19 replies to this topic

[Fred.R]

Does any on have any info on these events,  records are still held by Andrew Mustard in the Dunlop Tyre Testing Elfin used at Lake Eyre ,A Smith in the Valano and I. Wells in the Kenner

 

Dates are 11/10/64 , 4/10/65 and 11/10/65

 

any magazine articles etc who the organiser were,  other cars there etc i am familiar with the Elfin and the Valano what about the Kenner ?

[Ray Bell]

There would have to be something in the SCCSA records, surely?

Ian Wells, as I recall, was a long-time announcer at AIR (and Mallala?).

[cooper997]

FredR, A brief scratch around here reveals

 

Feb 60 AMS

6/12/59 SCCSA Weapons Research Establishment Sprint p73

 

June 60 AMS

15/5/60 SCCSA/A7 Club WRE Sprints p228

 

Dec 67 SCCSA Wheelspin

26/11/67 A7SA Club at Weapons Research Sprints p8

 

The SCCSA book 'With Casual Efficiency' (if I recall the title correctlyI) might give you some clues if you can find a copy. Best start would be as Ray suggests with the Sporting Car Club library in Adelaide or the Austin 7 Club over there.

 

 

Stephen

[Fred.R]

Cheers Stephen the sprints were 9 Chain, documented in the Austin 7 club book https://austin7clubs...-book-contents/

 

going by the records set it was Flying 1Mile , standing start 1 Mile and standing start 1Km and Flying 1Km  and records were set in 1964 and 1965 they may run at other times with no records set

 

11/10/64 was a Sunday

 

04/10/65 was a Monday Labour holiday

 

10/10/65 was a Sunday

 

11/10/65 was a Monday

[Lee Nicolle]

Austin 7 club 9 chain sprints were held at WRE and Gawler belt. 

But no landspeed records were attempted to my knowledge.

My one visit there in the mid 70s was on closed street in the WRE complex. Possibly the last held.

The A7  club book probably has anything of consequence that happened there.

[Ray Bell]

Mallala normally held their Gold Star events on the second Monday in October, didn't they?

This would be 11.10.65. So this event would have clashed.

I also thought that this was their Labour Day holiday.

Lee, 'Land Speed Records' applies even to standing start and flying start kilometres.

[Fred.R]

Dropped in at the SCC of SA and had a look through the records 64 through to 69 no mention of speed trials , then started to look through the Racing Car News and November 64 issue the is a write up by John Brownsea quoting a press release by Tony Lucas from BP about the  records broken , but interestingly no mention of a date or place and only of Mustard not any of the other cars , a small but nice photo of the Elfin at speed, i think these speed trials were not public events.

[cooper997]

Fred, did you happen to ask if they have their own club magazine 'Wheelspin' available to check? Otherwise does the Catford/Blanden Elfin book cover anything? Or thinking outside the square would BP public relations still have something on file?

 

Another path could be the State Library might be worth checking for newspaper coverage near to the dates you have previously mentioned.

 

Stephen

[Lee Nicolle]

Dropped in at the SCC of SA and had a look through the records 64 through to 69 no mention of speed trials , then started to look through the Racing Car News and November 64 issue the is a write up by John Brownsea quoting a press release by Tony Lucas from BP about the  records broken , but interestingly no mention of a date or place and only of Mustard not any of the other cars , a small but nice photo of the Elfin at speed, i think these speed trials were not public events.

I feel that the A7CCSA were the ones that did that sort of thing. I was a member for about 35 years from around the early 70s.

[kaydee]

Here is some more info on the Weapons Research Establishment Sprint meetings -

 

Hopefully the following will be fairly self explanatory -

 

The following is from the Sporting Car Club of SA history -"With Casual Efficiency"

The following 3 scans are from AMS

 

 

 

 

Regards,

Kaydee

Edited by kaydee, 29 August 2018 - 09:03.

[Lee Nicolle]

A lot of familiar names in those results, Kieth Rilstone, Mel McEwin, Bruggerman and John Newmarch,Derek JollyHarold Clisby,Dud Dansie and Kaydee Kevin Drage in a s/c Morris Minor!

It seems both the A7 Club and SCCSA organised events there.

As I said above I feel it was all over by early 70s. I can remember attending once. I dont think as a competitor.

And that road looks familiar. possibly not much different even now. WRE is now DSTO. And only very recently they have allowed phones with cameras in for the staff. A friend works there.

[smeetsie]

These records used to be listed in the CAMS Manual.

Regards

Pete S.

[cooper997]

Taking Pete's lead, 1967 CAMS Manual

 

Stephen

[Fred.R]

I spoke to Alex Smith today, the driver of the Valano  about the record attempts he said of the 1965 event, it was organised by Andrew Mustard  and funded by BP ,there was himself , Ian Wells ( in a triumph powered car )  and Michael McInerney Supercharged Elfin,  the road they used was at right angles to 4th Avenue that was used for the sprints, I believe that might be West Avenue Edinburgh ,the date of the event ,he looked at the certificate on the wall and it was 10 October  1965

 

i assume the 1964 event was run in a similar fashion 

[Fred.R]

Looking through some earlier posts i found this back in 2011

Thank you so much for that kind response. I am delighted to hear that this car is still retained and displayed by Mr Rainsford. If any pics do subsequently appear, I would be most interested to see them.

Greatly appreciated.

here is a link of the images of Elfin 6313

http://www.flickr.co.../in/photostream

http://www.flickr.co.../in/photostream

http://www.flickr.co.../in/photostream

I can still recall what engine modifications were undertaken in 1964 and again in 1965 for the 2 seperate record attempts at WRE (now DSTO/Edinburgh Airfield).

Here is the original link

http://forums.autosp...w...58&hl=elfin



Mike McInerney

[Fred.R]

and from 2009

Elfin Catalina Chassis Number 6313 was built for Dunlop Tyres for use on the Lake Eyre salt to determine certain characteristics for the tyres that were fitted to Donald Campbell's Bluebird Record Attempts during 1963. The Elfin was fitted with 'miniature Bluebird Tyres" and driven over the salt to determine factors such as co-efficient of friction and adhesion.

There are references to this Elfin Catalina Chassis Number 6313 in the associated thread titled "Clisby V6":

http://forums.autosp...showtopic=28535

The images attached to this thread have only recently been found and were shown to several Elfin Owners at the Elfin 50th Anniversary Exhibition at Wayville, South Australia on 16 August 2009.

http://forums.autosp...howtopic=113585

When the Bluebird Records were completed in 1963, the Bluebird Tyre designer Mr Andrew Mustard bought the Elfin from Dunlops. The Elfin was in quite poor condition as a result of its work on the Lake Eyre Salt. The Magnesium based suspension struts, etc were quite corroded.

Mr Mustard asked me if I knew where there was an available workshop where the Elfin could be stripped to its bare elements and then restored. A close acquaintance of mine had a workshop and the restoration took place over the end of 1963 and into 1964. Mr Mustard was living at North brighton and so I became associated with the car and its exploits at Mallala and its Record Attempts for 1500cc vehicles in 1964 and 1965 using the access road, alongside the Main Hangars at Edinburgh Airfield (Weapons Research Establishment) South Australia.

The car was used for training the SA Police Force Driving Instructors in advanced handling techniques, etc. the car was regularly used by myself and others at Mallala and other venues (closed meetings for Austin7 club, etc).

The images I had of the car when I drove it at WRE in October 1965 were lost in Cyclone Tracy in 1974. At that Record Attempt, the Elfin had two Eldred Norman Superchargers mounted over the gearbox, 2 x 2" (with 4 fuel bowls) SU Carburettors jetted for methanol by Peter Dodd, a heavily modified head by Alexander H Rowe and a 20 second life expectancy at peak revs!!

The following day ( Labour Day October 1965), I raced the car at Mallala as a "Formula Libre" with the two superchargrers, the 4 'stub' exhausts and methanol as there was insufficient time to revert the engine back to Formula II specifications.

Wonderful little motor car!!

I understand the car is currently owned by the Rainsford Family of South Australia.

Michael McInerney

http://farm4.static....8e6997116_m.jpg

http://farm3.static....9f418afaa_m.jpg

http://farm3.static....9dafc4cd7_m.jpg

[Lee Nicolle]

and from 2009
 

A few names there, Alec Rowe, Peter Dodd and Eldred Norman. Well known to South Aussie competitors.

[theotherharv]

Over the course of 2018, some literature has been published on Andrew Mustard: Enterprise on the Edge of Industry, Stan and Mark Dibben, Australian Scholarly Publishing Pty Ltd, ISBN 978-1-925801-48-4. The book touches on the Elfin at both Lake Eyre and Salisbury.

 

 

 

Of interest, there is a difference in the values given by the current CAMS records (http://docs.cams.com...peedRecords.pdf, the CAMS Manual 1967 kindly shared above, and the text of Enterprise on the Edge of Industry.

 

a) for the flying kilometer:

 

CAMS current: Cat A Group 1 Class 6, 11/10/64, 16.21seconds 222.10km/h or 138.00mph, Mustard.

 

CAMS 1967: Class F, 16.21seconds, 136.36mph, Mustard.

 

Enterprise on the Edge of Industry: No mention.

 

Note there is a difference in the mph values. Perhaps a translation error between the 1967 and current CAMS records.

 

 

b) For the flying mile:

 

CAMS current: Cat A Group 1 Class 6, 11/10/64, 26.32seconds, 220.10km/h 136.77mph, Mustard.

 

CAMS 1967: Class F, 26.32seconds, 136.77mph, Mustard.

 

Enterprise on the Edge of Industry: Class F, 136.77mph, Mustard.

 

 

c) For the standing mile:

 

CAMS current: Cat A Group 1 Class 6, 11/10/64, 34.03seconds 170.20km/h 105.79mph, Mustard.

 

CAMS 1967: Class F, 34.03seconds, 105.79mph, Mustard.

 

Enterprise on the Edge of Industry: Class F, 88.78mph.

 

There is again a difference in the mph speeds. This is probably an error in the data used in the book, as 88.78mph is the “standing kilometre” (not “standing mile”) record speed - see below.

 

 

d) For the standing quarter:

 

CAMS current: Cat A Group 1 Class 6 – no record.

 

CAMS 1967: Class F, 14.31seconds, 62.89mph, McInnerney.

 

Enterprise on the Edge of Industry: no mention.

 

This is an interesting omission. It appears that Mike McInnerney took the wheel of the Elfin for the  1964 standing quarter record, and  was recorded in the 1967 CAMS manual. However, this has  subsequently fallen off the CAMS records. From correspondence, McInnerney was definitely at the track for the WRE records, and assisted in the earlier works made on the Elfin. Sadly, Mike passed away in March 2018 after a 3 month battle with cancer. If McInnerney holds this record, I would like to approach CAMS to have it added to their current records - a fitting thankyou to a gentleman who was part of Adelaide's motorsport world of the 60's. Does anyone have copies of CAMS Manuals other than 1967 that show McInnerney’s record please?

 

 

 

e) For the standing kilometer:

 

CAMS current: Cat A Group 1 Class 6 – no record.

 

CAMS 1967: Class F, Mustard, 25.21seconds, 88.78mph, Mustard

 

Enterprise on the Edge of Industry: no mention.

Another interesting omission, like the “standing quarter” above. I would again like to approach CAMS, and would appreciate any scans of older CAMS manuals showing the record.

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

Harv

[Lee Nicolle]

Here is some more info on the Weapons Research Establishment Sprint meetings -

 

Hopefully the following will be fairly self explanatory -

 

The following is from the Sporting Car Club of SA history -"With Casual Efficiency"

The following 3 scans are from AMS

 

 

 

 

Regards,

Kaydee

The Rowley Pk pacecar is the first pic. And Clem raced it sometimes too!!

[Fred.R]

Just adding this here, i found a reference on an other forum as to were either the sprints or speed trials were held.

 

 " the Andrews Road alignment between the factory and the airfield. In the early '60's the Sporting Car Club used to hold an annual sprint meeting on the southern end (restricted area) of Andrews Road (held in conjunction with the WRE Car Club)" The reference to "the factory" is the WW2 Munitions plant that was within the complex

 

​I have spoken to Alex Smith and he had driven about parts of the complex now open to the public but could not get his bearings as to what roads were used for the record attempts