13 replies to this topic

[arttidesco]

Practice Willhire 24 hours 1987 I found a you tube clip that suggests Graham Scarbrough was the co driver but who was Jess ?



Donington 16/04/89 according to the album cover, any idea who drove the #25 Ogilvey & Mather / Willhire Sierra ?



Had a great time in 1989 was out at a track somewhere almost every weekend or at least it felt like it, I believe the driver of the Moto Build Sierra at Brands 23/04/89 might be a 'Bill Davis' or was he Jaques Villeneuves NASCAR entrant ? Note door sticker shows this was a Firestone series event.



Finally from this batch does anyone recognise the driver of the #32 Goodyear Sierra in the same Firestone series (was this a sponsor spoiler entry ? ) race at Brands 23/04/89 ?

Turned up a load of prod saloon pics but can't find the programmes I 'carefully put away for safe keeping', all I seem to have left is the MN report on the '85 Willhire 24 hours.

I wonder if any one can help identifying the drivers, for most I either know the event and others I have a record of the date.

Relevant answers may be credited and used in a forthcoming blog.

Thanking you in anticipation of your answers.

[Alan Cox]

Practice Willhire 24 hours 1987 I found a you tube clip that suggests Graham Scarbrough was the co driver but who was Jess ? The car's owner, David 'Jess' Yates, who is standing on the right of your photograph
Donington 16/04/89 according to the album cover, any idea who drove the #25 Ogilvey & Mather / Willhire Sierra ? Roger Williams
Had a great time in 1989 was out at a track somewhere almost every weekend or at least it felt like it, I believe the driver of the Moto Build Sierra at Brands 23/04/89 might be a 'Bill Davis' or was he Jaques Villeneuves NASCAR entrant ? Note door sticker shows this was a Firestone series event. Grahame Davis

Sorry Ralph, can't bring to mind the driver of the Goodyear car.

[arttidesco]

Thanks for your help Alan

[Gregor Marshall]

I think the Goodyear/Blue car could be Kevin Maxted - he definitely raced one that colour in 1990.
Unfortunately the only prod saloon race my late father did in 1989 was the Willhire 24 with David "Jess" Yates in the car you have pictured and I think David still has it too.

[arttidesco]

Thanks Gregor

Two more I can't identify :-



Donington 16 04 89 and



Brands 23 04 89.

Relevant answers may be credited and used in a forth coming blog.

Edited by arttidesco, 20 February 2012 - 11:47.

[arttidesco]

The GALPOT blog got malisciously hacked a couple of weeks ago and it will be some time before it is completely restored, apologies for the belated thanks to Gregor & Alan for their help identifying the David Yates, Graeme Davis and Kevin Maxted for my Sierra RS Cosworth blog.

Thanks to finally finding a couple of 1989 Donington programes in the bottom of a box full of old socks a couple of weeks ago I have identified the drivers of the #13 & #15 above as Steve Monk and David Shead.



Today I turned up this photo of Karl Jones Escort Turbo which I believe was taken during the test session prior to the 1987 Willhire 24 hours.

I didn't make it to the race itself because the 25 pence worth of plastic that drove the distributor on my £50 Volvo 144 gave up the ghost on the M11, handily I was able to cruise into a nearby services from whence I organised it's removal to a final place of rest and then hitched back to London.

I wonder if anyone can tell me who Karl shared the Duckhams Escort with ? Any info on qualifying and race finish positions would be a bonus :-)

Relevant answers maybe credited & used in a forthcoming blog.

Thanking you in anticipation of your responses.

Edited by arttidesco, 30 March 2012 - 20:12.

[Tim Murray]

I wonder if anyone can tell me who Karl shared the Duckhams Escort with ? Any info on qualifying and race finish positions would be a bonus :-)

He shared the car with Patrick Watts and Chris Creswell. Karl qualified it 2nd, just pipped to pole by Robb Gravett in a Sierra RS Cosworth. The car was delayed in the race by a wheel that failed to seat properly and, a few minutes from the end of the race, a broken driveshaft, but survived to finish sixth (third in Class B).

Edited by Tim Murray, 30 March 2012 - 21:00.

[arttidesco]

Thanks Tim

[Gregor Marshall]

And I think I'm right in saying that the car was my late father's car from the '86 season and Karl also ran it in several BTCC races with Richard Asquith doing the prep.

[arttidesco]

Thanks Gregor, I have a recollection of Karl driving an Escort RS Turbo in BTCC but no pics, maybe it was something I saw on TV.

[JockinSA]

Thanks Gregor, I have a recollection of Karl driving an Escort RS Turbo in BTCC but no pics, maybe it was something I saw on TV.

Thank you arttidesco for putting up this site. Brings back lots of memories. If my memory(which is going down hill) serves me right, was,'t Karl's RST BTCC car a proper one alonside the prodsaloon. I know that in 87 when we all had a go at the Silverstone race that car was pretty well equipped to have been a quick turn around job, as a lot of us did just for the crack. Lots of stories as well from this era, see if you get can get Jerry Mahoney up on it. He had some good bits to say on another thread here.

[Gregor Marshall]

Thanks Gregor, I have a recollection of Karl driving an Escort RS Turbo in BTCC but no pics, maybe it was something I saw on TV.

Thinking about it further, I don;t think it was my late father's Escort, Karl driving one of Mike Smiths spare Escorts springs to mind - it was always interesting turning up Prod Saloon races in 1986 and seeing Mike having two identical Ilford Films cars, not even BTCC to this day has spare cars and they need them, lol!!

[arttidesco]

Thank you arttidesco for putting up this site. Brings back lots of memories. If my memory(which is going down hill) serves me right, was,'t Karl's RST BTCC car a proper one alonside the prodsaloon. I know that in 87 when we all had a go at the Silverstone race that car was pretty well equipped to have been a quick turn around job, as a lot of us did just for the crack. Lots of stories as well from this era, see if you get can get Jerry Mahoney up on it. He had some good bits to say on another thread here.

Your welcome JockinSA, though I cannot take credit for this entertaining site, only for this particular thread.

I saw the Jerry Mahoney thread last year, in case you missed it there is a pic of Jerry in the celebrity Metro at Oulton on yet another thread linked here..

Thanks for the update, Karl and Richard Asquith certainly rings a bell but without a programme or magazine to confirm it I am not too sure when they would have started working together.

[Gregor Marshall]

Thanks for the update, Karl and Richard Asquith certainly rings a bell but without a programme or magazine to confirm it I am not too sure when they would have started working together.

It was around 1986 - Richard worked for my father after the split with Roger Dowson and the subsequent winding-up of Gerry Marshall Racing (Roger was a partner) in around 1981 - Richard did some work for my father and then they went into business as Marshall Asquith Racing until the back end of 1986. From memory my father had set up the Duckhams sponsorship but Marshall Asquith Racing dissolved for various reasons so Karl and Richard went into 1987 together with no support from my late father and in fact Dad and Karl did not speak for 17 years afterwards - they did eventually speak again at Tony Lanfranchi's funeral and remained friends.
I still speak to Karl and he has said to me that it was the biggest mistake of his career to split from the support my father had given him in saloon cars but such is life I suppose!!
As for Richard, he originally came from a rallying background and I think that's where he returned after the BTCC with Karl but I think he might help prepare Patrick Watts circuit cars (Patrick also being an ex-Marshall Asquith Racing team driver).