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Mike Spence FJ mechanics


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#1 JULIAN BALME

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Posted 14 January 2010 - 12:36

Happy New Year TNFers. I'm researching a book on Ian Walker and need your help. Amongst some of the amazing stuff that has come my way, I was given a brochure produced by a Jim Meikle describing the 1960. '61, '62 Formula Junior seasons. In it he mentions mechanics Malcolm Angood, David Porter and Leo Ackroyd. Does anyone out there know of the whereabouts of any of these gentleman - Jim included? My comments on the Gold bug thread managed to kill that - so heres hoping for better luck here!

As an aside regarding Oulton Park anniversaries - 25 years ago, Oulton was the circuit where I failed to finish last in a historic race for the first time. I celebrated like I'd won!

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#2 Vitesse2

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Posted 14 January 2010 - 12:55

Happy New Year TNFers. I'm researching a book on Ian Walker and need your help. Amongst some of the amazing stuff that has come my way, I was given a brochure produced by a Jim Meikle describing the 1960. '61, '62 Formula Junior seasons. In it he mentions mechanics Malcolm Angood, David Porter and Leo Ackroyd. Does anyone out there know of the whereabouts of any of these gentleman - Jim included? My comments on the Gold bug thread managed to kill that - so heres hoping for better luck here!

As an aside regarding Oulton Park anniversaries - 25 years ago, Oulton was the circuit where I failed to finish last in a historic race for the first time. I celebrated like I'd won!

Presumably the same Jim Meikle who inserted a SNECMA pulse jet engine into a Cooper 500 chassis. He's been mentioned here before - he hailed from Bangor in Northern Ireland and later took that fearsome device (known as The Slug) to New Zealand, where it stayed (eventually minus the jet). A previous post by Pete Stowe implied that he'd moved there as well, but perhaps that's wrong?


#3 David McKinney

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Posted 14 January 2010 - 13:28

He did move to NZ, but how long he stayed, I don't know. He was active on the NZ racing scene in 1959 and 1963, so could have slipped back to the other hemisphere between those dates.
If hiteknz reads this and contacts Mike Draper we might have an answer, as the Draper brothers was closely associate with JM

#4 RWB

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Posted 14 January 2010 - 16:42

He did move to NZ, but how long he stayed, I don't know. He was active on the NZ racing scene in 1959 and 1963, so could have slipped back to the other hemisphere between those dates.
If hiteknz reads this and contacts Mike Draper we might have an answer, as the Draper brothers was closely associate with JM

No, it wasn't the same Jim Meikle. The man who wrote "All Set for a Cert" (I think that was the title but I can't put my hands on it) ran a company called Fraser Meikle Ltd. Twenty years ago it was at 235-245 Goswell Road London EC1V 7JD. I don't think Jim is likely still to be there but it might give you a lead.

#5 JULIAN BALME

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Posted 14 January 2010 - 21:31

No, it wasn't the same Jim Meikle. The man who wrote "All Set for a Cert" (I think that was the title but I can't put my hands on it) ran a company called Fraser Meikle Ltd. Twenty years ago it was at 235-245 Goswell Road London EC1V 7JD. I don't think Jim is likely still to be there but it might give you a lead.



Thanks for the tip. There is still a printers at that address - I think that was the connection as Fraser Meikle are credited with printing 'All set from a cert'. One of the other names - Malcolm Angood- was very young back then and obviously enthusiastic as between the heat and the final (the duration of the F1 race) at Reims, he replaced the big end bolts, a broken valve and springs - Mike went onto win the FJ final. Does that mechanical wizardry get signed up and go on to better things or get burnt out...

#6 bradbury west

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Posted 14 January 2010 - 22:00

Julian, I can find 64 James Meikles, one Malcolm Angood and one Leo(nard) Ackroyd. A second initial for Meikle might help. I suppose it depends if they used their first name as their known name. PM me with an e mail address if you want a copy of the lists.
BTW, I recall an Angood Clubmans car around 1970. Perhaps someone on the Classic Clubmans www might know of him if there is a connection.
Roger Lund

Edited by bradbury west, 14 January 2010 - 22:01.


#7 JULIAN BALME

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Posted 15 January 2010 - 14:09

Julian, I can find 64 James Meikles, one Malcolm Angood and one Leo(nard) Ackroyd. A second initial for Meikle might help. I suppose it depends if they used their first name as their known name. PM me with an e mail address if you want a copy of the lists.
BTW, I recall an Angood Clubmans car around 1970. Perhaps someone on the Classic Clubmans www might know of him if there is a connection.
Roger Lund



Although he calls himself Jim, the initials F.J.M are under the authors note. Presumably Jim was his middle name. Judging by said footnote he appears pretty 'tight' with Mike Spence.

#8 David McKinney

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Posted 15 January 2010 - 16:35

Further confirmation that's he's not the jet-car man, who I believe was J L M

#9 A D River

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Posted 02 February 2010 - 12:56

Julian, I can find 64 James Meikles, one Malcolm Angood and one Leo(nard) Ackroyd. A second initial for Meikle might help. I suppose it depends if they used their first name as their known name. PM me with an e mail address if you want a copy of the lists.
BTW, I recall an Angood Clubmans car around 1970. Perhaps someone on the Classic Clubmans www might know of him if there is a connection.
Roger Lund



Malcolm Angood worked at Ron Harris Team Lotus in the early - mid 60's,leaving to set up his own service and repair business in Soho Mills, Woburn Green near Bourne End, Bucks, specialising in Lotus and performance cars, quite a number of staff from Mike Spence in Reform Road in Maidenhead ended up with Malcolm. The building was sold to Spade Oak construction who I believe may still be there.
I worked with Malcom at Ron Harris in '66 and'67, he was one hell of a mechanic, fabricator and all round live wire, others there at the time were various Kiwi's, Dewar Thomas, Tony Rolley, a Brit, Mike Dineen and John Hogan who had been with Ron since the Mike the bike days running M V's. I don't know what happened after the workshop was sold, although various bodies were still around the area when last I was there ( at least 10 yrs ago now!! ).

#10 David McKinney

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Posted 02 February 2010 - 15:27

Unless he's since returned to the UK, Dewar Thomas was back in NZ 25 years ago

#11 bradbury west

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Posted 02 February 2010 - 15:27

The Angood Clubmans car was raced by Mike Harmer IIRC.
Roger Lund

#12 bradbury west

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Posted 14 February 2020 - 23:00

Taango666 please contact me via pm, as I cannot contact you . You probably have to set it up first. For reasons you can imagine, I would like to make contact.
Best regards
Roger Lund

#13 taango666

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Posted 04 November 2020 - 16:31

Hi Roger,

 

My apologies for the delay, I have now sent a PM to you.

 

Kind Regards

Trevor.