December 2014
Acorn
The magazine of the Sevenoaks & district motor club
The
2014 Autotest special issue!
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2014 AUTOTEST PICTURES By Colin Shipway You can see more pictures in the online copy of the December 2014 Acorn at http://www.sevenoaksmotorclub.com/acorn-magazines . Front cover shows 2014 Autotest champion, Brian Sharpe in his Nissan Micra. More pics on the back inside cover.
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Sevenoaks and District Motor Club Ltd PRESIDENT: John Symes VICE PRESIDENTs: Vic EIford, Grahame White ACORN MAGAZINE - December 2014
The Editor, Committee and Club do not necessarily agree with items and opinions expressed within ACORN magazine OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN, MEMBERSHIP SEC: Andy Elcomb, The Cottage, Deans Hill, Bredgar, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 8BB (Home) 01622 884856
[email protected] SECRETARY: Tracey Niel, 35 Augustine Road, Orpington, Kent BR3 3JY (Home) 01689 602456
[email protected] TREASURER: Clive Cooke, 1 Willow Bank, Robertsbridge, East Sussex TN32 5NH (Home) 01580 880568
[email protected] DEP. CHAIRMAN & REGIONAL REP.: Chin, 36, Churchside, Vigo, Kent, DA13 0SJ (Home) 01732 823132, (Work) 020 8691 6221
[email protected] COMPETITION SEC.: Ian Crocker, (Home) 01892 546006
[email protected] SPEED LEAGUE: David Balderson, 17 Glentrammon Close, Green Street Green, Kent BR6 6DL (Home) 01689 601661
[email protected] SPEED LEAGUE SCORER: Colin Spark 07710 385486
[email protected] WITHOUT PORTFOLIO - Russell Giddings, 45 Castle Drive, Kemsing, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN15 6RW (Home) 01959 524837
[email protected] TROPHY RECORDS KEEPER: Joy Waiton, 7 Baring Road, Croydon CR0 7DD 07568 169585
[email protected] RALLY SECRETARY: Iain Gibson, 8 Knights Croft, New Ash Green, Kent DA3 8HT (Home) 01474 873573,
[email protected] CHIEF MARSHAL: Chris Scudder, 4 Northdown Road, Longfield, Kent, DA3 7QW (Home) 07711 078552
[email protected] SOCIAL SECRETARY: Rosemary & Nigel Mead, 3 Heather Bank, Paddock Wood, Kent TN12 6BW (Home) 01892 832420
[email protected] [email protected] PRESS & PR: Darren Tyre, 35 Augustine Road, Orpington, Kent BR3 3JY (Home) 01689 602456
[email protected] CPO: Dawn Travers, 91 Carlton Road, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 2DE (Home) 01737 210377
[email protected] WEBMASTER: Nigel Mead, 3 Heather Bank, Paddock Wood, Kent TN12 6BW (Home) 01892 832420
[email protected] ACORN EDITOR: Alex Peters 07980 210427
[email protected] Website - www.sevenoaksmotorclub.com
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EDITORIAL I am sorry that this December issue of Acorn has only just been published due to delays in obtaining some material (and others that I have still not received). I implore all club members to write in and tell me about their motorsport experiences (if you don't there are going to be a lot more articles about Mustangs... just take a look at this issue to see what I mean! ) I am very pleased that my old friend and fellow rock band member Colin Spark has joined the SDMC and will be contesting the speed League in 2015. Previously Colin sprinted bikes and now has turned his attention to cars. He has also shown a great support for the club by stepping in to take over as speed League Scorer on the committee from Russ Giddings who has stepped down after 5 years in the role. Colin has many great ideas to rejuvenate the Speed League and increase participation and enjoyment. Please would everyone join me in welcoming Colin to the club. I would like to do a series of profiles on new members, introducing them and their cars - so if you would like to be featured please write in! I also plan a series of profiles of all contenders for the 2015 Speed League, so please reply to the requests when you see them. Please join in with the Social events that Rosemary and Nigel Mead have organised - The New Year’s Day Walk, the Curling and of course the awards dinner. Details are in this issue. If anyone can help Redline American Muscle (who build my Mustang) find a new workshop in Kent, that would be much appreciated otherwise it will limit my Speed League season! Rosemary and Nigel Mead (Social) and David Balderson (Speed League) are looking to stand down from a long service, so please let us know if you would like to volunteer to take over. Alex Peters Page 4 of 52
CHAIRMANS CHAT On a gloomy 1st December I sit here at my keyboard having recently returned from another Endurance Road Rally with Graham Child – this time the Great Bustard ERR – which was based near Shepton Mallet and used all of the tracks at the Glastonbury Festival location, Worthy Farm, as well as a number of other farms and forests. Utterly great fun and a very full day’s motorsport. We started as car 24 at 11:24 Saturday morning and finished around 00:30 Sunday morning having had about a total of around two hours off for refuelling and repairs if required. Fortunately other than changing the two worn out front tyres Graham kept his hands clean and relaxed a little but I had plenty of route plotting to do so it was generally non-stop. These events are a really good stop-gap between road rallies and fullon stage rallies, but you get so much time in the car that there isn’t anything close in terms of value for money. Only 1400cc and no fancy gearboxes or limited slip diffs or knobbly are allowed so wear & tear on the car (and the wallet) doesn’t have to be that heavy. If you fancy some decent rallying then you really must give them a go. Next Saturday I’ll be off to The Preston Road Rally in Norfolk again, pedalling my black MX-5 round through the night and through some impressively muddy tracks as I did last year. I’ve raised the ride height a little bit more this time and put some better bump stops on the dampers but other than fettling the standard brakes the car is pretty much as it finished the event last year – minus all the mud. Might push a bit harder this time though, especially if I get round to sorting a trailer. Just before that is another local 12-car rally with Daren Hall on the Friday – again, a standard car is all you need, and the following week is our Scatter Rally on 11th December. Details available on the forum and website. As you can see, now that we have properly dark evenings there is Page 5 of 52
plenty going on rallying-wise, but all these events do need help from marshals. Graham will be leaving the Rover at home and driving up to Norfolk from East Sussex to marshal on the Preston for a change – as he knows how important this is and he’s keen to put a bit back. The same goes for the sprinting and racing boys & girls – you wouldn’t have any events without marshals so yet again I would implore you to make an early New Year’s Resolution and to respond quickly to requests for assistance at all sorts of events. It doesn’t matter if you know nothing about rallying, there’s always friendly advice on hand. There could well be important qualifying points available too! Talking of New Year does of course mean that the dreaded Christmas time is approaching fast. That also means that your club subscriptions are due soon too and I’ll be in touch very shortly asking for a few pounds to help keep your club alive. Please rejoin via the website if you wish, it seems to work well enough most of the time but if you have any problems then just give me a shout. Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year I hope that we will hear more of your antics via the Acorn and the website forum in 2015. Keep it upright! Andy Elcomb
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SPEED LEAGUE FORUM 2014 The annual Speed League forum was held on 19-Nov-14 to discuss the success of the season just passed and any changes for the next season. As always it was a fun and lively affair, well managed by Chin as the chairman. Speed League 2014 The final points totals for 2014 were handed out by Russ Giddings and can be seen on page TBD of the December issue of The Acorn magazine. It was agreed that the 2014 season had gone well, although the number of entries was down (23 registered entrants in 2014 compared with 33 in 2013).
New Scorer After five years of serving the SDMC as Speed League scorer, Russ Giddings has stepped down to be replaced by new member Colin Spark. Colin has already planned a number of initiatives including collating all entry forms and results, together with the latest championship status on the SDMC web site so that they can easily be found by competitors.
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Speed League Calendar 2015 David Balderson presented the draft 2015 speed league calendar with an amazing 37 rounds to choose from. This can be seen below. There may be some changes to come as technicalities are investigated over the winter. The 10 best scores will count.
Date
Event
Trophy
Round 1 North Weald 15-Mar-2015 Borough 19 Motor Club Ltd
LT
Round 2 Rockingham 22-Mar-2015 BARC (Midlands Centre)
TT
Round 3 North Weald 29-Mar-2015 SDMC
LT
Round 4 Goodwood 25-Apr-2015 Bognor Regis / TWMC
LT
Round 5 Aintree 25-Apr-2015 Liverpool Motor Club
TT
Round 6 North Weald 26-Apr-2015 Harrow Car Club / Green Belt MC
LT
Round 7 Wiscombe 26-Apr-2015 Woodbridge Motor Club
TT, HT
Round 8 Shelsley Walsh 02-May-2015 Midlands Automobile Club
TT, HT
Round 9
TT
Hethel Page 8 of 52
03-May-2015 Borough 19 Motor Club Ltd Round 10 Shelsley Walsh 03-May-2015 Midlands Automobile Club
TT, HT
Round 11 Rushmoor Arena 04-May-2015 Farnborough & District Motor Club
LT
Round 12 Goodwood 09-May-2015 Brighton and Hove MC
LT
Round 13 Lydden 09-May-2015 Apex / TWMC
LT
Round 14 Debden 10-May-2015 Herts County Auto @Aero Club
LT
Round 15 Snetterton 16-May-2015 Borough 19 Motor Club Ltd
TT
Round 16 Snetterton 17-May-2015 Borough 19 Motor Club Ltd
TT
Round 17 Coventry City 30-May-2015 BARC (Midlands Centre)
TT
Round 18 Coventry City 31-May-2015 BARC (Midlands Centre)
TT
Round 19 Abingdon 06-Jun-2015 Sutton and Cheam Motor Club
TT
Round 20 Anglesey 13-Jun-2015 Midlands Automobile Club
TT
Round 21 Anglesey 14-Jun-2015 Midlands Automobile Club
TT
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Round 22 Aintree 27-Jun-2015 Liverpool Motor Club
TT
Round 23 12-Jul-2015
Woodbridge West Essex CC
TT
Round 24 18-Jul-2015
Llandow BARC (Wales Centre)
TT
Round 25 19-Jul-2015
Llys-y-fran Swansea Motor Club
TT , HT
Round 26 Goodwood 01-Aug-2015 Brighton and Hove MC
LT
Round 27 Curborough 08-Aug-2015 BARC (Midlands Centre)
TT
Round 28 Hethel 02-Aug-2015 Borough 19 Motor Club Ltd
TT
Round 29 MIRA 08-Aug-2015 Shelsley Walsh Company
TT
Round 30 Debden 16-Aug-2015 Wickford / Green Belt
LT
Round 31 Aintree 05-Sep-2015 Liverpool Motor Club
TT
Round 32 Brighton S Trial 05-Sep-2015 Brighton and Hove MC
LT
Round 33 Shelsley Walsh 19-Sep-2015 Midlands Automobile Club
TT, HT
Round 34
Curborough 2 lap Page 10 of 52
TT
03-Oct-2015 BARC (Midlands Centre) Round 35 Debden 04-Oct-2015 Herts County Auto @Aero Club
LT
Round 36 Eelmoor DTA 04-Oct-2015 Farnborough & District Motor Club
LT
Round 37 Curborough fig 8 11-Oct-2015 Shelsley Walsh Company
TT
Round 38 Goodwood 17-Oct-2015 TWMC/SDMC
LT
Class structures Differences in class structures between events caused the speed league rules to be changed in 2014, with results being adjusted after the event to compensate for irregularities. This was felt to be complicated for the scorer, so for 2015 there is an attempt to remove events that do not meet the class structure used by most South East motor clubs. With this in mind, Alex Peters is discussing the class structures of Brighton and Hove Motor Club events with their Chairman, Len Wooler. Len has undertaken to put this matter to the B&H committee. Historic Championship Jason Andrews proposed a new Historic (pre1980) championship to run in parallel with the Speed League, using its events and distributed a proposal document. The aim is to encourage a number of historic car owners from across the country to join the Sevenoaks club.
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Wacky races Alex Peters proposed another new championship to include events that would not fit into the normal speed league structure. A set of rules and scoring mechanism are being worked on whilst Chin checks legitimacy of the proposals with the MSA. A more formal name for the championship is being considered. All rounds to count in the scoring. Date
Event
Notes
21-Feb-15
Pomeroy Trophy, Silverstone
Competitors need a race licence (ARDS test). Normal production cars need no modifications, car must be driven to the circuit from Towcester racecourse on public roads.
24-May-15 25-May-15
Crystal Palace Sprint
Legitimacy for inclusion being checked.
30-May-15 31-May-15
St Gueno sprint, Brittany, France
Competitors need Speed A licence and HANS. Legitimacy for inclusion being checked.
30-May-15 31-May-15
Coventry ring road sprint
Provision if this cannot be included in the regular Speed League due to unknowns about the organisation.
Jun-15
Time Attack, Brands Hatch
Details of arrangements awaited from organisers.
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23-Aug-15
5-Sep-15
La Harmoye sprint, Brittany, France
Competitors need Speed A licence and HANS.
Brighton Speed Trials
Provision if this cannot be included in the regular Speed League due to different class structures and SDMC invite.
Legitimacy for inclusion being checked.
Rule changes A number of rule changes for the 2015 Speed League were presented by David Balderson.
Historic trophy award excludes the overall winner. The Historic trophy will be open to cars on a rolling 25 years age, so for the 2015 championship pre-1990 cars will be eligible. The Kentish Times trophy award excludes the overall winner and the winner of the Muller trophy. The Best newcomer trophy will be proposed by the Speed league scorer but will be decided by the SDMC committee.
SDMC MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL You can renew your membership to the Sevenoaks and District Motor Club through the website at the following link: http://www.sevenoaksmotorclub.com/membership-renewal This includes options for online processing using paypal for payment, or printing out a form and posting it the old fashioned way. Page 13 of 52
2014 Autotest results Class Name A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A B
Chris Penfold Daren Hall Adam Snow Chris Smith Barney Lower Graham Standen Sophie Snow Jon Peterson Richard Olsen Anthony Newton Zach lower Josh Smith Christopher Newton Emma Olsen Felicity Purchase Kim Charnley Tim Loftus Ollie Purchase Ollie Whittaker Brian Sharpe
B B B B B B B B B B B B
Robert Sharpe Jim Pullar Andy Donn Roy Rayner Dave Cook Toby Cook Jim Bowie Ann Cook Chris Judge Luke Travis Andrew Bowie Chris Hunt
Class Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10 12 12 14 15 16 17 17 19 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 11 13
Award 1st in Class 2nd in Class 3rd in Class
Overall winner 1st in Class 2nd in Class 3rd in Class
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Overall Place 3 6 17 20 24 29 31 37 44 47 47 50 50 54 59 64 74 74 81 1 5 11 18 21 25 27 50 54 59 64 64 74
B B B B C C C C C C D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D E J J J J
Ross McCartney Dean Edbroke Alexander Clayson Andre Layne Emma Olsen Richard Olsen Christopher Newton Anthony Newton Barney Lower Jason Goodwin Alan Steadman Joy Waiton Steve Watts John Calder Paul Sales Paul Hebden Max Jones Lee Champion Lee Claydon Darren Tyre Des Crocker Gavin Lane Barney Lower Yvette Knight James Malcolm Darryl Jones Barry Strong Adam McGuiness Tom Martin Zach lower Mark Calder James Aylward Glyn Williams Charlie Lower James Tubey Sam Williams Daniel Burgess
13 15 15 15 1 2 3 4 5 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10 12 13 13 15 16 16 16 16 20 21 21 1 1 2 3 4
1st in Class 2nd in Class
1st in Class 2nd in Class 3rd in Class
1st in Class 1st in Class 2nd in Class 3rd in Class
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74 81 81 81 21 23 54 59 81 81 2 7 10 11 15 16 26 28 33 41 41 44 54 54 59 64 64 64 64 74 81 81 35 4 7 13 14
J J J J J P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P
Ben Webber Connor Oake Oliver Aldridge Ruari Bell Josh Smith Bailey Charlesworth Andy Webber Kevin Lower Harvey Bell Chris Smith Josh Smith Paul Hebden Nigel Mead Ross McCartney Susan McCartney Sue Gilbert Kim Charnley Zan Harris Lee Champion Elaine Champion James Malcolm Chris Hunt
5 6 7 8 8 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 13 15 15
29 34 35 64 64 81 1st in Class 2nd in Class 3rd in Class
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9 19 32 38 39 40 41 44 47 50 59 64 74 74 81 81
2014 AUTOTEST CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS
Brian Sharpe – Overall winner
Sam Williams – 3rd in class J
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Glyn Williams – 1st in Class E
Joy Waiton – 2nd in class D
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Adam Snow – 3rd in class A
Chris Penfold – 1st in class A
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CAPTION CONTEST The funniest entries will be published in the next issue. This month – “The horrendous after effects of the Bat and Trap accident !”. Thanks to Colin Shipway for the picture !
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HAVE YOU DONE ANY MOTORSPORT THIS MONTH? Please write in and let us know what motorsport activities you have done in the last month. Alex Peters – Attended a meeting at Brands Hatch with representatives of SDMC and TWMC to investigate including Time Attack as a Speed League event. Andy Elcomb – took his MX5 on the Preston Navigational Road Rally organised by Chelmsford and run on the farm tracks, fields and byways etc. around the Thetford area. It’s often regarded as the toughest rally in the country and certainly has a high instance of cars retiring for broken suspension, radiators etc.
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CLUB REGALIA Ark Trading, who have provided our clothing regalia for many years now have set up the club on their website for the online ordering of their products. These include sweatshirts, polo shirts, etc. Log on to http://www.arktrading.com From the menu on the left select ‘Club Sites’ click on ‘Motor Clubs’ and click on our badge to access the products directly. The password for ordering is sdmc123 The 2014 MSA Blue Book is viewable on line: http://www.msauk.org/site/cms/contentCategoryView.asp?categor y=635 Page 22 of 52
MY LIFE IN MOTORSPORT PART 2 The continuing memoirs of Steve Stringer. Steve gets a company car… About this time I changed job and got a company car, so the beetle was upgraded to a 1303S
and was the my ‘competition car’ every day transport being a 1300 escort estate, with work all over the country, evening autotests were a bit tricky, but at last we had a service vehicle… (Don’t tell Tilbury Construction) and for a big event I could scrounge a Tilbury Cortina estate. My escort was the fastest on the fleet mainly because it was before speed cameras and I thrashed it mercilessly, flat out from Heston service to the Severn Bridge was normal. Leaving Kent in time to get to Neath for a 9am start before the M25, and after a weekend of motorsport.
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I have to admit I got pretty good at Autotests, and by 1975 I had decided that I couldn’t afford to go higher in stage rallies, so BTRDA Autotests were the way, I stared looking at sports cars, the regs at the time had a wheelbase split, and the lotus 7 was in the large saloon and sports car class (with MGBs and escorts).
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They had been tried and no one had made it work, but it seemed to me that it should so I started a search, this found DLC991J, a 1971 series 4, with a fairly high mileage and a slipping clutch, it was £650, and good one was about £1100.
I picked it up on a Thursday, changed the clutch on Saturday, drove to Eastbourne on Sunday and won the class!! It was one of the coldest mornings I can remember, the screen on the 7 kept freezing up, I had to scrap it with a credit card, and on the Pevensey levels I came across Trevor Smith and Dennis Beare stopped, Dennis was towing and thought he had a puncture but after he fell over on the ice he decided it wasn’t!
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I then had a couple of weeks to get the handbrake working half decent and put an LSD in before the next round, that made the class too easy!!
But the plan was good, a year in an easy class, and by the end of the year I was getting the odd FTD, I had also met Flip, so the next year it was a serious assault on the championship from both of us. Some events she used Mike Elmer’s cannon special (the most difficult thing I have ever tried) and on otherwise we shared the 7 we drove the 7 to every event, one famous occasion we left Ipswich at 6 pm after Flip had had to show her mum’s dog in a show and then drove to Anglesey, did the event on Sunday drove back to Flip’s near Diss and then I drove to work on Monday!! There was no way to sleep in a Lotus 7!! The following year was a repeat except we towed to events, I managed to win the championship, and Flip took the ladies with ease. In those days finding accommodation was a little tricky… no Page 26 of 52
world wide wobbly web. Sometimes we took a tent and sometimes I booked B&B, we used to do an awful event at Huddersfield, I really struggled to find somewhere to stay, and booked a pub, we got to the place and pulled up - to which Flip (also towing) said ‘are we lost?’’ ‘’no this is it’’ ‘’I am not staying there’’ ‘’well you are sleeping in the car then’’ It had nylon sheets and massive valve TV that didn’t work, they didn’t do dinner but the breakfast was fantastic. So where do we eat we said “te Chinese oop road’’ which was doing a wedding and they said ‘’te cuntry cloob oop te road first left oop by te mill can’t miss it’’ well we found it. There were about twenty coaches parked up, and it was full… ‘’aye no prob, wait till ‘trippers go, and it’ll be al reet’’ best roast beef you could ask for. Result. Even the next day the CofC had no idea, one test was too tight, and while the sports cars were OK no one else would get round, Trevor was first I was second to go, so we said we wouldn’t start, parked our cars and told them to take a pylon out, they did in the end, the event was dropped after that.
In ’76 I also got enlisted to navigate for Chris Daisy on the caravan rally, this was a stage event for cars and caravans, with special tests at Page 27 of 52
the end (which was the real reason I was there). We were in a 3 car team, sponsored by CI and Lee Davy with cars from Drake & Fletcher/Vauxhall. Lyle Cathcart / Mike Cockle and us had droop snoot Firenzas, and Martin Lumby (a CI rep) had a victor saloon, with Blydenstein head and manifold, which was much quicker than the droop snoots.
The build-up went on for months, Chris and Lyle went everywhere (even out to dinner) with the caravan on the back, we all, went testing at Manston, where it was decided to put the caravans on 6” reverse rims with 70 profile radials, they gave so much grip we wore out the front corners of the caravan when they popped up on one wheel, so skids were fitted! The event was in April, and stared at Silverstone, it was ‘kin cold, and we had to sleep in the caravans, which were scrutineered more closely than the cars and had to have breakfast (cereal and dried milk, tea water and kettle) toilet facility (bucket and spade) at scrutiny we only had two tables for three Page 28 of 52
caravans, which caused a bit of trouble, (you talk to him while we swap the table type stuff) and the caravan Club didn’t think spare wheels should be bolted to the floor… anyway we started eventually with a stage around the track and out into the car parks at about 5.30am. It was very icy….
The arrows were put up by caravanners… so a straight over crest was not flat and led into a hairpin right, after a big tank slapper and both rear wings bent on the Firenza we stopped, chris selected first and was flagged down by a marshal who said in his best BBC voice ‘I say old chap do you know your gas bottle is hanging off’ for all I know it may still be there. We continued through forests and airfields I drove some of the road sections so Chris could sleep, and I discovered that sleeping on a stage was possible… the days were 20+ hours! We did a USAF base in Norfolk somewhere and tall the runway lights were on for us, but it was very icy at the finish the marshal was standing in the middle of the track to give us a time, but we were not slowing… at the last moment he decided to run…it was like a cartoon his legs and arms were going but he wasn’t!! On a road section we met a furniture truck which shot sheet of ice off it’s roof, this hit the screen, and cracked the laminated glass, then punched holes in the caravan and took the window out!! VERY SCARY The guys from Lee Page 29 of 52
Davy repaneled the van with new ready striped panels glued over the top, as there was a penalty for damage, but we had to sleep in he thing full of ice and glass… The service crews slept in big caravans at Silverstone… after the event we had won the team so sprits were high, it started with the double bed being made without the table in the middle so it all collapsed, then we tied a tin can full of stones on a piece of string, and hung it over a handle, waited for quiet, and gave it a tug… they thought we were winding up the legs so hatched a plan, Roger Bateman filled a saucepan with water, opened the door and tried to throw it over the roof to the noise, except it hit the side and soaked him….. we gave it 5 minutes and went again, this time he went outside in the cold…. And so the night went on…
More crazy adventures from Steve next month….
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AMERICAN MUSCLE EXPERIENCE Feature by Alex Peters I have known my friend Ant Webb for several years through the Mustang owners club. We met at the RAF Bruntingthorpe charity track day where we were both giving rides to the public. Since then Ant has developed this idea into a brilliant themed experience. Many of you may be familiar with the vouchers you can buy people for Christmas to give the experience of driving a car round a race track. However, I think these aren’t as exciting as they could be – driving a sporty version of the same BMW and Peugeot cars that many people go shopping in. Wouldn’t it be great to have a whole new sensation of sound, shock and awe driving a real American V8-engined muscle car! So this is the experince that Ant can offer you at Brands Hatch and Goodwood, starting at very reasonable prices.
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My experience of the operation I first got the chance to see the operation close up when I was marshalling for the SDMC autotest at Brands Hatch and left my 2007 Mustang GT parked in the pits as a static display to entertain Ant’s customers. As it tuned out, the autotest was cancelled so I got to spend some time with Ant and his professional crew and enjoyed the experience.
The cars at redline Ant has his cars maintained at the same Redline American Muscle workshop in Ayelsford, Kent that I use for my racing car, so I get to see them all regularly. I am most impressed with the professionalism of the car preparation work there. The cars are subject to continual improvement work, to enhance the customer experience. Currently there are a range of old an new mustangs and Corvettes, but the one I most excited about is the Pontiac GTO that is currently being restored. I nearly jumped ot of my skin when I heard the engine start, and I am used to the sound of big powerful V8s! Page 32 of 52
Customer excitement ! The pits had a party atmosphere with people who had just been out for a track session bouncing out of the cars, full of enthusiasm, relating their experiences to other people awaiting their next run.
Hot laps As well as allowing the public to drive these fantastic cars, Ant also offers the opportunity for passenger rides driven by experienced drivers. This includes SDMC member Jason Andrews in his GT350 which he built himself, around Brands Hatch and my own 600BHP supercharged Mustang at Goodwood.
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Ant Webb and his team at the Classic American Muscle Experience have very kindly provided a special discount to Sevenoaks and District motor club members – see the voucher on the next page!
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2014 AUTOTEST PICTURES By Colin Shipway You can see more pictures in the online copy of the December 2014 Acorn at http://www.sevenoaksmotorclub.com/acorn-magazines .
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WEALD MC - WINTER 12 CAR SERIES By Ian Conway Having enjoyed ourselves on previous 12-car rallies and events like the Kent 100, David and I decided to enter this season’s Weald 12-car series starting with the Borough 18 rally on Friday 10th October. Due to the predictably tight nature of the route we decided to leave the P6 Rover at home and bring the Metro GTa out to play. With a 1.4 Kseries engine, 16 valves, fuel injection and a kerb weight of just 830 kg these little cars are fantastic fun and cheap as chips to buy and run. Starting point was the Crown Point pub in Seal Chart, between Sevenoaks and Ightam. Having read that novices get route cards at the start I almost didn’t bring the OS maps, board, pencil case, etc – just as well I did as David had to plot the route at the pub before we set off which neither of was expecting. By the time we got to the car the expert crews had already set off at the front of the field, so we lined up behind an MGB, a Beetle and a Marina, all fellow novices. The route took us north towards West Kingsdown via Kemsing and Otford, then on to Horton Kirby before looping back to New Ash Green, east to Cobham then in another loop south and west via Meopham, before turning south and dropping down to the west of Wrotham back to finish. For the most part the roads were clear and the weather was fine so we pressed on through the first three controls dropping a total of just 12 minutes, but we lost a full 10 minutes on the run to TC 4 due to oncoming traffic, heavy rain and flooded sections which we came across with no warning. David had done a superb job with the plotting and we were repeatedly overtaken by cars which had started before us including one or two expert crews. The run from TC4 to TC5 was straightforward but the run from TC5 to TC6 was anything but, with hairpin bends and steep uphill and downhill sections. It was about this time that David ran out of plotting, and I ran out of road, as rounding a downhill, 90-degree right-hander in Brimstone Wood I hit a patch of leaves, hit the brakes and hit a tree. Fortunately Page 38 of 52
the car wasn’t damaged (the impact barely marked the Metro’s front bumper whereas I suspect it would have made a fair mess of the P6’s chrome one), but we limped into TC6 and explained to the marshall that we would cut and run back to Seal Chart. Back in the warmth of the Crown Point it seemed everyone bar the leading crews had found the 50-mile route a real challenge and actually we hadn’t done too badly, coming 5th overall. All in all a great evening out, if a little intense in places, and we can’t wait to get out on the next one.
ADVERTISING IN ACORN You can advertise your in Acorn and reach hundreds of target readers, their friends and families. In particular if your business focuses on motoring, mechanical work and associated services or covers Kent and surrounding areas. Rates are very reasonable £75 for a half page advert, £100 for a whole page. For this one payment you will appear in every issue for a year !
The
Acorn
NEW SOCIAL CLUB ORGANISERS NEEDED ! After a long and loyal service to the SDMC as club social event organisers, Nigel and Rosemary Mead are looking to stand down and let someone else have a go. If you have ideas for social events and fancy having a try, even to organise one-off events please let us know as soon as you can.
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S&DMC SOCIAL EVENTS CALENDAR ARE YOU INTERESTED IN ORGANISING A SOCIAL EVENT? If you have any ideas for a future Social Event and wish to have a go at organising please contact Nigel or Rosemary Mead on 01892 832420 (
[email protected] ,
[email protected] ) We will be happy to help and advertise the event for you. Also visit our website at www.sevenoaksmotorclub.com Please contact The Bell if you will be purchasing food. The Bell, High Street, Kemsing TN15 6BN Tel. No. 01732 76155 Sunday 17th December 2014
The Bell, Kemsing
Thursday 1st January 2015 Wednesday 21st January 2015
The Bell, Kemsing
Saturday 7th February 2015
Hadlow Manor
Wednesday 18th February 2015
The Bell, Kemsing
SEASONAL NOGGIN & NATTER Come and get into the festive spirit with a complimentary glass of hot punch and a mince pie. NEW YEAR’S DAY WALK Details to be arranged. NOGGIN & NATTER
S&DMC AWARDS DINNER Tickets and menu choices available soon. NOGGIN & NATTER
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YOUR INVITATION TO:
Sevenoaks and District Motor Club 2014 Annual Awards Dinner Saturday 7th February 2015 At Hadlow Manor Hotel Goose Green, Hadlow, Kent, TN11 0JH 6:30pm to Midnight. Prompt Dinner at 7:30pm Smart Dress Please. £35:00 per Ticket. Please pay on-line through our website or send a cheque, payable to Sevenoaks & District Motor Club, to Mrs R Mead, 3 Heather Bank, Paddock Wood, Tonbridge, TN12 6BW. (e-mail :
[email protected]) Please e-mail or post your choice of the following menu (ie. 1, 6, 11) NO LATER THAN FRIDAY 24th JANUARY PLEASE. Tickets to be sent to (address or e-mail) : ..............................
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STARTER 1. Potted Crab with Brown Bread and Butter. 2. Roasted Tomato and Courgette Soup. 3. Chicken and Ham Terrine with Plum Chutney. 4. Chill Poached Pear and Stilton Salad. MAIN 5. Rump of Lamb Nicoise Style. 6. Cod Fillet baked with Mature English Cheddar, Tomatoes and Parsley. 7. Chicken Supreme with Mushroom and Tarragon Stuffing and Rich Chasseur Sauce. 8. Mushroom Wellington with Rosemary, Tapenard and Tomato Sauce (V). DESSERT 9. Sticky Toffee Pudding with Toffee Sauce. 10. Chocolate Mousse and Shortbread Biscuit. 11. Lemon Posset with Fruit Compote. 12. Sherry Trifle. Followed by Coffee and Mints.
1st Person Name : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Menu Choice : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2nd Person Name : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Menu Choice : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3rd Person Name : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Menu Choice : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . If you have a preference please state who you would like to be seated with: ................................................. Page 42 of 52
ANYONE FOR CURLING?? Ladies – put the heated rollers away. Gentlemen – get out your brooms and start sweeping (you know you're better at it than the ladies!!). We have booked one of the three lanes at Fenton's Rink, Dundale Farm near Tunbridge Wells for a Beginners Night and require 2 teams of 4 people.
When : Wednesday 18th February 2015 Time : 8pm Cost : £20 per person
Price includes equipment, shoes and coaching (novices are not allowed on the ice without an instructor). The rink has a fully licensed bar (no food). The first 8 people paying a deposit of £10 each will get to try their hand at curling. Enquiries and deposits please to Rosemary or Nigel Mead (
[email protected]) Please note – a deposit of £60 has been paid to secure this booking which is refundable up to Monday 19th January. If deposits from 8 people have not been received by this date then the event will be cancelled to avoid a loss to S&DMC.
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NEW YEARS DAY WALK Just to let you know that we have booked The Camden Arms Hotel in Pembury for lunch on New Year’s Day, 1:30pm for approx. 20 people. We will start and finish in The Camden car park. Not sure of the exact route of the walk yet, but we will suss something out before the 1st! Meeting time will be 11:30 in the car park and the walk will start at 12::00. The Camden has asked for those requiring a meal afterwards to choose from their menu prior to the walk, so this will give time for menu choices to be made before 12:00. The walk should take one to one and half hours. The Camden would also like some idea of the numbers for eating a few days beforehand, so confirmation to us would be much appreciated.
REDLINE AMERICAN MUSCLE NEED A NEW HOME ! Redline American Muscle of Aylesford in Kent build SDMC member Alex Peters Ford Mustang and the cars of the American Muscle Experience featured in this issue, are losing their 11,000 square foot workshop premises as the land is being developed into a housing estate. If anyone knows of suitable workshop units that they could move to in Kent, ideally near Maidstone, please contact Mike and Kev via their website http://www.redlineamericanmuscle.co.uk/ Multiple smaller units on the same estate or farm could be sufficient.
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COMMITTEE REPORT The following are highlights of SDMC committee meeting 5-Nov-14.
Acorn - Advertising suggested at £100 / page, £75 / half page, per annum. Looking at colour costs and maybe going to A4 size again. Depends on cost, but if occasional bimonthly issues then that would probably work. (We previously went to A5 size to keep the postage at normal letter amounts). TRK - Still some issues with the new database. Next year should be easier. Monthly Mug – October agreed to award to Alex Peters for his class win at Eelmoor Sprint and to Joy Waiton for winning the Ladies award at the Eastbourne Autotest (beating Maidstone’s Emma Olsen).
SDMC have only be able to secure three dates North Weald so agreed to run the one sprint in March and two Autosolos in 2015. Ian Crocker is to attend a meeting about noise at North Weald on 12th Nov about noise. Agreed to co-pro a sprint at Goodwood on 17th October with TWMC. Nothing yet heard re confirmation of the autotest dates at Brands Hatch. Page 45 of 52
Chief Marshal - SDMC were at Brighton with about seven members. Still looking to cover one more control on the 12car. Speed League - SDMC need a sponsor for the Speed League. Also Speed League regs need to be changed so that the Muller & Kentish Times Trophies can’t be won by the same person. Crystal Palace - First organising committee meeting held recently mainly to confirm the key personnel. A reminder that Colin Billings will be standing down as CP Event Director after 2015 so we do need to find a new person to stand as the central point of focus for the event. The 2015 MSA Club Registration has been renewed online. A.Peters and J.Waiton will write the 2014 Yearbook.
JGF ACORN TANKARD AWARD So far in 2014, we have not had any entries for the JGF Tankard award, awarded for the best ‘Acorn on Tour’ picture – so send in your selfies with Acorn as soon as you can !
COMING NEXT MONTH ! Features planned for inclusion in the next issue of Acorn are: Tandem Autotest – A new Sevenoaks Club event by Lee Champion and Colin Shipway MSAR – great deals on motorsports equipment for SDMC members TRK – publication of the points in all SDMC championships Targa Rally – Paul Hebden and Kim Charnley’s experience of a new (for them) kind of motorsport !
Social Media for the Graham Hill generation– a guide to the Sevenoaks club website, forum and face book for older racing drivers Page 46 of 52
SEVENOAKS 2015 EVENTS Date
Event
26-Feb
Scatter Rally
22-Mar
Car Trial - Stoneacre
29-Mar
Sprint – North Weald
16-Apr
Scatter Rally
30-Apr
Autotest – Brands Hatch
24-May
Sprint – Crystal Palace
25-May
Sprint – Crystal Palace
28-May
Autotest – Brands Hatch
11-Jun
Autotest – Brands Hatch
14-Jun
Car Trial – Chapman’s Hill
25-Jun
Autotest – Brands Hatch
28-Jun
Autosolo – North Weald
9-Jul
Autotest – Brands Hatch
2-Aug
Autotest – Brands Hatch
30-Aug
Autosolo – North Weald
17-Oct
Sprint – Goodwood (co-pro TWMC)
1-Nov
London to Brighton Veteran Run
6-Nov
12 car
10-Dec
Scatter Rally
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RALLY CORNER Rally School This winter’s series of Rally Schools continues on the second Wednesday of each month (14th January 2015). All are welcome you just need a map (OS Landranger 188), a few soft pencils and a brain. If you know you’ll be attending please let Chin know (
[email protected] ) so that he can print enough course materials. IT’S FREE ! Great Bustard Rally 7Oaks results from the weekend's rallying on the Great Bustard Endurance Road Rally, Nat B, invited: Kevin Ablitt (navigator) in car 6 (MG ZR), 5th of 31 overall, 4th of 15 in class. Graham Child / Andy Elcomb in car 24 (Rover 200), 12 / 31 oa, 9/15 cls. Car 0 started 11:00 Saturday morning, finished 00:00 Saturday night which meant we finished around 00:30 Sunday morning. No major dramas although we had a puncture 4.5 miles into a 15 mile section in Worthy Farm (where the Glastonbury Festival is held) so had to stop and change the wheel before continuing. Fog during the dark didn't make things easier but was the same for everyone. We lost a bit of time hunting for a couple of slots but otherwise did the whole event with no fails or penalties other than time taken. Car in good shape too except for a broken spotlight lens when Graham pushed the nose into a hedge trying to get round a tight turn. Detailed results at: http://mtc1.co.uk/results/2014/greatbustard/OverallResults.php
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MARSHALLING FOR BEGINNERS By Ian Conway Last Friday I roped in my 17 year-old son Tom to marshall with me on the second of the Weald 12-car rallies, organised by 7Oaks MC. Neither of us have done it before, although Tom did navigate for me earlier this year on a scatter (and around Córdoba looking for a car park, long story). We arrived at the start point, the Malt Shovel in Eynsford, and Tim Loftus explained to us what we would be doing. Instead of code boards at points 2 and 7, Tom and I would be a ‘passage control’, flagging down each car and marking the appropriate box on the navigators’ sheets to show that they had been through. Excited, we jumped in the car and headed off to our first stop, just north of the A25 towards Ightam. With the first car due at 8.18pm, we positioned ourselves out of sight, Tom in the car with the clipboard and me by the side of the road. It wasn’t long before the calm was shattered by Paul and Tim, lights ablaze, opening the course. Ten minutes later our first customers arrived, beginners Richard and Miles, in their green MGF. Then in quick succession another half a dozen cars came through, and ten minutes later the rest of the field. By the time we handed over to Chin, who was closing the course, everyone had been through bar novices Dave and Chris in their white 205. Jumping in the car we headed off to our second post, not far from The White Horse in Underriver, and set up shop by the verge. By now it was a good few degrees colder and Tom was more than happy to stay in the car while I stopped the cars and signed the sheets before they roared off into the darkness. We saw Dave and Chris but there was no sign of the MX-5 of Joy and Lee or the Clio of Jas and Mike so at 10.30pm as agreed with Tim we made our way back to the Bell. It turned out to be a three-way tie for first place with experts Clive and Kevin and Wug and Bob joined on ‘no minutes’ and ‘no fails’ by novices Graham and Duncan. So far as we could see no-one broke Page 49 of 52
down or had any problems and everyone seemed to enjoy the course. Tom and I certainly enjoyed seeing it from the other side although I’ve made a few mental notes for next time. Bring warm clothing, a high-vis and a flask of Bovril. Lay out as much rally paraphernalia on the bonnet/roof as possible so it’s obvious to passing motorists you are lurking down dark country roads for a rally, not for any other purpose. And give the organisers credit for putting controls where you are least expecting them!
WHATS ON IN OUR AREA Event list kindly provided by ASEMC Date Sunday 11.01.15 Friday 16.01.15 Sunday 18.01.15 Sunday 18.01.15
Club Blackpalfrey MC of Kent Blackpalfrey MC of Kent Buckmore Park KC Chelmsford MC
Thursday 22.01.15 Friday 23.01.15 Sunday 08.02.15 Sunday 15.02.15 Friday 20.02.15 Thursday 26.02.15 Friday 27.02.15
Maidstone & Mid Kent MC Chelmsford MC Blackpalfrey MC of Kent Buckmore Park KC Eastbourne & RAM MC Sevenoaks & DMC Chelmsford MC
Type Regularity 12 car Weald 12 Car Rally Kart Meeting Single Venue Stage rally Scatter
Location
Status CM CM
Buckmore Park MOD Wethersfield
CM NB CM
12 Car Rally
CM
Regularity 12 car Kart Meeting Weald 12 Car Rally Scatter
CM
12 Car Rally
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Buckmore Park
CM CM CM CM
(Autotest pictures continued)
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