Personal photos from the hills

Originally posted by Alan Cox
Some memories of a great meeting in June 1997 to celebrate 50 years of the RAC Hillclimb Championship

Ray Rowan (in car) and David Grace converse

The guy in the check shirt leaning on the roll bar is Martin O'Connell.

I must dig out mine from the same event!

I've found another pic I took at Shelsley, August 1975...



It's an F5000 McLaren M10B I think, and the livery suggests to me it's Martyn Griffiths, but I have no way of substantiating that.

Over to you, Moodster...

Twinny, yes it is Martyn Griffiths in the Severn Advertising sponsored 5.8 McLaren-Chevrolet M10B taken at Bottom Esse. He finished 7th in the run-off on a time of 30.04 seconds.

;)
Ok i am going to start the ball rolling, to name them all.....L to R
Back row 5 from the left Roy Lane .
NEXT...... _____________________________________________________________

Originally posted by Alan Cox
Some memories of a great meeting in June 1997 to celebrate 50 years of the RAC Hillclimb Championship
50 years of champions (almost)

____________________________________________________________
Year Champion Car
2005 Martin Groves Gould GR55
2004 Adam Fleetwood Gould GR55
2003 Adam Fleetwood Gould GR55
2002 Graeme Wight Jr Gould GR51
2001 Graeme Wight Jr Gould GR51
2000 David Grace Gould Ralt GR37
1999 David Grace Gould Ralt GR37
1998 David Grace Gould Ralt GR37
1997 Roger Moran Pilbeam MP72
1996 Roy Lane Pilbeam MP58-09
1995 Andy Priaulx Pilbeam MP58-03
1994 David Grace Pilbeam MP58-05
1993 David Grace Pilbeam MP58-05
1992 Roy Lane Pilbeam MP58-08
1991 Martyn Griffiths Pilbeam MP58-05
1990 Martyn Griffiths Pilbeam MP58-05
1989 Ray Rowan Roman-Hart IVH
1988 Charles Wardle Pilbeam-Repco MP47
1987 Martyn Griffiths Pilbeam-Hart MP53
1986 Martyn Griffiths Pilbeam-Hart MP53
1985 Chris Cramer Gould-Hart 84/2
1984 Martin Bolsover Pilbeam-Hart
1983 Martin Bolsover Pilbeam-Hart MP50
1982 Martin Bolsover Pilbeam-Hart MP50
1981 James Thomson Pilbeam-Hart MP40
1980 Chris Cramer March-Hart
1979 Martyn Griffiths Pilbeam-Hart MP40
1978 David Franklin March-BMW
1977 Alister Douglas-Osborn Pilbeam-DFV R22
1976 Roy Lane McRae-Chevrolet GM1
1975 Roy Lane McRae-Chevrolet GM1
1974 Mike MacDowel Brabham-Repco BT36X
1973 Mike MacDowel Brabham-Repco BT36X
1972 Sir Nicholas Williamson, Bt March-Hart
1971 David Hepworth Hepworth-Chevrolet 4WD
1970 Sir Nicholas Williamson, Bt McLaren-Chevrolet M10A
1969 David Hepworth Hepworth-Oldsmobile 4WD
1968 Peter Lawson BRM P67 4WD
1967 Tony Marsh Marsh-GM
1966 Tony Marsh Marsh-GM
1965 Tony Marsh Marsh-GM
1964 Peter Westbury Ferguson-Climax P99 4WD
1963 Peter Westbury Felday-Daimler / Cooper-Daimler
1962 Arthur Owen Cooper-Climax T53
1961 David Good Cooper-JAP Mk 8
1960 David Boshier-Jones Cooper-JAP Mk 9
1959 David Boshier-Jones Cooper-JAP Mk 9
1958 David Boshier-Jones Cooper-JAP Mk 9
1957 Tony Marsh Cooper-JAP Mk 8
1956 Tony Marsh Cooper-JAP Mk 8
1955 Tony Marsh Cooper-JAP Mk 8
1954 Ken Wharton Cooper-JAP Mk 4 / ERA R4D
1953 Ken Wharton Cooper-JAP Mk 4 / ERA R11B
1952 Ken Wharton Cooper-JAP Mk 4 / ERA R11B
1951 Ken Wharton Cooper-JAP Mk 4
1950 Dennis Poore Alfa Romeo 8C-35
1949 Sidney Allard Steyr-Allard
1948 Raymond Mays ERA R4D
1947 Raymond Mays ERA R4D

I wondered who was going to br the first to have a go....

(Hint) They are all there except for the years 1947-54, 1969-72 and 2001-05 (as the photo was taken in 1997)

What is a Bt McLaren?

Sir Nick's full title was "Sir Nicholas Williamson, Bt" where Bt stands for Baronet.

Allen

Originally posted by Allen Brown
Sir Nick's full title was "Sir Nicholas Williamson, Bt" where Bt stands for Baronet.

Allen

Same title as Tim Birkin . Doesn't it mean the second son of a Lord so somthing similar? As in "the one who won't inherit the title" unless something unfortunate happens to his elder brother of course.

If thats the case Sir Nick's dad was Lord.....(any ideas?)

Simon Lewis
Transport Books
www.simonlewis.com

Originally posted by simonlewisbooks


Same title as Tim Birkin . Doesn't it mean the second son of a Lord so somthing similar? As in "the one who won't inherit the title" unless something unfortunate happens to his elder brother of course.

If thats the case Sir Nick's dad was Lord.....(any ideas?)

Simon Lewis
Transport Books
www.simonlewis.com

A Baronetcy is a title in its own right - the lowest hereditary title in the peerage. Mark Thatcher is one (no comment about the "lowest"). Not sure about Sir Nick's dad and how far the title dates back, but obviously there was some money in the family - hence Nick's answer, when asked what he did for a living - "not very much, actually". Terrific driver on the hills and a shame he is no longer with us.

Originally posted by ian senior

A Baronetcy is a title in its own right - the lowest hereditary title in the peerage.

Not strictly correct. The lowest order of peerage is a baron. A baronetcy is more correctly a hereditary knighthood - ie, ranking between a knight (non-hereditary) and a baron

Originally posted by ian senior


A Baronetcy is a title in its own right - the lowest hereditary title in the peerage. Mark Thatcher is one (no comment about the "lowest"). Not sure about Sir Nick's dad and how far the title dates back, but obviously there was some money in the family - hence Nick's answer, when asked what he did for a living - "not very much, actually". Terrific driver on the hills and a shame he is no longer with us.

Thanks Ian, the titles system in this country is amazingly convoluted. I think I was confusing the bt thing with 'Honorable' or something similar. They never teach us this stuff in history at school!

Simon

Originally posted by ian senior

Terrific driver on the hills

and equally or more important, a terrific worker on the hills? - I understand personnally digging the underground gravel-filled drainage channels at Wiscombe that survive to this day (and without which it would be unuseable, not just "interesting" in any wet weather).

Originally posted by ian senior


A Baronetcy is a title in its own right - the lowest hereditary title in the peerage. Mark Thatcher is one (no comment about the "lowest"). Not sure about Sir Nick's dad and how far the title dates back, but obviously there was some money in the family - hence Nick's answer, when asked what he did for a living - "not very much, actually". Terrific driver on the hills and a shame he is no longer with us.

Not only a terrific driver on the hills but he also drove the local fire engine!!!

Originally posted by Alan Cox
50 years of champions (almost)

Uphill Champions!

Back Row: Chris Cramer, Andy Priaulx, Alister Douglas-Osborn, James Thomson, Roy Lane, Arthur Owen, Peter Westbury and Charles Wardle.

Front Row: Peter Lawson, David Grace, David Boshier-Jones, David Franklin, Ray Rowan, Tony Marsh, David Good, Martyn Griffiths and Martin Bolsover.

Well done......Stephen W...I was expecting only a few answers to my Question you seem to have filled in ALL the blanks.......THANKS.
I did work out ..Cramer and Griffiths later on after a close study, Alister Douglas
Osborn fooled me with the sun glasses. I got to meet him again out here at the Australian Hillclimb championships at Bathurst in 1996 .Thanks.....DOUG.

Originally posted by eldougo

Well done......Stephen W...I was expecting only a few answers to my Question you seem to have filled in ALL the blanks.......THANKS.
I did work out ..Cramer and Griffiths later on after a close study, Alister Douglas
Osborn fooled me with the sun glasses. I got to meet him again out here at the Australian Hillclimb championships at Bathurst in 1996 .Thanks.....DOUG.

I did have an advantage as I must have been stood about 12ft away from Alan when he took his picture. Later in the day I spent a very pleasant half hour chatting with Arthur Owen who had flown over from the Channel Islands. A very daper gentleman who was impressed with the 'modern stuff'!

Top to bottom.

ADO................Pilbeam MP62 ,Vauxhall....2nd FTD
Eric Barns.......Farrell Toyota....3rd FTD.
Peter Gumley.. SCV .......FTD
All using the chock at the top of the straight.

Originally posted by eldougo
Top to bottom.

ADO................Pilbeam MP62 ,Vauxhall....2nd FTD
Eric Barns.......Farrell Toyota....3rd FTD.
Peter Gumley.. SCV .......FTD
All using the chock at the top of the straight.

Must be Bathurst?

The MP62 looks like chassis -01. This had an illustrious career with ADO the main pilote. It was also driven by Ricky Young, John Clelland and Mike Pilbeam's sons before it was sold onto Paul & Sarah Brehaut. They in turn sold it to Graham Henson who in turn 'passed it onto' Damon Milnes and I believe the current owner is Donald Webster.

Originally posted by ian senior
Not sure about Sir Nick's dad and how far the title dates back.

It's Williamson of East Markham, Notts (since 1642) :
http://www.angeltown.../baronetsw2.htm

A real shame the slide has been destroyed by time... I think I actually took three or four of the car because it was so nicely turned out...

Barrie Garner's Bowin P3 Holden at Silverdale:

ABOVE: Peter Kaye gets Orchard Corner, Harewood a bit "Pete Tong"! The car is a 1.6 Brabham-Ford BDA BT35.



ABOVE: Chris Knapman comes to a sticky end at Lafone Hairpin, Barbon in May 1982



ABOVE: David Franklin in the ex-Mike Wilds Team Dempster Ensign F3 which had a Ford TC engine installed. The picture was taken at Orchard Corner, Harewood in July 1975.

To keep the Ensign theme going:



Dad at Wiscombe, in the early 80s (at a guess)

And earlier again, in his Speed 20 Alvis:

Ah, the joys of Wiscombe in the wet. The paddock was on a steep hillside on which it was virtually impossible to manoeuvre when it was wet (I once watched an unattended parked vehicle slowly start to slide down the mud entirely of its own accord). Then the return road from the holding paddock at the top of the hill emerged on to the track at the apex of the last hairpin (Martini) so one would arrive in the braking area to find very little retardation available due to the mud deposited by the cars coming down from the top paddock.

James, I think your first photo could well be from the May '83 meeting - the number 29 fits.

Good man - thanks Tim.

The two Ensigns shown above (Dave Franklin's and Dad's) are closely related. Apparently, Mike Wilds wrote off the first incarnation at Monaco. The chassis went back to be re-jigged, but they ended up rebuilding the car around a new chassis. The original lay unused until Dad's car was built up around it.

Tim,

I don't suppose your Wiscombe memories go back to 1973/74? I am still desperate to trace a John Williams who competed there in the 73 and 74 AMOC/H&DCC events, April/May.

Roger Lund.

Originally posted by James Page
Good man - thanks Tim.

The two Ensigns shown above (Dave Franklin's and Dad's) are closely related. Apparently, Mike Wilds wrote off the first incarnation at Monaco. The chassis went back to be re-jigged, but they ended up rebuilding the car around a new chassis. The original lay unused until Dad's car was built up around it.

James - think this may be the car in an earlier guise (post Monaco)...

Not long after of course, Wilds - like a number of others - ordered a March 733...

Originally posted by bradbury west
Tim,

I don't suppose your Wiscombe memories go back to 1973/74? I am still desperate to trace a John Williams who competed there in the 73 and 74 AMOC/H&DCC events, April/May.

Roger Lund.

I'm very sorry Roger, but I reckon the first time I went to Wiscombe would have been around 1978/79 and the first time I competed there (and thus had a set of results to look back at) was 1983.

Originally posted by MCS


James - think this may be the car in an earlier guise (post Monaco)...

Not long after of course, Wilds - like a number of others - ordered a March 733...

If it is POST Monaco then it will be the chassis that went to David Franklin and that Fyrth Crosse currently sprints and hillclimbs.

JAMES : when Team Dempster had Ensign rebuild the car on a "new" chassis did the chassis number stay with the wreck or move onto the "new" car?

This is Mike MacDowel in the Ralt-Hart RT1 at Harewood in July 1976.

Originally posted by Stephen W
JAMES : when Team Dempster had Ensign rebuild the car on a "new" chassis did the chassis number stay with the wreck or move onto the "new" car?

Not sure, Stephen - I'll ask Dad and let you know. I think, from the gist of the story, that the chassis number went with the rebuilt car. I'll let you know, though.

Roy Lane from the RAC 50th anniversary
meeting at Shelsley, June 1997

Roy Lane in the glorious McRae GM1 at Harewood's Orchard Bend in 1974.

Dad at Shelsley in 1991(ish)



R4D at the same meeting:



And Ray Rowan making a pig's ear of Bottom S:

Here's the late Tom Hammonds in his Pike's Peak style S2 Quattro at Prescott 1990


Where is this famous car now?

Simon Lewis
Transport Books

Originally posted by simonlewisbooks
Here's the late Tom Hammonds in his Pike's Peak style S2 Quattro at Prescott 1990


Where is this famous car now?

Simon Lewis
Transport Books

I loved this car - and the fact that Tom used to tow it with a Sport Quattro! That setup is the reason that I have something of a Quattro fixation these days...

Stuart Ridge at Shelsley in 1992 with the lovely F2 Maurer MM80 (always said by commentators to be 'ex Stefan Bellof' but did Bellof race the MM80 version?)



Last seen parked in the street at my local Vintage Vehicle show in Coleford town centre a couple of Easters ago. It caused quite a stir among the Morris Minors and MGBs !

Simon Lewis
Transport Books

Stuart Ridge still owns the TWO Maurer F2 Cars. The one in the photo which was more or less original and a blue & white one which he constantly modified.

Deryk Young, current Top 12 runner, at Shelsley back in 1992 with the clubmans Vision (Ex Kenny Allen I think)which he ran without it's normaly cycle wing mudguards so that it competed in the big single seater class, and quite successfully too.
Wasn't this the car that briefly ran the plastic block "Polymotor"? Or am I confunsing it with something else?



Simon Lewis
Transport Books
www.simonlewis.com

Originally posted by Stephen W
Stuart Ridge still owns the TWO Maurer F2 Cars. The one in the photo which was more or less original and a blue & white one which he constantly modified.

I never realised that. I always assumed it was one and the same car in a different livery - in which case it was actually the blue version that I saw at the Coleford Show.

Do you recall someone running an Abarth six cylinder engined car about this time? I saw it once at Shelsley and it sounded gorgeous as it howled up through the trees. One of the nicest engine notes I can ever recall hearing - but I've never seen it since.

Simon Lewis
Transport Books
www.simonlewis.com

Originally posted by simonlewisbooks
Deryk Young, current Top 12 runner, at Shelsley back in 1992 with the clubmans Vision (Ex Kenny Allen I think)which he ran without it's normaly cycle wing mudguards so that it competed in the big single seater class, and quite successfully too.
Wasn't this the car that briefly ran the plastic block "Polymotor"? Or am I confunsing it with something else?



Simon Lewis
Transport Books
www.simonlewis.com

No confusion Simon. This is the ex-Kenny Allen car that ran the plastic Polimotor engine. One correction though, I think that Deryk Young ran the Vision as a single seater in the two litre racing car class. The car is currently for sale as either a roller or complete with a two litre Vauxhall.

On the question of the Straight Six Abarth engine. There were two in Speed Eventing, David Render ran one in the Lola FAt/F2 and Alan Newton ran the other in a March F2 chassis. Both sounded more like a Vee Six. I believe both engines were sold to Continental racers so have disappeared from the Speed Scene.

Originally posted by simonlewisbooks
Stuart Ridge at Shelsley in 1992 with the lovely F2 Maurer MM80 (always said by commentators to be 'ex Stefan Bellof' but did Bellof race the MM80 version?)



Last seen parked in the street at my local Vintage Vehicle show in Coleford town centre a couple of Easters ago. It caused quite a stir among the Morris Minors and MGBs !

Simon Lewis
Transport Books

Simon, Stefan B joined Maurer in 82, so didn't race the MM80 ever, he used the 82 & 83 cars. The 80 would have been raced by Hoettinger, before he was killed in 1, then Gaillard, Elgh, henzler, maybe others later in that year. I think at least 1, maybe 2, went to ZA after the 80 F2 season, fitted with Mazdas.

Re the Abarth Steve/Simon, I presume Render had the ex-Marazzi Lola T550 car with it in ? Any more info on this one ?

Thanks Steve and Dan for the info. The Bellof story never did ring true but got reapeated over and over again for years by comentators! Think Maurer : Think Bellof....

That Abarth engined device was probabaly Alan Newton as the name seems to ring a faint bell but it didn't sound V6ish (as in a barking MG 6R4 or Stratos type of V6) and was much more like the old BMW CSL touring car with a smooth howl. What also sticks in my mind was the sight of 6 large injection trumpets in a row as the car had no engine cover, it looked so exotic when compared to the familiar plethora of Harts and BDAs we were used to at the time. I think the car was blue. I presume the engine itself was from F2?

On the subject of engines, it seems to me the current top class cars now have a very healthy diversity of motors in the back. Off the top of my head I can think of NME V8 (Indycar), Judd V8 (F1), Arrows V10(F1),Opel/Cosworth V6 (ex DTM), Cosworth DFV, DFL(F1/GpC) and there are certainly others including at least one turbocharged.
A long way from the days when almost everyone apart from Roy Lane seemed to run a Hart 420R. Variety is definately the spice of life so long may this situation continue.

Simon Lewis
Transport Books
www.simonlewis.com

Originally posted by simonlewisbooks
Thanks Steve and Dan for the info. The Bellof story never did ring true but got reapeated over and over again for years by comentators! Think Maurer : Think Bellof....

That Abarth engined device was probabaly Alan Newton as the name seems to ring a faint bell but it didn't sound V6ish (as in a barking MG 6R4 or Stratos type of V6) and was much more like the old BMW CSL touring car with a smooth howl. What also sticks in my mind was the sight of 6 large injection trumpets in a row as the car had no engine cover, it looked so exotic when compared to the familiar plethora of Harts and BDAs we were used to at the time. I think the car was blue. I presume the engine itself was from F2?

On the subject of engines, it seems to me the current top class cars now have a very healthy diversity of motors in the back. Off the top of my head I can think of NME V8 (Indycar), Judd V8 (F1), Arrows V10(F1),Opel/Cosworth V6 (ex DTM), Cosworth DFV, DFL(F1/GpC) and there are certainly others including at least one turbocharged.
A long way from the days when almost everyone apart from Roy Lane seemed to run a Hart 420R. Variety is definately the spice of life so long may this situation continue.

Simon Lewis
Transport Books
www.simonlewis.com

If the Abarth engined car was light blue it was Render's, if it was very dark blue it was Newton's. Both ran without engine covers. The engine was originally used in both F2 and Gp 6 Sports Racing.

With respect to the engines used in the current scene don't forget the following:

Cosworth DFR; Cosworth DFZ; the Judds come in various versions - CV, EV & KV; then there is the Rover K V6.

For the new season the latest bike derived engine is the awesome Powertec V8 which comes in 2.0, 2.5, 2.6 or 3.0 litre capacities. This is basically two Suzuki Hayabusa engines mounted as a Siamese block.

There are still a few Hart 2.8 litre engines on the hills whereas the majority of the 2.5 litre blocks have been linered down to 2.0 litres for circuit racing.

There are other engines supposedly in the pipeline but until one appears in the metal I suspect they are just a pipedream.

Originally posted by simonlewisbooks
Here's the late Tom Hammonds in his Pike's Peak style S2 Quattro at Prescott 1990


Where is this famous car now?

Simon Lewis
Transport Books

Here it is as of 3 weeks ago. It's undergoing a long slow restoration by David Sutton Motorsport for inclusion in the Museum I assume.

To exhaust my photos from Barbon with which I began this thread:

Gerry Tyack's new Ginetta G16


Start-line view

Nicky Porter's Cooper 'S'


Jeff Goodliff's fabulous low-line British Vita Mini


Low-drag E-Type - don't know who..


Maggie Blankstone - Ginetta G12

, Alan , your wonderful photos remind me of a time when I devoured Autosport every week , Porter , Goodliffe and Blankstone all names I remember ,and now all these years later ,colour shots of the cars . I bought Autosport this week , sealed bag and all ,less than five minutes to go cover to cover , and my reading speed has slowed down .

After a little digging in the files, I think I have located the mysterious Abarth powered single seater,

Shelsley 4 July 1993 - regret I don't have the programme to hand .

Simon Lewis
Transport Books
www.simonlewis.com

Originally posted by simonlewisbooks
After a little digging in the files, I think I have located the mysterious Abarth powered single seater,

Shelsley 4 July 1993 - regret I don't have the programme to hand .

Simon Lewis
Transport Books
www.simonlewis.com

That is Alan Newton in the March 772 Abarth. The car was modded by Pilbeams at one stage hence the odd looking front.

Cor Steve, that is an odd looking 772. Know the history of that car ?? I reckon it should have an 'MP' no, as its not got much March left in it.