Gentlemen,
I seek your assistance in refining the history of old "Boz", Batten's Special, which came into my care forty years ago come 21st July - thanks to Dan Margulies and my bank manager.
After his ("Boz" is definately male) pre-war competition successes at Brooklands, Donington Park, Lewes, etc., and before he was entrusted to Dan, he passed through four owners who had fun with him, but only the first two in any real competition sense. The first was Ted Reynolds, a Ford agent in Barnsley in Yorkshire, and the second was John Netherwood of Huddersfield. Sadly, they are no longer with us. My search is for any information about those two racers, particularly the teams in which each played a part.
Firstly, it is said that Ted Reynolds and Batten's Special formed part of a racing team with Tony Brooks and Jack Wharton, around South Yorkshire in the late 1940s and early 1950s. It is also said that they team raced at Croft aerodrome with Tony Brooks possibly in a Healey.
Secondly, there is photographic evidence of John Netherwood competing in Batten's Special, in the mid 1950s, at Brunton hill climb as part of a team trio led by Edgar Wadsworth in a Healey Elliott. There is also a photograph of John on the front row of a grid at Mallory.
I have been unable to trace these men at these events. If anyone here has a memory of such events or access to programmes, race reports, results or photographs, I would greatly appreciate hearing from them so that I may better describe the history of the racing Batten Special in a slim volume which will be self published.
Neil.
p.s. some of you may have seen this on another forum, in which case please forgive the repetition. npb.