Grass Roots Motor Sport – UK

Well, it’s certainly been an odd year – mainly due to the effect of Covid-19. As in previous years I had planned a full season’s sprint and hill climbs events and many ‘special’ events too – taking in five different championships and with visits to the inaugural IOWMC Sprint at Sandown, the Brighton Speed Trials and possibly the Bouley Bay Hill Climb in Jersey and I had also secured a seat in the Beaulieu entry for the Veterans London to Brighton run in November. Not to mention my wife and I’s non-motoring ‘holiday’ visit to Anglesey and Wales in May and many other social events.

I managed back-to-back trackdays at Castle Combe and Goodwood [written about in a previous Blog] and came close to driving at the Great Western Sprint at Castle Combe in late March before everything shut down for the Covid-19 Lockdown which meant the cancellation of almost all of the summer’s events that I had entries for; and the Welsh holiday was a casualty too as was every social event planned. I was particularly sad to see the cancellation of the Crystal Palace Sprint as I had competed there at race meetings on a motorcycle back in the 1960s and was really looking forward to competing on part of the old course again.

Goodwood Sprint, Saturday 1 August 2020

When things opened up again in August I had an entry for the Brighton and Hove’s Sprint at Goodwood on the very first of the month and boy, things had certainly changed. This meeting was probably one of the first sprint meetings to go-ahead after the enforced shut-down and all of the events that I competed in for this truncated season were decreed to be no-spectator events.

After arrival around 7.15AM, I unloaded my gear from the Lotus, put up the competition numbers [number 7 this time], attached the timing beam strut and front towing hook, arranged the seat belt harness and placed my helmet and gloves in the front ready for action. Next up was the mandatory noise test which my Lotus passed with ease [around 92dB which is way under the maximum allowed level of 105dB].

The Lotus is fitted with both a lap-diagonal seat belt for road use and a four-point harness for track use – driver’s side only. When the harness is being used, the road seat belt lays in its unused position; which means that the seat belt alarm buzzer sounds whenever the ignition is switched on and the lap-belt is disconnected. I could arrange the lap belt behind the seat and plug it into the belt buckle; but a neater solution was to obtain a seat belt buckle clip [from the internet, but it could also be sourced from a vehicle dismantler] and plug it into the seatbelt buckle whilst on-track.

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This was the first time that the newly installed AIM dash logger and SmartyCam video system in the Lotus was in-play and there were a few chores to attend to in order to make it ready for use. I will devote a whole Blog on my trials and tribulations with this device in a future Blog. Suffice to say that everything did not go according to plan… but some useful video was recorded on the day’s runs.

Event documentation had been completed prior to the meeting with copies of MSUK licence, membership cards etc all presented by email and declarations made on the suitability of car and clothing for the event. Physical scrutineering was on a selective basis [cars chosen were one in ten of the entry] and my car was one of those chosen. A quick inspection and it was done – no sticker this time though.

Before the meeting we were advised that officials were not to be approached and that all communication should be by mobile telephone; facial coverings were mandatory in the paddock when not wearing a helmet. But I arrived to discover that no-one was actually wearing a mask and very few people did so during the day – and so I followed the majority… We were advised to ‘social-distance’ and although two metres was not totally followed, most people did allow a small distance to develop between themselves and others; as the day went on this distance seemed to diminish…

No catering was provided in the paddock area and most people provided their own food. One group had a large van parked in the area between the garage shelters and from which a table and chairs and mountains of food and beverages appeared; they seemed to be catering for about four drivers and their entourage and lunch for them was a fun-filled occasion with much laughter and banter. Since the drivers in this group were mainly in my own racing class, I received an invite to join them; however, I declined with some charm and stuck to my own sandwiches.

It is interesting to compare this lowly meeting with Formula One and other high profile events when masks are worn all of the time and social distancing practised. Held in the glare of the TV cameras, for the first few meetings masks and social-distancing were the norm. On one occasion they even utilised a rather ludicrous remotely controlled trolley to convey the trophies to the drivers on the podium. But in the latest events, although masks are still evident, we see drivers and support staff hugging and even touching hands so standards are certainly dropping… But then this drop-off in standards is also evident in all other professional sports that are televised without spectators.

During the Goodwood meeting we were treated to the sight of a Spitfire overflying us with ‘THANK U NHS’ painted across the underside of its wings. It was engaged on a tour of the South and arrived from the South-East after flying over various NHS hospitals to thank NHS staff for their efforts during the pandemic; after overflying the race circuit paddock, it landed on Goodwood’s grass runway for a journey’s break before continuing on its tour of hospitals in the direction of the South-West.

The day was pleasant and dry and first practice runs commenced at 9AM; the Brighton and Hove Motor Club (BHMC) efficiently got the 115 drivers through the single practice and the three timed competitive runs with all runs completed by late afternoon.  In previous years the format for Speed events has usually been two timed practice and two timed competitive runs. I have always believed that only one practice run is necessary and that three runs should be devoted to competitive runs that count towards your final position and I have voiced my opinion on that topic on several occasions… So, I am particularly pleased that MSUK has ‘taken my advice’ and given clubs the option of one or two practice runs and up to six competitive runs. Not all clubs have taken up the option but the BHMC certainly has and the event is all the better for it.  

I was a little disappointed in my times which were around the 108 second mark. Not exactly earth shattering but some two seconds slower than my best time last year. Times for the 115 drivers entered for the day in 11 different classes were available on the internet in real time by TSL Timing and anyone with a smartphone could immediately check on how well [or otherwise] they had done once they had returned to the paddock on completion of their run.

Prize giving at most grassroots meetings has now been discontinued, but it went ahead at Goodwood with some changes.  Those that attended the ceremony, and not all drivers or their entourage did, were spaced in a social-distance crowd. The meeting secretary had laid the trophies on a suitable table and called the winners and runners-up in class order. As the recipient approached the table, his trophy was pointed out and he picked it off the table. A second runner-up trophy [third place] in class is only given if there are more than six entrants in that class. I was not in for an award but I was rather surprised to see that the third place man in my class received nothing. He seemed to fatalistically accept his fate but I was annoyed enough to fire off an email to the meeting secretary after I got home. I believe in justice and know how quickly you have to drive to get into the first three. To be fair I soon received a reply from the secretary who said that the trophy had somehow become lodged in the bottom of a box and discovered when he got home. The trophy was to be sent to the driver with an apology – so all’s well that ends well.

Cancellation of 2020 Brighton Speed Trials and Veteran Car Run

Eventually the BHMC decided that the Speed Trials held since 1905 could not go ahead and so another epic event was cancelled. After competing in 2019 for the first time I had enjoyed it so much that I entered again for 2020. Sadly, it was not to be; it would be impossible to keep spectators away from the event because the public traditionally view the event for free from Madeira Terrace whose arches overlook the Madeira Drive roadway used by the competitors. In 2019 I won the auction at the Beaulieu 100 annual dinner for a seat in a veteran car entered by the Beaulieu located National Motor Museum in the 2020 London to Brighton Veteran Car run. Once again Covid-19 conspired to thwart my ambitions and the run has been cancelled. However, I am ‘guaranteed’ a seat in the 125^th anniversary run to be held in November 2021.

Goodwood Sprint, Saturday 29 August 2020

My second competitive event of the year was to be the Spring Sprint organised by GRRC [Goodwood Road Racing Club] and of course it was cancelled along with the first event which should have been the Castle Combe Sprint. As grassroots motorsport events began to happen again, GRRC announced that the Spring Sprint would take place on 29 August and be known as the Summer Sprint. Unfortunately I already had a booking for the Gurston Hill Climb on that date for the 2-day [28/29 August] British Hill Climb Championship meeting and which in 2019 I had emerged as HSA class winner. So I withdrew from the GRRC meeting and shortly after, BARC announced that Gurston was cancelled. Bad timing… So I reapplied to GRRC and was lucky enough to secure one of the few remaining places at Goodwood. Phew!!    

Since Goodwood is only 50 miles from my home then an early start and a journey of less than an hour sees me installed in my allotted place in the paddock just after 7AM. Or at least I would have been – but the guy in the bay 43 had misread the numbers, parked his car in my space and gone walkabout… it wasn’t too much of a problem and was amicably sorted out after our visits to the noise test area.

Procedures followed much the same path as the previous event and despite all messages from GRRC about the mandatory wearing of masks when not in the car – very few people complied. Although the event was supposed to be spectator free, there did seem to be a few more odd bods wandering around than I expected – but apparently GRRC allowed up to 5 guests for each driver and so that would appear to explain things. There was a sign-on desk in front of the Jackie Stewart building that we were forbidden to enter on pain of death… Once again in the selective scrutineering process, my car was chosen as one of the few – no problems of course…

A warm and pleasant day with very few hold-ups; most drivers deciding to stay within track limits. My friends Charlie and her partner Andy were present in the blue Mazda MX5 in which they compete. When they began competing against each other in speed events, Charlie had the upper hand but the bragging rights in today’s event were firmly in Andy’s hands. Also present was James in his glorious Fiat Panda Pick-up. James is a great character and actually quite a good racer. The Fiat is hopelessly outclassed but James started racing it when his Mini broke down before a Goodwood meeting a couple of years ago and he had so much fun it is now his weapon of choice.

I couldn’t get any meaningful data out of the new AIM dash logging system fitted to my Lotus and the so-called SmartyCam video camera was shutting off before more than half a mile was covered… At the previous visit on first August I had been concerned over how I had apparently lost two seconds in my lap times. Before this event I carefully went through my video from the last Goodwood meeting and noted my braking points for each corner. My task today was to brake a little later for each corner and I also noted that carrying speed in 5^th gear through the so-called right-handed ‘no-name’ corner that precedes the left at St Mary’s seemed to lose time against changing down to 4^th before the corner which I had been doing previously. In the first – practice run – I approached ‘no name’ at high speed in 5^th and attempted to select 4^th as planned. Now, the approach to ‘no name’ is on a slight right curve [perhaps I should try a straighter approach] and the high speed ‘g-force’ made me fumble the gear change whilst steering the car with the right hand and braking as late as possible; the result being that I hurtled around ‘no-name’ in neutral. Despite this my time was 109.10 seconds which I thought was encouraging. The second run and first that actually counted was similar to the practise run and this time I not only went round ‘no name’ in neutral but was still searching for gears at St Mary’s – 109.44 this time and good enough for 6^th in class at the time. Drastic action was called for and I decided to brake a little earlier for ‘no-name’ to give me more time to make the gear change. The third run was much better and 4^th properly selected before ‘no-name’; 118mph at the approach to Woodcote and late on the brakes there gave me 107.97 and a final run of 106.28 – now we are talking and 6^th in class on the day out of 12.

Images during a Goodwood Sprint Run

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All this despite my being seriously unwell; I had developed a chest infection and a sensible person would probably have scratched from the event. As the day progressed I felt worse and worse and how I managed to set my fastest time on the last run is anyone’s guess. Once the last run was done I packed up my gear and staggered off home. My condition deteriorated over the weekend and on Tuesday I contacted my doctor, who after an interview by telephone – put me on a course of steroids and anti-biotics. This meant scratching from the Wiscombe Park meeting on 6 September – and since the medication obviously infringed the anti-doping rules of which I advised the organising club; then legally I could not compete at all. It was nearly three weeks before I had recovered enough to leave my house. Just as well that the next event was not until the end of September.

Wiscombe Park Hill Climb Saturday/Sunday 25-26 September 2020

The final event at Wiscombe Park and my first ‘away’ event of the summer – my first and only Hill Climb of this odd season too, although it was a 2-day event with a similar cast on both days. However, each day was judged separately from a results point of view. I had planned to do a full season in the Wiscombe Hill Climb Championship, but as it turned out, the final two events were the only ones managed. Actually, this 2-day event, organised by the Woolbridge Motor Club, was originally meant to be held at Manor Farm, near Charmouth – but circumstances in this unusual year meant that it was moved to Wiscombe.

My accommodation for the weekend was the Premier Inn at Honiton and only 15 minutes from the track so getting there for 7.15AM was no problem… at least it shouldn’t have been but on Saturday morning I turned off the Seaton Road one turn too early and after a mile or so down an unfamiliar country road, realised my mistake! The paddock is accessed via the Hill Climb track – albeit from the opposite direction and after finding the correct entrance – which has to be arrived at before 8.15AM or risk being refused entrance – I descended the hill in the direction of the paddock. After driving through the start area; the track winds uphill so that you may access the main area of the paddock from the upside. The paddock area being a grassy field that falls away at an angle of about 30° and the individual bays for each car are arranged so that each car is broadside to the slope of the hill. For obvious reasons it is mandatory to drive up the paddock on the tarmac access road and down the hill on the grass. Fortunately the day dawned clear and dry although some dew was evident upon the grass. A wet day would indubitably have made life a little uncomfortable. I reversed into my allotted bay and noted that although we had been told that extra space was allocated, the distance from each of the cars either side looked pretty much the same as at any other meeting. Although signing-on had been completed via a form sent to the meeting secretary by e-mail, drivers were still expected to notify said secretary in her caravan at the bottom of the paddock field that they had arrived… there was just enough room to pitch my tent and I unloaded my tools and other stuff from the Lotus and made the usual preparations for the event. Once again I was selected for scrutineering [am I being picked upon?] and my Lotus was examined on a very cursory basis.

Although there was a catering van on site, I managed with what cold food I had brought. Walking uphill is very tiring for me now and the slope of the hill meant that I tried to stay close to my paddock bay for most of the day. My friends Charlie and Andy were also competing and Charlie brought me several cups of tea during the day for which I was extremely grateful. Due to a recent directive issued by MSUK, the organising club deemed that face coverings need only be worn in the paddock area if you were within two metres of a person not in your personal ‘bubble’. However, at regular intervals the tannoy system would bark into life and everyone would be reminded to comply…

Wiscombe Hill Climb is a torturous track of 915 metres with several sharp bends and some very fast sections where bravery is rewarded. I competed here once before at a 2-day event in 2019 and my runs grew faster as the weekend proceeded; culminating in a time of 53.80 – a time that I was looking forward to lowering during this weekend. Practise started promptly at 9AM and Woolbridge were following the now familiar one timed practice followed by three timed competitive runs. We were called up in class and number order and since my class A2 for production cars over 1400cc and less than 1800cc was in the second batch, then I was soon lined up for my first run. At this time the Noise Test was taken and as usual my Lotus flew through it with ease.

AIM had suggested that the dash logging system was best triggered by changing from Road to Track mode as I approached the line. This procedure means making seven presses of three buttons in the right order and I made the decision to make the change whilst the driver in front was lined up and I was one car back. This actually worked out quite well and after stopping in the top holding paddock at the top of the hill after the Finish Line; I reversed the procedure to return the dash to Road mode and which stopped the recording. At previous events, drivers were able to briefly exit their cars and watch the later drivers fly around Martini hairpin; there was also a small printer for those who wished to printout one’s time. However, drivers were now ordered to remain in their cars and a digital display showed your time as you entered the holding paddock. Times were also available on the internet via your Smartphone through the www.resultsman.co.uk live timing service.

Although my class is road production, this in no way means standard production and a wide range of modifications are possible. The Lotus in the next bay was a Series One, 135R and same capacity as mine but with less horse power when standard. However, his engine was heavily modified and where my standard Lotus was hitting 60 mph at the approach to the hairpin, he was touching 75-80 mph. he also was remaining in second gear along the two main ‘straights’ whereas I was using third and the ratios of his five speed gearbox seem more suited to hill climbs than my six speed. His Series One Lotus is actually lighter than my Series Two which is another advantage. Little wonder that his times were so much faster and that he finished in second place on the Saturday event and won the class on the Sunday. We’ll ignore the fact that he is indubitably a quicker driver too…

On my previous visit to Wiscombe my procedure was to start in second, take the first tight left handed Wis corner in second and then accelerate flat in third over Bunny’s Leap [where the steering goes light], brake for the Gate but remain in third for the Esses and down to second for the tight Sawbench hairpin. Then accelerate flatout, change to third momentarily and brake hard for Martini’s left handed hairpin, down to second for a late turn-in and accelerate over the Finish Line. My previous best time was 53.80 after two days and my method remained much the same over that period. I was a bit concerned about starting in second as the clutch smelt a bit burnt after the start…

Images during a Wiscombe Hill Climb

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On this visit my slightly modified procedure was to start in first and short-shift into second to take the first left-hander in second and then accelerate flat in third over Bunny’s Leap, brake for the Gate but remain in third for the Esses and down to first for the tight Sawbench hairpin with its steep climb-out. Since I find it difficult to practice heel and toe gearshifts on the Lotus; the shift to first gear means that I am slower here than I would like. However, acceleration from first is faster than taking the bend in second when the RPM drops too low. As before, change to second and then third momentarily and brake hard for Martini’s left handed hairpin, down to second for a late turn-in and accelerate over the Finish line.

My practice time on Saturday was slow at 58.22, but it was more of a reconnoitre run and my race runs were 54.66 and 55.29 [twice] which were disappointing. Fortunately, I had Sunday to make amends and time to think about my procedure. Sunday was another fine day and I modified my method to start in first with a slight lift at Wis corner, no braking; take the left-hander in first and then accelerate flat in second and then third over Bunny’s Leap, brake for the Gate but remain in third for the Esses as before and down to first for the tight Sawbench hairpin. As before, change to second and then third momentarily and brake hard for Martini’s left handed hairpin, down to second for a late turn-in and accelerate over the Finish Line. First definitely felt better at Wis and practice time was 54.11 and my first race run was 54.41.

For my last two runs I changed down into second before the Gate and made the run through the Esses in second. My times improved to 53.21 and 52.63 – a new PB. Whereas the Esses had been almost flat in third gear, the extra torque in the lower gear means that I was only half throttle for much of the run through and I am certain that more time can be gained at the Gate and the Esses on my next visit to Wiscombe. The Gate in particular is a daunting right-handed bend that seems far narrower than it actually is. I am certain that much more speed can be carried through here. It is also possible that Martini’s could be a first gear bend… Andy and Charlie in their MX5 also made PBs at 55.68 and 56.30 and both were driving really well considering that their MX5 is by no means the fastest tool in the box! A prize giving ceremony was not held and awards were to be sent on to those that had won them.

2020 Wiscombe Championship results

Some two weeks after the event I received the 2020 Wiscombe Championship results and was surprised to discover that I had finished 4^th in class despite only competing in two events out of the seven possible. However, it seems that there were only four entered in my class this year…

Curborough Sprint Saturday/Sunday 10-11 October 2020

This two-day meeting were the final two meetings of the season to decide the Hillclimb and Sprint Association’s [HSA] Speed Championship. As it happened, I was registered for the 2020 championship but once again these two rounds were the only two in which I competed. Formalities, as usual, were completed by email. No spectators of course although a different configuration of the track were to be used for each day. HSA remain stuck on the old system of two practices and two competitive runs to determine results. Face coverings were definitely required when out of the car. The track café would be open but only one person allowed in the track toilet at one time. Apparently we must call out, “anyone in there” at the door and if no reply then it was safe to enter… as usual I booked into the Premier Inn at Fradley on the A38 and only 3 miles from the Curborough Track. The Fradley Arms pub next door serves excellent food and serves all of my culinary needs. However, breakfast is missed as I departed for the track before they open. My usual practice is to eat breakfast after the first run up the hill.

As is usual now, a marshal is present at the circuit entrance and only persons on the ‘official list’ are allowed access to the track. The main paddock area is tarmac, but because of the large entry, the paddock area allotted to my class was a grass strip adjacent to the track fence and in the area leading to the main paddock. Although we suffered some rain on Saturday it was dry and sunny on Sunday and the grass presented no issues in its use. All competitors were asked to obey the rule regarding face coverings and the rule was strictly enforced over the weekend; this is the first and only meeting that I have attended this year where this directive is enforced to the letter and is very difficult for me to totally comply with. I have an issue with misting-up of my spectacles when using a mask and despite using several different types of anti-fog treatment the problem persists.

My number was 23 and the guy next to me in the paddock was numbered 21 [Fiat Abarth] on Saturday and 22 [MGF] on Sunday [Each of those drivers were competing for one day only]. A paddock marshal calls-up each class when their runs are imminent so that each class can make their way in good time to the collection area which is in the main paddock. The Sprint Start area is located several hundred yards from the main paddock and accessed from the collection area by a narrow tarmac single track ‘road’ with a traffic light controlled one-way system. After a competitor has completed his run, he returns to the paddock via this ‘road’ when the light is green from the start area and red from the paddock end. When the moment for the next batch is reached, the light at the paddock end turns green and the waiting drivers all drive along the ‘road’ to  a second collection area where the Startline marshals sort drivers into the correct order using three rows. One row is allocated for double driven cars and when the first driver has completed his [or her] run they circle round and pull into this row where drivers swap over.

On Sunday, number 21 was replaced by an MGF bearing the number 22. When signalled by the marshal to move, the class, arranged in our paddock slots move off in number order; but for the practice run, number 22 didn’t move and the driver wasn’t even in his car. I waited for him but he just stood there and the cars from 24 onward, becoming impatient, all moved off, belatedly followed by me. This created a bit of a fuss in the second collecting area before the Startline and the marshals had some extra work in sorting us all into number order. They weren’t too pleased…Number 22 didn’t go out at all and when we returned to our paddock slots I casually asked him ‘why’. Apparently his racing overalls had failed scrutineering and he had withdrawn from the meeting. Since it must have been obvious that I was waiting for him to ‘go’; I really think that he might have said something…

A Startline set of traffic lights is set at red whilst the driver is lined up for his run. Once the start marshal deems that it is safe to proceed, the light turns green and the driver commences his run. The timing beam is not activated until the car passes it. After each driver has started his run, the next driver is called to the Startline. After a driver has crossed the Finish line at the end of his run; he brakes heavily to reduce his speed in order to return to the paddock. The route back is alongside the Startline and the two routes are separated by a line of cones. As the returning driver passes the Startline, the next driver is usually sent on his way.

Images during a Curborough Sprint Run

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It was after I was called to the Startline and whilst the marshals were lining up my car that I swapped my AIM dash logging system from Road to Track mode. I later discovered that the SmartyCam video didn’t trigger until I had travelled at least 50 yards and I decided that the method I used at Wiscombe i.e. to set the system prior to moving to the Startline gave a better result. Also, I found that because I was unable to stop immediately after the Finish Line to swap back to road mode; the system was re-triggering another spurious lap [sometimes more than one].

On Saturday the Curborough configuration used was two laps of the track which were decidedly wet and very slippery for both practice runs. After lunch the first competitive run was actually dry and I set my fastest time of the day. The final run was again run in deteriorating conditions and it was a matter of just trying to stay on the track. I am definitely not one who excels in wet and slippery conditions!

Sunday was a much better day with clear, bright and DRY conditions all day long. The track configuration this time was Figure of Eight which is an exciting way to end the season.

Charlie and Andy were present all weekend with their MX5 and this time they were competing in the MX5 class and had been placed in the main paddock. We met up several times to compare notes and enjoyed lunch together in the café area. Andy in particular seemed to enjoy the conditions better than I and got very close to my own times; I really thought that he was going to set a faster time than me at one stage and believe it was only my superior speed in the drag race to the Finish Line that kept me ahead…

2020 HSA Championship results

When I checked the 2020 HSA Championship results, again I was amazed to discover that I had finished runner-up in the A2 class despite only competing in two events out of the fourteen possible. However, it seems that of the seven competitors registered for the 2020 HSA A2 Class, only two of us actually competed at any HSA event in 2020. Martin Ellis was A2 Class Champion and he competed in three events with far better scores than me. Championship Points are awarded on a Class basis and depend upon how you finish compared with other registered drivers – ignoring those that are not registered. Additional points are awarded depending on how close you get to the class lap record at an event. At any qualifying event, your class may be made up of drivers registered to compete in lots of different championships and on the day you may/may not be competing against others who are in your championship(s); any points you obtain are allocated towards your position in your own registered championship.

Looking forward to 2021

So the 2020 season is over now and I shall devote the winter to planning next season, fettling my Lotus and writing – I have a large writing project in hand which should keep me busy during the next Lockdown and up to the beginning of spring when a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of …