20 replies to this topic

[ArlenPettitt]

Hi everyone,

Has anyone ever seen a full entry list for the first Formula Ford race at Brands Hatch on 2nd July 1967?

It was part of a BARC Trophy meeting and was Event 4 I think.

I know it was basically a Motor Racing Stables Vs Jim Russell School head to head won by Ray Allen, but I've seen a snippet suggesting my grandfather (listed as K. Pettit) was in the #93 MRS car that day, which I'd love to confirm.

Does anyone have a programme or seen the entry list anywhere and could share/confirm?

Thanks for any help,
Arlen

[john winfield]

Arlen, looking at this thread Pete53 may still have a copy of the programme. Maybe try a private message?

 

https://forums.autos...=+formula +ford

 

And if your grandfather was racing he must be in this photo!

 

https://racer.com/20...r-brands-hatch/

[pete53]

Indeed I do still have the programme.

 

[ArlenPettitt]

Fantastic! Thanks Pete!

Really good to see it in print.

Fairly safe bet he made the grid, given the number of pre-race casualties?

I'll go in search of a race report next and see what I can find.

And thank you John - what a fantastic photo that is.

[Tim Murray]

I'll go in search of a race report next and see what I can find.

Here’s what appeared in Autosport - no mention of Ken Pettitt, unfortunately.

The first race solely for Formula Ford cars was run off at Brands Hatch last Sunday during the nine-event BARC Trophy meeting. Novice driver Ray Allan (sic) driving a Motor Racing Stables Lotus 51, comfortably beat Jim Russell Racing Drivers School man Malcolm Payne (Lotus 31).

(etc)

The Formula Ford cars - 10 MRS Lotus 51s and five Jim Russell RDS Lotus 31s - made a rather leisurely start, but this was to be expected with the majority of drivers being novices. First lap leader George Lewis (MRS Lotus 51) spun all his chances away at Paddock, leaving Ray Allan to uphold MRS honours ahead of a trio of Jim Russell cars - those of Malcolm Payne, Belgian Claude Bourgoignie and Malcolm Fletcher. Fastest lap went to Allan in 59 s (75.66 mph), which is very creditable for a single-seater with a standard Ford Cortina GT engine racing on standard road tyres. In practice Lewis had lapped in 58.6 s, while during testing the previous week chief MRS instructor Tony Lanfranchi had got a Lotus 51 round in 57.5 s.

Formula Ford (10 laps)
1. R. Allan (Lotus 51) 73.86 mph
2. M. Payne (Lotus 31)
3. C. Bourgoignie (Lotus 31)
Fastest lap: Allan, 59 s, 75.66 mph.

[ArlenPettitt]

Here’s what appeared in Autosport - no mention of Ken Pettitt, unfortunately.

That's Tim - I found the right copy of Motoring News in a bundle of them I had. No mention in that either. But same Ray Allen misspelling!

"There were strong contingents from Motor Racing Stables and Jim Russell's school for the Formula Ford race. Russell had five Lotus 31s and M.R.S. had 10 Lotus 51s--which are glorified 31s, which are glorified 22s. Some of these cars had only been delivered at midnight, but they all looked impressive on the grid.

The race was won for M.R.S. by Ray Allan. He finished 5.8sec. in front of second man Malcolm Payne, who was driving for Russell, whose cars also took third and fourth place, driven by Belgian Claude Bourgoignie and Malcolm Fletcher. Initially the race had been led by George Lewis in another M.R.S. car, but he went off at Paddock, leaving Allan well in the lead and Payne, Bourgoignie and Fletcher to go round nose to tail for the rest of the race."

[Sterzo]

Thank you to your grandfather for entertaining me. (Although on the day, watching at Paddock, I famously agreed with a friend that Formula Ford wouldn't catch on...). What else did he race in? I feel the name Ken Pettit is familiar, though memory is a dodgy thing.

[ArlenPettitt]

Thank you to your grandfather for entertaining me. (Although on the day, watching at Paddock, I famously agreed with a friend that Formula Ford wouldn't catch on...). What else did he race in? I feel the name Ken Pettit is familiar, though memory is a dodgy thing.

Glad you enjoyed it! You can definitely be forgiven for thinking it wouldn't catch on, it probably all felt a bit forced and manufactured compared to the usual fare.

He also raced Anglias and Minis, but he was an instructor at Motor Racing Stables and was a bit of a salesman so ran their simulator and went to the motor shows to flog the initial trials.

I think being so involved he was always knocking about the track and so was often a late entry, I imagine jumping in whatever car was about and having a go.

I've seen a Formula Libre entry from 16 Oct 1966 where he and Lanfranchi were written in entries and started at the back in a couple of MRS Brabham F3 cars then carved their way up the field...my grandfather lasted five laps going from 18th to 9th, but Lanfranchi finished 2nd from 17th in a car with an engine half the size of most of the field!

[Sterzo]

Thank you Arlen, yes I will definitely have seen your grandfather race a few times, as I had a season ticket at around that time and arrived on the Green Line bus for most of the club meetings.

[sat]

1. 94 Lotus 51-Ford Ray Allen Motor Racing Stables Ltd. 10 0:10:04,400

2. 103 Lotus 31-Ford Malcolm Payne GB J.R.R.D.S. 10 0:10:10,200

3. 105 Lotus 31-Ford Claude Bourgoignie B J.R.R.D.S. 10 0:10:10,800

4. 104 Lotus 31-Ford Malcolm Fletcher GB J.R.R.D.S. 10 0:10:12,000

5. 98 Lotus 51-Ford Peter Wardle GB Motor Racing Stables Ltd. 10 0:10:12,600

6. 95 Lotus 51-Ford Edmund Patrick GB Motor Racing Stables Ltd. 10 0:10:13,400

Edited by sat, 27 July 2021 - 04:08.

[RAP]

Ken was 14th on the grid. He was 11th at the end of lap 1, moved up a place on lap 2 when 100 Lewis spun off, took 106 Stock on lap 3, also benefiting from 101 Granger spinning, to end up 8th.

Richard Page

Formula One Register

[RAP]

Ken also drove an MRS Lotus 51 FF at Brands 20-8-67

#159 Grid 9th; placed 8th

[ArlenPettitt]

Ken was 14th on the grid. He was 11th at the end of lap 1, moved up a place on lap 2 when 100 Lewis spun off, took 106 Stock on lap 3, also benefiting from 101 Granger spinning, to end up 8th.
Richard Page
Formula One Register

Thank you Richard - the font of knowledge as always! And as always, very much appreciated! Not a bad showing.

Ken also drove an MRS Lotus 51 FF at Brands 20-8-67
#159 Grid 9th; placed 8th

Thank you again - 8th about his level it seems!

[BRG]

For a formula that went on to be a launch pad for so many talented drivers, that first FF race entry is distinctly low-key.  Pete Wardle, Claude Bourgoignie and of course Ray Mallock made a few small headlines but otherwise, did any of these drivers ever amount to anything?

[pete53]

For a formula that went on to be a launch pad for so many talented drivers, that first FF race entry is distinctly low-key.  Pete Wardle, Claude Bourgoignie and of course Ray Mallock made a few small headlines but otherwise, did any of these drivers ever amount to anything?

Ray Allen went on to have a reasonable career over the next few years, but, otherwise, nobody else really made a stir. 

 

In reality this was largely the case with F Ford in ensuing years. A very tiny minority of F Ford racers made a name for themselves.

 

I am looking at the entry for the FF race at the 1972 International Trophy at Silverstone which totalled over 80 cars. Most of the names I don't even remember, but there are some that are familiar, but in terms of making it big, so to speak, there are none that went on to be big name F1 stars, and hardly any in F2 or F5000.  Probably the most prominent are the likes of Danny Sullivan, Geoff Lees, Ian Scheckter, and Tiff Needell. In fact the vast majority never even made it up the next step to F3. The same can also be said for the 1974 entry for the International Trophy meet. 

[2F-001]

Re. that first race at Brands - I think that could have been Richard Mallock, rather than Ray. I didn't think Ray began circuit until 69 or so, did he?

( I'm not sure if Ray would have been old enough in 67, although he was doing trialling or autotests or whatever in his teens, I believe).

 

But, those three, plus the winner were the stand out names to me too.

 

Didn't we have a thread once about which Formula Ford Festival (or perhaps which FF1600 season) yielded the most drivers who went on to notable 'careers' in F3 and up?

Esoteric stuff, I know, but could be interesting.

Edited by 2F-001, 28 July 2021 - 12:40.

[Michael Ferner]

I think 1985 must be hard to beat - including the 2000s, there were more than a dozen to make it to F1, iinm.

[john winfield]

But there was always room for FF1600 drivers who were brilliant at what they did and never went, or in some cases wanted, to go further. Some are still racing FF1600 in HSCC!  (Rick Morris, Tim Brise etc.)

 

Here are two pieces on one of the best, Jim Walsh.

 

https://www.motorspo...eroes-jim-walsh

 

https://www.pressrea...282561607875850

 

 

Back to the second place man in that first 1967 race, did Malcolm Payne also race saloon cars?  Imps?  Or am I mixing him up with someone else? 

Edited by john winfield, 28 July 2021 - 13:07.

[2F-001]

I wondered about Malcolm Payne - but then wondered if I was confusing him with Ray (?) Payne (Hartwell Imps?) ?

 

Yes, lots of FF1600 stalwarts/specialists who didn't 'move up' - but it wasn't always clear if they didn't have the opportunities or the money, maybe had other careers or businesses they were building and didn't wasn't to jeapordize those - or simply weren't in it looking for a career as a driver.

Edited by 2F-001, 28 July 2021 - 13:16.

[ArlenPettitt]

Back to the second place man in that first 1967 race, did Malcolm Payne also race saloon cars?  Imps?  Or am I mixing him up with someone else? 

 

I wondered about Malcolm Payne - but then wondered if I was confusing him with Ray (?) Payne (Hartwell Imps?) ?

 

Just happened to open a Motoring News from August 1967, and there's a Ray Payne winning the 850cc class in a special saloon race at Brands in an Imp!

[john winfield]

Yes, of course, Ray Payne, battling with Bernard Unett etc. I'm probably getting to Malcolm Payne by mixing Ray Payne with Malcolm Golden the Mini driver!

 

The name Malcolm Payne does ring a bell though. I wonder if this is the same MP who had already had a few years in F3.  I've just had a look at Stefan's site and, yes, it probably is as both his F3 drives and this FFord debut are under the Jim Russell banner.