION ITS PROBABLY SLIGHTLY SMALLER IN MOST DIMENSIONS 4HE WRONG SIZE TYRE NOT ONLY AFFECTS YOUR ORIGINAL HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS BUT CAN ALSO OVERLOAD SUSPENSION COMPONENTS LEADING TO FAILURES AND VERY OFTEN ACCIDENTS

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Dunlop also has a full line of modern radial racing slicks for formula, GT and sports cars. Just ask a Dunlop driver at the track. They can tell you what you’ve been missing.

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Inside:

Frank Mount’s MG’s Goodwood, the inside story Racing with Andrew the Ice man

Page 1

i) Eligibility Director- The Board proposes Joe Lightfoot Moved by: Gord Ballantine Seconded: Mike Jennings Motion to close nominations: Dave Morgan Seconded: Larry Coste Acclaimed

- it was stressed by S.W. that the BOD is trying to act upon the will of the membership and that this motion is simply a vote to move forward into Quebec. - following more discussion, S.W. withdrew the motion. - S.W. and W.D. will travel to Quebec on Wednesday, December 3 to hold an informal, fact nding meeting with many of the Montreal area VARAC members.

j) Director at Large- Del Bruce in the second year of a two year term

14. Other Business and Announcements. Perhaps the AGM could be moved east (Kingston was suggested) to encourage our Quebec members to attend.

k) Director at Large- The Board proposes Don Hooton Moved by: Stefan Wiesen Seconded: Ted Michalos Motion to close nominations: Brian Robinson Seconded: Peter Jackson Acclaimed

My 50 Year Association with Competition MGs By Frank Mount, edited by Greg Prehodka.

For Frank Mount, racing his 1946 MGTC at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, May, 2008, was an exciting milestone. It marked 50 years to the month since he first raced an MG TC! Greg Prehodka has kindly edited Frank’s recollection. A version of this story originally ran in New England MG ‘T’ Register’s magazine, “The Sacred Octagon”. As a teenager in the early 50’s growing up in a suburb outside Toronto, my interest in English sports cars was inspired by reading Road and Track and Sports Cars Illustrated magazines. When I turned 16 in 1955 I purchased my first British car - a 1948 “Morris 8” for $65. It was a great little car, but too slow, so a friend and I decided to build an “aluminum-bodied special” from the chassis of a 1942 “Austin 8”. Our creation resembled a “Dellow trials car” that we had read about in various Page 2

English publications. I used this special car as my daily driver while all of my local friends had moved on to British motorcycles. My father was dead set against me having a motorcycle, so in the summer of 1957 he loaned me the $700.00 that I needed to acquire my first TC. It was a well used but tidy, solid car and by the end of that summer I had reworked the engine and repainted it, bringing it up to a condition that I was quite proud of. When I returned to school that fall, I began working at a gas station where the owner and several customers had MG TCs. These guys were interested in the competition side of the sports car scene and although they didn’t compete, they would spectate at the local hill climbs and airport races, and go to the races at Watkins Glen, New York each fall. For me just seeing these events was not enough - I had to get involved! So, in the spring of 1958 I began entering the local races at Harewood Acres and

Green Acres Raceway in Ontario. These were both old, abandoned World War II airplane training bases. The farmer would round up the sheep grazing there on the race weekend, and for about a $20 entry fee we were racing! Initially the only safety equipment required was a lap belt, a helmet, and a Pyrene (the deadly stuff ) fire extinguisher. Within a year or so, either a roll bar or grab handle on the floor was required. I was one of the first to install a roll bar. I fabricated it myself out of exhaust pipe tubing, and since I had no way to bend it, the top was ½ of an octagon! The fall of 1958 saw me start a three year study at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto, in Mechanical Engineering. This was more of a hands-on approach to engineering and involved some machine shop and welding labs, which gave me a chance to make more extreme modifications to my TC. By the fall of 1959 I had built anti wind-up bars for the front

l) Director at Large- The Board proposes Gord Ballantine Moved by: Del Bruce Seconded: Mike Jennings Motion to close nominations: Stefan Wiesen Seconded: Mike Jennings Acclaimed

15.Motion to Adjourn. Moved by: Fred Samson Seconded: Mike (I’ll second that!) Jennings Carried The Business Portion of the Meeting ended at 1:41 PM. OPEN FORUM CONDUCTED BY WALTER DAVIES 1. Conduct Committee- John Greenwood will be the chair for 2009 and will be watching…

11. The remainder of the AGM was conducted by the new Board of Directors.

2. Third Grid- Walter Davies reported that ORO has approved VARAC taking over some of the Formula Libra grid and providing a place for the formula and sports racers to race. Perhaps the newer Formula Libra cars could be invited to run on this grid.

12. Motion to appoint auditors Vanparys Micacchi Shippey and Warnick LLP for 2008. Moved by: Pete Christensen Seconded: Van Worsdale Carried

3. Buying 3 grids for 2009- Walter Davies has worked a tentative deal with the regional race organizers to purchase the V/H, G70+ and new (as yet unnamed) grids. Any fees in excess of the cost of the grid will be returned to the racers.

13. Discussion and vote on the motion as presented by Stefan Wiesen and seconded by Walter Davies. - S.W. checked with CASC and found out that they will continue to issue racing licences to VARAC members residing in Quebec. - S.W. and W.D. addressed concerns as voiced by members and gave background information on the motion. - there were several issues raised including the implications of joining FSAQ, the advantages (if any) to G70+ of such a move, the eligibility of some of the Quebec races- in particular Mt. Tremblant, the concern about VARAC having to operate in both ofcial languages.

4. VARAC will issue stickers for both licences and log books for VARAC approved drivers. Drivers will have to have both stickers to race on a VARAC grid. 5. Festival entry fees will be lowered for 2009 as an incentive for more drivers to attend in these difcult times. 6. Eligibility Rules- the consensus was to have the committee look carefully at the current rules and try to make them more useable. The meeting ended at 3:02 PM.

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2008 AGM

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE VINTAGE AUTOMOBILE RACING ASSOCIATION OF CANADA Date/Time: November 29, 2008, 10:00AM Location: The Boulevard Club, Toronto, Ontario Directors in Attendance: John Greenwood, Walter Davies, Fred Samson, Van Worsdale, Del Bruce, Geoff Layne, Joe Lightfoot, Stefan Wiesen, Christopher Creighton (recorder)

10. The Board Proposes the 2008-2009 Board Composition as follows: a) President-The Board proposes Walter Davies Nominated by Stefan Wiesen Seconded: Mike Jennings Motion to close nominations: Larry Coste Seconded: Brian Robinson Acclaimed

Directors Absent: None 1. Welcome from John Greenwood. John outlined some of the highlights from the 2008 racing season. 2. Declaration of a quorum. C. Creighton reported that were 237 members in good standing. 47 members were present with 40 represented by proxy. Therefore, in accordance with the Bylaws a quorum was properly constituted. 3. Motion to Accept the Minutes of the 2007 AGM. Moved: Bill Bovenizer Seconded: Mike Jennings Carried 4. Matters Arising from the Business Portion of the 2007 AGM. There were none. 5. Highlights from the Reports submitted by the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Festival Director, Race Director and Eligibility Director. See attached Reports for content. 6. Motion to Accept the Actions of the BOD for the 2007-2008 year. Moved: Pete Christensen Seconded: Mike Jennings Carried 7. Board of Directors for 2008-2009. See item 10 below. 8. Appointment of an Elections Ofcer. The BOD appointed Jeff Bateman. 9. 2007-2008 BOD who have served their terms step down. Page 30

b) Vice President- Fred Samson in the second year of a two year term c) Treasurer- The Board proposes Peter Viccary Moved by: Van Worsdale Seconded: Mike Jennings Motion to close nominations: Del Bruce Seconded: Mike Jennings Acclaimed d) Secretary- Christopher Creighton in the second year of a two year term e) Race Director- The Board proposes Stefan Wiesen Moved by: Geoff Webb Seconded: Jeremy Sale Motion to close nominations: Larry Coste Seconded: Mike Jennings Acclaimed f) Festival Director- Proposed to be a committee under the direction of the President and headed by Past President John Greenwood g) Promotions Director- The Board proposes Geoff Layne Moved by: Stefan Wiesen Seconded: John Greenwood Motion to close nominations: Peter Jackson Seconded: Brian Thomas Acclaimed h) Membership Director- Fred Samson in the second year of a two year term

axle and fabricated an extractor exhaust manifold to go with its newly installed factory racing camshaft. Since the manifold was routed outside the steering column it became necessary to cut a large hole in the front fender. During this period my enthusiasm for what were already outdated MGs, rubbed off on some other friends and we formed what we called the “Ontario MG ‘T’ Series Racing Team”. Our group consisted of about eight Toronto area guys, some with highly modified TCs and TDs. My main competition in this group was a TD owned by Bill Lepper, which had an engine built by me to similar specs as mine. During 1958, ‘59 and ‘60 we competed regularly at local hill climb events. There were two hill climbs, each with a spring and fall event. The hills were just gravel county roads. As far as I am concerned, nothing that you can do with a TC is more fun than a gravel hill climb! It is a great equalizer! The first of our “T” cars would finish no more than 4th - behind the Allard and Bristol Ace of the Hayes Brothers, with a Vincent motorcycle engined Formula 3 car always taking top honors. In 1960, for my final summer racing this TC, we installed cycle fenders and removed other unwanted weight so it was as fast as I could make it without going to an XPEG 1500cc block. In the “All MG Races” that were part of the schedule at the Greenacres events, it would finish as the first pushrod MG, behind the MGA Twin Cams. Although we had all been to Watkins Glen, none of us had raced there, so when Joe Tierno (a current MG vintage racer) and the bunch from the Eastern New York MG Club scheduled a “All MG” race weekend there, the Ontario MG “T” Series team decided to make the trek south to the Glen. When the New York guys saw how modified our cars were they decided that the only thing to do was to give us our own

race, with the exception of one guy who had borrowed his brother’s less modified TC for the outing (it still had full fenders). We had a great time and enjoyed the hospitality of Joe and the MG club. They were so good to us in fact that they took up a collection for us to buy gas, when the promised “free fuel” hadn’t materialized. Some of us were students and had brought only enough money to get there and back. During our modified “T” series race, two of our TDs managed to roll over, but with little damage. This confirmed the suspicions of the organizers that our

group from Canada really was “slightly different”. The spring of 1961 was a significant change for me. I graduated from Ryerson Tech, as Mosport International Raceway began operations. A racing friend of mine purchased the factory sponsored Austin Healy 3000 from Austin of Canada, which meant that his 1958 Twin Cam was for sale. My father was so pleased that I had actually graduated with a diploma, that when I asked for a $2,000 loan to buy the car, he paid for it outright! Although my new Twin Cam had always been a race car, the only modifications that it had were a close ratio gear box, a sway bar, and an extra set of Andrex shock absorbers on the front. I raced it at all of the local events at Harewood and Green Acres and made one trip to the then new Waterford Hills, Michigan track, and

one trip to the Watkins Glen September event (probably 1962). The only improvement I made to the Twin Cam was to fit a set of Iskinderian racing cams. Each spring a new set of street radials would be installed and when they were worn out, we were done for the season! If we qualified for the one hour feature race we would only run if it was raining - to save the tires! By the mid 60’s all the hot Twin Cam MGA’s had been retired, leaving just my friend Hugh Stark and I campaigning them in the all MG races at Greenacres. We were not competitive against the Porsche Carreras in the 1600 cc class and we were getting bored, so we formulated a plan to build two Chevy V8 powered Twin Cam body MGA’s! Probably one too many beers were consumed while making this commitment! Hugh was a law student and although he was a good driver, the mechanical development was in my hands. To float our project, Hugh applied for a $1,000 student loan and I borrowed $1,000 from the bank to buy “furniture”. We were in business! We purchased two new 327 solid lifter Corvette V-8 short blocks, and two Muncie 4 speed close ratio gear boxes. My car only weighed 2050 lbs. – 1050 lbs. front, 1000 lbs. rear. The next spring they were ready for a test race at the old Harwood airport track. I had no previous experience with Holley carburetors that I was using, and at the end of the first run down the straight the second two barrels stayed wide open and caused an exciting ride off the end into a field of cattle corn! Back to the paddock, a linkage correction, and we were good to go! The cars went really fast but were too powerful for the stock MG Twin Cam brakes and suspension! In the first race I started from the second row with a space Please turn to page 8

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CLASSIFIEDS

We Are VARAC

VARAC, the Vintage Automobile Racing Association of Canada, was formed in 1976 to provide a central organizing body through which Vintage Race enthusiasts could communicate and organize race meetings for eligible Vintage and Historic racing and sports cars. The Spirit of VARAC can be expressed as a wish to preserve, restore and race historically significant cars in a form as close to the original specification as possible. Of course, there have been many improvements in motor racing safety equipment, circuits and technical advancements in materials since these cars were built. Those restoring and preparing cars for Vintage Racing are encouraged to incorporate and take advantage of these improvements where they can be incorporated without diminishing the vintage character of the car. We feel that Vintage Racing should be enjoyable and rewarding to both the participant and spectator with a minimum emphasis on trophies and awards. Let’s keep the fun in Vintage Racing. If you are interested, call any of the directors listed on this page.

ON THE COVER:

VARAC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

VARAC BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Walter Davies Past President John Greenwood Vice President Fred Samson Secretary Christopher Creighton Treasurer Peter Viccary Race Director Stefan Wiesen Promotions Director Geoff Layne Festival Director John Greenwood Membership Director Fred Samson Director at Large Del Bruce Director at Large Don Hooton Director at Large Gord Ballantine VARAC ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE Chairman Joe Lightfoot Members G. Ballentine J. Brett L. Lok W. MacKay R. McLelland M. Molson P. Viccary VARAC DRIVER CONDUCT COMMITTEE Chairman Walter Davies Member Del Bruce Richard Navin Ted Michalos Stefan Wiesen VARAC MEMBER SERICES Newsletter Jeremy Sale Website Fred Samson Membership Fred Samson All VARAC all the time. Anything you’ll ever want to know about VARAC or vintage/historic racing is at your fingertips. Need a discombobulator valve for a ’58 Alfonso de Credenza? Someone on Page 4

the list may be able to help. This is the home of the ‘been there-done that’ crowd. Join today and ask away. To subscribe FREE, send an e-mail to Walter Davies

416-769-1443 905-723-9334 416-269-6177 905-939-0694 905.294.5327 519-927-1769 905-859-9663 905-723-9334 416-269-6177 905-686-2690 905-274-7160 905-825-2997 613-476-5881 D.Bruce R. McCord B. Robinson

416-769-1443 Jon Brett

Frank and Connie Mount show that the vintage spirit lasts all year round! See Frank’s story inside beginning on Page 2

WE NEED YOUR STORIES Articles, ads, letters etc. may be submitted to Vintage Racer at any time for inclusion in the next issue. Submission may be in any form however computer file is preferred, in any format from all systems, (Mac files preferred). Material may also be sent as e-mail attachments in QuarkXpress, Illustrator, Photoshop and PDF formats to: Jeremy Sale Editor The Vintage Racer 3076 Ballydown Crescent, Mississauga ON L5C 2C8 E-mail: [email protected]

WEBSITE: WWW.VARAC.CA WELCOME

905-276-2744 416-269-6177 416-269-6177

VARAC welcomes new member Neil Cockshutt, who bought Gord Ballentines’ Porsche 914. See you at the track Neil!

at lolaracer@rogers. com, give him your membership number and he will do the rest. It’s only available to club members so no spam, just stuff. A daily digest version is also available.

PLEASE NOTE The opinions and suggestions expressed by contributors to Vintage Racer are those of the author, without authentication by or liability to the editors, or the Directors or VARAC.

Good for Mini, Sprite, FF etc. Tows well. Storage rack on front with boxes. Mount for winch. $500.00 – $550.00 with 12v. winch. Mike Rosen: 416.487.8166 eve./416.675.6622 x3010 day/[email protected]

pewter color exterior, never had any graphics (graphics in photo are Photoshop only). Chrome corners and tread-plate stone guard on front. “Airtab” vortex generators on rear sides and top. Bought new in August 2007 for $8500, have over $9000 invested, has less than 5,000km total on it. Free delivery within reasonable distance depending on price offered. Can bring to Mosport w/e of Sept 13. Sensible offers to Ian Macpherson 514-826-2416 or [email protected]

21 Ford Emperor Motor Home. Sleeps 6 close friends or 5 comfortably. Has fridge, stove, furnace, shower, toilet, awning, tow hitch & electric brake controller. Road ready certied $3750 Call Alister MacLean 519-860-4113 for pictures & more details visit www.timewarpracing.ca

Trailer: Small open tilt–bed.

Mallard Sprinter 37’ Motorhome $22,000 1989 Mallard 37’ Sprinter Class A, in excellent condition. Immaculately maintained with newly installed carpet and exterior paint. Low mileage (112k). Certied. Central Ottawa (inside greenbelt) France Thibodeau, email: [email protected]

able. Used in Canada & North/East USA pulling vintage race car . Used twice in past 2 years, ready to drive anywhere. Does need a little TLC but nothing a couple of weekends shouldn’t take care of. This was to enjoy through my retirement but S#*!T happens & now someone will get the use out of it as I intended to, my loss your gain. Photos in photo section Travco 270. Open to offers that won’t break the bank, but won’t give it away to tire kickers. Is listed locally & in vintage car & race clubs. Mike [email protected] (905) 853-6699

VINTAGE MOTORHOME

WANTED

Due to auto accident (me, not Travco) unable to use Travco, refurbished in 1999, original paint, all trim, roof air & vent cover, Onan generator, new front end, shocks coilovers, brakes, rebuilt carb, alternator, 2 new deep cycle batteries, new dual exhaust(4 mufers), 8R19.5 one piece alloy rims (tires??), new interior with blown in foam insulation (no leaks), marker lights replaced (new), refurbished waste tank,new SHUR-Flo water pump (plumbing repairs needed), drive train rebuild (motor 318 2 barrel - trans 727 3sp. torqglide eight)36,000 miles & reli-

COOPER FJ/F3 PARTS Anything ,especially wheels. J.Lindsay 905-685-3918(H)[email protected]

DKW PARTS WANTED Engine, transmission and front end bits. Call (613) 290 9303 or mnilson@mcubed. ca

WEBER DOWN DRAFT I’m looking for a Weber down draft carb & intake for 1975 MG Midget 1500 Must be in good shape. Wade jbriscoe@nrtco. net

Credit Crunch hits Japan

Keeping Fit Over The Winter

Following the major problems in the sub-prime lending market in America and the credit crisis causing huge repercussions in Canada and the UK, uncertainty has now hit Japan. In the last 7 days the Origami Bank has folded, the Sumo Bank has gone belly up and the Bonsai Bank announced plans to cut some of its branches. Yesterday, it was announced that the Karaoke Bank is up for sale and will likely go for a song, while today shares in the Kamikaze Bank were suspended after they nose-dived. While the Samurai Bank is soldiering on following sharp cutbacks, the Ninja Bank is reported to have taken a hit, although they remain in the black. Furthermore, 500 staff at the Karate Bank recently got the chop and nancial analysts report that there is something shy going on at the Sushi Bank, where many staff fear that they may get a raw deal.

Here is an exercise suggested for adults over 45 and seniors, perfect for vintage racers to build muscle strength in the arms and shoulders. It seems so easy, so I thought I’d pass it on to some of my VARAC friends. Just don’t over-do it. Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side. With a 5-LB. potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides, and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and then relax. Each day, you’ll nd that you can hold this position for just a bit longer. After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-LB. potato sacks. Then 50-LB.potato sacks, and eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-LB. potato sack in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute. After you feel condent at that level, put a potato in each of the sacks. Page 29

CLASSIFIEDS Nomex Gloves and Socks 1 new pair of red Bell Nomex gloves, size M, $ 50.00. 2 pairs of Nomex socks, size 11+, $ 20.00 for both. Stefan [email protected] (519) 929-1769.

SPITFIRE1500 ROLL-BAR $300cdn SCCA Approved Racing RollBar. located in Montreal mdiciero@ videotron.ca

TRIUMPH SPITFIRE CAMSHAFT 637/101 Spec. $100.00 OBO full details call Vince Di Cesare at 450- 672-3022

the frame was completely repaired, sandblasted and painted. The body shell was stripped, and all of the rot was replaced by new metal, (no patch work) all hand made by the well known panel beater Victor Innacio of Quebec, The entire body shell, fenders, hood, trunk lid has been primed (DP-40 doors are to be nished. The engine is a 3 main 1800c.c. complete less ywheel and carbs. The engine has a matching early series B transmission. Car has disc brakes and wire wheels. Storage costs are forcing me to sell, I would like to see this project nished to a good road car or a Vintage racer. Contact Dan Di Cesar tel: home: 450-656-0344 e-mail [email protected]

SPRIDGET Bits For Sale: Full race 1293cc engine, no intake, carb, or distributor. Dyno and set-up sheets for 45DCOE Weber and used headers. $2500. Set of 13X6” Revolution 4 spoke wheels (the very light weight race version, NOT road wheels), including bolts/ washers.$600. Spare Longman big valve race head. $500. John DeMaria, evenings: (416)533-4648. or, john_demaria@ homedepot.com

PORSCHE SEAT WANTED Wanted inexpensive passenger seat for Porsche 944. Can be OEM seat or race seat, preferred black. Contact Stefan at [email protected] Offer championship points as payment. Oh well, or cash.

Mint Condition MGA Frame This MGA frame has been hanging in my garage for years. It has never been in an accident, there are no rust holes or perforation in the usual areas. It is very straight and is excellent starting material for any restoration project. Photos available upon request. $1500.00 USD/CDN obo. Please contact Jason by e-mail: [email protected] or 450-445-8514.

RESTORE YOUR ROTTED OUT MGA I started this restoration project 7 years ago and have no time to nish it. The body shell was taken off the frame, and Page 28

Tow 2002 DAMON DAYBREAK MOTORHOME 28 ft., 2 extensions, 83,000 km. Will tow the above trailer!! 2 yrs left on extended warranty. Fully equipped for extended stays or days in the paddock. $49,000. Reason for selling both: bought a house in Florida... motorhome has to go. Call or email for more info and pictures. Alain Raymond 450-243-1396 omnitrad@ axion.ca

Closed trailer for sale 7 x 12 interior dimensions, will hold a small car (my Abarth ts nicely). Only 18 months old. Single torsion axle, 3500 lb, with spare tire mounted in front. Electric brakes, wired for 110 V. One side door and 2 conventional rear doors. I use a set of aluminium ramps for driving the car up. Perfect condition. Asking $4,900.00

NEW PRICE MUST GO $12,000 OBO WHAT A GOOD DEAL Tom and Carols Triple E Commander motorhome, 130k kms. Everything works, generator, roof AC, hot water,furnace air. Tires in very good condition, new calipers and rotors just tted, new bearings in differential tted last year. Not getting out just upgrading. $12,000 or best offer. [email protected]

21’ C Class Motorhome _ NEW LOW PRICE 21’ C Class 1976 Ford V8 4 barrel Motorhome with tow hitch, 7 pin electric brake hook up. 1,000kms on new tires. Fridge stove, h/c water, furnace, shower & toilet. Sleeps 5 or 6 people. Asking $4,500 Call Alister 519-485-7066 or mailto:[email protected] for pictures.

AGW TRAILER $2500 Like New • All Steel Construction 12’x 5’ Bed. Over all 17’ long. 2500# capacity • New Epoxy Black Paint. New Tires, Lights, Winch, Spare Tire, Tongue wheel on jack. Tilt-Bed (No ramps needed) VIN: 2A9CH184XH0031042. Dimensioned Drawing available on request Oliver Collins, Toronto, (416) 968-1750 oliver@ axim.ca

2007 Pace American. 8.5 x 22’ V-nose auto hauler (18’ + 4’ vee). 2x 3500 torsion axles, all-wheel electric brakes with break-away. 5 matching rims and Goodyear Marathon tires. 2-5/16 coupler with upgraded crank. 48” side door with piano hinge and RV lock upgrades; PitPal door-caddy added. Heavy-duty rear ramp door with ap. ¾ marine ply oor sealed and painted; has 4’ beavertail for low car clearance. gloss-white interior walls; dual roof vents and dual 12v interior lights. 4 primary oor D-rings, 4 additional oor and 8 secondary tie-down points added.

The President’s Message

First, I would like to thank all members for their support in my election as your President. You have truly extended me a great honour. It would, however, be remiss of me not to acknowledge the great job done by my predecessor, the “wee Scot”, John Greenwood who has done an outstanding job at leading our club the past 4 years. That I take over our growing club in a strong financial position is a tribute to John’s wise leadership. John has agreed to stay on and work with me and the Board as Festival Director for next year. But it is vital, I think, that we all work with John to make sure that he gets on track next year – we want to see a green Lotus 7 driven by a diminutive Scot out there for at least some of the races at next years Festival! I must also thank our other retiring Board member, Van Worsdale for his sterling efforts on our behalf. As one of the founding members of our club, Van has served the membership well over many years and truly deserves a very big “thank you” from all members. Planning for our 2009 Festival is already well under way and we’ll be having more of a “grassroots” Festival with 2 features - “those Magic Minis” and “Das German Joust”, as well as all our regular features such as vintage and historic cars, “wings and slicks”, monoposto, G70+ races and the Simms Trophy. We’re very excited at das German Joust – we already have some stunning German machinery in the club, and we’re sure that this feature will draw in more of the fine vehicles from Porsche, BMW and Mercedes. The Festival will be held 19th to 21st June 2009 and a draft poster was presented at the AGM and was revised shortly after, based on member’s comments, and we’ll be starting our promotion campaign in early 2009.

Walter Davies If you were able to attend the AGM, you will have heard some of the exciting new initiatives we have been working on for next year. If you weren’t there, I’d like to quickly brief you on 4 of these initiatives: 1. 3rd Grid - we have managed to secure a 3rd grid. “Formula Classic” at Regional Events for our purpose built race cars – open wheelers and sports racers. We have all seen these very small, light and nimble cars zipping around on a V/H grid – like me, (as a sometimes driver of one of those cars) you’ve probably wondered whether they were always seen by the car they were passing. With this new grid, we can offer these drivers a safer place to race on a grid of their own. No more mixing big sedans with small open wheelers or sports racers! Unlike other VARAC grids, this Formula Classic grid will welcome cars falling into our full age spectrum – i.e. up to 1989, so we expect some interesting racing from this grid. 2. “Bought Grids” – many of the open wheel cars or sports racers that we hope will voluntarily join the new Formula Classic grid already race in our existing grids – mainly Vintage Historic. So we must be careful that by creating a 3rd grid, we don’t deplete an existing grid or create a new grid with so few cars that the Organisers won’t accommodate us. To avoid this, we’ve arranged with the Organisers to guarantee minimum grid sizes for each of our 3 grids – so they will be paid the same for the grid whether we field a few cars or a lot. This will allow us “breathing room” to grow the new grid – and if we have more registrations than the minimum, the excess entry fees belong to VARAC. Based on attendance in 2008, we would

have always had more cars than we had guaranteed. 3. Control of Grids – in 2008, we had several cases of race organisers “dumping” cars onto our grids where those cars were not necessarily vintage eligible or the drivers did not understand our “no contact” rules or that we operate in a 13/13 environment. We have now agreed with the Organisers that VARAC will have absolute control of our grids so that this “dumping” will be stopped and non VARAC aor VMC club cars will not be allowed onto our grids without our prior approval. 4. Conduct Committee – 2008 saw a disproportionately high number of car to car, car to wall or car out of control issues. We really must tighten up on this and leave drivers in no doubt that we demand high standards from our drivers and that on track contact is simply not acceptable. Hence, in order to send a clear message that this is a very serious safety issue, I have decided that the role of Conduct Committee Chairman should be held by the President, and I have taken over that role for 2009. We havea 5 very capable members on our conduct committee – Del Bruce, Ted Michalos, Richard Navin, Jon Brett and Stefan Wiesen and we intend to all work on developing a clear list of what constitutes unacceptable driving standards so that nobody can be in any doubt if they transgress these standards. I urge you to please read the minutes of the AGM in this issue to understand how our Club operates. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me – I regard communications with members as very important. I wish all members a Merry Christmas, a Joyous Chanukah and all best wishes for a happy 2009. Walter. Page 5

CLASSIFEDS

VARAC’s Group 70 Plus, a Canadian success story! By Jeremy Sale VARAC was founded in 1976 “with the intention of providing a place for Vintage, and later Historic, race cars to compete.” Group 70 Plus came later, after a small group of VARAC members pushed hard to get VARAC to accept more modern race cars. The intention was to find a place for cars which date past the 1972 cut-off date for Historic Production. Group 70+ includes cars built and raced up to December 31, 1987 with a roll forward each year. In November, 2002 the rules were finally officially passed by VARAC and the first G70+ track event was held at Shannonville Motorsport Park, in 2004. Unfortunately only one G70+ car showed up! ( Jon Brett.)The naysayers, and there were quite a few, shook their heads and said “I told you this wouldn’t work!” However, it is safe to say that today G70+ is a roaring success! Jon Brett was one of the key people involved in getting G70+ off the ground and also helped organize the ATTO Vintage Challenge at the 2006 Toronto Indy Car race.

He says he was too young to remember racing in the pre-1972 era, so the cars that he grew up watching were mostly racing in the late 70’s and eighties and beyond. “I have enjoyed meeting new people with common interests and sharing the experience at the race track and beyond”, says Brett. “The people of VARAC, not just G70, are what make it great.”

Typically we can now brings to the track a G70 grid of about 20 to 25 cars, which is a major plus for any regional race weekend. At the 2008 Vintage Festival 25 G70+ cars showed their stuff to an appreciative crowd. G70+ is definitely showing a great growth pattern with more than 50 cars registered in the class! You may have noticed John Coom’s unusual Marcos. Coom raced

(Above) Pat Ferrier’s Porche 911 (below) John Coom’s Marcos.

museum – just consider how attractive they would look in say, your living room. Opportunity for supplemental income running a tuck shop from your kitchen. Consult your tax expert to see the benets. 2007 Open aluminium trailer, twin axle, brakes, 12 feet, designed to t any one of the above (just). Will consider as part package with one or more of the above. Ex-Presidential MGB 1970 MGB once owned by a former VARAC President, cared for by another former President and currently owned by another former President. Oddly enough, not a coupe. Still has ag pole on fender to y VARAC ag on state occasions. No, wait, that’s the antenna. No radio. Lovely patina, opaque windows in convertible top for privacy. Tatty interior. Fresh John Dodd motor. Overdrive, wire wheels, twin carbs, chrome bumpers. Smoke still inside Lucas wiring. $11,000 1972 Triumph Bonneville 650. 1968 engine in ’72 chassis. Great mechanical condition, with many new parts. Worked on by my brother, so some assembly required. $4,500 Contact Jeff Bateman at 416-321-6731 (days) or [email protected]

1963 Triumph Spitre Three year old frame off restoration, excellent condition, race prepared, engine totally rebuilt 2007 by Britain West Motorsport, 1296CC engine, new Accusump. Includes trailer, bonnet, and many extra parts- too many to list. Ready to race this season. Asking $11,000 or best offer. Contact Bruce 519-271-6311 ext 235 or spit[email protected]

1970 BMW 2002 Round Tail Light Version for Sale. Good body & interior. Barn stored, but is complete and ready for restoration. Could be a great race car project.. $2950 Call Alister @ 519-485-7066 or www.timewarpracing.ca or e-mail twracing@rogers. blackberry.net

Page 6

Renault GTA G70 race car 1987 GTA, was a solo car, dismantled to build as a G70 racer, bodyman fabricator (partner) GONE!!! so must dispose of car & parts. Much work has been done, rollbar cut & bent (ready to install) motor & trans (complete install & GO!!) subframe, F/R suspension (springs/T/bars), halfshafts, spindles & mounts, steering/ rack (have been prepped & painted) many new parts: struts, master cyl.,GTA rotors (rear drums?), pads & shoes, lightened ywheel, T/belt, motor mounts, gaskets, the list goes on ready to bolt to car, but car is stripped (media blast) & lightened, ready for rust repairs (not overly rotted, mostly oor repairs/bad cut out) good fenders & GTA body kit & boxes of removed parts/listed & tagged. It’s a move it or lose it time & will let it go with everything for an honest offer. Car is in Toronto area, will not part out at this time even though I know I can get a very good buck on eBay, but time is restricted & this would be a good project to complete & go RACING. Email if interested. Mike, [email protected] (905) 853-6699

1959 Austin Healey Sprite. With 9 Class D Race WINS in a row and breaking 1.50’s at Mosport. Ready to enjoy! Call Alister MacLean 519-860-4113 for pictures & more details visit www. timewarpracing.ca

PARTS Ford 1600 cross ow four speed transmission

with 70% of the running gear to build a race car, $900. Spare Longman big valve head, $500. Take it all away at once: $4,400. Firm. John DeMaria. Evenings: 416.533.4648. email: [email protected].

2.0L Ford Sports Racer Dry Sump Engines 2-2.0L Ford dry sump engines. Rebuilt and dyno tested at 185hp. They sat rst in unheated storage for several years and about 4 years in heated storage. 1 engine does not turn over, probably stuck rings. 1 with header, twin Webers and oil pump, both with distributors and oil pans. Contact Michael McLaughlan @ [email protected] or 613-3847017 days, please leave a message if no answer.

For Sale Set of new mk8 dog rings, 2 new mk8 gear sets, new ford 1600 lifters, new 1600 pipercross air lter, new vintage stock 1600 clutch and pressure plate, new 5lb mechanical re system, used set of revolutions 13 x 5.5, penske valve kit, used digital smart camber guage, used bubble camber guage, Used set of scales complete with purpose built heavy duty transport case and aluminum ramps, 2 cans castrol srf uid, new dry cell formula car battery and off topic 35mm slr minolta camera outt with complete darkroom system. Contact: jeff bye @ jeffandlauriebye@ cogeco.ca

Complete and assembled, offers. Also Ford differential from Lotus Elite, 3.87 (I think ) ratio, offers. Armstrong coil over shock/spring units, shocks adjustable, new, offers. Bob Grunau, Mississauga, ON. 905-2744136 or [email protected]

Formula Ford engine parts

MG Midget Race Kit

Carburettors One Weber 32 DFM4 (9499)

(Some assembly required!). Full race, 1293cc A Series motor. $2500. 13”X6” Revolution wheel set with mounted Goodyear FF rain tires. Two sessions, $1000. Second set of same wheels (no tires), $600. Very nice MG Midget shell

8 connecting rods, 4 dished pistons. BMW 2002 conn. rods & 4 pistons. BMW starter, complete. New Fuel cell foam, 6 blocks 16x20x4” each. BEST OFFER on all. Email: [email protected]

could be used on Cortina 1600 GTE. One Solex 35DIDSA2 2 barrel could be used on Lotus Europa Call 519-457-1109

Page 27

CLASSIFIEDS Stebro Mk IV “ Canada’s Grand Prix car” 1963 Stebro Mk IV currently in F1 spec tted with correct 1500 cc Ford non-crossow engine and original Hewland Mk 4 ve speed gearbox. A very original and complete car fully restored in 1986 and raced extensively since. Eligible as an FJ or F2 in Monoposto by simple expedient of installing 1100 cc Ford. Also FB with installation of twin cam. Raced in period in F1, FJ, F2, FB, FL. Suitable for bigger driver. Comes with a spares package which includes used parts, a boat anchor, and a beautiful, if furry, set of original Sadler magnesium wheels, probably as brittle as the rst meeting with your mother in law. An expensive Junior or an inexpensive F1 car. Trades, part exchange considered.

Page 26

Autosport Mark II 1959 Formula Junior. Triumph engine and suspension, close ratio A30 gearbox. Original Autosport aluminium body, square tube space frame. A very original, essentially unrestored car with the addition of a modern roll bar, fuel cell, racing seat, re system, and seat belts. Fresh John Dodd 948 Triumph engine. Great looking and historically quick car, which would be of particular interest to Triumph collectors and fans of front engine formula cars. Suitable for the portly driver. Spares include Triumph bits, some of which can honestly be said came over on a Mayower. Offers in the neighbourhood of $20,000.

1954 Buckler Mk 15 “The Autosport Special”. Canadian champion in 1956 and 1957, driven by Bob Hanna. Totally restored at huge expense over the past sixteen years. Beautiful polished and anodized Mick Lewis aluminium body, Al Pease space frame, C/R BMC gearbox, John Dodd BMC engine. Ready to race. Ideal for the serious contender in a Johnnie Greenwood height-alike contest. Spares package includes a variety of Morris and BMC bits, some of which might be useful. Offers. Buying all three would make a great basis to start a Canadian race car builder

extensively during the late 80’s and early 90’s in the Firehawk and the Valvoline series. He found his 1971 Marcos GT car online in Bradford-on-Avon in the UK and brought it over in 2006. “The first iteration of the car had a giant hump over the carb stacks. I couldn’t see over the hump and had to follow the right side of the track as I sit on the right!” Coom seems to have solved any problems, winning the 2008 VARAC champion in class H. The G70+ cars vary from historically significant cars like the Group 44 XJS Jaguar, owned by Steve and Andy Moore, to race cars whose owners have decided that track days are just not exciting enough! Other cars include North American muscle in the form of two Trans-Am Corvettes, Mustangs and ex-Players Challenge Camaro’s and Firebirds, as well as a couple of BMW M1’s, Datsun Z cars, a Cosworth Mercedes 190 AMG, Porsche 911’s and BMW M3’s, a Porsche 930 Turbo and a couple of Rothman’s Porsche 944’s and more, including Johnny Natrella’s Honda Civic. Natrella was 2008 club champion in class G and says he enjoys G-70+ “because the other racers are fair and drive clean. Everyone’s out to have fun, I enjoy meeting new people and I enjoy racing.” What experience did he have before? “I didn’t really have any, just had a few track days and I went to MCO race school. I’d say the best part about G70 would have to be the group that I race with, the “Rouge Racers”. They are good people who like to have a good time at the track. I like having a common interest that I can share with my dad and being able to spend quality time together by working on the car.” The age group is as varied as the range of cars. Perhaps VARAC’s most august driver would be ever-youthful Walt Mackay, with his 1985 Mustang. Long-time race fans may remember that Walt raced at Mosport in 1962 in a King Cobra for the famous Comstock

John Hawkes 944 Porsche

race team! Other drivers have come from VARAC vintage/historic grids, from Porsche and BMW clubs, or had experience as GT drivers. John Hawkes started out with a Porsche 914/6 GT which had been run for about six years prior in Historic and decided to run the car with other 70’s cars in G70. “For a couple of seasons we ran the car in both classes” said Hawkes, “but once we recognized that the conduct rules were the same in both classes and the times were more in keeping with ours we concentrated more on G70. After a couple of seasons with a Chevron B19 we came back to G70 with the Porsche 944 and seem to have been the catalyst for a whole number of other 944s, both natural and turbo aspirated, to join the fun. From a slow start, the group has grown to be a welcome group both here and south of the border.” Like the Vintage/Historic drivers G70+ is a great social group, enjoying each others company, helping each other fix what might be broken or commiserating with those who have suffered terminal mechanical failure and become spectators. VARAC is pleased

to note that three women raced in G70+ this year and more should follow. The G70+ drivers have gained a notable reputation for racing in the vintage spirit and there is great respect for sharing the track and keeping the racing clean. “It was important to me that G-70+ members want to bring their cars home from the race in relatively the same condition they brought them”, says Pat Ferrier. He raced motor bikes, horses and on skis when he was younger. “I wanted to start racing with a group who have fun racing relatively stock vehicles from the modern era, 1970 to 1980 or so. People who, like me, were okay with the reality that we were not ever going to be professional drivers, strictly a weekend hobby.” Ferrier bought his Porsche 911 used and drove it for five years before turning it into a track car. “They are a great bunch of people who help each other out, are respectful of each other, provide great competition, and yet do not take themselves too seriously. A lot of fun to be around!” Well done, Group 70, congratulations on a very successful 2008 race season and we are looking forward to more great cars in ’09! Page 7

CLASSIFIEDS Lotus 7 Series Two- clone made by ROTUS 1991 Rotus R8, slightly larger than a true Seven. Sized that regular sized people can t comfortably. Powered by a potent 3.5 Liter Alum. block Rover V8, (one of only 9 V-8 kits produced) 5 speed gear box, posi dif, Yoko Advan A0-32R soft compound tires, includes side curtains and top as well as toneau cover. Extrenely low milage. Asking $20,000 Canadian or interesting race car trade. Call Brian Thomas (613) 337-5300 or e-mail [email protected]

1966 Ford Mustang

Continued from Page 3

between George Eaton’s new 427 Cobra, and the Gorries’ 427 Chevrolet Corvette up front. When the green flag dropped I shot through the hole and beat them both to the first corner by a good margin, but by the time we got to the end of the first straight, they had got up to speed and simply powered by me in the corner. The first outing was great fun even if not entirely successful. The next race for our beasts was at Mosport. The outing proved to me that 150+ MPH up the back straight hill was TOO FAST for the rest of the car! With a lot more development of suspension, brakes, wheels etc., it could have been made to work, but in 1968 I was starting a family and about to build a house, so I packed it in and sold it to raise money for my building supplies. In 1994 Connie and I ran into Bob Grunau at a local car show. He talked us into buying a restored TC that he was selling for a friend and we were back into MGs again. It only took a few MG social events for me to realize that I wanted to get back into racing MGs, only this time in “vintage racing”. In 1996 Bob Grunau and I decided to each build a MG race car from some Page 8

of the masses of MG parts that he had collected over his lifetime. I decided to go with a TC rather than a Twin Cam MGA because I always thought that I had more fun racing the TC than I did the Twin Cam. Or, perhaps was it just the age I was at? Our goal was to have our MGs finished in time for the 50th anniversary vintage races at the Watkins Glen racetrack in 1998, and to be part of the MG Vintage Racers’ Focus Event there. Regardless of the facts that I had been a senior driving instructor and run a driver’s school in 1964, I still needed to qualify to race by running two races prior to the Glen event, because my previous experience didn’t count towards getting my new racing license. My MG was slightly behind schedule and Bob graciously let me drive his TC for one race at Mosport. This began what has become an annual event for us, as the VARAC Vintage Festival allows family and friends a chance to join our fun for the only close to home event in our calendar. The fact that VARAC holds the MG only Simms Cup race is a real plus. Having completed the first race in Bob’s car, I did my second event at Waterford Hills, Michigan, in my

own car and now my MG and I were ready for the Glen in September! It was a superb event except that my valve cover gasket came loose while racing and I ran out of oil and cooked the rod bearings! We took it apart at the track and replaced the rod bearings. (Our TCs use MGB rod bearings.) The repair lasted the weekend and allowed us to participate in the tour of the old street racing course, which became the highlight of my first year back racing! Later, when overhauling the engine, I found that its new billet crank had been overheated and had a deep crack at the edge of one journal. $2,500 later and we were ready for season two the next spring. Then in 2000, when I raced at Watkins Glen again, I was most honored to be awarded the “Collier Cup” as selected by my racing peers, as I joined a select list of MG racers who have won it! When I started vintage racing, TCs were allowed to run in the PreWar group with the Vintage Sports Car Club of America (VSCCA) and I always enjoyed this group the most. When TCs got the boot from this class, I decided that I needed a true Pre-War MG so I acquired a supercharged 1939

289 cid, fully race prepared, immaculate. Fuel Safe fuel cell, re system, four American Racing Mags with Hoosiers, four Micky Thompson wheels with rain tires. White with Blue stripes. $40,000. Contact Don Horner at 613-258-9963.

1970 Chinook Formula Ford NEW LOW PRICE Chinook formula ford, regular runner with VARAC,to be sold with fresh rebuilt engine, Ivey head and carb. Always a front runner, very reliable, no vices and handles well. Motivated Sale $13,000 CDN. Contact Tom Burge at [email protected]

1972 FORD CAPRI BUILT FOR RACES 4 cyl., 2 liters well built with PARKER head, completed cage, double discs clutch, limited slip diff., fuel cell,Koni shocks, many supplies included and a stock complete motor and a body (spare) is included. This car has raced in Quebec (MontTremb lant and Grand Prix races)in GT-2 races. An excellent car for vintage racing. Call : Serge Gauvin 1-819-374-8650 or [email protected]

1976 Lola SuperVee Lola Aluminum Monocoque chassis with a 914 2L air-cooled at four. Wings and slicks with a spare motor, two sets

of wheels, one set of new slicks, one set of new dunlop rains, complete set of spare body panels. Ran 1:27 at the 2005 Vintage Festival at Mosport, and nished 1st in Class at the 2005 Zipppo Festival at Watkins Glen. Asking $15,000 CDN Paul Roberts at 416-997-7547 [email protected]

CROSSLE 20F Formula Ford Well known, front running, Crossle 20F Monoposto Vintage Formula Ford for sale. Race ready and fully sorted. ExJohn DeMaria, Adam Burnett. Immaculate. Great parts availability. Well documented Canadian history. CASC logbook. $19,000 Canadian. Motivated seller. w) 317-337-4892 h) 317-733-4256. Car is in Indiannapolis but will deliver to Canada. See photos at: http://photos. yahoo.com/jonesfamily46077

1972 GT -2 Datsun 510 Has original CASC GT-2 homologation papers. L18 motor with 11.6:1 comp ratio. Cosworth pistons, Lightened forged crank, ywheel and connecting rods. 5 speed trans with 3 spares and 3 spare diffs. Two sets of wheels and I have several sets of 13” slicks. Has been race car since 1979. This is a great G70 car. Contact me for further details and photos. C$12,000 John Grifth 416-454-6951 johngrifth@ rogers.com

hp and is being fed through nicely set up weber carbs. Very well prepared car - contact me for full details. Asking CND $ 40,000, negotiable.Please contact Francois Duval at 450-754-2544 or email francois.duval@ mabe.ca (Apr 06)

1968 Chinook Formula B. Previous winner of VARAC’s best restored Canadian built race car, this is the Fejer brothers only FB built. 1600 twin cam and MK8 by Britian West Motorsports, Smiths guages, Campagnolo rims, all the right parts used on this car. Currently needs both rear uprights (available) and a few other bits. Call Dave Scarlett 519-383-2439 $20,000 or [email protected]

1970 Hawke DL2A chassis #AM40 Ground up restoration at the end of 05. All new trailing arms and rod ends with extra complete side of arms. Four new Carrera shocks. New Weller wheels. Ivy engine #IV 9034 with very little time on BVR (John Dodd) rebuild. Head by Britain West. Quick silver carb and manifold. New headers. Ten wheels, too many spares to list. Race ready. $15,000 Cdn obo. Also have a nose mould and a jig for making rear uprights. Contact Andrew Mason, 416-839-5632

1969 CALDWELL D9 FORMULA FORD. Excellent condition with only one weekend since engine rebuild. Maintained by BVR. Well known VARAC car US$20,000 OBO. Call Jeremy Hinchcliffe 416-540-6626 days or 905-337-2455 eves.

1972 PORSCHE 911 Serial # 9113100165 manufactured date : July 1972. The 2.4 liter engine as totally been rebuilt to ``S`` specs by the best Porsche Specialist in Canada PORSCHEHAUS! It delivers a strong 190 Page 25

NOTE - VARAC and/or Vintage Racer are not responsible for the descriptions and claims of cars and products that appear in either the Vintage Racer or on the VARAC website advertisments. Before buying, please check with our Eligibility Director to ensure ANY car meets VARAC standards. CARS 1969 ALTONA VEE FOR SALE. Not run for while! Has fuel cell, needs new belts. Has F1200 rims and tires. I sold my Vee Dunlops and rims to another vee guy. This car was made for a small person. If you are tall or long legged, you won’t t! Mike 613-261-4006

1967 Mark III MG Midget.

1275cc engine; knock-off wire wheels with new Dunlop tires; new body panels except hood; renished interior except seats; new soft top ready for install (in box). $7200. CDN (Car is located in Richmond Hill.) Contact Mike Davidson, phone: 905-773-3246, cell: 416-882-1680. e-mail: [email protected]

bodywork, windshields, paint and TLC. Will sell below cost at $4,000 minus engine. [email protected] 3096 or 204-654-1889.

204-654-

LEGRAND MK 10 FORMULA FORD CHASSIS

Very competitive, many wins, always in the top 3 and in excellent condition. For more info and photo go to www. tractechracing.com and/or call Terry Di Francesco at 905-640-1777 email [email protected]

Bare chassis, straight and true. Raced at Gimli a few times in the 1970’s. Also, new LeGrand Mk 16 DSR front suspension, never installed on a car. The combination would make the basis for an excellent motorcyclepowered sportsracer. $2,500. Winnipeg. Contact ron.lyseng@producer. com or phone 204-654-1889 or 204-654-3096. (Dec 07)

1984 Shrike S2000 A Sports 2000 car designed in a windtunnel. Full rebuild last winter, ready to race. Elligible for historic S2000 series. Spares including: centrelock wheels with intermediate rains, gears and body mold. $26000.00 Dave - Work 905-629-1438 Home 416621-1719 email: [email protected]

1966 MUSTANG SEDAN, 289 CID. Excellent condition. California car, winter stored. Present owner is second since new. $25,000 CDN. T. Howell - trelawny@

1964 MORRIS MINI COOPER ‘S’

sothebysrealty.ca or 416-927-9866.

1275 Racing Mini (one of 4 “Baker Racing” built Minis) – very strong performer - VARAC Registered – race winner – recent sale of sister car near $50,000 – asking $39,000. Will consider offers or interesting trades.

1962 Lotus 7 Series 2

Bob DeShane 1-866-415-2779

1960 VW KARMANN GHIA #4096112 - Vintage Road Racer or “California” street car. Full SCCA rollcage. Rare rust-free body. Total ground-up rebuild about 70% complete. New Porsche aluminum drum brakes all around. 4 new Bilstiens. Adjustable ride height front suspension. All new king link pins, bushings, suspension bolts, bearings, etc. Fresh steering box. New steering dampner, Fresh transmission. Hurst shifter. Five new 6” wide steel rims. New 12 volt wiring harness in the box. All new rubber body and window gaskets in the box. Cobra seats. Car has been in storage since I bought it in 1979. Needs minor Page 24

1992 Toyota MR2 Turbo and a 1987 Mercedes Benz 2.3 16 Valve

This car raced most of its life at Waterford Hills. Currently the motor and trans are out of the car. Engine (Ford 1500 Non-Crossow): The motor is fresh. Dual Weber’s. Crank is from a Lotus Twin Cam motor, Lotus 125E rods with ARP bolts, JE pistons .040”, Fresh Elgin cam, lifters , head freshened with new springs. The head has been ported to Cosworth specs, reshaped combustion chambers about 13.5-1.Bearings are fresh. Motor has not been run since it was freshened. It’s ready to go as is. The only thing I know is missing is the driveshaft. Asking $18,500 (if you are looking for a Seven you will see most others are selling for mid $20K) Pictures can be seen at http://nobudgetracing.com/ gallery/LotusSeven For additional info please contact: Peter Morton (peter@nobudgetracing. com) or call (248) 684-8348 Home

1984 Shrike

1969 Hawke DL 2 Vintage f/ford with Hewland Mk 8. Comes with new rear uprights. Currently undergoing full frame up restoration. For info and to view Matt Wivell at AIM Autosport 905-851-1968 ext. 29

Mallock 11B 100 % race ready. Fresh all steel rebuilt engine by John Dodd with dyno time only. No sensible offer refused. Philip (705) 277-1134. Email:ultra.precision@ sympatico.ca

D

SOL

1971 MGB-GT Complete, but in boxes. Any reasonable offer.705 277 3975

960 Austin Healey Sprite www.timewarpracing.ca Race ready and fast! Details on above web page. $12,950

TB Special from Barry Walker’s MG showroom and shop near Stratford, England. When it arrived back in Canada I put in some gas, started it up and took it for a run up the road. On the way back I found that I couldn’t brake properly because of the strange cramped pedal arrangement, and flashed past the end of my driveway and the crowd assembled to see my new car! After some welding, I managed to modify the pedals so that I could comfortably drive it. Other than lots of little problems, that TB has been a good solid car and gets raced at every event that has a class for Pre-War race cars. In February of 2007 we shipped “Babe” (named because of the pig on the radiator cap) to the south island of New Zealand to compete in their Southern Festival of Speed. For the balance of the 2007 season we took in the usual U.S. events including a shot at the Mount Equinox (Vermont) Hill Climb, which was one venue that I had always wanted to experience (5.2 miles long, with a vertical rise of 3,140 feet!). Racing up that mountain was really too rough for “Babe” but we still managed a run of just under 6 minutes - which with a 1350cc engine was quite satisfying! The highlight of my 2007 racing season became the MG Vintage Racers’ Focus Event at the Mid Ohio racetrack, with VSCDA, where I was awarded the MG Vintage Racers’ “Spirit Award” - an award annually presented to a MG racers exemplifying the “Spirit of MG Vintage Racing”.

The 2008 season went really well. Starting with the VRG event in New Hampshire and then back to Mosport for the 10th consecutive year at the VARAC Vintage Festival where VARAC treated us all to the usual hospitality that all the entrants have become accustomed to. Next it was off to the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix in July. In the Pre-War race, I had the pole position, but got passed by Ben Bragg racing the historic “Old Grey Mare”. I was able to keep up with him in an

exciting race, and then when he slowed a bit, I was able to take the lead and win my class on this extremely challenging 2.3 mile street race course! In the fall of 2008 I headed south for MGVR’s Focus Event with VRG at the “new” New Jersey Motorsport Park race track. This gave me a new track for 2008. Each year since my starting vintage racing in 1998, I’ve have managed to race at one new venue each year. I don’t know how many more years I will be lucky enough to race, but I think there are enough tracks that I haven’t been at yet to see me through. Over the years I have been a member of many MG and racing clubs, including the New England MG ‘T’ Register. I have driven my MGs to club

events, I’ve raced my MGs, and I have been a race instructor. I’ve raced MGs at some 28 different venues. My wife Connie comes with me to the races and club events, and I’ve participated in a number of the T Register’s GOF’s. We have enjoyed so many facets of MGs and MG people over the years! (Frank’s wife Connie says : “From my point of view being at the track is a relaxing day reading and visiting with the other wives, punctuated by the excitement of watching the guys suit up and roar around the track. Frank is not the kind of person who can sit still for any length of time, so racing MGs is a perfect combination of being around the cars that he loves, the constant tinkering on his car (and anything else in the paddock that looks like it needs a wrench) and the competition of racing. The camaraderie of the guys at the track is something that all the women really appreciate, plus we usually get taken out for a very nice dinner! Our involvement with MGs and in particular MG competition has opened up the world to us. From England to North America to New Zealand we have been fortunate to travel and meet new friends in many different places.) I’ve learned that - as in the early days and which is also true today - the best part of having and racing MGs, is the MG community - our “Band of Brothers” - working together to keep our amazing cars on the track, and sharing in our love of the octagon. Cheers, Frank Mount. Page 9

MARKETPLACE

Awards Night At the annual banquet David Clubine won the inaugural Gord Lowe Ambassador Award, this will be given “to the driver who, in the opinion of the selection committee, represents VARAC’s goals of competitor and sportsman combined; while competing both in VARAC and other racing disciplines, and maintaining aintainiing ng an a active involvement within the vintage racing racin in ng community.” c mmunity.” co Also presented at at the th he banquet banq quet was was The wa The Jim McGregor Spirit of Sportsmanship Spo orrttsma mansh hip Award, A Awa ward wa rd, 2008, “given annually to the the individual ind ndivvid ndiv idual who in the opinion idu of the racing members ber ers of of VARAC VAR ARAC A best exemplies the spirit of and dedication ed diicca d atiio ati on n to to vintage vin ntage automobile racing in Canada.”” Won Won on by by Stefan St a Wiesen. St Peter Jackson and nd Aileen Aileen Aile Ai le ee en n Ashman Asssh hma hma man won The James Fergusson Challenge Challe eng nge Trophy Trophy Tr hy “awarded to a VARAC member, ber, who, who o, in n the the e opinion opi p nion of its Directors, has made de an outstanding outsttan and diing g contribution contribution to vintage racing in n Canada according acco ord r ing g to o the aims expressed in the VARAC charter. “

The 2008 VARAC overall all club champion is Russ Ru uss Gorochowski. CASC Awards Andrew Celovski received the Wilson award, given by the CASC Board of Directors to the regions most active competitor. Andrew is active in Historic racing, Formula Form Fo r ula Ford F and Ice racing. James JJa ame mes es Hinchcliffe H ncchclifffe was Hi wa w as awarded aw aw awa the Canadian Racing championship ch hampions nship ns p trophy for forr h his is high hig igh achievements acchi a hieve hie em m in Formula Atlantic. Mike Nillson n and and n Mary Ma arry ry McClure McC McC Mc won the “Rally Marque Trophy”, Troph ph p hy” y”,, awarded awarrde aw ded ed for ffo o “Outstanding Service as a Race Ra acce Of Offci cial cial”. all””. a John Kinnear Kinne n a ne arr accepted acccep eptte ed the trophy for his “other club “ St La Lac ac for ffo or th tthe h he eb best est newsletter. new Mike Steplock with the 1st Ste tep eplocck was presented presen overall overal allll championship al cch ha am mpionship trophy for Vintage/Historic racing. raciing ng.

VARAC Club Champions ampions p A: Jeremy Sale, Phil Soden, Robert Stammers. Stamm mer ers. s B: Michael Steplok, ok, Joe Lightfoot, Alcide Lessard C: Andre Gagne,, Fred Samson, Team Sambrook Sa amb mbro brook ok ok D: Vince DiCesare, re, Team Sambrook, Team Te eam m Viccary E: Russ Gorochowski, owski, Joe Dukovac, Duko ovacc, Diane Dale ov Dalle le F: Mark Wafer, Richard Piper, Pete Peter Schlag t r Sc S chl hlag lag ag G: Johnny Natrella, Gord Ballantine, Gary Allen H: John Coome, John Hawkes, Aram Tourikian

Page 10

Russ Gorochowski won the th G70 overall championship. championship. ch

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Diane D ane Dale won the Muriel Di Murie Knapp trophy, awarded aw war a ded to the top female competitor. c donated by Muriel Mu urriie ell Knap to recognize the ladies who compete with basis. Awarded wiith w th the the he gentlemen gen e tlemen on an equal eq for sportsmanship, for sp fo porrts sma manship, ability and an sparkle. 2008 Monoposto Formula Junior Champions Ist Doug Elcombe, 2nd David Keenleyside 3rd David Clubine Page 23

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John Dodd’s British Sports Car Workshop

Fast AND Legal!

Engine building and rebuilding service for all Ford and BMC competition engines.

Call John Dodd 844 7A Highway Bethany, On L0A 1Ao 1 (705) 277-3698

The Eligibility Chairman’s Chat by Joe Lightfoot

BOB HARRINGTON PHOTOGRAPHY

Tel: 905-332-7889 website: http://www.harringtonphoto.ca email: [email protected] Page 22

S Specializing i li i in i Vintage Vi t R Race Photography, our work has appeared in all the North American Vintage Publications. Photographers for HSR, SVRA, VARAC, S2000 and Senior Photographer for Victory Lane, we have a library of over 250,000 images dating back to the late eighties. We can produce photographs in all sizes from 4x6 to 24x36 and photo business cards in quantities as low as 50. We can also provide electronic images for websites and high resolution images for larger images and advertisements. We are always open to requests or ideas for new products. If you have a photographic need, try us, we’ll do our utmost to fill your requirements.

I’ve often been told, especially by past eligibility people, that they don’t envy my job. “A little like herding cats”, was how one person described it! Actually I like the job and hope to stay on as long as the members continue to vote for me. That’s not to say that I find it easy, in fact I’ve often said that I am the least knowledgeable eligibility chairman VARAC has ever had. The fact that I have seven advisors is the only thing saving my ass when it comes to knowledge. There is just one part of the job I really struggle with and that is being the “heavy hand”. I usually believe whatever people tell me, and I want to believe that people really are trying to go “by the book”. In light of this, I would like to ask all VARAC members to read the rules and regulations, and make every possible effort to prepare your car to the rules. VARAC ‘s rules are good rules. They strike a beautiful (not perfect) balance between the restrictions of clubs that insist we live in the 50’s forever and clubs that throw the door wide open till the only thing left vintage is the year of the car. It is my opinion (not necessarily VARAC ‘s founding members opinion) that we basically prepare our cars as they could have been prepared, with factory

equipment, back in their era. Certainly we allow safety upgrades and have in recent years allowed such things as electronic ignition, and wider tires (as long as they fit within the confines of the fenders). But some clubs even allow such things as modern 5 speed transmissions from say, a Toyota. This is not vintage preparation in my view. The basic reason for this flaunting of the vintage spirit is the desire to make our cars ever faster. I would like to challenge all VARAC members who want to go faster to consider doing this within the confines of our rules. Not only are we capable of improving our driving skills, but there are so many things you can do (within the rules) to improve the handling,

acceleration, braking and yes, out and out top speed. How much more satisfaction there is when you know that you are “fast” and that your car is totally vintage legal! Page 11

Vintage Racing, Good Ol’ Boy style By David Strachan My endeavor to build a Grand National stock car and ultimately my journey to Darlington this past Labor Day actually began in 1960. In 1959 the movie “Thunder in Carolina” was filmed in and around Darlington S.C., with the main story line being the “Southern 500”. My Dad took me to see this movie at our grand “Regent Theatre” here in Picton, and as a 12 year old, it left an indelible impression of Darlington Raceway and Grand National Stock Cars. Many years later, on a winter Saturday, scanning the latest Auto Trader Magazine, there it was. A ’62 Galaxie 500 hardtop. A quick phone call, price agreed, sight unseen, the new project was a go. After years racing motorcycles, sports cars, rally cars, etc., etc., I was going to build and finally experience a Grand National race car. With the Galaxie stripped, body separated from the frame, the dirty work began. With body and frame media blasted, fabrication began with seam welding the frame, adding shock mounts for the “original” 60’s Gabriel shock absorbers with welded in

tie rod ends. Front suspension was modified slightly with a shorter 950 lb/in coil, over which I welded in load bolts to adjust ride heights. I also fashioned a front anti roll bar from a GMC dually, having cut off the ends, heating and bending the bar to align with the lower control arms and male/female rod ends to tie it together. I then assembled the massive Holman Moody spindles and brake components, 3” x 11” Lincoln drums and N.O.S. brake shoes from my friend, Gene Felton. The rear suspension started by dearching the leaf springs, adding one full leaf, 3” lowering clock and adjustable shackles. I removed the stock spring mounts and fabricated solid mounts, and at that point decided to double the shackle from 4 to 8, to insure zero flex. All of this then attached to a ’59 Lincoln axle, with its larger diameter shafts and bigger drum brakes. With front and rear suspension complete, I knew, without question, I now

possessed the record for un-sprung weight. I next took the cutting torch to the frame rails, cutting openings to route the 3-1/2” exhaust pipes as per Holman Moody practice at that time. With the pipes welded in I painted all my handiwork and then sat engine and gearbox in place. Unable to locate a cross bolted 406” FE engine, I settled on a 427 based on a marine block, 428 rods and a mild street cam. I had a beefed up clutch Assy built, covered with a Holman Moody bell housing and bolted the massive top loader with large input/output shafts. With the frame now lower over the rear axle and having fabricated my engine and tranny mounts, the driveshaft angle was perfect. In remounting the body, I eliminated the rubber chassis biscuits and bolted and welded the body to the frame. With the need for drive shaft hoops, a new tunnel and floor had to be since fabricated sin ncee tthe lowered body couldn’t couldn d ’t provide the required reequired clearance. Back in the day, they removed thee rear

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Book Review By Jeremy Sale To Finish First: My Years Inside Formula One, CanAm and Indy 500 Racing with Cooper, Brabham and McLaren. Author: Phil Kerr This lavishly produced book belongs on the enthusiast’s shelf, filling an important gap in the history of motor racing during an historic era. The author, Phil Kerr became friends as a teenager with fellow racing enthusiast Bruce McLaren in New Zealand. McLaren won the inaugural “Driver to Europe” award, with Kerr as one the other two finalists. The following year Jack Brabham brought Kerr to England to help launch his car business, so the two young Kiwis found themselves sharing a “bed sitting room” in London. The talented McLaren was rapidly climbing the ladder to Formula One and he and Kerr would drive to the European races together in a Morris Minor. McLaren and Brabham worked on their own Cooper cars with Kerr and the mechanics helping out. Brabham was frustrated with Charlie Cooper’s reluctance to spend money improving the cars and started planning his own car with fellow Aussie Ron Tauranac. When Black Jack started his Brabham Racing Organization he asked Kerr to manage the team. Another Kiwi, Denny Hulme had won the “Driver to Europe” award but was struggling to make ends meet so Kerr hired him as a part time mechanic at Brabham. Hulme’s “team” consisted of himself, Page 20

his fiancé Greeta and fellow New Zealander Eoin Young, towing his Cooper Formula Junior to the races with a Ford Zodiac. Later Kerr rejoined his friend Bruce McLaren and became

joint managing director of the team which saw success (and tragedy) in Can-Am, Formula One and Indy car racing. The book includes lots of colour and black and white photos, many never before published, some by Phil Kerr himself. Jack Brabham contributes the foreword and billionaire hobbit Bernie Ecclestone provides the afterword. As someone who was actually there “in the day” Kerr contributes not only his photographs but also some great anecdotes about how things were in the “good old

days”. There are some interesting and amusing stories, like Denny Hulme tipping a Formula Junior Cooper on its side in the paddock at Oulton Park to remove a sump and bearings. (It seems the Bear had engine trouble during a morning practice session and was running short of time before his race.) After McLaren’s untimely death while testing a Can-Am car at Goodwood in June 1970, Hulme’s bravery helped to save the devastated team, despite the painful burns to his hands suffered at Indianapolis. Kerr, together with Teddy Mayer and Tyler Alexander, worked to save and grow the company. Kerr ended his association with McLaren at the end of 1974, and he returned to New Zealand. Beautifully printed on high-quality art paper and superbly illustrated, the book includes occasional race-by-race detail and an interesting mix of racing and off-duty pictures, as well as 15 reproductions of paintings by the renowned artist Michael Turner. If you are interested in the 1960s to mid 1970s era of racing this is a great narrative of the inside workings and difficulties in managing the limited resources of a small team competing in Formula 1, Can-Am and Indianapolis racing. Hardback, 384 pp., 240 colour and b&w illustrations. Price $70. Our thanks to Scott Findlay of Mini Grid, who kindly offered this book as a prize for the VARAC annual banquet.

David Strachan and his 1962 Ford

passenger foot wells for exhaust pip clearance but didn’t required drive shaft hoops and therefore were able to retain the stock floor, or most of it. Not wanting to have the roll cage looking too contemporary, I fabricated the structure to look the part with only the required safety improvements incorporated, main hoop diagonal, rearward bracing and door bars, none of which NASCAR required in ’62. Next items to do were plumbing, wiring, fuel cell, new window moldings, body and paint. Only the inner lips of the front fenders required trimming and massaging. With paint work completed it was time to apply period correct decals and numbers which we manufactured here at Predco Signs in Picton. With new American Racer tires and now mounted on original 60’s double centered Holman Moody 8.5 xxx 15 steel wheels (manufactured by Firestone in Akron, Ohio) the car sat on the ground at last and made good noises! The first time I had the car out of first gear was qualifying for Celebration’07 at Mosport. With only a few minor glitches, water pump belt, oil pan too low and leaking somewhat(!) I was not popular on pit lane. That aside, and a

Canton pan installed, the car has been dead reliable and a wonderful source of exercise for me. Only weeks after completion I found out that Darlington Raceway would stage a Gala Vintage Racing Festival on Labor Day weekend, the “Southern 500’s” annual date. Not to bore road racers with oval track hype, I’ll say just that aside from being the only Canadian participating, I was the only one to run the top groove which was not only the fast way around but felt much safer to boot! In setting the fastest lap of all classes, I averaged 137 mph with lap times of 39.02 on the 1.5 mile egg shaped speedway (1.366 miles at the apron). Darlington was an interesting experience to say the least. Running 39 second laps, with only 3 seconds off throttle, maybe 8 – 10 inches from the wall, with some much slower cars whose drivers seemed to have no mirror experience whatsoever! Off track it was a total delight to meet the likes of Ray Fox, who prepared many of the best cars for many of the best drivers. Champions, Buddy Baker, Rex White, Darrel Waltrip, Bobby Allison and several other prominent drivers. Leonard Wood of the famed

Wood Brothers was present with one of their most successful cars, the Purolator sponsored ’74 Mercury Cyclone driven to numerous prestigious victories by Champion and ten times Darlington winner, David Pearson. Having had some positive comments from Pearson about my on track performance, I found it particularly humorous when an older, rather scruff y looking fan rapidly approached me as I exited the window of the Galaxie after the last session, asking “David, can I have your autograph?” “Certainly.” I replied. “I’ve been here for every one of your races, I was here when you blew a tire on the last lap!” he said with great excitement in his voice. “Uh, actually I’ve never been here before this weekend.” I replied. “Aren’t you David Pearson?” he questioned looking somewhat stunned. “No” I replied, “Pearson is over there signing autographs”. So the 12 year olds dream had come to fruition. For 2009 a cam that will bring the engine to life, a 2nd gear that I can use at corner 5 and a change from 3.3 to 3.50 ratios should be good for a 1.41. Cheers, ya’ll! David Strachan Page 13

Where the rubber hits the perma frost

I C E R A C I N G Page 14

The Year That Was, 2008

PicsbyVicsr

By Andrew Celovsky

The CASC gala awards banquet held quite the warm surprise for me, as recipient of the 2008 Competitor of Year award for the Ontario Region. I am still wondering how I could possibly be awarded such recognition, as I toiled at the back of the Formula Ford grid, trying not get run over. Mind you, I also made a few appearances with the Fiat on the vintage

Big guns at the Festival

When you’re hot, you’re hot…

Shiny and clean at Dunnville

(Above), one Yugo, two Yugi…(Below) “And they’re off!!!

Not so clean at Dunnville

Having an electrically heated rear window on a Yugo makes it warmer on your hands when you have to push it. Ed.

Diane Dale and Del Bruce podium at Shannonville

Del, Walter Davies and Class G Champion Johnny Natrella at Shannonville. Page 19

had in his sleeve, like a foot chase of a bobby after a robber. The director allows all that, there is plenty of time to stroll around, have a picnic, listen to a swing band play. There are actually not that many races, only eight in a 12-hour (!) day. The racing action is fast and furious. 13/13 rules are replaced by celebrity drivers, such as Marc Surer, Jackie Oliver, David Hobbs, Sir John Whitmore, Sir Stirling Moss, John Fitzpatrick, Emanuele Pirro, Rauno Aaltonen, Arturo Mezario, Bobby Rahal, Derek Bell, Richard Attwood, Jochen Maas, Henri Pescarolo, Patrick Tembay, Emmerson Fittipaldi, Alain de Cadenet, Martin Brundle, Stefan Johansson -- were they driving million-dollar Ferraris? No sir, they were driving the wheels off in the St Mary’s Trophy for ...... production salon cars 1950 to 1959. A-ma-zing! Fast and furious it is; after all, the circuit was closed in 1966 because it was too fast and dangerous. Well, at least they introduced now a chicane in front of the pit straight. Oops, the chicane was always there! My day as an extra in Goodwood passed in a flash, as is the case with all dreams. The beauty is, though, that you can have that dream every year. The photos I made give you an impression of the set. Missing racing shots? Who cares about racing when you are a movie star?!!

Paddock Idyll Page 18

Need service?

The paddock at Minden

grids and even managed a couple races with the Yugo on ice (also a CASC

Take off, eh?

Photos by Stefan Wiesen

motorsport racing venue). Heck, I remain amazed just being allowed to participate in racing, let alone be reconginized for doing anything special at the track. It was a humbling experience, where even I was at a loss for words. There may have been a bit of a lump in my throat, but I’ll never admit to that! While I consider myself very fortune to afford to race (most of the time), without the hundreds of people who volunteer their time from organizing events through marshalling, scoring and timing, it just wouldn’t be possible for any of us race. So to be recognized by the racing community co was pretty special. Anyways, while most people consider motorsport to be over for the season, and while racetracks have fallen silent, race-Ontario continues to be active completing all those ‘extra’ things required to make a race weekend a reality. There is next year’s schedule to

prepare, banquets to organize and other venues to show appreciation to many volunteers, rule changes to consider, and of course recruitment of sponsors. For competitors there is, of course, the winter repair and maintenance season. It is a time to trade cars, perhaps acquire the latest vehicle (from New Zealand if necessary), freshen an engine in a red Alfa, straighten the bodywork on the blue Sprite, and generally lick the financial wounds inflicted by the past season. Well, not all the tracks have fallen silent, as preparation is underway to build the newest race track in Ontario…. The ice track at Minden. Every year a new track is built, and every March it just washes away. So while most folks are putting their race cars away, I am trying to remember where I left my mighty Yugo-ice-racer. At first glace (and at second and third glace) the Yugo may not seem like seem like a finely tuned thoroughbred racing machine, yet ice racing offers opportunities for those slightly lesser machines.

There are two principle divisions in ice racing; studded tire class and the rubber-to-ice class. These are further divided in to 4-wheel, 2-wheel, and front wheel drive grids. But suffice it to say, even the Yugo produces suffice power in the rubber-to-ice class. As Pirelli is fond of saying, “Power is nothing without control.” In rubberto-ice tire class, there is precious little on the control side of the equation. The equation shifts with studded tires and with 4-wheel drive. Levels of grip can become considerable, and preparation becomes more serious requiring HP and the ever scare commodity…. money. The speeds attainable with studded tires on ice can be quite frightening and roll cages become mandatory (with good reason!). So if you need a bit of a race fix, and want to get outdoors between now and spring, think about heading to Minden to try your hand at ice racing. I’ll be happy to make the Yugo available…. if you dare.

Page 15

Lights.....Came era.....ACTION!!

Paddock Action.

On the set at Goodwood By Stefan Wiesen

Goodwood, we all heard about it and most of you, like myself, probably thought it’s another – albeit very prestigious – vintage race meet. WRONG! Goodwood rather is an outdoor theatre play or movie set with 115,000 actors. Every driver, mechanic, official, ..... spectator is an actor. The scene is set near the town of Chichester, 90 minutes South-West of London on the grounds of a WWII airstrip, which was more peacefully used from 1948 to 1966 as a motor racing circuit. It belongs to the famous Goodwood estate of the Earl of March. The stage manager restored and erected beautiful buildings, from wooden grandstands to a downsized replica of the art deco building where the Earls Court Motor Show is being held, Britain’s premier Page 16

Our Intrepid ‘50s Reporter.

Photo by Stefan Wie iesen

auto show. The sound is naaturally generated by race engines ranging from a singgle cylinder motorcycle to a big block V8. Smell is generated through burning of rubber and castor oil. As a cost saving, the producer has asked everyone to be their own costume designer, so all participants and almost alll of the extras are dressed in period correct garmentss. The images, captured by TV cameras and thousands of other devicess, are bold, beautiful and fast moving. The director sets varyingg scenes of motor racing, air acrobatics, amusement ppark rides, car parades, rock’n’roll dancing and maany other activities into a kaleidoscope of a jolly good time past. The name of the show is “Timewarp”. Thanks to the good folkss of Goodwood I received a press pass which allowed me to randomly roam through the whole area, takke pictures, talk to people or just stand there and be in awe. Let’s face it, aren’t roman nce and nostalgia a bit of

Photo courtesy of Goodwood

a reason why we are in vintage racing? Why else do we spend more money to drive slower cars? It was in the sixties, as a little boy, when I watched my first car race at the Nuerburgring, standing at the exit of the first corner, the “Suedkehre”. It was the 1000 km race, the late Rolf Stommelen winning overall in an Alfa P 33. It created that crazy attraction, me wanting to sit in such a car, building same out of cardboard the next week and sitting in it making loud brrrrm, brrrrm noises. Later on, the next, and if I think about it, only car and motorcycle races I watched live in the 70s and 80s were of that vintage racing nature. After growing out of the cowboy age, I dressed for carnival (the European equivalent of Halloween) using old clothes from my father, adding gel in my hair. Marilyn Monroe was already dead when she became my favourite actress and I spent a fortune out of my pocket money allowance to buy the Norman Mailer portrait book of her.

The innovation I cared the least for was colour TV. So, now, you know what kind of guy I am. And here, the good folks of Goodwood (I must use that adjective again), allow me to go back into the land of dreams. Unfortunately, I had only time to visit, no, to do my acting part as 50s reporter, on Saturday. One should be there the whole weekend. As I checked the photos I took, there were hardly any of the racing action. I was more fascinated by mechanics in greasy overalls wearing a necktie under them changing tyres on a Maserati 250F. I was more fascinated by the unbelievable display of airframe, ranging from the coolest thing on wings I have ever seen, a 1960s aerobatics machine, to Lancaster bombers and Spitfires flying and their pilots demonstrating skills like the ferocious European vintage race car drivers. I was more fascinated by the people, who all tried to look better and more elegant than the others. I was more fascinated by the surprises the director Page 17