29 replies to this topic

[john aston]

Just researching some more old programmes and I unearthed Croft Easter Monday Meeting 23 April 1973 . Price 12p,  and lists entrants in Formula Libre as including sundry FF1600's , several 1 litre and 1.6  Titans , Chevrons etc(F3 /possibly F2 ) , the original Chevron B1 Clubmans car in Vin Malkie 's hands , a 'Chevron FVC '- B16? , a McLaren M14 F5000 car .....and .....only a  4 1/2 litre 1929 Bentley Pacey Hassan. 

 

Strange times....

 

There's also coverage of the top three in the recent  'Miss Autodrome' competition, two of whom have that curious backcombed  hairstyle which Princess Anne so likes that she's not changed it since 1958...    

[Mallory Dan]

Quiet day today, John!! But you're correct, Libre used to be great. I guess there's no longer the trickle down of cars from International to National to Clubbie events any more?

[Allan Lupton]

in 1963, when Hon Pat Lindsay owned the Napier Railton he entered it in a wet Formule Libre race at AMOC Silverstone, two-wheel brakes and all and came second behind a FJ Cooper powered by a 1½ litre Holbay Ford beating everyone else. As Motor Sport put it: And "everyone" included Eyre's V8 Buick-powered Cooper, Tony Marsh's B.R.M., Rigg's Lotus 18, Summers' Chevrolet-Cooper, all 5.4-litres of it, Salvage's A-type Connaught, Morin Scott's V12 O.S.C.A., and a D-type Jaguar. The Napier beat the lot, except for the Bob Gerard-entered Cooper, on an epic drive that will long be remembered in Club racing history. It was no easy task, because on the r.h. bends of the G.P. circuit one bank of the old Napier Lion would cut out and thus not only had Lindsay the swimming wet track to contend with, but 150 h.p. coming in with a bang after the corners

[Tim Murray]

No mention of the Pacey-Hassan, sadly, in the MN report of the Croft meeting:

For the first eight laps Ted Payne's March literally screamed away from the rest of the field mainly composed of other Formula Fords until an uncharacteristic spin at the chicane allowed the rapidly closing Kent to zip by for the lead with the former leader third behind Lawler.

1. J. Kent (FF Royale-Scoular RP16) 15m 51.2s (66.23mph)
2. A. Lawler (FF Royale-Vegantune RP16)
3. E. Payne (March-Scoular 728)
4. N. Beswick (FF Lotus-Holbay 61)
Fastest lap: E. Wilcock (FF Merlyn-Rowland Mk 11A) 1m 38.8s (68.63mph)

I'd love to have seen it lumbering around amongst all the FF's.

[nicanary]

Wasn't Chris Summers'  Cooper-Chevrolet once beaten by a stripped Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica at Silverstone?

[Dick Dastardly]

I remember Keith Schellenberg racing his Bentley at Croft, presumably in a libre race.

 

A couple of years ago, I asked on here and was given the date of a Croft meeting I'd attended in May '66 [May 8th]....I was then able to buy a copy of Autosport with the report on that meeting, the car I remembered was Tony Dean's McLaren M1.....In the libre race, he ran away from the field, a distant 2nd was a Mini Cooper S.... 

[Sharman]

in 1963, when Hon Pat Lindsay owned the Napier Railton he entered it in a wet Formule Libre race at AMOC Silverstone, two-wheel brakes and all and came second behind a FJ Cooper powered by a 1½ litre Holbay Ford beating everyone else. As Motor Sport put it: And "everyone" included Eyre's V8 Buick-powered Cooper, Tony Marsh's B.R.M., Rigg's Lotus 18, Summers' Chevrolet-Cooper, all 5.4-litres of it, Salvage's A-type Connaught, Morin Scott's V12 O.S.C.A., and a D-type Jaguar. The Napier beat the lot, except for the Bob Gerard-entered Cooper, on an epic drive that will long be remembered in Club racing history. It was no easy task, because on the r.h. bends of the G.P. circuit one bank of the old Napier Lion would cut out and thus not only had Lindsay the swimming wet track to contend with, but 150 h.p. coming in with a bang after the corners

Allan, who was driving the Cooper, Henry Taylor?

[john winfield]

Yes, libre, great fun at its best.

My own memories start mid-1960s on the Silverstone Club circuit with Alan Eccles in a Cooper-Chevy, and Chris Summers in his Lotus, similarly powered I think. Some years later I remember David Prophet dominating in his McLaren, then the delight of a P153 BRM re-appearing in the hands of....was it Bobby Bell?

 

John A.....re: Croft. My only visit to the circuit was, by chance, in 1973, early August, on the way to Scotland. F3 was the main event and, despite many non-starters, the remaining eight or nine cars put on a great race, Mike Wilds' Dempster March holding off Ian Taylor, Tony Brise etc. Another performance that sticks in my memory is Johnny Blades winning in the Clan - would that have been Libre? Or maybe modsports?

[john winfield]

Allan, who was driving the Cooper, Henry Taylor?

 

Henry Taylor,  or John Taylor?

[Allan Lupton]

Allan, who was driving the Cooper, Henry Taylor?

The MS results just say J. Taylor, so not Henry but John I suppose.

[john aston]

Johnny Blades , very much a Croft hotshoe would have been in Prod Sports most probably . I saw Clans do well there in PS , and still recall being overtaken en route home by the winning Carrera RS  of Nick Faure I think 

Edited by john aston, 02 May 2017 - 12:25.

[Rupertlt1]

Here is a sad story:

 

Castle Combe, 15 August 1964:

"while an interesting reserve is Mark Rigg with his 2.7-litre Maserati engined Lotus 24."

 

A Mark Rigg wrote to Motor Sport, published December 1961, from Bromsgrove about his white M.P.H. Riley, to say it was not the "White Riley".

 

Saturday 18 July 1964

Race driver dies

A Bromsgrove driver, Mr. W. Rigg, aged 52, a company director, died after crashing in the Leinster Motor Club races over the Dunboyle (sic) circuit, Co. Meath. on Saturday. His Lotus Elan struck a bank at speed and Mr. Rigg was flung out, but he walked to an ambulance. He was taken to hospital with cuts and bruises and died a few hours later.

Birmingham Daily Post, Monday 20 July 1964.

 

It would appear Mark Rigg had a Lotus 18 (see post #7) and a Lotus 24. Is anything more known?

 

Edit: Just found this: https://forums.autos...-4#entry7269224

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 27 October 2019 - 14:47.

[Geoff E]

Re RIGG

 

William Rigg was entrant for Mark Rigg (Jag D type) https://www.racingsp...964-04-25b.html

 

Advert for William Rigg and Partners, Consulting Mechanical and Electrical Engineers (near Bromsgrove) in  Birmingham Daily Post, 15 Nov 1945.

 

Mark Rigg (b 1939 Wolverhampton) was son of Wm H Rigg (b 31 Jan 1913 Newton Abbot)

 

In Evening Despatch 04 October 1939, WHR was described as "well-known Brooklands racing driver".

 

In 1939 he was "Works Manager, Vono Ltd, Dudley".

Edited by Geoff E, 27 October 2019 - 15:14.

[Geoff E]

More on WH Rigg ... in his engagement announcement, "Mr Rigg has driven in many car races at Brooklands where he won his first race before he was 17. He forsook a career in the Stock Exchange for engineering and has taken part in the Manx Senior Grand Prix." Dundee Evening Telegraph, 25 May 1935

 

He seems to have had success at Brooklands in the August Bank Holiday meeting in 1929.

Edited by Geoff E, 27 October 2019 - 15:17.

[GazChed]

According to Bill Boddy's wonderful tome , Brooklands The Complete Motor Racing History , Riggs appears to have made his debut at the 1929 Easter Monday meeting driving a 1083cc Lombard . As Geoff mentions above , Riggs won at the August Bank Holiday meeting , winning the ' 75 Short ' Handicap from the limit position . This is his second , and last , mention although Miss Riggs ( his sister ? ) finished third in the Ladies Handicap at the 1929 BARC Whitsun meeting in the Lombard .

Edited by GazChed, 27 October 2019 - 20:17.

[Rupertlt1]

Silverstone 750 Motor Club, Saturday 16 May 1964, Whitsun race meeting

Sports and G.T. cars:—Heat 1:

1. A.H. Cook (Rejo) 79.74 m.p.h.

2. M. Rigg (Lotus-Maserati)

3. J.M. Haynes (Elva Courier)

Fastest lap: Cook, 82.46 m.p.h.

 

Sports and G.T. cars final:

1. D. Cunningham (E-Type Jaguar) 82.65 m.p.h.

2. J. Miles (Diva)

3. M. Rigg (Lotus-Maserati)

Fastest lap: Cunningham 84.63 m.p.h.

 

Birmingham Daily Post, Monday 18 May 1964

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 28 October 2019 - 12:16.

[john winfield]

Silverstone 750 Motor Club, Saturday 16 May 1964, Whitsun race meeting

Sports and G.T. cars:—Heat 1:

1. A.H. Cook (Rejo) 79.74 m.p.h.

2. M. Rigg (Lotus-Maserati)

3. J.M. Haynes (Elva Courier)

Fastest lap: Cook, 82.46 m.p.h.

 

Sports and G.T. cars final:

1. D. Cunningham (E-Type Jaguar) 82.65 m.p.h.

2. J. Miles (Diva)

3. M. Rigg (Lotus-Maserati)

Fastest lap: Cunningham 84.63 m.p.h.

 

Birmingham Daily Post, Monday 18 May 1964

 

RGDS RLT

 

By chance this was the first meeting I ever went to. I have a programme, but no results, nor entries for the second race you mention, the Sports & GT final, race 8 that Saturday.

 

Rigg

 

Race 9 was the Libre event, and the entry includes the Lotus Maserati, entrant W Rigg, driver M Rigg.

 

The programme entry for the other race you list , the first of the day, doesn't include the Lotus Maserati, nor Mark Rigg. But there is a Rigg car, a Ford Cortina, entrant W Rigg, driver C A Rigg.

 

Race 5, Heat 1 of the Saloons, features W Rigg in a 3.8 Jaguar.

 

Libre Race entry

 

Chris Irwin in an F3 Merlyn

Cook in the Rejo

Chris Summers in his Lotus Chevvy

Alan Eccles - Cooper Chevvy

Alan Stubbs - Cooper Chevvy

Mark Rigg - Lotus Maserati

K (Ken?) Wilson - 2.5 BRM

Frank Lockhart - Rover Special

Roger Sparkes - Marcos Volvo

D Cunningham - E Type

T (Tony?) Goodwin - F3 Lola

R Caldicott - TVR Grantura

etc

 

And amongst the reserves:

 

Lord Cross - AC Cobra

Peter Hawtin - Cooper-Daimler

 

Mouth-watering!

[Rupertlt1]

Entirely possible that the newspaper made a pig's breakfast of the results - does anybody have Autosport, Motoring News etc for this meeting?

(It would be good to confirm that Mark Rigg ran.)

 

RGDS RLT

[john winfield]

Wasn't Chris Summers'  Cooper-Chevrolet once beaten by a stripped Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica at Silverstone?

 

Cecil Booth?

[john winfield]

Entirely possible that the newspaper made a pig's breakfast of the results - does anybody have Autosport, Motoring News etc for this meeting?

(It would be good to confirm that Mark Rigg ran.)

 

RGDS RLT

 

Later in 1964 (October 3rd) I was taken along to the Silverstone Clubmen's Championship, on the GP circuit. The entry for the 'Historic and Modern Racing Cars' event includes M Rigg, now sadly entrant and driver, Lotus, 2700cc.

[Michael Oliver]

Coincidentally, Mark Rigg was a friend of my late father's, through a shared interest in steam cultivation. Mark is still with us and I spoke to him on the phone a few weeks ago about several different topics, the Lotus 24-Maserati included. Mark owned several ex-F1 Lotus racing cars, including the 18 mentioned above and also a 16, I seem to remember. Mark's father was more frequently referred to as Bill rather than William. I believe the 24 went, perhaps via the Ashmores, to David Prophet. He's fairly sure he bought it from Tim Parnell, which would reflect the fact that it was one of the 'P' cars, chassis P2, I understand.

[nicanary]

It's getting more confusing. This Lotus-Maserati was competing in sports car and GT car events. Surely then, not a type 24? I would have thought far more likely to be a Lotus 19 or even a 23.

[john winfield]

It's getting more confusing. This Lotus-Maserati was competing in sports car and GT car events. Surely then, not a type 24? I would have thought far more likely to be a Lotus 19 or even a 23.

 

In those two programmes I have the Lotus-Maserati doesn't appear in the Sports Car/GT car race entries. I wonder, like Rupert, whether the Birmingham Daily Post got something mixed up. although to do so twice seems odd. More information from Autosport or Motoring News might help (22.5.64?)

[Michael Oliver]

In those two programmes I have the Lotus-Maserati doesn't appear in the Sports Car/GT car race entries. I wonder, like Rupert, whether the Birmingham Daily Post got something mixed up. although to do so twice seems odd. More information from Autosport or Motoring News might help (22.5.64?)

 

Autosport says it was Bill in the D-Jag that finished 2nd in Heat 1 of the Sports and GT cars race and he also finished 2nd in class (but probably 3rd overall in the D-Jag in the final, so the identity of the car and driver as given in the Birmingham Daily Post results appear to be incorrect. A;though the race report does mention a number of cars in the Formule Libre event, including Robin Sturgess in a twin-cam Lotus 22, Alan Stubbs in a Cooper-Chevy, John Axon in a Cooper-Ford and Ken Wilson in a BRM, it does not mention Mark Rigg in the Lotus-Maserati. That does not mean to say he was not there, perhaps just that he did not feature. I have to say that, prior to seeing this thread, the first mention I have of Mark in the Lotus 24-Maserati is an entry at Snetterton on 5th July but he was a non-starter according to an annotated programme I have a copy of. No mention of him in the Autosport report of the Castle Combe meeting on 15th August (at which he was a reserve, see RLT's post above). Unfortunately, I've just discovered that my copy of Autosport 28th August 1964 has the centre pages (with the report of the Oulton Park meeting on 22nd August) missing, so I can't tell you how he did here! Again, Mark is not mentioned in the Autosport report of the Clubmens Championship at Silverstone on 3rd October that John mentioned above, so I actually don't have a confirmed sighting of the car competing, although Mark assured me that he did compete with it!

[john winfield]

Thanks Michael. Interesting information.

[Eric Dunsdon]

Ref post 19. Or Bill Wilks perhaps?.

Edited by Eric Dunsdon, 29 October 2019 - 14:50.

[john winfield]

Ref post 19. Or Bill Wilks perhaps?.

 

You could well be right, Eric. Cecil Booth was a complete guess, based on a photo I was looking at in one of the Silverstone programmes.

 

Completely OT, have you seen this? Were you around Dunstable/Bedfordshire at the time? And did you know the stowaways?

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=qLqrzPR6-Dg

 

I wonder where the stowaway footage was filmed. Down towards Markyate somewhere?

Edited by john winfield, 29 October 2019 - 15:36.

[Eric Dunsdon]

John I lived in High Barnet in those days, only moving up North to Dunstable in  later years. Had I known about 'The Stowaways' I might have moved sooner, but don't tell 'The Boss'!. .

Edited by Eric Dunsdon, 29 October 2019 - 16:35.

[Rupertlt1]

In 1965 Walsall businessman Gil Baird is entering Mike Warner in a Lola-Buick 3½ litre - what car is this?

 

RGDS RLT
 

[GazChed]

Not quite Formula Libre but today's Silverstone Allcomers Closed Wheel race featured everything from a Group 6 DFV engined Lola T280 , a Lola T70 and several very quick Radicals to a Rover SD1 , a Rover 216 and ....a Citroen C1 ! Lapping 25 seconds off the pace ( around a 61 second lap ) the gallant little Citroen finished five laps down in a twenty lap race .