350 replies to this topic

[Ray Bell]

The purpose of this thread is to introduce and discuss the various Clubman Sports Cars which have raced (and some continue to race) in Australia, the rules and changes over the years and various aspects of racing them.

My personal interest is that I raced one briefly in the early seventies and tried to play a part in the NSW Clubman Racing Association during that time and for some years afterwards. I believe these cars at that time were the best value in racing - ie. most speed and fun for the dollar and time invested - and continue to have these characteristics.

While there were Clubman type cars back into the fifties, they were unregulated as such until some time in the sixties. At this time the Victorian elements of the CAMS (John Pryce was a prime mover) decreed that the class be limited to 1100cc engines while many of the cars running in NSW (particularly) were 1500s.

Of course, these cars could run in any Sports Car race, but there was one allowance in the Clubman rules that didn't fit in with Sports Cars - that doors weren't required if there was a 'cutaway' allowing easy entry and exit of the driver and/or passenger. With the introduction of the 1100cc limit this meant that the 1500cc cars had to fit doors.

As promoters ran races for both sizes, to allow them to run together without having all other sorts of Sports Cars up to 1500cc run with the they worded their regulations to 'invite' cars complying with Clubman rules generally but of 1500cc capacity. This worked well for some years.

When the CAMS changed capacity classes for Formula 3 and Formula 2 (that is ANF3 and ANF2) to 1300cc and 1600cc respectively, the Clubman classes also changed. At this time another change was taking place.

Previously the 1500cc cars were generally quicker, but the coming of lighter and more useful Japanese engines in the 1300cc class closed the gap and in time the 1300cc cars became the leading lights and 1600cc cars were less popular, progressively older and slower etc.

I know that today there is a host of different sub-classes within the category, but as this is the Nostalgia Forum it's probably best to stick to the classes as they were rather than as they are.

Basic features of the cars:

* Front engine, normal 'Hotchkiss Drive' layout with engines, transmissions and brakes from production cars.

* Live rear axle.

* Basic bodywork with mudguards affixed to or separate from the main bodywork.

* Light weight.

* Engine and transmission modifications sensibly limited.

Another feature of the John Pryce/Donald Thomson*+ influence was shown in the wording of the regulations, 'must be suitable for a wide range of sporting activities' - they believed that these cars might race at Calder one weekend and go mud-plugging the next at Ferntree Gully. This affected their overall view of the category.

Ultimately development of the cars was along more realistic lines as far as racing is concerned. There came to be a multitude of Specials built for the class, limited-run manufacture took place as different people had a try at designing and building 'better mousetraps' and often innovating in various ways. Colin Wear's beam axle front end was a good example.

The cars became extremely quick in that mid-seventies through mid-eighties period, faster than Formula Ford in most instances.

Without aerodynamics and complicated rear suspensions they were easy to set up and without much bodywork they were easy to work on. They were always very light and thus easy to transport to meetings. There was generally a lot of camaraderie among competitors and good fun was had by all.

So what is there to discuss? The various cars... the people who built and raced them, the races they had and the many other things that we discuss about all sorts of things on this forum. And, one would hope, there's going to be plenty of pictures too.

*+ I'm open to correction here, but I believe Donald Thomson was another of the 'mud pluggers'.

[timbo]

I'll post a bunch of photo's soon of racing back in the day, but in NSW especially, Clubman/Sports 1300 were ultimately killed off by the Radical/Sports Racer cars running around in State and National series today.
I do remember the Motorcard series at Amaroo Park in the 1980's which produced close racing and on National television (probably still on Youtube). Great stuff.

Just as a sidepost, I went to the Council of Classic Car clubs get-together at Eastern Creek Raceway today, and there was a Bacchus clubman anongst the displays (no, I don't have a photo, which means its one of only a few of the 1500 or so cars on display I didn't take a photo of), but Bacchus went on to become ASP (Alpha Sports Productions) who produced sports and racing cars which are going around in Historic Racing today.

Edited by timbo, 16 August 2015 - 06:45.

[timbo]

Me again. Here are a few photo's from the early eighties at Oran Park, Feel free to add dates and names to the photo's.
 
A few from the transition period from Clubman to the faired Sports 1300 era.
 
88, Bruce Bloodworth, Welsor clubman?


 
Paul Hughes (Liston) with Wally Gates (Farrell, Mawer?) following at a reverse direction meeting at Oran Park.

 
Mike Conway (Bulant?)

Edited by timbo, 16 August 2015 - 06:46.

[timbo]

A few more from back in the day.
Firstly, Oran Park, car 37, driver unknown, Allison Clubman?


 
And moving on to Amaroo Park,
 

 
22, Graeme McClintock (Galloway clubman, car now driven in Historics by Justin Mcclintock), 8, driver unknown (Peter Jones, John Kierath? Cheetah Clubman)
 

Edited by timbo, 16 August 2015 - 08:23.

[gouldo]

Car 88, is Bloodworth in the Welsor.

 

Car 37 - Col Memery (sp) rings a bell.  I think it was a victorian car.  The one behoind looks like Baron Revelman maybe.  His car had those notchy guards and similar colour.

 

The black clubbie - Car 22, David Williamson.  Robin Clubman I think.

 

Car 66 - Blue clubbie, Rod Swadling.  Welsor? or Farrell?

 

Car 8, the Cheetah is Allan Swain.  It is now owned by John Keirath.

Edited by gouldo, 16 August 2015 - 10:13.

[Ray Bell]

Wally Gates is in a Bulant...

66 has a Ford Crossflow, I'd imagine. Rod Swadling raced a Bulant, so that's not him. The Allison was driven (initially, at least) by John Allison, note the use of 10" diameter wheels on the front, at one time he had them front and rear. I'm pretty sure the yellow car with maroon guards on the inside of 99 is the Safari, I don't know if it's in the Carroll ownership.

[timbo]

Those names are ringing a bell. Unfortunately, while  the race programs i bought at the event are still intact, I have passed on to my brother , who is overseas at the moment (and his filing system is even worse than mine).

More pics to come.

[Ray Bell]

Here's a few pics from Les Rose:

Bulants in workshop, 1983:
LLR_19 by lesrose52, on Flickr

Front view... cars of Greg Gardiner, Rawlo and I don't know the green one:
LLR_18 by lesrose52, on Flickr

Les at Winton:
LLR_07a by lesrose52, on Flickr

...and a nice pic of him at Amaroo:
LLR_03 by lesrose52, on Flickr

Bulants lined up outside the 'works':
Mk.7s @ Bulant Motors, Amaroo Park by lesrose52, on Flickr

[gouldo]

Ray. You are correct about swaddling in a bulant. And that is definately him. Ran against him.in 89 at oran park.

That is the safari as well.

The allison did run the smaller front rims.

[Ray Bell]

We definitely need the John Campbell story here...

Going back further than these pics, how about this one from Catalina Park?



Arnold Ahrenfeld leads Bob Beasley, Jim Quinn and Ian Brown in Lotus Super 7s through Bosch Corner. This pic was taken 50 years ago this week, just five months later I'd be standing up on the embankment to the left and Peter Brock would walk over to me and proclaim, "He's got the best line through there!" as Ahrenfeld drove by in practice.

[DanTra2858]

The Safari would that be the Hadley Safari by any chance?

[Ray Bell]

I'm not sure what the whole story was, Daniel...

But it had its roots in the Hadley Safari somehow. The Hadley, however, wasn't as smooth looking, it was quite lumpy. This car belonged to Neville Carden and had a BMC engine, it went from him to Tony Carroll. I don't know where it went after that.

[DanTra2858]

So it is the Hadley Safari at birth, the original car was driven by Bill March using his motor & gearbox out of his Super 7, the car originaly had the coolent radiator at the rear of the car thus causing all sorts of handling problems, I remember Bill telling me that it was the worst handiling car he had ever driven with MASS understeer, wandering all over the road & on comming out of BP at Oran Park it had so much rear grip it would do mini wheel stands.

Bill also stated that when he drove the car at Bathurst the biggest problem they had was that the cooling system was that efficent that the motor suffered severly by running too cold, Bill stayed with the car for awile sorting things out then retired from compitition, I believe the car was then sold on minus Bills motor & gearbox.

[Ray Bell]

Interesting, I never knew about the rear radiator...

The second Tony Simmons design, the Seca 3 raced by Bob Martin, then to Barry Allen and later Norm Adams, initially had a Mini radiator in the front of each rear guard. Tony piped the water through them in series, IIRC, but it wouldn't work and he had to run them in parallel. Something like that.

It had an Alfa 5-speed box with the rubber doughnut on the back of it. For some reason they then fitted a universal behind that, but an attempt by the resultant bundle to eat through into Bob's hip put paid to that.

The car was later obliged by a change in the regulations to have the radiator placed at the front.

[Hooper91]

Me again. Here are a few photo's from the early eighties at Oran Park, Feel free to add dates and names to the photo's.
 
A few from the transition period from Clubman to the faired Sports 1300 era.
 
88, Bruce Bloodworth, Welsor clubman?

 

#46 David Barram (Qld) following in his ASP 340C 

 

 

 

 

#99 Ron Pommerel (Qld) in his Nota.

 

 
Paul Hughes (Liston) with Wally Gates (Farrell, Mawer?) following at a reverse direction meeting at Oran Park.

 
Mike Conway (Bulant?)

[Ray Bell]

Does Pommeral's car have a beam axle or a split beam swing axle on the front?

I can't see any sign of top wishbones...

[DavidI]

Thanks for starting this thread Ray. I've loved these things for decades but they're generally ignored by the greater motor racing public these days

[Ray Bell]

And there's just so much variety in them, isn't there?

Quinton Weaver, who lived here from about 1970 to 1976, really appreciated them. He was from West Virginia and saw them as much more economical to race than the kind of things that ran in the US at that time.

Those who remember him know that he bought a car built by Barry Sharp (there was about six of these) and when his wife, Sarah, crashed it he built a copy of a Mawer in his shed at Orchard Hills.

He raced it widely, all the Sydney circuits plus Hume Weir and Surfers Paradise. This car was sold to Phil Shand as I recall.

I'm just waiting for Lynton to come in with photos he took in the seventies. He was a friend of Ian Field's, Ian ran a Welsor for a few years and naturally Lynton got a lot of pics of clubmans. Many are on the Welsor thread, in fact, but I'm sure he'll dig up more for us.

[2Bob]

Most bang for the buck, back in the day and still in historics.

[smeetsie]

I see mention of Tony Simmons in here earlier. I restored some years ago here in Adelaide what I believe was the first clubman race car Tony built as Competition Cars of Australia, and under licence from Arthur Mallock as a U2. It was originally built for Trevor Lewis here in SA. It ran a BMC 1100cc engine. Suspension was x2 Ford 10 axles crossing over with Fiat 1500 disc. brakes.

Rack and pinion steering and BMC diff. It had a Competition Cars of Australia chassis plate no 1. The car was also one of the first Australian clubmans to use a K series Corolla engine, which was mated to the straight cut Sprite gearbox. Trevor Lewis ran the car at Mallala, Hume Weir and Winton regularly with quite some success. I believe he held the under 1100cc lap records at some stage at all these tracks. The wheels on this car, which were Doug Trengove made composites with alloy centres and steel spun rims - I believe led to Tony making his own versions of race wheels.

Unfortunately the car has changed hands a few times, but never appeared on a race track YET. It was one of the first "lowline" clubmans, and ultimately Simmons went on to build many more cars.

He supplied me back then, with photos of him working on the Lewis U2. I bought it as a restoration project from Peter Bail, who had it stored under his work bench. This was long before it was eligible for historics. The last owner I am aware of was S.A. MG racer Andrew Willington's son in law. I have photos of the car in the 60's at Mallala and under restoration which was beautifully done for me by Simon Aram. I sold the car to Derek Greniklee here in Adelaide.

Regards

Pete S.

[Dave Williamson]

I really am pleased to see this thread started by Ray, many thanks!.

 

I owned a Sports 1300. My car was a "ROBIN" -black no. 22-  as shown previously in Timbo's post of 15th August.

It was built in 1975 by Robbie Medcalf with a "square rigger" body and it went like a cut cat - Robbie won lots of hill climbs with it.

 

Over the years it had many owners... including sparky lady racer Verona Larkin ! I bought it in 1988 and over the years did a lot of body changes, eventually making small "winglets" that I fitted to each corner of the rear body work. I learnt a lot about race driving, setups, aerodynamics, motors, tyres etc,  until finally I was able to win the 1995 and 1996 Sports 1300 championships.

 

On a practice day at Amaroo in Dec 1996, I went over Bitupave Hill at 170 kph and went screaming on down to Dunlop Loop where I braked hard... but the pedal went 3/4 down to the floor (a rear brake-piston seal had burst).

Unable to corner at that speed, the car carried on and smashing diagonally into the rock-hard tyre wall....rock hard because the tyres were full of compacted, very HARD 30 year old clay.

 

I broke both ankles , L/wrist , sternum etc etc and I spent a month in hospital..  and of course the car was severely damaged. I later sold the car to clever Sydney engnneer  Kevin Leggott, who then later sold it on to Robbie Medcalf's son John .So it now has a good home !

 

FYI: I have written a brief history of Clubman, Sports 1300 and Supersports racing - and here is the link:   http://www.superspor...out-us/history/

 

 

Cheers,

Dave Williamson

Sydney 

Australia

[Ray Bell]

A nice enthusiastic wrap-up there, Dave...

I'm personally not so much in favour of the modern split category with a plethora of classes. But if it gets cars on the track and there's close racing, especially if the front-engined cars are mixing it with the rear-engined, it's got to be a good thing.

[DavidI]

The non-CAMS "clubman" series basically allows anything fitting the description of a clubman or supersports, from mid engined Radical type things to road going Westfields, classes based on lap times. It's a bit of a butchers picnic of cars but at least they're running and doing so quite quickly (the best mid engined cars are under 50 seconds at Lakeside,the best front engined not far behind)

[Ray Bell]

Under 50 seconds at Lakeside?

That's the kind of times Formula Atlantics were doing in the eighties, but I guess there have been some improvements to the track too.

Here's a few photos:



The Spirit of Milvale it had painted on the back of it... Graeme Baird bought Peter Krefel's car before Peter went to England, Peter hadn't been competing long in it and he'd put an awful lot of thought and care into the car's construction. Essentially the chassis was mostly Lotus 7 copy, but those side radiators were a break with tradition, a wedge nose and upswept tail fitted in the scene of 1972 when it was built.

Graeme lived at Milvale where he and Marie had the general store/Post Office/telephone exchange, he got excited about Clubmans after returning from a long stint in Darwin where he was mostly drag racing. He'll be along to tell the story, though... and here's the Krefel over the Dogleg at Oran Park:



After a while with the Krefel in the 1600 class, Graeme sold it and moved into the 1300s with the very advanced Hargal:





This got the kind of treatment it needed too... again, Graeme can tell more.



.

Edited by Ray Bell, 19 August 2015 - 08:28.

[timbo]

Mike Conway, Bulant

 

 

Reverse Direction racing at Oran park.

 

[Ray Bell]

Can you identify all the cars?

I'm hoping to see a lot of older cars on here, not that I'd mind seeing some of the super-sleek cars of more modern times.

And I must get around to the John Campbell story some time...

[jindera1]

Red clubman #41, could this be an Echidna?  Its a regular at the Winton club sprints.

 

Edited by jindera1, 20 August 2015 - 09:42.

[DavidI]

Ray, when you say super sleek more modern cars do you mean anything meeting the current Super Sports rules or restricted to front-engined cars? I should have some recent photos of both i can post when i get access to my home computer.
Also snapped a couple at last year's Phillip Island Historics

[Ray Bell]

Always more interested in cars built to the front-engined formula, whether 'winged' or 'non-aerodynamic'...

There was a car built in Brisbane in the late '90s that would be the sort of thing I'm talking about. Didn't Reg Tomkinson's daughter have that one? Or one like it?

[DavidI]

Yes, Rachel Tompkinson/Smeeton had that built especially for her diminutive build, designed by Barry Lock. The car was later sold to Richard Mattea who I believe still has it, although I haven't seen him run it for a while. I'll ask him if i see him at the next Mt Cotton hillclimb.
I'll see if I can find anything about Grant Watson's Prosport Pentium, the last front engined one he built before turning to rear mounted bike engines

[timbo]

Can you identify all the cars?

I'm hoping to see a lot of older cars on here, not that I'd mind seeing some of the super-sleek cars of more modern times.

 

Unfortunately, I came in to (photographically) this thread in the early 1980's when I obtained my car license and could attend motor racing meetings at my own free will, so older cars in the 1960's/1970's are a bit of a mystery to me as well. I'm more than willing to learn the history of clubman racing.

[Ray Bell]

Well, here's the Krefel again...



I'm pretty sure both the other cars are Victorian ones, I think No 4 is the lightweight Farrell of Ross Wemyss. This is Graeme's first outing in the Krefel, obviously seen here at Scrub Corner at Hume Weir.

Edited by Ray Bell, 20 August 2015 - 06:58.

[Lee Nicolle]

If nothing else this thread has got some great pics up of clubbies of all persuasions.

[jindera1]

[Andrew73]

Working back up, to the best of my knowledge.........

#14 - White/blue car - Ric Kemp - Farrell

#20 - Red/white car - John Kierath - Cheetah (chassis #2)

#61 - Green/yellow car - Dick Watts - Farrell F483

#19 - Red/blue car (Electra cables) - Farrell F483 - was owned by Alby Middleton and driven by various drivers

#8 - Red/white/blue car - Cheetah (chassis #1), Wes McClelland/Alan Swain

#22 - Red car - Galloway - Graeme McClintock

#37 - Red/white car - Allison - Col Memery

[jeremy durward]

Some old film from Adelaide international raceway from the 70's I believe. My personal interest is my Dad Ken Durward appearing at about 20 seconds in heading into the reverse camber in his Asp 340c.

 

[2Bob]

The Hirsute young man is Richard Warland, currently (today) getting his Mallock Mk 28 (Vauxhall not really a clubman) ready for a race meeting at Mallala tomorrow/Sunday.  There will be 2 genuine 1300 clubies there too, Kieth Williamson' Farrell and my ASP 340c as well as Mellisa Ford's (nearly) clubman Mallock (1380cc).  Clubbies ARE alive and well!  

[jeremy durward]

The Hirsute young man is Richard Warland, currently (today) getting his Mallock Mk 28 (Vauxhall not really a clubman) ready for a race meeting at Mallala tomorrow/Sunday.  There will be 2 genuine 1300 clubies there too, Kieth Williamson' Farrell and my ASP 340c as well as Mellisa Ford's (nearly) clubman Mallock (1380cc).  Clubbies ARE alive and well!  

 

If I can find the timeover the weekend... doubtful, but I live in hope. I might have to come out and watch Bob. It has been way too long since I've been out to Mallala. 

[RW7]

Car 88, is Bloodworth in the Welsor.

 

Car 37 - Col Memery (sp) rings a bell.  I think it was a victorian car.  The one behoind looks like Baron Revelman maybe.  His car had those notchy guards and similar colour.

 

The black clubbie - Car 22, David Williamson.  Robin Clubman I think.

 

Car 66 - Blue clubbie, Rod Swadling.  Welsor? or Farrell?

 

Car 8, the Cheetah is Allan Swain.  It is now owned by John Keirath.

 

Car 22 is David Williamson. He tried to kill himself in it at Amaroo. Luckily he failed.

 

Yes, I think 37 is Col Memery, (it looks like him behind the visor), but I think that is me (Richard Warland) behind in Baron Revelman's Welsor. I drove it for Baron between 1984 - 1994 after it was fitted with a Corolla. (It was originally the "Welsor Waggott" campaigned very successfully by Seldo in the '70s).

 

Don't you just love the car attitude of the No. 8 Cheetah behind Graeme McLintock? Desperate racing!!!!

[Fondles]

A good video here ...

 

[Ray Bell]

Wally Gates the one not looking happy in the bent Bulant there...

Verona and Mike didn't last long.

[Fondles]

Some other vids I found.

 

 

 

[timbo]

Dave Barram at Oran Park for the Sports 1300 Nationals.

And being turned back upright after a Whoops!

George Davis in the Prosport Pentium.

Neil Kenny in the Mallock Mk.31 with full body kit. Probably the last word in front engined clubmans before the rear engined Radicals etc took over.

[krefel21]

Great to see some of the good old cars and these bring back good memories of the best days of racing when everybody helped everybody and lent parts to one another as well.

You bumped wheels during races and then had a BBQ and a few beers afterwards.Living in the country there were times when the Krefel was run in after a rebuild by going for a drive about 8 -9 kms down the road and back (to bed the new rings and bearings in) before putting it on the trailer and heading up to either Amaroo or Oran Park..

[lyntonh]

Here are my shots of clubmans, or is that clubmen,  beginning in July 1969 at the Farm.

 

I'll leave captions clear unless I remember them easily.

 

There are several quite poor quality photos, but they're included for interest,

not for camera talent.

 

Warwick Farm 12th July 1969 (practice)

 

 

[lyntonh]

Warwick Farm 6th September 1969 (practice)

There are two........

 

 

 

 

[lyntonh]

Warwick Farm 6th December 1969 (practice)

 

 

 

 

[lyntonh]

Catalina Park 24th January 1970 ( practice )

 

 

 

Bob Rollinghoff

 

 

 

 

Peter Wilson

 

 

[Ray Bell]

Great additions there lynton...



I know that 'roll cage' well, having sat within it for a couple of years. Here, however, it's in either Tony Oxley's or John Maroulis' ownership, I think the latter.



David Medley?

[Ray Bell]

This could well be...



...John Sexton.

And this one looks like a Schazum:



I wonder if it's Graeme McClintock?

I should have said before, by the way, No 19 is the second Tony Simmons Hustler built for Tony Oxley, then to John Maroulis, raced once or twice by Ron Kearns as I recall, the purchased by myself and a Renault 16TS engine fitted, sold on in 1975 to Joe Ius who never completed his rebuild (in which he addressed a lack of triangulation in the front of the chassis while he had plans to fit a 128 engine) before Tony Simmons re-acquired it and took it back to original. The 'roll cage' was added after Tony Oxley took a plunge into the lake at the Farm in his Chevron B8.