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SDMC race the Mille Miglia!

August 2015

Acorn

The official organ of the Sevenoaks & District Motor Club

The

SDMC 2015 AUTOSOLO PICS By Chris Judge

Some of the organising team in the new club gazebo.

Iain Gibson scrutineers' the FTD Austin Healey Sprite of Keith Pettit

Jim Giddings gets ready to burn rubber?

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Sevenoaks and District Motor Club Ltd PRESIDENT: John Symes VICE PRESIDENTs: Vic EIford, Grahame White ACORN MAGAZINE - Augsut 2015

The Editor, Committee and Club do not necessarily agree with items and opinions expressed within ACORN magazine OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN & REGIONAL REP.: Chin, 36, Churchside, Vigo, Kent, DA13 0SJ (Home) 01732 823132, (Work) 01322 311123 or 07889 668470 [email protected] 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] COMPETITION SEC.: Ian Crocker, (Home) 01892 546006 [email protected] SPEED LEAGUE COORDINATOR and ACORN EDITOR: Alex Peters 07980 210427 [email protected] SPEED LEAGUE SCORER: Colin Spark [email protected] TROPHY RECORDS KEEPER: Joy Waiton [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] 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] WITHOUT PORTFOLIO: David Balderson, 17 Glentrammon Close, Green Street Green, Kent BR6 6DL (Home) 01689 601661 [email protected] WITHOUT PORTFOLIO - Russell Giddings, 45 Castle Drive, Kemsing, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN15 6RW (Home) 01959 524837 [email protected] Website - www.sevenoaksmotorclub.com

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EDITORIAL I would like to welcome Chris Judge to the SDMC committee as the new Deputy Chairman working closely with Chin. As four times Speed League champion and organiser of ASEMC championships I have found him very helpful and supportive in the past. I think his attitude of getting things done will be a great asset to the club in the future. Welcome to a more compact Acorn – the crusade continues to further cut printing and postage costs as the font size has been reduced from 12 to 10, and the number of pages capped at 48 (actually 44 for this issue). We have had a good response to the Acorn cost survey with all but one recipient of the printed version supporting the idea of an annual charge (with the committee recommending £5 rather than the £10 suggested in the survey). You can still join in the debate on Facebook by taking the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NKHS83Q or use the paper forms in last month’s issue. I had intended this to be a Crystal Palace special issue, but apart from a video from Graham Pryme and a diary entry from Russ Burton, despite the large number of SDMC club members present at the event I haven’t received any articles. However, we do have some inspiring stories – Steve Stringer’s continuing memoirs where he tries a Skoda and Peugeot 205 rally cars, Clive Cooke’s Cornish rally adventures and greatest of all is Andy Elcomb’s fantastic Mille Miglia in a beautiful C type Jaguar. Unfortunately due to the new compact format I couldn’t fit in part 2 of Stuart Giles fascinating story of building his Brabham F1 style race car, hopefully this will be in next month. New for this issue are readers’ letters – it would be great if more people could write in and tell us more on what they think about the club and its events – what could be done to make any improvements? I am very excited to announce the motorsport suppliers evening on Wednesday 21st October 2015 at The Bell, Kemsing. Presentations from MSAR on race equipment and Balance Motorsports on setting up your race car. Please would as many people come along and support the event. Finally I must offer a great thank you to Andy Elcomb who lent me his Mazda MX5 for a go at both the Jim Bate trial and a more serious effort at the July Brands Hatch autotest. It was fantastic fun – thanks Andy! Alex Peters Page 4 of 44

NEWS Chin reported back from the MSA that Frontal Head Restraints (i.e. HANS devices) will be imposed on Rally and Sprint and Hillclimb events in all classes other than road going. People are encouraged to come to the presentation by MSAR in October to learn more. Following a public consultation the MSA have decided that List 1B tyres are not going to be banned for 2016 as had previously been planned. We have some interesting social events being planned with a Bat and Trap Barbecue in August and a motorsport supplier evening in October, please come and support these club events. More details can be seen on the social page in this issue. If you have any ideas for other activities please let us know, better still we are looking for a new social secretary to help organise events. If you fancy giving it a go but are a bit unsure, Nigel and Rosemary can be available to give you some support to get you started.

LETTERS TO THE SDMC We received this lovely card from Andrew Jackson following Crystal Palace!

Ten out of ten for the magazine, very up market, one of the best I have ever seen! Stuart Kingham Wickford Auto Club Page 5 of 44

And this letter from SDMC member Gerd Griepe and his son Jörg, from Germany. Many readers will have seen (and heard) their monster Audi at Crystal Palace! Hi Alex, Nice to have met you again, when over. This is just to say that Jörg and I did arrive safely back in Germany and that our DB7 did well on the trip back. The car seems to like a speed of around 120/130 mph on our Autobahns best - it runs really lovely then. We have been up to about 170 mph with it with still little to go. My wife was also very pleased, when she saw the car, so let's hope we have some luck with it. We have some noise issue, but I am not sure, whether this is the gearbox or the diff or whether it is coming from the tyres. Will have the tyres changed anyway later this year, when will find out. We had a good time at Goodwood and it seems that we are steadily improving. Although, there was no time keeping of course, since it was a trackday, I know that Jörg has done one lap just under 100 seconds, i.e. 98, 90. So the young man was very pleased with that and made up for being only forth in class at Crystal Palace. Goodwood and Octane were kind enough to let us out on two photo laps at the end of the trackday. One photo we attach to this mail. Will meet up again and will let you also know later on regarding more information about my car. All the best, Gerd [email protected]

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CHAIRMANS CHAT So, another month on and we’ve found the services of Chris Judge to join us on your committee, welcome Chris. Chris has been an enthusiastic member for many years – nearly as long as me – and has done most sorts of motorsport with notable success; he’s raced Minis and single seaters, in the old days when rallies were enjoyed at a higher level in our area he has driven on them too, as well as very successful Autotesting and Trialling. He’s currently contesting the National Car Trial Championship so you will see from this that he’s a very useful member of the team. To augment his competition career he has also contributed to our sport in other ways as he has run the ASEMC Speed, Autotest and Car Trial Championships for several years and built them to the good level they are now. Talking of Autotesting, the numbers we’re getting along to our evening events are getting to mean that latecomers don’t get an entry UNLESS they enter before the night. If you do this, and it helps everyone, then we will refund your entry in full if you can’t make it – but PLEASE let us know so that someone else can have a go. So we’ve recently run three successful events. Let’s start with Crystal Palace, if you were there you’d have seen what a great weekend it was; the weather was relatively kind – certainly kinder that the Monday of last year – but I would have liked to see a few more degrees on the Celsius scale. The crowd was about as good as we have had, nobody did anything too silly and the competitors had a good time too. My thanks go to all who helped to make it such a great event. Now what about those who weren’t there? Why not? Tell us and we’ll listen. As you will be aware this year’s event was the last for the team as it stands. Our Event Director, Colin Billings, is standing down having raised the event to the high stand it is (many thanks Colin), our title sponsors, Ancaster, are at the end of their contract and wish us well for the future. Ancaster have been very good to us, not only for the financial backing they have given but also for the effort they have made with their display area and promotion – thanks Ancaster. We also need support for those staying in post as we’re all getting a bit jaded by the effort and we’d love to share it with YOU. This event is too good to let die so please volunteer to help out. Secondly the Evening Autotest series as mentioned above. Within the large entry we’re getting we have also attracted lots of young competitors which is essential to our future. I do hope they’re all enjoying their motorsport and perhaps we can show them other types of events that they can enjoy, such as Car Trials and road based events in the ‘hot seat’. Thirdly the Jim Bate Car Trial at Chapmans Hill, Meopham, was a great, funpacked day out too. Team Balderson (that’s David and Christine and Yvette Knight) with the aid of Chris Judge made a well-run event which saw a field of happy, smiling people brave the cold wind and a rather grey day. The lack of much rain before the event made it difficult to set challenging hills but they managed it well and the timed tie decider at the end proved very popular. Chin Page 7 of 44

TROPHY RECORDS KEEPER By Colin Spark and Joy Waiton Many technical difficulties have now been overcome so there will be a lot more updates for next month. There are still a number of outstanding signing on sheets to be added for the CE White trophy so these scores are just a guide currently.

CE White Trophy Alex Peters Chin Joy Waiton Iain Gibson Colin Shipway Shelly Albrow John Rawlins Julie Clayden Sue Jessop Tracey Niel Nigel Mead Chris Judge Clive Cooke Keith Crocker Jason Andrews

15 14 10 9 7 7 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 5

Andy Elcomb Andy Kilby Christine Balderson David Balderson Graham Pryme Stacey Thompson Colin Billings Adam Snow Paul Sales Steve Pattinson Karen Webber Jim Giddings Maria Clayden Rosemary Mead

4 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Stuart Giles Phillip Russell Jade Webber Neil Clayden Chris Scudder Roy Dawson Brian Kirby Martin Stevens Darren Tyre Gee Dawson Yvette Knight Megan Williams Darren Clayden Tim Loftus

3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1

Christian Brewer Lee Claydon Daniel Burgess Adam Bettinson Robbie Kazandjian Giles Taylor Steve Stringer Ian Crocker Mark Cheevers Kim Charnley Neil Clayden Billy Finch Chris Tabor Bev Comber

9 9 9 9 8

Insite Graphics Speed League James Silk Alex Peters Jeffery Wiltshire Andy Elcomb Paul Sales Darren Tyre Jolyon Walkling Scott Hughes Colin Spark Jason Andrews Nick Attridge David Balderson Stephen Alecock Bob Gibson Chris Berrisford

92 85 73 64 57 40 36 35 34 31 31 31 30 30 29

Lee Champion Russell Burton Kevin Lower Clive Suggitt John Rawlins Jim Giddings Helen Currie Tracey Niel Patrick Bridger Howard Lester Jim Bryant Roger Burgess Joy Waiton Ian Trimnell Andy Webber

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28 24 24 23 23 23 20 20 12 12 12 11 11 10 10

8 8 7 7 7 6 6 2 2

A LIFE IN MOTORSPORT - PART 4 By Steve Stringer In 1985 Phillip Young (of long distance rally infamy) wrote an article in C&CC on Skoda Trophy, that seemed a good plan, they were supposed to be group A so a few trips to Belgium may be possible… we went up to Skoda GB, and talked to Sherlodge, our local dealer, the end result was a new 130L for £2500 (list £3700), it was going to be on their books, as a demo for a few months (to enable the big discount), and any bits we didn’t want went back into stock. I had the shell stripped before it was registered which when Skoda GB found out they gave us a real roasting… apparently if the DVLA had come to look they would have lost the concession!! I think the sound deadening was 50% of the weight of the car, anyway we got it all off, put an alloy cage in, and threw everything away we didn’t need, and were still about 100kgs heavier than a works car (we think they had thin panels). A shakedown at Goodwood, some local stuff and two Autosport national events (to get Skoda start money) filled the year between breakages! In ’85 we towed it with all the gear behind my 305 estate, which was a bit marginal, as was proved when with Pam driving, a wheel bearing went and the trailer took over the result of which was a 3 lane and hard shoulder tank slapper that ended with us facing the wrong way, with only three wheels on the trailer and dented rear wings on the 305, Pam had to drive the rally car, which was overheating (again) back while I drove the 305 and 3 wheel trailer, the insurers were very rude about my faithful 305 and wanted to write it off, it only had about 130k on it, they did mend it in the end though.

Then in ’86 we did the whole Skoda Trophy championship (National Autosport events) ending up 3rd in the championship. I have never had a car that broke so many different things… I also used to have problem with my mind wandering on stages the thing was so slow! I would be thinking about what was happening Page 9 of 44

tomorrow or next week, not conducive to a good time. We had bought an Avantura 5 berth motor home from Barry Dutnal, it was on a single wheel Bedford CF chassis, and was probably over weight when empty! With a rally car on the back, and not helped by the fact it had a Rover V8 and auto box in it, it was a bit difficult to stop, but it made mincemeat of hills… Pam and I would leave with the rally car and motorhome and the service crew would come up later in my 305 estate, which had a lot of hard miles on it but was a good tool. I think it worked out cheaper than hotels!! When we did Granite city in Aberdeen Pam and I had left on Thursday, stopped on the way up and arrived in plenty of time for the 2 hour scrutineering queue. We were set up in the service area, and had sorted all the paperwork, at

about 10pm thinking it was time Dennis and Tony turned up… then we got a message (pre mobiles of course) to say the 305 was scrap, but they had hired a Montego and were on the way (still in Newcastle!!) So we did the rally, one of the roughest events I have ever done, it broke the front suspension arms so we had no front dampers, not to bad on the stages as we just ran in the ruts, but lethal on the road! Everytime we met the lads all they did was whinge about the Montego… which I later discovered Dennis was driving pretending to be Tony as he was the only one who had his licence with him, and therefore the only one the hire co would let drive… Any way we finished which most Skodas didn’t, then we took the hire car back to Aberdeen airport, it was on a one way hire, to find that it was one way 24hour hire, they then charged full rate and mileage = £485!! (On Tony’s credit card, he went white, I don’t think he had ever spent that much in his life!!) We Page 10 of 44

packed everything in the rally car and motorhome and headed back to Newcastle to collect the other bits from the 305… then non-stop to Kent, it is a long drive I can tell you!! We also had a great deal of trouble keeping the car, without dampers, on the trailer. This time the insurers did write the 305 off! (and paid Tony’s hire car bill) It was the other driver’s fault, D&T had stopped with the road blocked on the A68, to be collected by a Sierra that was next over the crest! The last but one event was Carlisle, and I went over the flying finish of the last stage flat despite pam saying there was a bend… we landed on top of the biggest rock in the UK, all 4 wheels were dangling!! In true Skoda trophy comeradie all the other runners stopped after the stop line and came back to lift us off, which did my back, the next morning busting for a pee it locked up while I had one leg off the overcab bunk, and one still in the bunk, the others thought it was funny, I very nearly had an accident!!

Early in my servicing for Chris Daisy he did Ypres, about 1974 I think. He had gone out to note with a Rootes Avenger demo, so I was taking the rallycar out (no trailers then), late at night on the Thursday I think, we arrived about 5am and I had driven Page 11 of 44

straight over a main road give way junction, which was very badly marked, good job nothing was coming, I would have been very unpopular! This got me hooked on Belgian rallying, it wasn’t very successful as the axle tube pulled out and stuffed Chris in the ditch. So we borrowed Tony Maslen’s Granada and Trailer, I was then left in the car at Calais while Chris went to get the recce/service/Rootes demo car, we then towed the rallycar onto the boat and off at Dover, at passport control, Chris stopped handed over the passports for checking and pulled away forgetting, I had my own passport… we were soon surrounded and marched back to the passport booth, where the officer was having a sense of humour failure, my first run in with Dover customs, others were to follow! After this early sortie I was always up for servicing over there, and went many times with Kevin Haselden, Chris Browne etc. We used to go via Zeebrugge if we had a trailer as the Belgians were far less difficult over paperwork, one occasion we got stopped and the customs bloke told us we couldn’t enter Belgium… then he walked off so we drove off through the dock gates.. Kevin was and still is a bugger for not doing everything on a car, he was using a Sunbeam Ti in Group1 spec and had never bought the front airdam, or rear spoiler, that was on the homologation papers.. eventually he couldn’t get through scrut at Ypres, so being a jammy git drove down the road until he found a Ti parked, he then went in a shoe shop found the owner and borrowed the tailgate and spoiler!! The rally in those days was 24 hrs non stop, so on Sunday morning KH and I took the tailgate back leaving Pam and Liz Jordan drinking coffee in the square, well we didn’t know the guy’s wife was going to cook cakes etc for us did we.. so several hours later we returned to a big bollocking! Of course we had then missed the boat, but bluffed our way onto a freight ship. As there were two girls the captain asked us up to the bridge for afternoon tea, KH missed it as he was asleep, but we had a very interesting crossing.

So all that meant that after two years of a pain in the backside Skoda, for 1988, we were up for a bit of Europe (which was the original plan for the Skoda). Study of form and championships led to the formulation of a plan, the Skoda was sold (for £3600!!) and it was decided the West Euro Cup looked good, events in Sweden Page 12 of 44

(which we were not ready for) Holland (2), Germany (3 we did 2) Belgium (2, we missed the first), Isle of Man and Southern Ireland, looked just the ticket. I wanted a proper rally car that you could get all the right bits for, for a short time a Reggie 5 Turbo was an option, as Sherlodge were also Renault dealers, just before I actually committed to buy one, the FIA changed the turbo multiplier and put it in with Cosworths. Further research suggested a 205 could be the answer. So after a really helpful afternoon with the very nice Des O’Dell, who told us exactly what was worth buying and what spec to aim for, a written off 205gti was on the shopping list, I found rolled one and Den and I went and fetched it, we did a bit of a deal with Rootes, and new shell and a long list of bits were ordered to build a Group A 1600. As always time ended up tight… and three days before we left for Holland I drove it all the way up to Cheshire, to run it in and to put it on Skip Brown’s rollers (they had supplied the head). Some intermediates and wets were ordered and we loaded it all on my trailer behind Bill Cook’s transit and an overnight run to the tulip rally. The organisers supplied pace notes and a lot of the event was on army ranges, one problem reared its head fairly early on, the notes didn’t have surface changes, and we ended up hitting a massive hinkelstein (tank trap) sideways which gave about 2inches of toe out at the back!! Still we finished and got 2nd in class. We continued with various dramas, including arriving at scrutineering on the Hellendourne, and finding everyone else had numbers, we were supposed to have signed on, that was quick trip back to the town centre on the wrong side of the road with the lights on. We only retired from one event, in Germany with an electrical fault, (caused by the

fact that the PTS competition distributor had not had a small mod done!!), I put it in a ditch on Bianchi. The first stage there was around a car park with bales of straw, a big autotest, 3rd overall after that!! Then, a few stages later I wrong slotted having miss heard a note, which made me a bit cross, Pam said she was going to tell me to back off, but never got that far, as I lost it under braking in 5th, went a very long way down a grass verge sideways, which stopped at a ditch! The front was on one side the back on the other, the spectators, many of whom had been jumping out the way, said it was kaput, but after I dragged one into the ditch they got the idea and helped, we finished but rather low down the results! The next event was Manx Page 13 of 44

for which we bought some notes, by the time I had decided they didn’t work for me, it was too late, that is not the place to lack confidence, and a 205 jumps horribly, so we ended up with our worst score of the year (5th in class) it was a high coefficient though and several had not gone so it could have been worse. That left the Cork20, as we didn’t want to go to Germany for a coefficient

one event if we could help it. It was one of those events where it all went well, we were catching people on stages and flying, we even passed the works Peugeot Ireland car. We were 1st in class and 8th GpA overall, beating all the 2 litres! The end result was 2nd in class and 6th overall in the championship, a trip to Holland for a piss up and to collect about £600 of prize money. The Amsterdam rally in 1989, the second retirement, due to a strange electrical fault. The resulted in Chris Browne and Pam in the bar for happy hour, and by the time Tony came down he was the only one who could drive us into town for a rice platter, he had never driven abroad before, but we got there and back, via a few bus lanes and cycle paths .. More no doubt to come.

CRYSTAL PALACE VIDEO By Graham Pryme Unfortunately despite the large number of club members at Crystal Palace we didn’t get any stories sent in for the Acorn (apart from Russ Burton’s diary entry). However, the great Porsche-spinning Graham Pryme has sent in this brilliant video. Guess what is the first competing car to appear in the film? (guess again - you could be wrong….) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7BvacUhCHM

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M.G. AT EASTER 2015 By Clive Cooke Syd and I have been competing in the MCC classic trials - the Exeter on the first weekend of January finishing in Babbacombe, the Land's End at Easter finishing in Newquay (well it's not that far from Lands End!) and the Edinburgh on the first weekend in October finishing in er. Buxton - for the last 30 years and as our combined ages are now around 145, we decided not to enter in our usual Class in the 'Main Trial' but to enjoy the slightly less damaging (for vehicle and crew) Class O. This takes in much the same road route but the off-road sections are a little less fearsome, in theory. So after having campaigned a Hillman Imp, a Skoda Estelle, an Austin Healey Special, a very modifed Reliant Regal (don't laugh - many did until we beat them!) and my left hand drive ex California MG Midget we now drive in more comfort in what I call my MG X90. A very popular vehicle in the trials world, although not on the roads it seems. Based on The Suzuki Jimny it's a 2 wheel drive 2 seater with a 1600cc front engine, rear wheel drive and only two seats. Classed as a sports car interestingly enough. Well what else would you call it? Obviously we've raised it about 2 inches back and front, although the ground clearance was already pretty good and added substantial sump and fuel tank guards. Other than that, the map reading light, extra clock, navigator's foot brace, grab handle and Brantz meter it's fairly standard. A fire extinguisher and spill kit are mandatory and that's about it. At the back we've added a spare wheel cradle to supplement the one in the boot and fitted an on board compressor for re inflating the tyres after sections. The only additions at the front are plastic covers for the (expensive) headlights, and of course the MG badge. This was actually added when we did an East Sussex MG Owners club run and had to use it instead of the Midget - seemed to keep everyone happy! So Easter 2015, our 27th Lands End Trial, started for Judy and me on the Wednesday before Easter when we connected the MG X90 to the Cougar with an 'A' bracket allowing us to travel in comfort, with it following on behind. Electrics are no problem with a trailer lighting board, but it is very important to remember to turn the ignition partly on so the steering can respond around corners. Backing-up is not an option!

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All quite legal as both vehicles are taxed and insured, and as a four wheel trailer we can travel at 70MPH - in the right places. Only slight snag is the fuel consumption which can fall to around 22MPG depending on the wind direction! Syd, my navigator (remember him from the first line ?) and his wife also leave on the Wednesday and travel down to Taunton for an overnight stop whilst we go to Sidmouth. Partly because we like Sidmouth and partly because there's a nice Chinese restaurant! The next afternoon we meet up at base camp, our chosen hotel for the week in Newquay - not much of a town, but a wonderful view from the hotel and pleasant owners. We've been going there for about 10 years now and he has progressed (?) from a Morgan via a Porsche, to a Land Rover Defender? Never mind, at least he puts Doombar on draught for the week! The Trial itself doesn't start until Friday evening, in Bridgwater, some 120+ miles up north and so after dinner (priorities!!), off we go into the night and leave the ladies to the luxury of an evening in the hotel. The event consists of some 300+ entries, including around 100 bikes so the logistics of organising are quite frightening but it usually works out OK. First job at Bridgwater Rugby Club (only place big enough to hold us all and have hot food and drink late at night) is to go through scrutineering where the vehicles are checked for legality and compliance with the MSA (and of course ACU) regulations. No problem for us, but some poor unfortunates are busy trying to fix lights etc., which probably worked OK yesterday but given the age of some of the vehicles, are not entirely dependable. I remember some years ago coming across a motorcyclist who had been stopped en route by a young policemen because his rear light wasn't working. Said motorcyclist wandered round to the back of the bike and to the policemen's astonishment calmly apologised and said it had blown out ! It really was a gas light and the acetylene had run out as the water feed had dried up. (the gas is produced by water dripping on Calcium Carbide) Once the gas supply was restored and a match used to relight it, the policeman dissapeared, happy but bewildered. Yes, some of the vehicles really are that old, along with some of the competitors! Page 16 of 44

We were starting near the end of the field and our start time 00.35 hrs. gave us time for coffee. We have 248 miles to go, with an estimated finish time of 15.30 hrs. and we leave the comfy surroundings of the Bridgwater club for the dark and fairly cold road run to the first off-road section.

Syd is reading from the comprehensive route card issued to each competitor which theoretically is a foolproof method of completing the course, however as with all foolproof methods, it doesn't always work first time and we have to use our common sense a couple of times before arriving at Catsash, a section first used in 1980 and described as an 'unsurfaced lane with mild gradient'. (One of the features of the route card is that it can be copied from previous years and can go a bit awry. Also because it can be put together by somebody who knows the area, and not checked by somebody who doesn't, you can end up with my particular bette noir of.' take the old A30, past.....'. Unfortunately there is never a road sign saying 'old A30' and unless you know the area it's meaningless, or worse at 3 in the morning!) Well, Catsash was indeed unsurfaced and it did have a gradient although I might dispute the word mild. Nonetheless, after lowering the tyre pressures to 18PS we climbed up it without stopping - a 'clean' in trials parlance - a good start. Another 24 miles on including the spectacular Porlock Hill and it's Crook Horn Hill, officially Page 17 of 44

a 'county highway' which at 18 PSI again was cleaned without any drama. Another fairly long drive now over parts of Exmoor (sheep lying on the road after a warm day always a potential hazard!) with the inevitable full moon giving the impression every now and then that a car is following close behind. There are of course a lot of vehicles about, but not normally that close. On to County Gate on the Somerset/Devon border and a Time Control, just to make sure people aren't going too fast, or too slow and from here looking West you can see the lights of South Wales quite clearly across the Bristol Channel. Now it's down the infamous Contisbury Hill, with it's emergency run-off areas ( I suppose being stopped by a bank of pretty solid gravel is preferable to running away down the hill - just!) to Lynmouth and then up Lynton Hill - part of the trial in the twenties - to another Time Control at Barbrook village hall where hot food and drink is available, and welcome, and the profits go to the upkeep of the hall. Down the road a little way and it's Beggar's Roost, again a famous hill from the past and still difficult in modern cars with it's unmade, rocky surface. It's 04.00 hrs. now and getting pretty chilly but at least nowadays we have a roof, unlike the Midget which didn't. Off again across some pretty inhospitable areas of Exmoor where even the lambs have to have protection from the frost by way of jackets/coats cut out of fertiliser bags - cute! Past an 'older' motorcyclist who has fallen of his bike for the umpteenth time and once righted insists on continuing allbeit a little more hesitantly - he's convinced it was ice, but I'm not so sure? Barton Steep, first used in 1934, is the next section. Described as 'tarmac surface with moderate gradient and bends' and as 'roughness category one' we begin to wonder........... anyway, it was tarmac, or had been once and it had gradient and by golly did it have bends! Just to make things a little more lively the organisers decided to put in a 'restart'. This consists of two lines across the road between which you have to stop with two wheels, back or front, your choice, and then when the marshal drops his flag you start off, without rolling back at all, and continue to the end of the section. Fine, except that where exactly you stop can be important and you have about two seconds to make the decision as you see the lines. We left the back wheels between them and then took off, we thought, withour any rearward movement but when the results were issued we discovered that we had been penalised. In the pitch black, that marshal must have had great eye sight, but there you go...................! Page 18 of 44

Eighty nine miles after the start we arrive at the attractively named 'Hangman's Hill' near Hannaford, which at 04.55 hrs. looks pretty bleak. This one was first used in 1930 and is described as 'unsurfaced lane with mild gradient'. Described by whom for goodness sake, and when did they last see it? It looked damp ( competitors are not allowed to look at the section other than from the start line incidentally) so we dropped the pressure to 15PSI and with a bit of struggling and some excellent 'bouncing' by Syd we got to the top. Pump the tyres up again (on board compressor remember?) and off again some 20 odd miles to Sherwood - no, not that one - an 'unsurfaced lane with moderate gradients' yeah, yeah, yeah. Actually it wasn't that difficult, even with the little chicane the organisers had added with tapes and sticks, and another 'clean' After 100+ miles, beginning to feel hungry now and it's still 2 1/2 hours to the breakfast halt somewhere in Cornwall. Through Great Torrington and on to 'Orange' a 1959 hill with similar description, which we ignored and climbed it fine, again on 18PSI. We're now near the Hartland peninsula, with it's views over Lundy, where the Puffins live, only it's still dark so could be anywhere really! But we do stop at a little old garage in Bradworthy which has been opening for the trial since the twenties and still does. Very useful as we could do with some fuel does around 35MPG by the way. Twenty miles later and after passing through Bude we arrive at Widemouth Bay, a famous surfing beach and a simply wonderful view, especially in the not quite daylight light. Very tempting to stay a while here and have a quick zzzzzz, but probably best not to? Tiredness doesn't seem to be a particular problem as we both had some sleep on the Friday afternoon in the hotel and that seems to take the edge off it. I know some people who do a full days work on Friday and then drive down to Somerset and do the trial - and some even drive home again afterwards. Not for me I'm afraid - maybe age or something? After 150 miles (over halfway hurrah) and we're at 'Oozes Water' a 'roughish track' etc. etc., but the clue is in the name, 'cos it does, and how! Oh and there is a ford directly before the section, so you don't even start on dry tyres! Down to 15PSI and resist the temptation to go lower in case there are unseen rocks, which as it happens there aren't, but there are some interesting moments negotiating the bends hub deep in water and then relief as the tarmac reappears. Another 'clean'. Pump up the tyres again and it's off to Wilsey Down with it's compulsory one hour break. It's a livestock market in the middle of nowhere and whilst the ambience is definitely 'sheepy', the cooked breakfast is great and very welcome. In the car park there is an MSA official doing a noise test. He puts a probe near the exhaust and demands 2/3 maximum revs, but first asks me to start the car. Page 19 of 44

I tell him, politely, that it's already running and he pretty nearly gives up on the spot! It passes at something like 79 decibels (the limit is around 105 I think?). One very Cornish Escort (highly tuned and very successful) fails miserably and the crew are then seen filling the 'silencer' with all sorts of material in order to quieten it. He lines up for a retest, revs the engine and a great wad of material shoots out the back and comes to rest 100 yards away - he failed! Seems to me that this might be better at the start 'cos if it is considered annoying to the public, then the guy has already driven 150 miles through the quiet of the night potentially annoying many people. We don't need that in motorsport, it's tough enough as it is! We are now in the woods, mostly Forestry Commission on the south side of Bodmin and we have to behave ourselves as few events are allowed here and any silly actions could be the end. All common sense really especially as these woods are open to the public (not in vehicles) and at 11.00hrs there are people about cycling, walking and generally enjoying what is a pretty special amenity - go have a look sometime if you can. Anyway, Petherwin Old Hill, first used in 1932, is easily disposed of and then comes what they call a ‘special test'. Not terribly complicated, but after driving for so long it's easy to make mistakes. The test is not very long but is timed and used for tie breaking purposes only. The navigator stays on board for this and he's allowed, even encouraged, to shout at me if it looks like we're taking a wrong turn! Starting with the front wheels on line A, you drive forwards and over line B with all four wheels (two on a bike!) and then reverse over line B and drive on to stop astride line C. Not too challenging but easy to make a mistake and that equates to a 'fail', just as not climbing a section does, so I tend to take it easy and make sure it's right, albeit slow. Still on Bodmin we arrive at a new section, 'Laneskin' where there's a bit of a queue and the officials seem in a bit of a quandary. Apparently the course opening car couldn't get up the section and the first two bikes took about five minutes to extricate from the mud among the trees. With close on 300 entrants, this would mean a delay of several hours, not good for competitors or of course marshals, who have also been up all night. Spurred on by suggestions from competitors, the marshals finally manage to contact somebody senior enough to declare the section 'scrubbed' and whilst it's always disappointing to lose a section, it made good sense. Maybe next year it won't be as wet? 200 miles now and we've gone through Bodmin and can't be far away from the Page 20 of 44

finish (48 miles actually!) and arrive in Bishops Wood. There are two sections here, one on fairly hard material which at 18PSI presents no problems but, the next one is definitely wetter and once the tyres are down to 11PSI, we have a go. The description, although we're almost ignoring them now, says 'forest track, fair gradient with steep nip and deviation near the top'. What in heaven's name is a 'steep nip and deviation’? We struggle up through some pretty unpleasant undergrowth with the wheels spinning at times and gripping very well at others - a real test of the diff., so feather the throttle a little to avoid too many shocks to the system and we arrive at a little plateau of gravel with a 90 degree left followed by a 90 degree right and what appears to be a brick wall, only it isn't, it's a steep grassy track with a dead end. Very strange! With a bit of 'welly' in what proved to be the right places, we negotiate the 'nip and deviation' and even climb the grass slope - brilliant. We then have to reverse down and head off through the woods, pretty pleased with ourselves, and the car. Now it's the 'BIG ONE', the world famous Blue Hills Mine. Heading in to Perranporth (quiz question - what famous motor sport personality is associated with Perranporth? There's a clue just down the road where the Healey cider farm is still going strong - yes of course, Donald Healey!) and we pull up at a control in the Texaco garage. There are three sections at Blue Hills; Blue Hills One, Blue Hills Two and Old Blue Hills. The road down into the little valley, very pretty if a little scary, contains a little loop and climb back on to the road, on cobbles and that's One. Blue Hills Two is the daddy of them all, a miner's footpath up the side of the cliff with a grass bank on your left covered with hundreds of spectators on Easter Saturday and on your right, well nothing really, just a single strand wire fence and a bit of a drop. Still, best not to think of that. At the top there is a winch which is set up every year for the event and has been run by the same family probably since it was first used in 1936. We have been obliged to accept the offer of its services once or twice........! And then there's Old Blue Hills, used first in 1924, which has an incredibly steep left hairpin, on tarmac. How those early cars got up there I will always wonder, but they did! For our class we have a choice of Old Blue Hills or Blue Hills Two and for me it's a no brainer. Why risk what could be an award winning trip by tackling a hill the car doesn't like, Page 21 of 44

Blue Hills Two. The large rocks just seem to stop it dead and it has defeated us twice in the last three attempts. Admittedly one of them was wet but......................? So Old Blue Hills it is and with a great deal of tyre smoke we make it off the restart - oh, did I forget to mention they put a restart on the steepest part of the hairpin, nasty - and on up the hill to the top of the world, or so it seems, and the effective end of the trial. Just a quick run back now to Penhale Round Premier Inn for the finish and signing off - don't forget the damage declaration!

Now a short run back to the hotel with dinner definitely high on the list after a nice pint of Doombar, with the ladies who've probably been to Padstow or St. Mawgan enjoying their day. Did we do well? - Actually we did. We didn't achieve a Tin medal (made from genuine Cornish tine, from Blue Hills - only 2 awarded this year) because of that roll back on Barton Steep, but we did achieve a Copper medal, one of three to win it with only one fail. That counts as a result in our book. Did we enjoy it - of course we did, but never again. Not until next year anyway!

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MILLE MIGLIA 2015 By Andy Elcomb

Picture the scene – there I am one early January evening, standing on a chalet balcony at a ski resort in France looking out onto a beautiful winter vista, when the mobile rings. “Wotcha Andy, Micky Collins ‘ere from JD Classics. D’ya want to do the Mille Miglia in our Fangio C Type Jag?” Hmm, that’s a tough one. What do I do? I know it’s in May, but not sure if it clashes with Crystal Palace. About three Nanoseconds later I have the answer – “Oh alright, go on then Micky, I’m in”. “Righto, I’ll get back to you later” says Mr C. Page 23 of 44

Cripes! I’ve just committed to taking part in one of the most famous events in the world in a famous and extremely valuable car, so no pressure then. The next good news was that the Mille Miglia was to run the weekend before Crystal Palace so there was no great conflict there either – phew!

A bit of background - JD Classics is a highly respected and successful classic car restoration business based in Maldon, Essex and Micky Collins some may remember as a long time 7Oaks member and one half of the “Essex Boys” who sprinted an Escort way back when. A couple of years ago Micky asked if I could give a rough & ready navigation course for Mille Miglia customers that either had never read a roadbook before or just wanted a bit of a refresher and that I have done, taking the opportunity to have a look around their superb showrooms and workshops. There is some very serious, beautiful and expensive machinery there. Every year JD takes a number of customer and their own cars over to Brescia in Northern Italy for the modern Mille Miglia, which is no longer a full-on road endurance race which it was certainly was between 1927 and 1957, but more a classic rally with regularity driving tests to produce a result. Yes, it’s THAT event – the one that made Stirling Moss & Denis Jenkinson famous in 1955. Only cars that either did take part in an original Mille Miglia or are the same model as those that did can take part in the event and entries are hard to come by with thousands of hopeful applicants being whittled down to around 450. This year JD took eleven cars; 5 Jaguar XK120s, 2 Alfa Romeos, a 1954 Lincoln Capri, 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 together with the 1951 Jaguar MK7 of JD Classics Managing Director Derek Hood and Competition Department Manager Steve Riedling as well as the 1952 Fangio C-Type of JD Classics’ resident racing driver Chris Ward and professional navigator Andy Elcomb (their words, not mine!)

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Whilst the modern Miglia doesn’t run right through the night any more, don’t be fooled into thinking it’s a breeze – far from it. The 1000 miles (roughly) from Brescia through Rimini, Rome, Parma and back to Brescia involves driving very long hours some days in cars that are no younger than me (58) over public roads and through medieval towns, keeping to a strict timetable. If you don’t clock out and in on time then you will pick up huge time penalties. The average speed is set at around 25mph which sounds dead easy until you realise that you still have to stop for fuel, passage checks in narrow and public-lined villages and you have to negotiate some extremely busy and lorry-laden main roads. You should also obey the speed limits and other inconvenient restrictions such as spectator cars, bumbling farm traffic, traffic lights and roundabouts. In fact the first leg out of Brescia wasn’t much fun at all – very frustrating with heavy traffic and through a lot of industrialised countryside. However as I’ll come to later, things got a lot better as the event went on.

Chris Ward & I had hoped to do a bit of a run through the local lanes near Maldon before the event, to get to know each other and practice some regularity sections. Although Chris knows the car well having raced it (and other iconic machinery) at flagship circuits such as Goodwood, Donington, Silverstone, Spa & Monaco he hadn’t done any rallies at all before. Typically, as the customer cars had to take precedence, the pre-event shakedown didn’t happen and the first time I saw the car moving was when it was unloaded from the transporter at scrutineering in Brescia on Tuesday 12th. Oh my, what a superb noise it makes! Page 25 of 44

Scrutineering and signing-on for the 450 or so entries took a LONG time, particularly for those that had opted to have a medical on site, but by getting that out of the way on the Tuesday we had Wednesday free(ish) to take a couple of cars out into the hills for a photo shoot once we had caught up with the rest of the customer crews and got their cars through.

Our car’s first owner in 1952 was one Juan Manuel Fangio, complete with his own special paint colour, and I believe he took it to Argentina where it was sold on as part payment for his racing which was common practice at the time. It was good then, but it is now truly superb and goes (and stops) really well despite the original spec drum brakes all round. We had taken the precaution of fitting intercom headphones which we thought we might need as the exhaust exit is down by my side, but found that it wasn’t impossible to run without them after all. I’ve always loved the sound of a straight six engine and this is no exception. Noise checks? You’re having a laugh! And so to the event itself. We set off from Brescia on the Thursday afternoon, arriving in Rimini around 11pm, travelling via Verona, Ferrara and Ravenna. Some cars fell by the wayside with mechanical issues, including a couple of the JD cars which suffered fuel pump problems. However the JD mechanics are a resourceful bunch and they managed to get all the cars through the whole event, even if it was by the skin of their teeth.

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Day Two, after only about four hours sleep and none at all for some of the mechanics, we left Rimini around 08:30 and went straight to the amazing place that is San Marino. All the cars went up and around the fortress which was quite an experience. Later we arrived in Rome on time at about 21:00.

Day Three was an earlier start from Rome at around 07:00 and on to Parma for 22:00 via Pisa and Siena. Day Four was a mercifully short one but it did take in some lengthy regularity sections at Monza, using all of the circuit including the infamous banking. Jeepers, that’s steep! Very, very hot at Monza but the C Type shrugged the heat off even if we were sweating buckets. It didn’t help that my foot well was bare metal and the soles of my shoes got a good roasting.

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I said earlier that this was now a Classic Rally and certainly that’s what it is, but with hundreds of truly iconic cars. In fact you almost become blasé about seeing so many Bugattis, Alfas, Mercedes, Ferraris, Porsches, O.Ms, Lancias, Maseratis, Jaguars, Bentleys, Astons and so on. The really great thing though is that they are all being used and in some cases very hard indeed. The whole event is an homage to the Golden Years of GT and Sports cars. I also said earlier that today you have to obey the modern rules of the road and that is something that the organisers were keen to emphasise. But, whilst a lot of the route is on relatively main roads, we soon twigged that within reason it’s ok to take yourself back to an era without speed limits or traffic lights……… and if you have the benefit of a Police motor bike escort that dashes ahead and holds local traffic at roundabouts and traffic lights, then why not go along with them?

And boy, did we ever! To the immense delight of the thousands of spectators spread all over the countryside Chris was only too happy to use all those fantastic Jaguar decibels. They say that cats are angry when they wag their tails, but this one wasn’t – it was having a fantastic time. Power slides out of roundabouts and blipping the throttle in the very narrow ancient city streets was definitely the order of the day. Queues of vehicles at traffic lights were overcome by just driving up the front by any means possible and if the road was clear then off you go. Nobody was annoyed by this – it was accepted and expected, even if the lights were still red. In fact, because of the time it took to trundle through the many villages and towns that had given the kids the day off school and were packed with locals, you really did have to push on across country to avoid being late at the end of the day.

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Overall, the C Type was faultless – nearly. Whilst out on the photo shoot the trip meter display suddenly went off and we discovered that it had the same feed as the electric engine fan and the fuse had blown. So we replaced that no problem and everything seemed ok. It wasn’t. As time went by larger and larger fuses were taken from elsewhere to beef up the power feed until we found one that was man enough for the job. The good news was that we weren’t at risk of overheating the engine if Chris didn’t notice the temp gauge had gone sky high, because I’d see the trip go blank and we knew immediately what had happened. It was very inconvenient having to manually wind on the trip each time to get it to agree with the road book, but no more than that.

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Navigating the main route was easy with the comprehensive road book as it was very much “roundabout straight on, 2K, then roundabout straight on…”. What made it even easier were the huge crowds everywhere that were only too happy to wave you into the right junction if you hesitated. Added to that at most junctions there were rally signs pointing the way. So anyone getting properly lost would have to work jolly hard at doing that. Having said that, if you broke down and went off route to try and find some assistance then you would have to be careful. Talking of assistance, competitors are allowed support or “chase” cars and we had two mechanics mostly following the route who were dedicated to us and the blue Ecurie Ecosse XK120.

Then you would come to one of the regularity driving tests. These were quite new and strange to me and required immense concentration to get anywhere close to cleaning them. The time clocks were operated by a front wheel passing over a tube on the ground and you were measured to 100th of a second. The average speeds asked were very low in places, but to manage an average of, say, 18kph over just 130 meters is no easy task. It doesn’t help that many of the more youthful cars had their wheels within the bodywork so judging that precise moment that you triggered the clock could be very hard indeed. But it wasn’t just one short test – on occasions you could have four or more on the trot, all different speeds and distances, with the next clock starting the moment you stopped the previous one with the wheel. So you had to juggle stopwatches, trying to count down to zero when Chris should get our wheel on the tube. We both learned a lot, very quickly, about what was a good system and what wasn’t… I made quite a few mistakes, as did Chris, amongst the 80 odd tests and it took us a while to realise that on the longer regularity tests (which were 20km or so) along Page 30 of 44

which we expected to find the odd control, instead there were hidden checkpoints. And I mean really hidden. There was nothing on the road to indicate that you were being measured and only later did Chris say that he sometimes saw someone crouching behind a bush with headphones on. So that’s how they were doing it! Despite our clumsiness and naivety we came out 117 th overall and first JD Classic which on the whole we were happy with. The Jaguar Heritage team had nine cars there and their best result was around 150th which they seemed happy with because they reckon that the top 100 are all old hands at the event and experts. However we were only 6th Jaguar as five Italian XK140s and 120s came in between 57th and 107th.

An utterly brilliant experience and one that I would do again at the drop of a hat. My very grateful thanks go to Micky Collins for putting me into the frame, Derek Hood of JD Classics for making it all happen and to the rest of the customer crews and JD mechanics and staff that made it such a friendly and memorable event. It just goes to show what being involved with a motor club such as 7Oaks can do for you! Andy Elcomb Page 31 of 44

MOTORPORT DIARY 2015 – PART 1 By Russ Burton 14 March 2015 - The first event of my season kicks off tomorrow (15th March) over a 2km course at the no doubt somewhat chilly North Weald aerodrome, running as car number 11 in class A2. The car has recently been on a 'rolling road' dynamometer for tuning and as well as being noisier is now producing an extra 8bhp to give its maximum 145bhp. Hoping for a dry day for what will be a bit of a 'test' outing and see what we can do. Will report back after the event. 26 March 2015 - Well we didn't have a bad day at N.Weald, Sunday 15 March despite very mixed conditions of wet and dry, the times went up and down depending on the amount of moisture. My times ranged from 90.47 best to 100.02 at its wettest and was sixth out of 7 in class (beating a bigger BMW Z3) but definitely didn't enjoy the damp. Modified gear gate worked well and didn't miss a gear all day and with dry conditions would have been confident to push more to use increased power which could definitely feel. So it was a satisfactory test in my least favourite conditions so hopefully a bone dry outing next time most likely at North Weald again at the end of April. 25 April 2015 - Sunday 26th April at North Weald aerodrome course sees my second sprint event of the season and is also my second round of the Sevenoaks Motor Club Speed League Championship 2015. Am running as car 8 in Class 2 in the MX5 mk2 but the weather forecast does not look promising with rain predicted at the moment so will just have to see what we can do on the day in whatever conditions we get. More after the event. 28 April 2015 - Sunday 26th April at North Weald sprint venue dawned damp and chilly but did gradually dry out over the day. First practice run I did in 1min.40sec cautiously and improved to 1.33.79sec on the second. First timed run I feel would have been my best, but went too wide and a wrong route round an extra cone and a bit of a 'tank slapper' to get back on course was a longer route but was an improvement to 1min 32s so without that mistake felt I was in for a time in the 1.29s, but as it was a wrong route that run was excluded. Second timed run I was a bit annoyed with myself and overdrove the car to a 1min 33.9s run. The final run was a good clean run to 1m.30.16, annoyingly just shy of the 1.29s I was aiming for and ended up 8th in class out of 10. Still have a way to go to get an award yet as top 2 in my class got in to the 1m.21s but with the changing conditions am not too dissatisfied. Only damage was some loose exhaust mountings which will sort out before the next event at Crystal Palace on 26th May. 20 May 2015 - Next event for me is the upcoming Crystal Palace Sprint on part of the old race circuit on Bank Holiday Monday 25th May in the Mk2 MX5. Am running Page 32 of 44

as car 106 in the up to 2litre class, commencing with 2 practice runs in the morning and 3 timed competition runs in the afternoon so hoping for a dry day of competition for the first time this year. Spectators are welcome and entry fee is around £12 I believe. More after the event.

5 June 2015 - Pleased to say that Crystal Palace bank holiday Monday last week turned out to be a fine, dry day. In first practice did a 48.79sec run with the second improving by over two seconds to 46.45sec.First timed run after lunch dropped half a second somewhere to be slightly slower at 47.16sec, but the second timed run was an improvement to 46.04sec and on the final run was the fastest as it should be and achieved my immediate target for the day to get into the 45s and was a half second improvement to 45.62sec. As always in racing you want to go faster and my next immediate competitor got into the 44s so something to aim for next year maybe, but progress nevertheless. This sprinting lark isn't easy as you have to be on it from the green light and the only real way to compare your times is by using data logging and comparing read outs of your performance to see where you gained or lost time on individual runs. A video clip hopefully is attached together with individual photos of me (car 106) and others, and think you'll agree the car is looking and sounding great.( https://goo.gl/photos/MC3Pe9i7dLuHiWBT8 ) Next static outings for me and the car are in the one make parking area at this Sunday's Bromley Pageant of motoring in Norman Park (7th June) and at the free Poll Hill Garden Centre Classic Car evening from 6.30 -9pm on Monday 13th July. The next competitive sprint outing for the car is at the Brighton Speed Trials on Saturday 5th September - do come along to any of these outings.

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THE MOST EXCITING FINISH TO A TRIAL! By Alex Peters Having never been to a trial before, I always thought they were contested by beardy old men in Austin 7s, creeping slowly up a muddy hillside. As the Jim Bate Trial was held at Chapmans Hill, just walking distance from my house, I thought I would like to go along and marshal to find out more. As I watched people compete I was enthralled at the challenges they faced, particularly the stages going through the woods, so I wished that I would get the chance to have a go as well. Andy Elcomb very kindly offered to let me have a go in his MX5. As many readers will know me, taking it gently with a car isn’t really in my nature, so I treated the opportunity as an autotest on a steep hill, powering the car around the bends hoping the momentum would carry me over the slippery bits where many other competitors had failed. With a bit of gentle coaching from Andy (on the art of being gentle…) I was amazed to have cleared the course on my third attempt! I was amazed at such success on my very first go at a trial. https://youtu.be/FBqOc39FNRo (video by Tim Loftus) The day got even better when Yvette Knight, the clerk of the course announced that there was a three way tie for first place between Chris Judge’s Nissan Micra, Dave Harvey’s Hillman Imp and Richard Wickes Volkswagen Beetle. Her inspired suggestion was to have a timed run on my course. The crowds gathered around as I started them off – first away was Chris who steamed around the first bend and then steamed off the edge of the edge of the course narrowly missing my parked Mustang! He carried on to the end with the crowds cheering in the hope that the other competitors might have similar problems. Dave and Richard both cleared the course more cautiously, with Dave being less than a second faster. This was followed by a moment of pure comedy when I tried the course in my two ton Mustang, with people screaming as I missed trees in the wood! (video by Suze Endean) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reBwNzf-Rxc

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ACORN ON TOUR SDMC member Mark Coleman sent in this picture from his holiday "I was walking along the beach looking for shells and found a little Acorn "

Chris Judge sent in this picture from some Gnomes he met in a barn whilst on the isle of Man TT.

WHAT MOTORSPORT HAVE YOU DONE THIS MONTH Alex Peters: 6-Jun-15 Abingdon Sprint – missed gears and timing clerk errors demoted me from 3rd to 4th and then 8th place – but the organisers apologised for their mistake showing and reinstated me to 2nd in class. 14-Jun-15 Jim Bate Trial – great fun marshalling, a go in Andy Elcomb’s MX5 and a comedy run up the hill in the mustang. 27th-Jun-15 Aintree Sprint – more gearbox problems meant that a certain class win where I was 10mph faster across the line, only resulted in a 2 nd place beaten by Scott Hughes Porsche Boxster. 9Jul-15 Autotest 5 – Marshalled for 3years at autotests I wanted to have a go myself so Andy Elcomb kindly offered to let me use his MX5. Traffic delayed his arrival so I had 15 minutes to do 12 courses! I had the pressures of learning a new car and a sporting discipline, I also lost the benefit of watching other cars on each course but I finished with one minute to spare! I made a right mess of driving the car by touching the brakes during slides causing understeer and having to look at the map, but overall I finished in the middle of the field and on some courses beat many more experienced competitors. I now need to start saving up for an MX5! Page 35 of 44

REEPHAM CLASSIC - ITALIAN MARQUES REQUIRED By Graham Pryme I have been asked to drum up some Italian Marque Bike and Car support for the Reepham Classic Car and Bike Show on the 27th. September 2015. I will be there myself displaying my Porsche as I did last year. It is North East of Norwich so it is a bit of a journey, but well worth a day out as it is in a beautiful market town, with plenty of eateries and pubs. If interested please contact Peter Fitzjohn at [email protected] Sunday 27 September the 2015 Reepham Classic Car and Bike Festival will be held in the Market Place, Reepham. This promises to be another wonderful occasion for families and enthusiasts alike following the success of the first event that took place in 2014. This year the event will have an Italian theme, with half of the available places dedicated to iconic Italian marques such as Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Fiat, Lamborghini, Lancia and Maserati. It is also planned to feature two-wheeled examples, such as MV Augusta, Ducatti, Moto Guzzi, Lambretta and Vespa. The remaining non-Italian places will be allocated based upon a mix of outstanding exhibits from last year and particularly interesting newcomers. If you wish to display your vehicle, please email [email protected] with a brief description and photo if possible. The organisers will finalise their selection during the summer and each applicant will be informed of the final list.

SDMC CALENDAR 2015 The following events are organised by Sevenoaks and District Motor Club or to which 7Oaks has a significant input / presence. Please let Acorn know of any

other events that are planned. Date 2-Aug 30-Aug 17-Oct 1-Nov 6-Nov 10-Dec

Event Autotest – Brands Hatch Autosolo – North Weald Sprint – Goodwood (co-pro TWMC) London to Brighton Veteran Run 12 car Scatter Rally Page 36 of 44

COMMITTEE REPORT Summary of Committee Meeting held on Wednesday 1st July 2015 Finance - Decision made to purchase a Generator be used at SDMC events, also a first aid kit. Acorn – Alex Peters is trying to further reduce the print costs and the latest issue has been printed by a 3rd printer – this one has better folding which will save on postage costs. Current issue is 2/3rd’s of the cost. Optimum number of pages is 48. Printed copies of Acorn will be charged for next year at a cover price of £5. An option to pay this will be added of the membership renewal form. This may also encourage members to renew sooner as well. TRK - Nothing to report. Monthly Mug : James Silk, Nathan Sales, Jason Andrews and Andy Elcomb for marshalling in the rain for the Autosolo. Iain Gibson for coming 4th in class in Belguim. Batturd Cup : Hatch.

Ian and Vanessa Crocker for their rollover at the Autotest at Brands

Bent Conrod : Andy Kilby for his ignition problems at the Autosolo – his return switch was a bungee lead. Competition - Recent Events June: Autotests have been going very well, and are running smoothly. Julie Clayden is taking over the running of these from Stacey Thompson. There was a rollover at the last event – everybody responded very quickly and no-one was hurt, however it has highlighted a few safety issues. When laying out the course it is important to look for undulations and review the course between the first and second runs. It is noted that this may prove difficult at people are doing their second run while others are still doing there first. Seatbelts are to be made mandatory for passengers – and a minimum psi is to be considered which would be added to the regulations. Course design – Alex Peters raised concerns about certain layouts which leave the final gate too close to the start gate and/or marshal and competitors watching. This has been raised previously and the new tests bear this in mind. It is noted that competitors have been practicing in the fenced off area which we believe may be Page 37 of 44

the emergency helicopter landing area – in future this is to be prohibited and will be cordoned off and signed accordingly for future events. Car Trial was well run and went well. It was very dry and a timed test was run for the final result. It was agreed that the timed test added an extra dimension to the day and that something similar should be considered in the future – maybe a top 10 run off. The courses were wide and non-damaging to deliberately dispel the notion that normal daily drive car are not suitable for car trials. The event almost paid for itself with just £39 outstanding. We need to introduce more awards to encourage more people to enter – best junior etc. Autosolo went well with 40 entries on the day. Everybody had an enjoyable day with lots of positive feedback received from competitors after the event. Forthcoming Events – August : AutoSolo on the 30th – Tracey Niel will act as Entry Secretary; Chin and David Balderson as Secretaries on the day. Clerk of the Course TBC. We will encourage competitors to pre-register earlier by offering a discount with a cut-off date before the price rises. Also, to encourage people to pay into the account directly rather than paypal the paypal costs are carried by the competitor. October : Sprint at Goodwood – A preparatory meeting is to be arranged with Tunbridge Wells. Chief Marshal: Marshalling was thin at the Autosolo, we could have used a couple more marshals for spotting however it was possible for the timekeepers to see the whole course and could watch their competitor. Chin will talk to Clive Leatherby with a view to taking over this role. Speed Report: Colin Spark reported we have completed 23 events, 2 have been cancelled and members have attended 17. Debden on 6th July has been cancelled due to MOD issues however this is not an event on our calendar. It is noted that with the loss of Woodbridge and potential issues with Debden Colin and Alex will be looking for new venues for 2016. Alex Peters is tracking the Historic Championship in the database. Separate tables from the Historic Speed League Trophy will shortly be added to the website. For the 2016 season, the Speed league Historic trophy will no longer be awarded, being replaced by the two Historic Championship trophies (Road and Race). Crystal Palace: This is currently under review. Rally: Iain Gibson reported that there has only been one recent event, in Belgium. Page 38 of 44

The Gibsons took part – the only other competitor entering currently is Barney Lower but he keeps having car issues. Social : It was agreed that we do need to find someone to carry out the role of Social Secretary to organise and promote all of our social events. Rosemary and RM will be asked to organise a quiz and a film night. Alex Peters has contacts with an equipment supplier and also a car tuning specialist, both of whom would be happy to come along and give us a talk. Bat ‘n’ Trap plus barbeque – to be organised for Saturday 22nd August. RG to liaise with John at The Bell. To be subsidised by the club. Secretary: The MSA is looking to continue developing and strengthening communications channels between itself, its registered clubs and club members. Tim Swietochowski has recently taken over the role of communications manager at the MSA and is working on moving forward on a number of initiatives. One of these is to strengthen and develop the role of the regional associations within the communication processes with an objective of improving the awareness and relevance of "regional /local" aspects in both directions. The suggestion is that having a nominated contact for each association (Communication/Media officer) would be the most effective way forward. Borough 19 Autosolo on 5 July 2015 at North Weald has had to be cancelled due to lack of entries (ASEMC) MSA/Affiliations: Chin reported that HANS devices will be imposed on rally and Sprint and Hillclimb events in all classes other than road going. List 1B tyres are not going to be banned. The re-write of section 5 of the Blue Book is being looked at now by Chin and Andy Kilby and they will then be submitted to the rest of the sub-committee. Membership – new members are still being received. Andy Elcomb will circulate the latest membership list for approval. Recent applications for new members have been approved. Press & Pr: Darren Tyre advised we will be promoting the club at the forthcoming Silverstone Classic at the end of July. Further to a suggestion by Chris Judge, an advert will be added to the Motorsport News Listings Section for the forthcoming Autosolo. Website: Alex Peters and Nigel Mead have been unable to have a meeting with the website developers as they are away at the moment but an email has been sent instead. Nigel has updated the gallery page to include images from this years’ Page 39 of 44

events and now have a system to work with Colin Shipway to get images up onto the web ASAP after each event. He proposes to add a new page for each year going forward depending on how quickly space is used up on our Google drive; we can delete them after say 5 years if this proves a problem. Autotest and Autosolo event results for 2015 have also been added. Any other business: Chris Judge said that a new badge has been set up for the Scouts – Motorsport. We will arrange something with them in the near future. Also Chin added again that the Young Farmers are also good to get in touch with.

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

JOB VACANCIES Now that we have a new Deputy Chairman in Chris Judge to support Chin for this Year, we are still looking for a number of other people to help support the club:    

Social Secretary - to organise social events throughout the year. Chief Marshal - to provide enough marshals to allow events to run safely Crystal Palace Event Director – to coordinate activities for running SDMC Awards Night Master of Ceremonies – to announce the award winners

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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] or [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 Wednesday 15th July 2015 Wednesday 19th August 2015 Saturday 22nd August 2015 Wednesday 16th August Wednesday 21st October 2015 Wednesday 18th August 2015

Noggin & Natter – starts at 19:00

The Bell, Kemsing The Bell, Kemsing The Bell, Kemsing The Bell, Kemsing The Bell, Kemsing The Bell, Kemsing

Noggin & Natter – starts at 19:00 Bat and Trap BBQ – starts at 14:00 Noggin & Natter – starts at 19:00 Motorsport supplier evening from 19:00 Autotest awards and Speed League Forum – starts at 19:00

Bat and Trap Barbecue A fun filled afternoon of great food, friends and fun with a team bat and trap game. Can it be even more hilarious than Jason and Shelly’s double act of 2014?

Motorsport Supplier Evening Presentations from MSAR on race equipment and Balance Motorsports on setting up your race car. Page 41 of 44

WHATS ON IN OUR AREA (FROM ASEMC WEBSITE) Saturday 01.08.15 Sunday 02.08.15 Sunday 02.08.15 Saturday 08.08.15 Sunday 16.08.15 Wednesday 19.08.15 Saturday 29.08.15 Sunday 30.08.15 Sunday 30.08.15 Sunday 30.08.15 Saturday 05.09.15 Sat/Sun 05/06.09.15 Sunday 06.09.15 Sunday 06.09.15 Sunday 06.09.15 Sunday 13.09.15 Sunday 13.09.15 Sunday 20.09.15 Sunday 20.09.15 Friday 25.09.15 Sunday 27.09.15

Brighton & Hove MC Borough 19 MC/LMC Sevenoaks & DMC

Sprint

Goodwood

NB

Sprint

Hethel

NB

Grass Autotest

Brands Hatch

CM

BARC Midlands Centre Eastbourne & RAM MC Maidstone & Mid Kent MC Blackpalfrey MC of Kent Sevenoaks & DMC

Sprint

Curborough

NB

Autotest

Conrod Autotests Headcorn

CM

Kent 100

CM

North Weald

CM

Chelmsford MC

Single Venue Stage Rally Wings Autotest

Brands Hatch

NB

Headcorn

CM

National Speed Trials 20/20 Rally

Brighton

NA/NB

188

CM

Farnborough District MC Sporting CC of Norfolk Tunbridge Wells MC Falcon MC

Autosolo

Barton Stacey

CM

Maidstone & Mid Kent MC Brighton & Hove MC Borough 18 MC

Evening Autotest Historic Road Rally Autosolo

Autosolo

CM

CM

Grass Autotest

Gabriels Farm

CM/NB

Car Trial

Taster Trial

CM

Maidstone & Mid Kent MC Buckmore Park KC

Car Trial

CM

Green Belt MC/Harrow CC Chelmsford MC

Sprint

Brian Lewis Trial Buckmore Park North Weald

Eastbourne & RAM MC

Car Trial

Kart Meeting

12 Car Rally

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NB NB CM

Mercury Trial

CM

A

AUTOSOLO PICS (CONTINUED FROM COVER) Paddock Girl Power with Kim Charnley and Susan Gibbard

Cars line up for scrutineering.

Tracey Neil in her new Toyota MR2

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On the final run at Crystal Palace as the track cooled, almost no competitors were able to improve their times and so everyone had to push even harder. Here Rob Hume pushes beyond the limit at the chicane!

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