Report

There was a good turnout of 13 cars and 15 drivers for the first round of the MSCC Techniques Speed Championship at Silverstone. This was our second year on the Stowe circuit and no karts this time.

The event got off to a slow start and not being a permanent venue for the club was obviously causing problems for the timekeepers. There was a big field to get through with mainly Westfields, Caterhams and single seaters.

Some keen early arrivals walked the course only to find out that a chicane had been added at the end of the back straight after they had walked it. This meant that first practice would be very much a case of learning the course.

With no Morgan class we were not running all together. Paul Bryan, Martin Whaley and Paul Clarke ran about half an hour before the rest of the group. There were no times recorded for some of the early cars and a wish that no time had been recorded for most of the rest, being so far off the targets.

Second practice gave times for all and put Andy Miller achieving target time with Chris Bailey not far behind. Andy was certainly going to be the man to catch. In 2010 he embarrassed the higher classes by beating them on scratch let alone target times. By the end of practice only the two Pauls, both on 1Bs, had beaten Andy's time.

There was an attempt during the lunch break to weigh down fellow competitors. Michele handed out chocolate brownies whilst the Miller team handed out cake due to Anne's recent birthday.

The afternoon runs started on time. Most improved on the practice times and the two leaders, Andy and Chris both got under bogey times.

Final runs saw big improvements for some. Paul Bryan knocked nearly 3 seconds off his time. Paul Clarke achieved the fastest Morgan time but was still over bogey. Ray Eatock and new exhaust were clearly having a harder time in class 6 but still wouldn't have beaten the class 2 time.

Final honours went to the uncatchable Andy Miller with 1.17 below target. Second went to a certain battered ex works car with nearly two seconds shaved off the first run time and 0.72 below target and third place to Chris Bailey with a respectable 0.57 below target. Anne Miller came in forth just 2.45 seconds behind husband Andy.

The top 3 were all near the top of the leaderboard at the end of last year, but it's only the first event and there is a long way to go yet.

Results

Race Report

Olivers Mount at Scarborough is a track that is more usually associated with vehicles of the 2 wheeled variety but on the Mayday weekend, Auto 66 invite an interesting mix of both 2, 3 and 4 wheeled machinery to tackle the hillclimb course. The event is run over 2 days with the 2nd day being the Speedmog championship round. As is often the case, 5 of this year's entries were getting in some useful practice on the Saturday.

Sunday welcomed the arrival of father and son team, Granville and Chris Martin to the venue for their first time, together with regular runners Chris and Michele Bailey, Simon and Jonathan Baines, Clive Glass and Nigel Ledger Lomas.

Due to some confusion over the double drives during practice, only one practice run was achieved by most runners although Chris Bailey didn't manage to get further than the first corner due to a broken throttle cable. A hasty trip to the local Halfords store to purchase a bicycle brake cable followed by a little fettling had the Bailey machine back on the track by the time the 1st timed runs were underway. Meanwhile Chris Martin already looked to be getting his eye in with a run that was only 0.14 seconds over bogey.

Timed runs were soon underway and Granville Martin was exploring the limits and beyond, collecting a cone at Farm Bends. Son Chris was not to be outdone by Granville by outbraking himself into the Mere Hairpin to collect his cone. Clive Glass was also having a good day, with a run of 49.95 seconds, whilst Jonathan Baines posted his fastest time of the weekend so far with a time of 48.95 seconds, keeping Simon on his toes who was slightly faster with a time of 48.34 seconds.

Following lunch, and an opportunity for Michele to pass around "chocolate nests", no doubt in an attempt to slow the field down, 2nd runs resulted in improvements for all bar Granville and Chris Martin who were both complaining of understeer although Chris also had a "loose moment" exiting the Kink just before the finish line. Simon Baines managed his fastest time breaking the bogey by 0.76 seconds, with Jonathan Baines, Clive Glass and the Baileys also posting their fastest times.

On the 3rd and final runs, Clive Glass managed to repeat his time from Run 2 leaving Chris Martin and Nigel Ledger Lomas to find slight improvements.

As the final results were calculated, Simon Baines was in 1st, closely followed by son Jonathan with his best result to date in 2nd and Chris Bailey in 3rd. Clive Glass took a closely fought 4th place, only 0.01 seconds ahead of Chris Martin who unfortunately could not repeat his form in practice.

Race Results

Race Report

Just four Morgans made the trip to this friendly and well organised event.

The course is part of a military base and the host club have no control on day to day Army activities so if it is decided to dump several hundred tons of ballast by the finishing line safety concerns dictate that there is no alternative but to adjust the course and it was duly shortened by 35 metres. This would not normally be a great concern but the adjustment was more than 1% and the Speedmog Regs determined a revision of target times according to the Twisty Sprint schedule.

The day started well with the noise tester only asking for 3000 revs so no problem there. Practice went well too with just one incident when Trevor Firmin was forced to take the roundabout the wrong way after running out of road in the braking zone.

True to form it was John Stephens who set some stiff target times for the afternoon with typically spirited driving.

By this time the day was warming up and a fairly strong breeze developed taking away the distance marker boards before the roundabout at one point which caused some consternation but nevertheless in the first timed runs all managed to go quicker apart from the writer who was inexplicably slower. Something had to be done.

The final run approached. All bets were off for John Stephens. Ian Hargrave had been filing away at his accelerator pedal to stop it locking in the full on position. Brenda rushed up to me with a chocolate covered ice cream on a stick from the Naafi wagon. Could this possibly do the trick? Yes indeed – my fastest time of the day by three seconds! Previous Speedmogger endorsements of this substance may not have been taken seriously enough and further random testing will be carried out for scientific evaluation.

Ian and Trevor both finished with good times and John, the last driver of the day, further improved his time by a half second but this was just a whisker away from regaining first place.

Even allowing for the shorter distance all had managed to drive this testing venue quicker than before which was a satisfying end to a good days sport.

Race Results

Race Report

This round of the MSCC Techniques Speed Championship attracted a good entry of eleven competitors, but reduced to ten on the day.

Due to the nature of the work at MIRA there are some security measures to be followed, such as no cameras or mobile phones being allowed on site and all competitors being escorted en masse to the sprint course which lies within the banked high speed test circuit.

The 1.7km course consists of a 180 degree LH bend, 100m after the start, which leads into a fast run consisting of two straights connected by a LH kink to be taken without lifting by the brave. The second straight which is the fastest part of the course had a speed trap located before the braking point into a tightening right hander. This is followed by a 90 degree LH turn onto the fast final straight into a 180 LH sweep leading to a short blast to the finish line.

The SpeedMog class was last in the running order, which gave everyone time to walk the course, get breakfast from the very good quality caterers, attend the compulsory drivers briefing, and relax before the arrival of the busy scrutineers.

The weather conditions were constant all day being cloudy with sunny intervals, a strong wind and 15 C.

First practice was completed fairly conservatively, everyone well away from their class target times. Second practice indicated some improvements, particularly the Millers and Martins in there double driven cars and Greg Dixon-Smith in the ex factory trials car. Ray Eatock returned to the paddock with what looked like bird debris on the radiator cowl of his immaculate 4/4. Trevor Firmin took a short detour at the 90 LH to closely inspect the tyre safety barrier and test the effectiveness of the braking system on his ageing +8. Both were found to be adequate.

Over the lunch break the organisers moved the finish line back 35m, to where it should have been. For many this solved the mystery of slow practice times or gave a very good racing drivers excuse. With the completion of the first competitive runs everyone made significant improvements, notably Andrew Miller being -0.2 sec under target, closely followed by Greg Dixon-Smith 0.56secs over target, these two being hotly pursued by Chris Martin, Ann Miller, and Granville Martin, only a second or so off their respective targets.

The second and final competitive runs of the day were taken late in the afternoon, with Andrew Miller looking a firm favourite to take the honours, which he duly did with an impressive -0.79secs under his target. Greg Dixon-Smith improved by 0.16 sec and claimed second, and the closely contested third spot going to Chris Martin.

Fastest Morgan of the day was not unexpectedly Paul Clarke in his 4/4 /4 seater /Roadster /Copy, but only managed 8th overall on handicap. The well prepared and driven 4/4 of Mr and Mrs Miller continues to impress, and was only 3.2 seconds off Pauls best time set on his first run, failing to improve on his second run due to taking the bad advice of trying it all in 3rd.

As for the also rans, they did and enjoyed the day, everyone driving their cars home unscathed after a good days motor sport, which is what its all about.

Results

Report

Despite Clive and Judy Glass staying with us Saturday night, we were still at Harewood for probably our earliest ever arrival at 0740. Not bad we thought until we noticed that most of the pack were already making their competition preparations. The Martins had even signed on and, fresh from his Curborough Taster experience, Barry Bartlett was off walking the course with Brian Lee. Other new boy Mark Roberts and then Richard Smith, Nigel Ledger-Lomas and Paul Clarke made their usual slightly later arrivals but all 19 drivers were in time for first practice.

First practice over and an unusually relaxed Chris Martin lead the group, 1.4 seconds over target. Barry was desperate to run again and Mark was searching for more power!

Second practice saw Paul Clarke running wide at the final right hander to rearrange the bollards (so far off line in fact that they struck his off-side wing!). Just about everyone else lowered their times, Chris Martin improving to within 0.27, Simon Baines to 1.12, John Stephens 1.27, Granville Martin 1.33, Richard Smith 1.87. It was obviously going to be a close day.

But forget all those. The real competition was in Class 6 where Chris Bailey had let a first practice 0.15 advantage over Ray Eatock fall to a 0.68 disadvantage. Time for an extra choc chip and blackcurrant cookie from the wife before the first run!

I've no idea what she puts in (eggs, sugar, flour, chocolate, blackcurrants?) but it certainly did the trick, a full 1.2 seconds quicker than Ray who was the only driver who didn't record their fastest run of the day so far. They obviously work well on all Chris', as younger Martin (now with increased tyre pressures making the Khumos work properly) had his best run of the day to go 1.02 under target. Barry Bartlett recorded a 4.55 improvement and Richard Smith was spitting plastic after he ran wide at the last bend and despite travelling further than John B Stephens, was quicker than him, although he officially recorded a "Failed run" having taken all 4 wheels off the circuit with him.

The second run had Barry Bartlett recording his fastest time of the day and beating his self appointed target of 90 seconds by very nearly 2.5. Chris Bailey heaped the pressure on Ray by going 0.5 over target and Tim Harrison, with his recently completed "Mean Green Racing Machine" on its first visit to Harewood and fresh from its' inaugural race at Donington the week before, setting his best time of the day.

However, as the sun broke through and the t

emperature started to increased, our mood suddenly plummeted as Ray Eatock took an outside line round Farmhouse Bend and then ran wide on the exit putting 2 wheels on the grass before slewing across the track to strike the tyres protecting the end of the armco. Driver was not happy but unhurt which is more than can be said for the car which looked as if it may require major surgery. As ever, the Speedmoggers pulled as one to offer help and assistance to recover the car and get it, Ray and Carole back home.

After that, I didn't really take much notice of final run times. But as if things couldn't get any worse, Simon Baines had recorded his best time of the day to beat me into second place by 0.04 seconds. B(al)last! Apart from Chris Martin stealing the show, times were close all day with just 0.37 seconds separating second to fifth.

Results

Report

The Speedmog Championship has visited Ty Croes circuit for several years now but has not before had the opportunity to sample the longest track configuration at this venue, the 2.1 mile International Circuit.

With 7 runners, including recent new recruit to the championship Barry Bartlett, it was set to be a busy day, learning this very fast circuit and with good weather forecast throughout the day.

First practice runs were taken with a degree of caution but by the second practice runs, times were already looking competitive, particularly between the Baines' and the Millers.

Once practice was completed, the Baines Einstein machine was cranked up to determine who had set the benchmark time. Jonathan Baines was now looking confident as the target times were announced, Simon was looking worried!

A closer look at the figures revealed that Andy Miller had set the benchmark and we could now determine all other target times.

The 1st timed runs were soon upon us and the Millers were battling hard, only a tenth of second splitting Andy from Anne. Meanwhile the Baines' were also going for it with Jonathan showing a clean pair of heels – or should that be boots – to Simon.

As the afternoon progressed, Barry Bartlett was improving with each run, his smile getting wider every time he returned to the paddock. The double drives of the Millers and the Baines' were complaining of overheating tyres on this abrasive surface, but that didn't stop the times improving with Andy Miller breaking the beam at 108.70 seconds on Run 3 for a 1st place overall. Anne had a moment on this run but saved the best till last on Run 4, finishing only 0.7 seconds behind Andy to take 2nd place overall.

That left 3rd place to decide and Simon thought he had his hands on the trophy, only for Jonathan to snatch it away by taking another 0.55 seconds off Simon on his last run. Clive Glass had been steadily improving all day and finished the day in 5th place, with Gavin Rintoul and Barry Bartlett taking the final 2 positions.

As we departed, leaving a considerable amount of rubber behind, opinions were that this is definitely one to remember for next year.

Results

Report

It was with some trepidation that those of us who had not camped there the night before set out for Gurston Down on the morning of Sunday 19th June. It had rained virtually non-stop the previous day. Fortunately we had better weather for our hill-climb than the poor competitors the day before.

Gurston Down is a fairly short but technically challenging hill. It deserves better support than the 5 of us who campaigned on it this year. As a permanent venue it is very well organised. The new timing display was amazing: showing various split times as well as totals for several competitors simultaneously.

This was my first outing with the newly fitted aero screen, so I was most grateful that the Millers were in the next bay and erected their two-car Gazebo over both of us. What luxury! The rest of the Morgan field were Paul Bryan and Gregor Dixon Smith. We had some local support from Logmog this year in the Paddock.

There was some very competitive driving from all of us this year. Paul and Gregor in Class 7 were never more than a few hundreds of a second apart all day, with Paul getting the best time of the day but coming just behind Gregor on handicap, since he was running 1B tyres. Andrew and Anne Miller also swapped places in Class 3 during practice with Andrew eventually coming out in front and managing to beat the bogey giving him 1st Place on handicap. I managed to make some considerable improvements on my last efforts a couple of years ago, but still came last overall against such talented competitors!

There were a couple of exciting moments during the day. The perceived wisdom was that the start of the so-called "Karousel" could be taken before changing down gear, to improve times. Anne Miller and I decided to give this a go in the first timed run. We were both slower as a result, Anne taking in some scenery but fortunately with no harm done. She went on to record her fastest time on the second timed run. The other problem was when Paul Bryan's throttle bar worked itself loose and fell off the car. Many of the marshals spent some time searching the track for this. When they could not find it, Brian Miller managed to fabricate a working replacement from twisted wire so that Paul could continue to compete. This is so typical of the kindness and generosity displayed at these events which makes Sprinting such good fun."

Results

Report

There was a very good turn out of 18 drivers in the Morgan class of this, the Liverpool Motor Club Jack Neal Memorial Sprint. Early morning rain had passed over by the time the competitors arrived, and the rest of the day remained overcast, breezy and just about dry.

There was time to walk the course before the drivers' briefing. The motor racing circuit sits inside the famous horse racing course. From the start there is 250m straight into the 90 degree left hand Country Corner. A short 230m straight and into Village Corner, a sweeping banked right hander that spits you out onto Valentines Way, a 450m straight. Next is Bechers Bend, a 450m long sweeping uphill right hander. The finish line is 300m along Railway Straight.

The two practise runs saw Simon Moore 0.44 under target, with Simon Baines and Richard Smith within one second of their respective target times.

The first competition run was taken before lunch. Unfortunately Granville Martin had an off, which left the fuel tank punctured, so he and Christopher were forced to withdraw their double-driver entries. Granville was heard to say: "I'm just carrying on what Christopher started at 3-Sisters last season!".

At this point there were six drivers within one second of target, promising a very competitive afternoon. Lunch was supplemented by Michele Bailey's delicious home made blackcurrant and chocolate chip cookies. It was good to see previous Speedmog competitors Tim Hill and Roy Wilkinson who had come along to watch the proceedings.

After lunch, the second run had Simon Moore 0.4 seconds under target. Paul Bryan had been getting faster each run and in the third, he went 0.56 under target. Simon Baines equalled his class target and Richard Smith was only 0.04 over. In the fourth run, Jonathan Baines also went close, 0.07 over.

Final positions: first Paul Bryan, second Simon Moore, third Simon Baines.

The Liverpool Motor Club's excellent event organisation allowed two practice and four timed runs and we had a good day's competitive motorsport.

Results

Report

The overcast weather of the morning, with the promise of sunny intervals, meant twelve happy Speedmoggers and pit crew lined up for what must be the most scenic venue on the calendar. I know Shelsley and Prescott have their special atmosphere, but setting up camp amongst the rolling hills and deer poop of the Loton estate is a treat not to be missed. We were again saddened by Dave Simpson's inability to join us and we all hope he comes back to play soon – Dave we really miss you!!!

Martyn Whaley wondered whether three inflated tyres would be enough to get him up the hill, but on the advice of the 'committee' decided to pump up the fourth. First practice saw everyone setting a time, although sadly for Paul Bryan this was only a 64 ft. time as his carburettor linkage came loose and left him stranded, and Ian Hargrave's grassy experience at Fletcher's Dellow added considerably to his overall time. The rest of the class 7 boys – Smokin' Greg-Dixon Smith and Simon Moore, along with Chris Bailey in his standard Plus 4 were all setting a cracking early pace, with new boy Barry Bartlett beaming as it dawned on him how much fun it really can be trying to hurtle up a strip of tarmac only slightly wider than your car and living to tell the tale. He was missing his pit crew (son Jack) who was away at a camp of his own but who will soon, no doubt, return and be asking dad for a 'loan' of the car to have a go himself.

Second practice saw the majority of drivers improve on their times as they had the confidence to ignore the light and occasional drizzle which always seems to arrive just as Morgans are lining up. Chris Bailey, in an earlier batch was not immune from the 'Morgan Curse' with a dry bottom of Cedar straight and a wet upper section at Fallow leading to some 'descriptive' language on his return to the paddock.

John Shanly must be wondering who he's crossed. Having missed the last couple of events with a broken radiator, his day came to an end after second practice once he diagnosed two missing exhaust manifold bolts as the culprits for his rather fruity exhaust rumble.

After lunch first timed runs left Simon, Chris and a rejuvenated Paul all within a second of bogey, but Greg producing a storming run to end up almost a second under bogey. Nigel Housley and Michele Bailey were having their own tussle, despite (or because of) Nigel's previous evening race preparations, with Ian Hargrave and yours truly having a fun time trying to get close to our respective bogeys, and Brian Lee locking up on his first timed run.

The pressure was on for the second and final timed runs and it looked as if Chris Bailey's earlier run than the rest of the competitors might have an advantage as his dry run was followed by wet windscreens and visors for the rest of the competitors, leading to some choice comments about his parentage………!!!! However, a slight delay in setting off was sufficient to allow the track to dry and Greg clinched first place overall 1.08 seconds under bogey, with Chris Bailey second and Paul Bryan pulling out a storming time of 63.99 to take third.

For yours truly, Jon Shanly's withdrawal meant I took first place in the over two litre Morgan class, and the added bonus of fastest time of the day, and the quote of the day from Ian Hargrave was that he now realises you go faster staying on the black stuff rather than the green.

…….and that should have been the end of the weekend, but two bald trailer tyres saw Brenda and Paul looking for an extra night's accommodation in this very scenic part of the world. There's no truth in the rumour that Brenda had been seen the previous evening, with a rosy glow to her face and a rather large cheese grater in hand!!!!

Results

Report

11 Morgan drivers were drawn to the high speed delights of Glorious Goodwood this year. All it seems had had an eventful journey to the this motor sport Mecca, with tales of M25 closures, errant lorry drivers and damaged trailers causing the 'locals' to have spent more hours on the road than those who had journeyed from afar. All here though and ready to do high speed battle in the all Morgan Class (in the past we have been mixed in with all manner of other machinery!).

Goodwood really is glorious! It is the fastest venue on the Speedmog calendar and one where you will certainly know how fast your Morgan will go as you hurtle down the Lavant Straight and bear down on Woodcote Corner. Fortunately the weather was fair and whilst the sea mist threatened to deliver rain throughout the day, it never came to anything, with the tarmac remaining the right shade of grey to allow us all to push on hard through the famous sequence of Madgewick, Fordwater, St Mary's, Lavant, Woodcote and the Chicane.

Scrutineering, walking the course and the noise checks all completed the 11 posted a respectable set of practice times and eagerly awaited the first timed run, only to be slightly frustrated by the lunch break being called just before we all went out. Team Baines set about changing a soft rear tyre and there was much interest in Clive Hall's 4/4 which was fresh from a rebuild and as shiny on the underside as the top!

After having all gorged ourselves on the fine food available, play resumed after lunch with Andrew Miller posting 'another' sub bogey time with Simon Baines also just under his target. All to play for on the final runs of the day which saw Mr. Miller extend his lead posting a time some 2.4 seconds below his target and Mr. Baines senior coming in second at nearly a second and a half under his target time. Brian Lee had a series of 'big moments' to come in third at 0.18 seconds over bogey, clearly 'you ain't going fast enough if you're not on the edge!'.

A great days racing at the greatest of circuits

Results

Report

8 of us turned up to scour the pit area in search of discarded useful zip ties, which always seem to litter the entire paddock area at Three Sisters, the twisty goodfun track near Wigan. By the end of the day, I had collected about half a dozen of them! I also found a 1p coin, and you know the saying: Find a penny, pick it up, and all day long, you will have a penny in your pocket. No, that's wrong: all day long you will have good luck. So, with this, I was full of confidence for capturing something more valuable at the end of the day: silverware to take home and polish!

The two-lapper had the benefit of being organised by the efficient and friendly duo comprising the Chester and Lancashire Motor clubs. They had set up a variation before the start line, with the single seaters staying in the pit lane, avoiding the dreaded gravel-in-yer tyres thing.

Most of us had encountered rain on the way there, and such is the nature of the scrutineers at this venue, one of the two practice sessions may be with roof on, the other with roof off, for those who might wimp out if it was to rain later and keep their roof on-roof off options open.

So, first practice, no disasters, we all kept to the tarmac, and had all put in reasonable times: Nigel Hyphen-Hyphen, now in Class 8 and with a new set of Toyos, Barry B had been on a karting event a week before and knew the track, Granville and Chris Martin with their car straightened out after Aintree, with Gavin, Clive, Simon and I making up the numbers. Second practice saw the times tumble for us all, with me slipping under bogey: that penny seemed to be working! First of 4 times runs, we all improved again, I was three hundredths quicker: my, that penny was going to be worth its weight in gold! A brief halt in the proceedings when some debris was reported on the track, which turned out to be the steering wheel centre from Simon's car which flew off halfway around! Then calamity struck: Rev Barry Whitehead (remember Harewood, when his daughter Eve stuffed the car into the bales, the car snapped a suspension link at Aintree: here, he decided to blow his engine big style, and spewed out oil at fifty quid a gallon around about a third of the track. Being an experienced racer, he was on the racing line, so the next couple of runs for us looked doubtful. The Morgan class was just lining up to start, so being on hand, set to with cement powder and brushes to help the marshals mop the liquid gold up. We then did a few laps of the circuit in convoy, following the racing line, trying to get the powder to work its way into the track. The next run, our third, was understandably slower, most of us were about three seconds over our previous times, but we all stayed on the track, though Clive slid off as he started his second lap, but luckily held it together and continued on the tarmac. A fair number of cars decided to call it a day, many were staying on for the Sunday event, so our 4th run came along quite quickly, and we all did pretty well again, though fate struck one more cruel blow for me when Simon Bloody Moore shaved three quarters of a second off his bogey, bettering my point four six. Barry B was delighted to crack 100 seconds, despite me trying to wind him up about his tyres!

Chris M was only slightly over bogey, he told me he was taking it easy. Thanks go to Timing Totty Judy who kept us all up-to-date with our times. It was also great to have former competitor Roy Wilkinson with us to spectate and support; thanks for the Cornetto Roy!

At the presentations, the Chief Marshall was generous in his praise for the drivers who helped mop up the oil. Simon, Chris and I took away medals for our successes as first, third and second places respectively. We will wear them with pride at the end-of-season drivers dinner, fastened to our lapels with reclaimed zip ties!

Results

Report

The now 'traditional' Morgan September sprint weekend at the fast and exciting Ty Croes national circuit got off to a let's just say a 'dampish' start. There's a saying in Wales that if you can look out to sea and see the horizon the weather will remain dry. On Saturday it would be fair to say it was pushing it to see the end of the paddock…!!

The Saturday run was a non-championship sprint which involves a two lap single practice followed usually by three or even 4 timed runs on a dry day. However practice was drizzly on an already wet track and the rest of the Saturday just got worse. Against bogey times around the 125-135 second range across the classes, the best that could be managed was almost 150-175 seconds. Not an auspicious start but at least the conditions were equally bad for everyone and left Lord Unstone 18.83 over, yours truly at 20.64 in second and Chris Bailey on 24.03 in third.

For the first timed run it was raining heavily although most improved their times; for the first time ever yours truly was 1st, closely followed by Simon Baines and Richard Smith in third.

As lunch drew to a close and the heavens opened the organisers canvassed whether to abandon the meeting as the weather was so bad. There's no truth in the rumour I could be seen doing a rain dance outside Tim's trailer….

The rain dance clearly failed as the organisers tried the course for size and felt it was safe to continue. However the conditions for the second run were simply diabolical with rain literally pushing in horizontally on a strong wind. But did we complain?? Not a bit. Tim Harrison's covered trailer was a haven of warmth and conviviality, and having been fortified by Michele Bailey's mulberry brownies, a great day's racing was had by all. Well, I would say that because in the end I won and joined that illustrious band of people who've now bettered Simon Baines at the circuit. Well, the 'band' apparently involves me and Jonathan Baines and if Jonno say's it's a club that's OK by me. Wonder where we get t-shirts printed…..???

Gold stars for the day have to go to Gavin Rintoul who volunteered to be a start marshal (yes, he was very wet by the end…), Julie Baines for providing post-race tea and sympathy in the 'Bainesmobile', and a special mention to Judy who when I set off to the Circuit in the morning, decided she was still up for her now traditional walk of eight miles to the circuit, and yes, she was very, VERY wet when she arrived..!!!!

Overnight the weather improved and Sunday started with a damp track and a blustery wind. Those who had opted only to run the Championship sprint had their practice session with Paul Clarke, Simon Moore, Gavin Rintoul and Jonathan Baines all sensibly being cautious. Mike Hughes had to scratch as his car wasn't quite ready to run but we hope he can make it to Curborough.

The timed runs then got underway and, on an almost dry track, straight from the off Simon decided he wasn't having any 'whippersnappers' bettering him again and on his first timed run smashed his bogey with a time of 126.13, with Jonathan also under bogey a very close second at 126.27. Richard Smith set an impressive Class 2 time of just 0.39 over bogey, and Simon Moore set an equally impressive Class 7 time of just 2.14 seconds over bogey. Gavin had swapped his souwester for racing suit and set a time almost 2 seconds better than practice, Michele was 2 seconds under her previous best time at the circuit and Barry Bartlett was having a great time, but thin tyres on a fast Class 3 car was proving something of a challenge. Even so, he managed to knock an impressive 5.4 seconds off between practice and his first timed run.

After lunch the organisers managed to fit in a further two timed runs. On the first run after lunch almost everyone improved on their times, Simon in particular knocking almost another second from the Class 9 bogey, Brian Lee moving to just over a second over and Simon Moore just 0.36 over. Entertainment for the round was provided by the pirouetting Richard Smith and Jonno came in complaining of a loss of power only to find out the car was running low on fuel (Simon……..!!!).

Yours truly was also having a great time but no match for the Baines Boys 'bogey busting' times in Class 9. The Class 10 boys, Paul Clarke and Tim Harrison were feeling the ire of the Simon Baines 2010 Class 10 record as their low 120's bogey was proving a difficult challenge to master. Strangely, the normally super smooth Chris Bailey was having a bit of an 'off day' for him and even Michele's pep talk at lunch failed to rouse him. Funny, but being told 'unless you get your 'a---' in gear it's a long walk home' usually does it for me…..!!!!

So at the end of the day it was a Baines 1-2 with Simon setting an even quicker time and posting a magnificent 3.01 seconds below bogey, Jonathan recovering from fuel starvation to finish second 1.84 under bogey, Richard Smith third, bettering the previous Class 2 record, held by John Stephens, by 1.47 seconds, and Simon Moore fourth, just 0.36 over. Tim Harrison sadly had an off on the last timed run and his Duratec rocket will require a significant amount of TLC to put right – thankfully Tim was OK, and here's hoping the car's damage is only skin deep.

And so, onwards to Curborough…..!!!!

Results

Report

Curborough 2011 was the race that nearly wasn't, possibly due to an unusually high number of track incidents this season. Applications were down and it took a chaser and a notable double entry from David Simpson to guarantee the event happened. David wanted to take out his +8, for possibly the last time, something that Simon was happy to agree to as he was the one who rumbled it down to the start line on each run as David took his first run in his Roadster.

The weather had been devilish the previous couple of days and we were all expecting the forecast of heavy rain to materialise. Luckily enough from early dawn the clouds threatened to dampen the day but there seemed to be a force-field above Curborough keeping the rain from getting to us, wave after wave of cloud came over but only a few drops fell during the day.

In the paddock the regulars were out in force with the note from Simon having tempted out a few more of the special machinery, including the Class 12 +8 of Mike Hall, Class 10 cars of Chas Windridge and Tim Harrison. Greg Dixon-Smith had managed to persuade the factory to let him compete the development +4 Super Sport – something we were all keen to see, yet were not so sure it was going to be doing us any favours.

Julie Baines and Brenda Bryan co-opted the help of Tim Ayres as paddock marshal, and I have to say he did an excellent job. Mike Hughes brought along his son and both dutifully manned the start line, a welcome face when getting ready to launch. If you managed to look on the way round Graham was there as a track marshal, ready to rescue us if we needed it. Many others also helped make the day a real success.

Due to the low numbers and the super-efficient organisation we knew we were going to be rewarded with more than the regular 2 practice and 2 main runs. In the end we had six runs instead of the usual four.

Practice saw everyone rattle through returning very competitive times, most putting a stake in the ground around five or six seconds off target. I always find Curborough a difficult track, I've nearly had a few major moments trying to get round under target. This time I vowed to get round under 70 seconds, no danger of the target falling but a personal target none the less. Anne was out to catch me trying hard to get a time down that would keep me in check.

Over lunch Michele broke out the sticky brownies, a familiar treat, which were very gooey but lip smackingly moreish. I definitely saw both Baines Jr's digging in to finish off the tub later in the day. In our camp, it was my parents Brian & Ann's Ruby wedding anniversary, so full regalia and cake were set out and duly shared.

For the afternoon's run we needed a commentator, luckily Rob Toon took up the mantle and from the comments I heard from the audience, he is an absolute star on the mike. DJ Tooney really made the runs interesting, giving insight into the drives and drivers, based on his experience as well as a super wit – absolutely fantastic.

First of the timed runs were before lunch... the earlier groups benefitting from the best of the weather and track conditions, as a shower dampened the track just before lunch. The remaining three runs after lunch saw times tumble with all runners looking to trim time and take the honours on home turf.

The run-off finalists were Richard Smith, Clive Hall, Chris Martin, Chris Bailey, Greg Dixon Smith, Simon Baines, Tim Harrison and Mike Meredith. Unfortunately the threatened rain was coming down by this time which meant everyone was trying to get round with a decent show, but knowing that cutting time off a dry time in the wet on such a technical track was going to be unlikely. Richard Smith took the honours but everyone ended up slower than their previous best.

Overall winner on the day and the only person to cut time off the handicap was Gregor Dixon-smith closely followed by Simon Baines and Christopher Martin.

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Only seven Morgans at this historic venue with Robert Hamer in just his second event being a
Shelsley new boy amongst the old hands but he did have the advantage of having attended the school earlier this year. The cars spanned the full range of classes from Nigel Housley's class 1 4/4 through to Mike Hall's class 12 beast.

The Morgan presence was, however, rather overshadowed by large numbers of Austin Healeys and TVRs and hopefully we can have many more cars there next year.

Overnight rain had left the track quite slippery and the unique Shelsley process of selecting
your practice batch meant that those scrutineered first were able to choose later runs in the
hope of a drying track. Those with early practice runs had the additional disadvantage of having to face the hazard of a large oil spillage at the approach to the Esses caused when a con rod from a Ford Anglia escaped from the engine block in the first run of the day.

Practice eventually got under way after hard work from the Marshalls in neutralising the oil and Robert - one of the early starters - found that full V6 power on a damp track puts you on a line not recommended by the school - mainly because it lands the car on top of the left hand bank. No damage done however to his rather nice Roadster but he is now able to offer a large number of squares of Shelsley turf removed from around his chassis with the aid of two close at hand umbrellas.

The rest of us were more circumspect and even as we got near to lunchtime the track had to be treated with some caution as many drivers were experiencing understeer at the top Ess where the left hand bank was suffering some erosion. With times averaging four to five seconds above targets we could only hope for continued dry weather for the afternoon.

There was a shower during lunch but this did little to dampen the track and apart from giving some deference to the Esses we were able use full power on the first of the timed runs and times came down dramatically with Greg Dixon –Smith leading the way. We could now feel that the track was looking good for the second runs but as we waited in the collecting bay at the top of the hill we could see the rain coming across the valley and were soon soaked by a heavy shower. Unfortunately this put paid to serious driving and the second runs were done in a safety first rather than attack mode.

So it was a day of might have beens for most of us but not for the Greg Dixon-Smith express
which charges on with yet another class record followed on the day at a respectful distance by Paul Bryan and Clive Hall.

Results

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An uncharacteristically warm start to the day greeted the Morgan contingent to Prescott. With a selection of entries in 8 classes from Class 1 runner Nigel Housley through to Class 12 runner Mike Hall, it promised to be an interesting day for drivers and spectators alike. First practice times showed that everyone was making the most of the ideal conditions as Clive Hall and Greg Dixon Smith were both less than 1.5 seconds from their respective bogey times. Mike Hall was also looking to be on form with a storming time of 48.6 seconds. Others trying equally as hard but with lesser results were Martin Whaley who had a spin at Orchard Corner and Paul Clarke whose day came to a premature end at Pardon. Second practice runs produced improvements from most of the field, Clive H and Greg DS still nudging ever closer to their bogeys, whilst Simon Baines had now gained the upper hand over Jonathan. Nigel Ledger Lomas was suffering fan belt problems but repairs were being ably assisted by Rob Toon who had come along to add support and encouragement. The lunchtime break gave us an opportunity to have a good wander around the paddock to admire the All American Weekend display of vehicles and sideshows, including a collection of vintage Hot Rods, a CART Racing Car and a Wall of Death Show.

And so to the timed runs. First off the line was Jonathan Baines who threw the gauntlet down to Simon with a time 1 second quicker than in practice. Nigel Housley was next to go with his fastest time of the day closely followed by Clive Hall who was clearly still getting used to his recently rebuilt 4/4 as he went 0.5 secs under bogey. Greg DS was also pushing hard managing a time 0.56 secs under bogey – close or what! Philip Parkes also produced his fastest time of the day with a time that would eventually nett him a 7th place overall. On the 2nd and final timed run, Clive was the first to lay down his marker, going faster still and giving Greg a target of 0.88 secs under bogey to beat. Lining up before Greg was Ian Hargrave, sporting a new aero screen that helped him to an impressive 6th place overall. Greg clearly was not going to be give up without a fight and went quicker again taking another 0.23 secs off his 1st run time but it wasn't enough and he ended the day in 2nd place, only 0.09 secs behind Clive. Mike Hall produced his fastest timed run closely followed by Simon Baines, but a missed gear by Simon on the exit of Ettores resulted in a time that netted 4th place, leaving Jonathan with a well deserved 3rd place overall and the fastest time set by any Morgan on the day.

Results

Report

Leaving home at the unearthly hour of 3.30 in the pitch dark, I wondered where I would be at daylight, and from which direction the sun would appear. Finally, at about 6.45, it dawned on me.

This sprint was, as you all know from the backs of your Techniques-sponsored tee shirts, the last of the season, and the one where heroes would be made and the also-rans forgotten until next season. The main protagonists Greg D-S and Andy Miller were quite polite with each other, but deep down, I reckon each were wishing the other was out shopping or playing golf or pasting stamps into albums, anywhere but here in direct competition but hey, the opposition is here and I have to make the best of it.

It was the BIG day of the Baines Einstein Theory because the track, although being the same bit of tarmac, was longer, having an extra bend, a new bogey had to be set. No eleven points here. Eventually, it was a Millertime that set the standard for the rest of us, which proved to be a tough call for some. Well, for me anyway.

It was really great to have a crowd of Moggers to support: Rob Toon, still glowing from his stint as commentator for the Club Sprint, Graham Wright, Dave Sapp, Steve Bridges, Andrew Potter, John Bevan, Alan Foster, someone in a three wheeler, and at least two other Mogs in the car park, not to mention the MillerBand who very kindly provided lunch for us all.

Sprinters were the afore mentioned Miller and G D-S, the Baines Boys Simon and Hairy, the Parkes Department Margaret and Phil, Tim Harrison, Paul Bryan, Brian Bloody Lee and me.

So, after a superb MillerLunch, we set off for the first of our two timed runs, very aware that the autumn sun was sinking lower, and would be right in our eyes for the last bend of the circuit. Following each run, the times were posted, which attracted a crowd of drivers eager to know who might lift the Speedmog crown. Times were fairly consistent, and generally improving over the day, but It was not until the final wheel had turned that Andy Miller had resigned himself to second place tying with Simon Baines, meaning a longer line has to be engraved on the SpeedMog trophy with the name "Gregor Dixon-Smith". The notable success was young Hairy, who is now posing an even greater threat to his dad's times.

So congratulations to Greg on a great result, but sincere thanks must also go to Simon for setting it all up and encouraging us all, particularly those new to the sport, and to Brenda for keeping tabs on the scores throughout the year. We can now look forward to the Drivers Dinner on Bonfire Night, then a long, cold, lonely winter until we can again burst from our mogbernation to breathe fresh new life into the 2012 season, when we will all be leaner and faster.

* Yes, Brian Bloody Lee: I made an old man very happy, by not being able to beat his quick time!

Results