22 replies to this topic

[Thundersports]

Had a huge accident at Thruxton in a Aurora F1 race anyone got any details as I can't find any on here.

[Tim Murray]

The race was the fifth round of the 1980 Aurora Championship, held on 26th May. The accident happened on the second lap, with Mallock holding a strong second place in the Marsh Plant Surtees TS20 behind Eliseo Salazar's Williams. Here's how Marcus Pye described things in his Autosport report:

Suddenly all was not right with the attitude of the Surtees, for rounding Kimpton bend it slewed sideways, shot across the track and cannoned into the Armco exploding into a ball of flame as it moved the barriers (and the supporting bank) back before flicking round and slamming backwards into the perpendicular Armco at Goodwood, still at alarming speed. With incredible rapidity the BARC marshals were at the scene, their discipline paying off as some doused the flame sufficiently for others to wade in and rescue the unconscious driver, his car by now in three parts with the engine and gearbox ripped apart and severed from the monocoque. Flames rose and spread for 50-60 yards, according to other drivers, Vivian Candy selflessly abandoning the Enterprise Ireland Arrows to see if there was anything he could do. Miraculously the medical officers brought Ray round, conscious and lucid about the crash soon afterwards apparently, and began treating him for a damaged left shoulder and second degree burns to one arm, injuries which can be considered light in the circumstances. Candy hopped back into his car and pitted for his belts to be refastened before resuming after a fine gesture.

Edited by Tim Murray, 15 January 2011 - 20:02.

[paulhooft]

I was at Zandvoort back in 1969..
or was it 1968?
Ray Mallock was there with his front engined U2,
A kind of Clubman in a F2 race..
simply great..
still remember that car..
Great to have seen it.
That is the spirit,
we seem to have lost,
somewhere upon to way??
Paul

[Phil Rainford]

I seem to remember Ray making a presentation later in the season to the safety crew that had saved him....

PAR

[Thundersports]

Christ that sounds like a huge accident wonderfully reported he sounds like a lucky man to be alive let alone only lightly injured! Does anyone know what caused the failure of the car? Does anyone have pics or maybe video as some of the Aurora races were televised?

[sterling49]

I was at Zandvoort back in 1969..
or was it 1968?
Ray Mallock was there with his front engined U2,
A kind of Clubman in a F2 race..
simply great..
still remember that car..
Great to have seen it.
That is the spirit,
we seem to have lost,
somewhere upon to way??
Paul

Paul, did Ray race a front engined F2 car also? I remember Arthur Mallock did, but my memory is poor these days !

[petestenning]

Yes there was a front engined F2 Mallock , but sure if it was Ray or Richard that drove it .

[sterling49]

Yes there was a front engined F2 Mallock , but sure if it was Ray or Richard that drove it .

I think you will find Arthur did too Pete, perhaps a tad earlier in the decade though

[Tim Murray]

Christ that sounds like a huge accident wonderfully reported he sounds like a lucky man to be alive let alone only lightly injured! Does anyone know what caused the failure of the car? Does anyone have pics or maybe video as some of the Aurora races were televised?

This was in the following week's Autosport:

A remarkably cheerful Ray Mallock rang us on Monday with the good news that he only had to spend one day in hospital after his horrific Thruxton Aurora shunt. The burns to his right arm, eyebrows and eyelashes are healing rapidly while, despite his broken right shoulder, he expects to be fit enough to drive a road car within a couple of weeks.

The Surtees TS20+ was a complete write off and Ray confirmed that that project is now officially finished.

I can't find any mention of the accident having been caused by car failure. I'd guess it was probably too badly damaged to tell.

[IanMH]

Richard Mallock raced a U2 in 2-litre sportscar races at Knockhill and Ingliston rounds in 1975 and maybe a few others. Cheers Ian.

[simonlewisbooks]

Later in 1980 Ray was back at the wheel of the ex Kennedy Wolf WR6 in Aurora. The first F1 car to run proper sliding skirts when it appeared in Scheckter's hands it appears.

There was an interesting interview with Ray recently (was it MOTOR SPORT?) Where he alluded to shady dealings over a promised front-line F1 test which never came about....

Edited by simonlewisbooks, 17 January 2011 - 00:19.

[Roger Clark]

I think you will find Arthur did too Pete, perhaps a tad earlier in the decade though ;)

I don't think that Arthur drove an F2 Mallock. He did drive a formula Junior in 1959/60.

[sterling49]

I have this image of Arthur, around 1967 driving a Twin Cam engined Mallock in an F2 race with the F.V.A. cars.............it was featured in MN around the time...................I am probably wrong, going well against opinion here, but my memory is holding on to this, just now going to research it a bit.............................oh, and I bow to your knowledge Roger.

Edited to add : http://www.formula2.net/F267No24.htm Arthur raced in F2 at Zandvoort according to this site, and probably the photo that I saw in MN.

Edited by sterling49, 17 January 2011 - 11:23.

[Tim Murray]

You're not wrong, Sterling. According to the table of Formula 2 Contestants which accompanied Simon Taylor's Autosport review of the 1967 F2 season, Arthur Mallock raced a U2 Mk 6 in the races at Mallory Park, Crystal Palace and Zandvoort. Another U2 Mk 6 was raced in the Crystal Palace event by a Mr Mosley.

Edit: confirmed by the relevant Sheldon Black Book.

Edited by Tim Murray, 17 January 2011 - 11:34.

[Alan Cox]

Arthur Mallock raced a U2 Mk 6 in the races at Mallory Park, Crystal Palace and Zandvoort. Another U2 Mk 6 was raced in the Crystal Palace event by a Mr Mosley.

He finished 9th at Mallory but neither he, nor Mosley, qualfied for Crystal Palace.

[sterling49]

Cheers guys ! I can put the bath chair away for a few more years................I did, however, imagine that I saw him at Brands on Bank Holiday Monday though, August 1967

[Tim Murray]

He finished 9th at Mallory but neither he, nor Mosley, qualfied for Crystal Palace.

Not for the final, maybe, but both raced in the qualifying heats.

[sterling49]

If I remember correctly, Arthur was quite a senior gent when he raced in F2?

[Tim Murray]

Yes indeed - according to Reinhard's birthday listing for him he was born on 1st March 1918, which would make him 49 when he raced F2.

[Mallory Dan]

Later in 1980 Ray was back at the wheel of the ex Kennedy Wolf WR6 in Aurora. The first F1 car to run proper sliding skirts when it appeared in Scheckter's hands it appears.

There was an interesting interview with Ray recently (was it MOTOR SPORT?) Where he alluded to shady dealings over a promised front-line F1 test which never came about....

Simon, I think that was re the '81 UK Atlantic series. The winner was promised an F1 test drive, via BCE I recall, but after Ray M had won the series, the test drive never happened.

[simonlewisbooks]

Simon, I think that was re the '81 UK Atlantic series. The winner was promised an F1 test drive, via BCE I recall, but after Ray M had won the series, the test drive never happened.

That's the one! He probably would have had the 'Rick-Mears-treatment' if he had actually sat in the car.

[RogerFrench]

That's the one! He probably would have had the 'Rick-Mears-treatment' if he had actually sat in the car.

They'd have had to find a car big enough, to begin with. Ray had to squeeze into a number of cars - he's a tall guy, like his father and son.
He told me once about banging his feet on steering racks and barely getting into the cars he drove.

[Mallory Dan]

Perhaps Bernie would have allowed the test if Warren Booth had won the series, Warren wouldn't have had any trouble fitting into a BT49