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Peter Hawtin, aka 'Ippocastano'


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#101 David McKinney

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Posted 13 January 2010 - 20:57

I met Peter a few times when we both had Frazer Nash Targa Florio sports cars and we both raced in early Griffith Formula races that led to the HSCC. His was the ex David Murray car YMP621, mine was LXH3 and both were very similar on wire wheels

Wasn't LXH3 an LM Rep? Or was the number transferred one way or the other?


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#102 LucaP

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Posted 13 January 2010 - 21:07

"Ippocastano" in italian is a kind of tree.... does anyone know why did he choose that pseudonym?

#103 962C

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Posted 14 January 2010 - 00:04

I think Traco were a tuner of Chevrolet engines.

I think they're also behind the (not very successful) F1 version of the Ford quadcam V8 that powered the very first Mclaren F1 (M2?)

#104 cdrewett

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Posted 14 January 2010 - 09:52

Wasn't LXH3 an LM Rep? Or was the number transferred one way or the other?

LXH 3 started life as a Le Mans Replica and was raced at Le Mans in 1952 by Peacock and Ruddock finishing 10th. To try and improve top speed it was fitted with a Targa Florio body in 1953, retaining the same chassis, or chassis number, and engine, but virtually everything else was changed including Dunlop wire wheels. It then ran again at Le Mans in 1954 and was some 20seconds a lap faster than before. It was leading the 2 FN LeMans Coupes until the 10th hour when Ruddock went off the course in the pouring rain and bent the steering.
I sold it in 1969 to Robert Mansfield who still has it. If I can work out how, I'll post a picture of it.
Chris

#105 cdrewett

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Posted 14 January 2010 - 10:16

LXH 3 started life as a Le Mans Replica and was raced at Le Mans in 1952 by Peacock and Ruddock finishing 10th. To try and improve top speed it was fitted with a Targa Florio body in 1953, retaining the same chassis, or chassis number, and engine, but virtually everything else was changed including Dunlop wire wheels. It then ran again at Le Mans in 1954 and was some 20seconds a lap faster than before. It was leading the 2 FN LeMans Coupes until the 10th hour when Ruddock went off the course in the pouring rain and bent the steering.
I sold it in 1969 to Robert Mansfield who still has it. If I can work out how, I'll post a picture of it.
Chris

Here's LXH3 at Castle Coombe in 1967
ChrisPosted Image

#106 David McKinney

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Posted 14 January 2010 - 10:25

Thanks very much, Chris. I can now sleep easy
I once had a fast ride around Silverstone in another TF, YMT674

#107 richie

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Posted 04 September 2011 - 22:12

I met Peter a few times when we both had Frazer Nash Targa Florio sports cars and we both raced in early Griffith Formula races that led to the HSCC. His was the ex David Murray car YMP621, mine was LXH3 and both were very similar on wire wheels.
Peter was a delightfully friendly and modest chap.
His Frazer Nash is now in New Jersey USA.

Chris


Was Peter called 'Ippocastano' then or just in his F5000 races?

#108 richie

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Posted 04 September 2011 - 22:13

Hello all, I’m Paul from Manchester, and have been a regular at Oulton Park since the early seventies.
Let me tell you how I found this forum and this thread in particular. I’m a subscriber to Motorsport News, and Simon Arron recently wrote in his column about an accident at Oulton in September 71’ involving Malcolm Sears.
I was spectating on the inside of Old Hall that day and witnessed the accident, 37 years on it was lost in the back of my memory banks, till’ I read the article and it all came flooding back. So much so that I emailed Simon to recollect my version of what happened. Simon replied saying he had a big response to the article. Last week I received an email from Paul Sears explaining that Simon had passed on all the comments, and would I like to talk to him about what I witnessed that day, on Monday night we spoke at length about that day…….Paul pointed me to this thread, that’s why I’m here.
I think enough has already been said on here about the accident and I don’t need to add to it, except to say best wishes to Malcolm and Paul, you and your families must have suffered so much, it’s nice to know Malcolm is still around and still showing an interest in the sport we all love.
I also remember the pall of smoke from the Peter Hawtin accident, as was usual in those day’s things carried on and not much information was given out on the public address.
Cirrus also mentions John Myerscough. John worked at Westune in Bolton run by Peter West. I bought many parts from them for my old Mk1 GT Cortina. John raced a Twin Cam Escort, he then moved up to F5000. Westune moved to Horwich and became an Alfa Romeo dealership, John then raced an Alfa, after that I lost touch, I wonder where he is now?
I think I still have the program from that fateful day, I may even have some photographs among my collection (none from Malcolm’s accident) I must get round to searching the loft, we moved house 4 years ago and so many things got stuffed up there and are still waiting to be sorted out.
That’s enough of my ramblings for now.

Paul


Any luck finding your photos in the loft?


#109 Sharman

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Posted 05 September 2011 - 10:14


Just a thought," ippocastanos meaning horse chestnut". Is it possible that Hawtin might have been playing with words?

horse chestnuts=conkers=conquers

#110 richie

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Posted 23 October 2011 - 21:22

I was at the race in which Peter died. Watching from near Knicker Brook. a plume of smoke appeared from the top of the hill leading down to that corner. It was obvious that something nasty had happened. The race certainly continued, and apart from the commentator mentioning the fact that Peter had gone off the circuit, everything continued as normal. My memory fails me in trying to recall if an announcement was made about what had actually happened, but subsequently I did wonder why the race was not stopped. Presumably the wreckage was not blocking the track, but how did anyone manage a rescue attempt while the race was in progress?


David Berry told me recently he was driving behind Peter Hawtin when suddenly the Cooper darted off to the right, something broke & was thrown out.

#111 cdrewett

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Posted 25 October 2011 - 15:43

Thanks Ian for 'thread bumping' I hadn' seen this previously.

No news on Malcolm but an update on the Chris Summers post.

Chris was the first driver to score points in the British Hillclimb Championship with a US stock block engine. He finished second at both the Shelsley Walsh rounds on 3rd June 1962 and 26th August 1962 with the Cooper-Chevrolet T45.


Shelsley Walsh1963, there we were having completed our runs and parked in line abreast fairly near the track. Up comes Chris in the Cooper Chevrolet, a car/driver combination with a degree of alcohol assistance in the fuel. He bombs over the finishing line, brakes heavily, perhaps a front brake grabs, and he goes pirouetting right down the line of cars like a pin ball. We got away fairly lightly, just a chipped front wheel.
Chris

#112 MCS

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Posted 25 October 2011 - 16:28

David Berry told me recently he was driving behind Peter Hawtin when suddenly the Cooper darted off to the right, something broke & was thrown out.


Interesting. The only drivers behind Hawtin at that point were Gardner, Hailwood and Rollinson - all about to lap the Cooper. Did Berry see the accident from somewhere else on the circuit? Cascades perhaps?

It went left and hit the barriers in front of the marshal's post and broke up - if it had gone right he may have survived...


#113 Twin Window

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Posted 25 October 2011 - 18:20

It went left and hit the barriers in front of the marshal's post and broke up - if it had gone right he may have survived...

That's also my understanding. I was there but didn't witness the incident, however some time later I learned from a former neighbour whose friend was marshalling there that day that following the impact on the left (whereby, from memory, I was told the car broke-up and flew over the marhall's post) the front-end wreckage veered right and down the embankment. I think the engine & rear suspension also went in that direction but landed nearer to the trackside on the right...

#114 Paul Hurdsfield

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Posted 26 October 2011 - 18:35

Any luck finding your photos in the loft?


Ooops no sorry Richie, you know how time flies, I'm hoping to retire next April.......maybe then........ ;)

#115 richie

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Posted 11 July 2012 - 21:04

Anybody got a photo of Peter Hawtin & Fred Place in their F5000 Cooper's on the grid at Snetterton 31/8/70?

#116 norco

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Posted 12 July 2012 - 10:50

Anybody got a photo of Peter Hawtin & Fred Place in their F5000 Cooper's on the grid at Snetterton 31/8/70?


I've tried Fred Place today, he doesn't think he has any photos from that race but he also would like to see any photos from that day

#117 Cirrus

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Posted 12 July 2012 - 14:53

Have you tried Ted Walker? I think he has many of Fred Scatley's photos and it's just the kind of meeting that he would have been at.

#118 norco

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Posted 13 July 2012 - 10:19

From the race, there is a photo on Flickr of Peter Hawtin that day

http://www.flickr.co...N08/3494749410/

I have several photos of T86C from Fred Place's collection if anything would help




#119 richie

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Posted 14 July 2012 - 19:36

From the race, there is a photo on Flickr of Peter Hawtin that day

http://www.flickr.co...N08/3494749410/

I have several photos of T86C from Fred Place's collection if anything would help


I wanted to see the two Coopers on the grid as that would be interesting. Tried Ted Walker- no luck there.

It would be good to see the Fred Place collection.

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#120 richie

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Posted 19 August 2012 - 17:48

At last we have an explanation for using Ippo Castano from fellow Cooper driver Fred Place, who said recently "I seem to remember Peter Hawtin saying (he was a good friend and lived quite close to Bampton at that time,and was always calling in) he had picked the name Ippo Castano ( he entered it as two names originally) from a book he had read,it had stuck in his memory and he used it to enter race meetings in case his father ever spotted his real name in a motoring magazine or newspaper,and tried to stop him from motor racing,which he very strongly disapproved of".

Edited by richie, 19 August 2012 - 17:52.


#121 MCS

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Posted 19 September 2015 - 11:49

44 years on, yesterday.  I came across this whilst doing a search: http://www.london.an...der-in-ruislip/

 

Words fail me.



#122 Dave Roberts

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Posted 31 October 2015 - 22:17

Hi! Anyone still on this thread? Think I put in a comment a while back but can't find it. Still...

 

I was about 13 when Peter Hawtin died. I wasn't traumatised or anything at the time [back then, that's what happened to racing drivers to my mind. My hero had been Rindt. Sh*t happened] but my older brother certainly was. He was up at the kink downhill that some people are calling "Hilltop" [we never called it that then. Just "the kink on the hill"]. Peter's car hit the railway sleepers. Front part went right and up in flames in a set of bushes.  Chevy block plus one wheel went left through the paling fencing, dug up a lot of turf & sat where brother had been standing earlier. Peter went straight on [he didn't wear belts] and landed on the grass, left of track, in front of brother. Bro watched marshals trying to revive him but said "he'd obviously broken his back". 

 

I've looked up stuff about Peter as best I can. Seems he was a mentor to a lot of troubled kids in London. There's even a  bloke, now a bishop, who was one of those kids. Research continues and any help appreciated. He seemed like a nice bloke.



#123 Dave Roberts

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Posted 31 October 2015 - 22:20

Sorry MCS. If only I'd scrolled 1 message up... !

 

Tried contacting that there bishop but I reckon his office think I'm a terrorist or something..



#124 richie

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Posted 25 November 2015 - 22:54

Hi! Anyone still on this thread? Think I put in a comment a while back but can't find it. Still...

 

I was about 13 when Peter Hawtin died. I wasn't traumatised or anything at the time [back then, that's what happened to racing drivers to my mind. My hero had been Rindt. Sh*t happened] but my older brother certainly was. He was up at the kink downhill that some people are calling "Hilltop" [we never called it that then. Just "the kink on the hill"]. Peter's car hit the railway sleepers. Front part went right and up in flames in a set of bushes.  Chevy block plus one wheel went left through the paling fencing, dug up a lot of turf & sat where brother had been standing earlier. Peter went straight on [he didn't wear belts] and landed on the grass, left of track, in front of brother. Bro watched marshals trying to revive him but said "he'd obviously broken his back". 

 

I've looked up stuff about Peter as best I can. Seems he was a mentor to a lot of troubled kids in London. There's even a  bloke, now a bishop, who was one of those kids. Research continues and any help appreciated. He seemed like a nice bloke.

 

He was a development engineer at Aston Martin. It was originally one of my threads. Even tried to trace his wife without success. He lived at Burford at some stage.



#125 john aston

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Posted 26 November 2015 - 07:57

Also ran F5000 drivers - Bill Wood; was a regular sight in an M10B (I think) at Croft and Rufforth . He had been reasonably quick in a Cobra(and I think his brother had a Cobra too) but was hopelessly out of his depth in the big McLaren. often ending up on the in field pointing the wrong way . Tony Dean was also a regular ahd he never put a foot wrong in anything I saw hmi race(Dino 206,,Porsche 908 , M10B and Chevron(?)  F2 car     



#126 richie

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Posted 14 February 2016 - 22:39

Sorry MCS. If only I'd scrolled 1 message up... !

 

Tried contacting that there bishop but I reckon his office think I'm a terrorist or something..M

 

Did you contact the Bishop about Peter Hawtin, as I may do this?



#127 MCS

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Posted 16 February 2016 - 21:48

He was a development engineer at Aston Martin. It was originally one of my threads. Even tried to trace his wife without success. He lived at Burford at some stage.

 

You say he lived near Burford (did he?), but where and for how long?  But if he really did, how easy was it for him to travel to Newport Pagnell and back in those days?

 

Think about it.



#128 richie

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Posted 23 December 2018 - 11:10

Here's an email from Fred Place June 18.

 

"Hope you are well, I knew Peter reasonably well, but after fifty years some of my recollections are probably a bit hazy. At that time I owned a garage in Bampton,which was about six miles from Burford,although I think he lived in Shilton which was a sort of village suburb of Burford, he worked for Aston Martin in Newport Pagnell, which was quite some distance to travel to work. He used to call in quite often for a coffee and a chat and to check  various details on my Cooper, as the T86 C was almost identical to his T86 B ( except mine  was four inches shorter.) which he was fitting out with a Chevrolet engine and all the necessary components,so that he could race it. He had previously raced a Lotus 24 with a Ford V8 ( I think ) He raced under the pseudonym of "Ipocastano" which I think is the name for an Italian chestnut tree, he did not want his real name in any motor racing magazine in case his father ( who was strongly against him racing ) happened to spot it, he chose that name because it had been in a book he had read and it had stuck in his mind !!!  I do not think he was married,he never mentioned a wife,and I never saw one, the couple of times I visited him.  I did not know anything at all about his religious activities, and if he ever mentioned them I have long since forgotten about them. I never met any of his family, I'm not sure if I knew where they lived, I think he may have mentioned a sister. but I could be wrong.  We often used to see each other at race meetings, but we only ever chatted about our cars and any problems we might be having, and that just about sums up my memories of Peter, RIP."

 

Since then I attended a wedding nr Burford and a local suggested I try to get info from Witney Gazette, sure someone will know the family. Emailed letter to the paper this month, nothing so far.

 

Found this posting on Flickr, from James Smith, 5 yrs ago:  Hello, I am Peter Hawtin's nephew and i still have some pieces of the car. I can remember sitting in it when i was 3, the parts were returned to me by the man who went to recover it from Oulton Park in 1971 only just a couple of years ago now,do contact me if you wish- did and heard nothing.


Edited by richie, 23 December 2018 - 11:14.


#129 richie

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Posted 02 May 2019 - 21:39

Any luck finding your photos in the loft?

Years on, did you find the programme & photos of the F5000 race?



#130 richie

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Posted 21 July 2019 - 20:33

You say he lived near Burford (did he?), but where and for how long?  But if he really did, how easy was it for him to travel to Newport Pagnell and back in those days?

 

Think about it.

He didn't, he stayed with a colleague of Aston Martin engineer Max Robertson, who had a flat in Newport Pagnell. I received a call from a former work colleague of Peter's following a post on Face Book in Newport Pagnell. I'm now searching for MR who left to work at Rolls Royce Crewe. Contacted an ex works colleague who knew him, last heard he'd moved to Dundee. There the trail stopped.



#131 richie

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Posted 09 April 2020 - 19:22

Paul Hurdsfield, on Aug 6 2008, 06:41, said:snapback.png

Hello all, I’m Paul from Manchester, and have been a regular at Oulton Park since the early seventies.
Let me tell you how I found this forum and this thread in particular. I’m a subscriber to Motorsport News, and Simon Arron recently wrote in his column about an accident at Oulton in September 71’ involving Malcolm Sears.
I was spectating on the inside of Old Hall that day and witnessed the accident, 37 years on it was lost in the back of my memory banks, till’ I read the article and it all came flooding back. So much so that I emailed Simon to recollect my version of what happened. Simon replied saying he had a big response to the article. Last week I received an email from Paul Sears explaining that Simon had passed on all the comments, and would I like to talk to him about what I witnessed that day, on Monday night we spoke at length about that day…….Paul pointed me to this thread, that’s why I’m here.
I think enough has already been said on here about the accident and I don’t need to add to it, except to say best wishes to Malcolm and Paul, you and your families must have suffered so much, it’s nice to know Malcolm is still around and still showing an interest in the sport we all love.
I also remember the pall of smoke from the Peter Hawtin accident, as was usual in those day’s things carried on and not much information was given out on the public address.
Cirrus also mentions John Myerscough. John worked at Westune in Bolton run by Peter West. I bought many parts from them for my old Mk1 GT Cortina. John raced a Twin Cam Escort, he then moved up to F5000. Westune moved to Horwich and became an Alfa Romeo dealership, John then raced an Alfa, after that I lost touch, I wonder where he is now?
I think I still have the program from that fateful day, I may even have some photographs among my collection (none from Malcolm’s accident) I must get round to searching the loft, we moved house 4 years ago and so many things got stuffed up there and are still waiting to be sorted out.
That’s enough of my ramblings for now.

Paul

Any luck finding photos and/or programme of the event?



#132 richie

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Posted 12 January 2021 - 21:33

Chris I'm researching Peter Hawtin's background, were his sister, and parents who disapproved of his racing, ever mentioned, hence racing under a pseudonym in F5000 races?

I met Peter a few times when we both had Frazer Nash Targa Florio sports cars and we both raced in early Griffith Formula races that led to the HSCC. His was the ex David Murray car YMP621, mine was LXH3 and both were very similar on wire wheels.
Peter was a delightfully friendly and modest chap.
His Frazer Nash is now in New Jersey USA.

Chris