Irish racing 1953/54

I wonder if anyone in the Ulster area has a collection of race and hill climb programmes as I want to confirm captions to photographs I took at Kirkistown and Craigantlet when I was in Belfast doing National Service in the Royal Air Force.

Fundamentally I want to give some car descriptions from one meeting at Kirkistown and one Craigantlet hill climb and I wonder if anyone can tell me the name of the entrant and confirm the car.

Craigantlet Hill Climb (Probably 1954 won by Ken Wharton in a Cooper Number 43 and Michael Christie ran a Cooper 1100 as No.55.)

1) Lotus 6 Car number 30 unpainted closed rear wheels.

2) Ford Popular car registration no PZ 6740

3)

Hi Graham

If you have no joy here

Try Bob Montgomery at the RIAC library in Dublin

http://www.riac.ie/p...in-Archive.html

Hi Graham

If you have no joy here

Try Bob Montgomery at the RIAC library in Dublin

http://www.riac.ie/p...in-Archive.html

Graham
Kirkistown is 7/8/54 and Craigantlet 14/8/54. I have the programmes. If you email me I will give you the details.
Regards
Simon Thomas

Thank you Simon. I have contacted you directly.

I may well come back with other race meeting names I need as I progress through the photos.

Graham Gauld

Simon Thomas may well have confirmed this by now but I imagine that you will find that it was Denis Wilkins in his Ford Consul engined Lotus 6, registered JZ 7890, at Craigantlet on 14 August 1954. As far as I know there were two Lotus 6s in Northern Ireland at the time: Denis's which he shared with Ian Titterington (in exchange for Ian's having worked on the car) and Chris Lindsay's which he occasionally shared with Leslie Innes.

Both had enclosed rear wings and Ford Consul engines but Chris Lindsay's SZ 9119 was painted by then and was running with number 46 at Craigantlet.

I am looking forward to seeing the picture of #30, Graham. The car is in my garage at the moment .

Simon Thomas may well have confirmed this by now but I imagine that you will find that it was Denis Wilkins in his Ford Consul engined Lotus 6, registered JZ 7890, at Craigantlet on 14 August 1954. As far as I know there were two Lotus 6s in Northern Ireland at the time: Denis's which he shared with Ian Titterington (in exchange for Ian's having worked on the car) and Chris Lindsay's which he occasionally shared with Leslie Innes.

Both had enclosed rear wings and Ford Consul engines but Chris Lindsay's SZ 9119 was painted by then and was running with number 46 at Craigantlet.

I am looking forward to seeing the picture of #30, Graham. The car is in my garage at the moment .

X
Dear Charles

Is this the car you refer to. I think I said it was No.30 when in fact it was No40. The registration seems to match. Also I note from the photos that with the Chris Lindsay car he ran it early in the meeting with single wheels at the back and the wheel spats and later in the meeting with the wheel spats removed and with twin rear wheels. In one of the twin rear wheel shots I think Leslie Innes is at the wheel.




Keep up the good work

Graham Gauld

Yes, that's the car. Distinctive bulge on the bonnet for the carburettors and also bulges for the radiator header tank corners on the top of the nosecone. It's a wonderful photo for me; I don't think that I've seen a similar view from that side and hadn't realised before that the car had been fitted with an aluminium tonneau cover on the passenger side. I still have the petrol filler cap (not on the car) but the short length of bent ventilation pipe has been replaced by a pop rivet. It's only a rubber push on cap: scrutineering wasn't so demanding then.

I have a photocopy of the CLASS 8 - All Cars including Racing and Supercharged ones - Unlimited c.c. from the Craigantlet programme (almost certainly originally from Simon Thomas) and the numbers jump from 38 to 41 with no number 40. I expect that just means that Denis Wilkins entered a different class (Sports Cars?). I found a line in my notes saying that he finished 2nd in class but can't find a reference for the source.

I've also got a photocopy of a photo of the Lindsay car (46) with the driver wearing no crash helmet and the car with twin rear wheels and running without front and rear wings. I will be seeing the current owner of the ex-Lindsay/Innes car tomorrow and will point him towards this thread.

Thanks very much, Graham

Yes, that's the car. Distinctive bulge on the bonnet for the carburettors and also bulges for the radiator header tank corners on the top of the nosecone. It's a wonderful photo for me; I don't think that I've seen a similar view from that side and hadn't realised before that the car had been fitted with an aluminium tonneau cover on the passenger side. I still have the petrol filler cap (not on the car) but the short length of bent ventilation pipe has been replaced by a pop rivet. It's only a rubber push on cap: scrutineering wasn't so demanding then.

I have a photocopy of the CLASS 8 - All Cars including Racing and Supercharged ones - Unlimited c.c. from the Craigantlet programme (almost certainly originally from Simon Thomas) and the numbers jump from 38 to 41 with no number 40. I expect that just means that Denis Wilkins entered a different class (Sports Cars?). I found a line in my notes saying that he finished 2nd in class but can't find a reference for the source.

I've also got a photocopy of a photo of the Lindsay car (46) with the driver wearing no crash helmet and the car with twin rear wheels and running without front and rear wings. I will be seeing the current owner of the ex-Lindsay/Innes car tomorrow and will point him towards this thread.

Thanks very much, Graham

As you are seeing the owner here are two pics taken at the same meeting at Craigantlet showing Lindsay with the pristine car complete with rear wheel covers and then Innes driving it later in the meeting stripped of wings and twin rear wheels . You will find Lindsay raced it in the sports car class and Innes in the racing car class hence no wings. I am quite astonished that both cars are still around in Ulster

Those are wonderful, Graham. The supercharger in the nosecone is clearly visible. Many thanks.

The two cars actually live in Southern England now rather than Ulster. Mine went to Rodney Bloor (Manchester Sports Cars) in the mid fifties and the ex-Lindsay car was in Kent by the early sixties.

We have been contemplating a visit to Craigantlet one year and I know Ian Titterington hopes to see the car which he worked on again.

Great idea, I will see Ian Titterington tomorrow at a party, I am sure both he and myself will support this. Craigantlet is the first Saturday in August next year. Over to you.
Simon Thomas

Graham,
A chap called Oliver McCrossan has a wealth of information on Irish Motorsport, and may be able to help if you get stuck. He will be at the Revival, but I will ask him if he would be happy for you to contact him by e-mail.

Bauble

with reference to Irish racing 1953 1954 I would be interested in any details of local irish XK120's that were racing at this time and there were a few, some of course even being assembled in Eire.
There is some good stuff at http://www.irishjagclub.ie/ goto photos "1953 in Ireland" "Irish assembled XK's" "Monte Carlo Rally"
Biggar who wrote a autobiography monte carlo photo albums were sold on E Bay a couple of years back and we finished up with them although 2 others were sold at auction a couple of years earlier
terry