14 replies to this topic

[RS2000]

Since an answer to the question "was there ever any motorsport at Wisley airfield" was made within a now "disappeared " (after one day) posted thread, I'll make one further attempt to give a helpful answer, for the sake of history. 

Yes, there was. 

The Happy Eater Rally was itself a surreal event. A mixture of stages and selectives running partly in  perhaps the most unlikely area for any serious competitive rally: London, in September (?) 1977. I believe it ran again the next year but by then I was living in the USA and not involved in any way. Special Stages 24 and 25 in 77 were at Wisley airfield and SS23 was at nearby Ockham Common. Main Controls were mostly at Happy Eater roadside restaurants and food vouchers were redeemable at each. There were also stages at Beddington Sewage Works, near Croydon, (but no sign of Lewis...).

The entrance/exit to the Wisley stages was down the short road off the A3 that went to the hangars. Like many of the stages they were somewhat uninspiring and, as far as I recall as navigator, used the runway and connections to a sort of taxiway to its south.

 

Given the mysterious demise of the earlier thread, there was always something a bit strange about Wisley too. Ostensibly Vickers/BAC flight test centre, I believe it was government owned until its final disposal. Ron Dennis cast eyes on it for the new HQ but was rebuffed and later tried to get Lydden Hill.

Why did the Government hang on to it so long? It's now no secret that emergency WW3 evacuation plans to site code name "Turnstile" for the government involved Northolt airfield (to Colerne?) and the GW railway to Box Tunnel. Was Wisley Plan B?

[Rupertlt1]

Charlie Wood, whose series seven 2-

litre Avenger was written off on the

Hadrian Centurion, will once again be

out in his old 1600 car this weekend on

the Burmah. Charlie has, however, got

a new shell for the 2-litre, and it is very

nearly finished. Its first outing is likely

to be on the Happy Eater Rally before

he does the next round of the Castrol/

AUTOSPORT championship, which is the

Castrol ’77. He has incorporated sever-

al modifications into the new car, the

most important being to the anti-roll

bar, which he has had bolted to the

shell, in the way RS2000 bars are fitted,

and he hopes it will help to strengthen

the car.

Autosport, 18 August 1977, Page 29

 

24-25 September 1977

 

Sittingbourne’s Mick Greenland put his Cascades of Dartford Sunbeam back in the placings with a strong second spot in last weekend’s Happy Eater rally on the forest stages of Surrey and Hampshire.

Maidstone Telegraph, Friday 28 September 1979, Page 39

 

22-23 September 1979: start Happy Eater Restaurant, Burgh Heath, Surrey. 150-mile event.

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 28 July 2024 - 07:48.

[BRG]

You were a little quick on the draw, RS.  Our esteemed moderator has re-opened the London Race Park thread after my PM. 

 

However, now we have this thread on the somewhat surreal Happy Eater Rally, let me put in my twopence worth.  I do remember these events, but I had clean forgotten that it ventured onto Wisley, or indeed the neighbouring Ockham Common stage, also a one-off, I think..  I was definitely involved in one of the Happy Eaters but I can't recall in what capacity,  Certainly not competing, but maybe servicing.  I competed at the (disused) Beddington Sewage Works on a different rally where we hit a tree and knocked a wheel off the car,  But we were leading at the time, albeit due to a timing mistake by a marshal.  I tried to tell him, but he wouldn't have it that it was wrong, so what can you do!

 

For those not aware of it, the Happy Eaters were a smaller chain of diner type restaurants competing with the national Little Chef chain.  I think they were only in the south east of England, hence the location of these rallies.  Both chains have bitten the dust since then - I believe Little Chef took Happy Eater over, but then declined over a long period before finally expiring despite a last minute attempt by Heston Blumenthal (I think) to re-invigorate them.

 

As for Wisley, as I understood it, when the government finally divested themselves of it in 1981 and it returned to private ownership by Lord Lytton the local bigwig.  With his support it was planned to use the airfield for business aviation but after much opposition this was finally rejected by the Secretary of State.  A precursor to the current planning dispute over 'Wisley New Town' which may however be permitted if the new government's comments about house building are ever brought to reality.  I am not aware of any mystery plans for the place.  Successive governments have been remarkably reluctant to give up any of the lands sequestrated in WW2 even where they are no longer in use.  Wisley was operational until 1974 when BAe stopped using it, and the government only took 5 years to dispose of the place which is lightning fast by UK government standards!

[RS2000]

Charlie Wood, whose series seven 2-

litre Avenger was written off on the

Hadrian Centurion, will once again be

out in his old 1600 car this weekend on

the Burmah. Charlie has, however, got

a new shell for the 2-litre, and it is very

nearly finished. Its first outing is likely

to be on the Happy Eater Rally before

he does the next round of the Castrol/

AUTOSPORT championship, which is the

Castrol ’77. He has incorporated sever-

al modifications into the new car, the

most important being to the anti-roll

bar, which he has had bolted to the

shell, in the way RS2000 bars are fitted,

and he hopes it will help to strengthen

the car.

Autosport, 18 August 1977, Page 29

 

 

Charlie Wood won 1600 Group 1 on the 76 Welsh International (Gavin Waugh was second and Chris Field was 3rd with the car I serviced on the event following them, all Avenger GTs) This was around the time it became general knowledge that the secret of winning with a Gp1 Avenger was to use astronomical revs, something "my" less affluent driver  considered unfair!. The new 2 litre "Brazilian block car clearly was not Gp1 with the mods mentioned. I believe former Imp exponent Charlie Wood died very young from illness.

 

RS2000 anti-roll bars were not used on rally RS2000s incidently. (Mk1 TC bar with "double width kit" even in Gp1....).

 

I did the Castrol 77 navigating the same car I did on the Happy Eater. A very long Hafren with a rear damper punched through into the boot was even less fun than most of the Happy Eater with 2 of the previously available gears.

Edited by RS2000, 28 July 2024 - 16:06.

[BRG]

Ah, the wonders of Appendix J Groups and all the intricate ways everyone tried to get round them.  FLat fronted RS2000s even though there was never any such thing produced.  Two litre engines were none should have been.  It's not as if I had co-driven in a 1600cc Lotus Elan Sprint which was actually 1760cc.

 

I think the Happy Eater Rally may have been one of Rick Smith's initiatives.  He was always one for the big show approach.

[RS2000]

There was a flat front 2 litre Pinto engined Escort assembled in Australia. Legal in Group 2, where body strengthening was free but a bit of a stretch in Group 1 where it wasn't.

[Rupertlt1]

1986: "Aylesbury Motor Club crew Robin Herd and Mike Wise won the 150 mile Happy Eater Rally around the Beds and Herts countryside at the weekend. The locals finished at the head of a 50-strong field in their Escort RS2000, with Wise scoring his first rally win for two years and his first in tandem with the Bicester-based March Engineering boss."

Do we know anything more about the rallying exploits of Robin Herd?

The Ford Escort RS2000 was black and sponsored by the Hampstead-based Shield Group. Event organised by the Green Belt Motor Club, 13-14 September. Start Happy Eater Restaurant at Hixworth, near Baldock. Finish Happy Eater Restaurant, Ware.

RGDS RLT 

Edited by Rupertlt1, 30 July 2024 - 07:39.

[arttidesco]

 

Do we know anything more about the rallying exploits of Robin Herd?

 

RGDS RLT 

 

IIRC Robin also rallied a Darrian and a Leyton House liveried MG Metro 6R4, the latter shared with Bill Gwynne so not sure who would have been in the drivers seat.

Edited by arttidesco, 30 July 2024 - 07:45.

[bsc]

As for Wisley, as I understood it, when the government finally divested themselves of it in 1981 and it returned to private ownership by Lord Lytton the local bigwig.  With his support it was planned to use the airfield for business aviation but after much opposition this was finally rejected by the Secretary of State.  A precursor to the current planning dispute over 'Wisley New Town' which may however be permitted if the new government's comments about house building are ever brought to reality.  I am not aware of any mystery plans for the place.  Successive governments have been remarkably reluctant to give up any of the lands sequestrated in WW2 even where they are no longer in use.  Wisley was operational until 1974 when BAe stopped using it, and the government only took 5 years to dispose of the place which is lightning fast by UK government standards!

Having had a very brief involvement at Wisley several years ago, it interesting to read of its motorsport connections, which I was previously unaware of. As I understand it, when the site was requisitioned for the war effort, there was a belief locally that when the Government divested themselves of the airfield that the land would revert to agriculture. Whether this was a firm commitment in the 1940s or popular opinion, I am unsure. Nonetheless, the decision to sell the land to Lord Lytton, complete with runways, etc, was the subject of debate in parliament. At some point in the 2000s, the land was bought by a company based in the Cayman Islands and plans were submitted to redevelop the site for approximately 2000 houses. This was never approved as the development was considered inappropriate in the Green Belt. A couple of years ago, the site was removed from the Green Belt (there was a public inquiry regarding this) and the land then sold to Taylor Wimpey (a UK based, volume house builder). Taylor Wimpey gained, in May of this year, planning permission for approximately 1700 houses to be built on the site.

Edited by bsc, 30 July 2024 - 07:46.

[BRG]

IIRC Robin also rallied a Darrian and a Leyton House liveried MG Metro 6R4, the latter shared with Bill Gwynne so not sure who would have been in the driver's seat.

Yes, Robin started off doing night road rallies in a RS2000.  I recall chatting to him at a time control somewhere in deepest Oxfordshire at silly o'clock in the morning.  We ever mentioned F1 or March Racing, just talked about rallying.  He later fitted an extreme air dam on the boot lid of the RS, which had been resprayed in the Leyton House colour.  Apparently he had done some wind tunnel testing.  He applied similar principles to his Darrian T9, producing a different and better rear spoiler and an improved front splitter after more wind tunnel work.  The Darrian, also decked out in Leyton House paint, became the basis for the Darrian T90 when Tim Duffey of Darrian adopted Herd's modifications into futre production models.  

 

I think the Metro 6R4 was Gwynne's with Herd co-driving except for a handful of events.  There must have been a lot of that Leyton House paint left over as several cars had it applied.

 

1986: "Aylesbury Motor Club crew Robin Herd and Mike Wise won the 150 mile Happy Eater Rally around the Beds and Herts countryside at the weekend. The locals finished at the head of a 50-strong field in their Escort RS2000, with Wise scoring his first rally win for two years and his first in tandem with the Bicester-based March Engineering boss."

Do we know anything more about the rallying exploits of Robin Herd?

The Ford Escort RS2000 was black and sponsored by the Hampstead-based Shield Group. Event organised by the Green Belt Motor Club, 13-14 September. Start Happy Eater Restaurant at Hixworth, near Baldock. Finish Happy Eater Restaurant, Ware.

RGDS RLT 

Not sure where this report came from, Rupert?  This must have been one of or even the first of Herd's stage rallies after he graduated from night events.  I wonder if they got their Wises mixed up as he often had Richard Wise as co-driver, but not Mike Wise.  Or maybe just a one-off.

 

This would have been the second Happy Eater Rally, not the one which used Wisley back in 1977.  That was a Southern Car Club event, I believe based south and south-east of London, whilst this Green Belt event was in the Hertfordshire area so just a common sponsor rather than any actual continuity. 

 

Can you find any reporting on the 1977 rally in your extremely comprehensive sources?  It would be interesting to know a little more about it.

[Rupertlt1]

Described as "veteran ace road rally navigator Mike Wise"

Hertfordshire Mercury, Friday 26 Sept 1986, Page 94

I'll have a look re 1977. Aka Happy Eater Southern Rally.

RGDS RLT 

Edited by Rupertlt1, 30 July 2024 - 08:57.

[BRG]

Thinking about it, maybe Mike Wise was Robin's road rally navigator but didn't want to do stage rallies.  I will dig out some old entry list and see if I can find him there.

[Rupertlt1]

1977:

The Happy Eater Southern Rally this

weekend will be bringing motor sport

back to Crystal Palace as a special stage

will be held there on Sunday afternoon.

Following efforts by the Southern Car

Club and the GLC Parks Department,

part of the old racing circuit has been

re-opened for use as this stage and

Andy Dawson will do demonstration

runs in his RS1800 before the stage

starts at 1pm.

The rally will start from the Pickard

Motor Hotel at Burgh Heath at 10pm

on Saturday and finishes there at

3.15pm on Sunday.

As well as Crystal Palace, there will

be a special spectator stage at Perrotts

Farm, Banstead and the entrance to the

spectator car park is from the B2219,

Holly Lane, from either Banstead or

Chipstead.

The top crews are:

1. Derek Skinner/Tony Pettie (MGB GT V8);

2. Henry Inurrieta/Simon Small (RS2000);

3. Charlie Wood/Mike Smith (Chrysler Avenger);

4. Chris Daisy/Phil Giles (Vauxhall Chevette);

5. Allan Hemmings/Alan Woodbridge (RS1800);

6. Lyle Cathcart/Mike Cockle (Vauxhall Magnum);

7. Mick Rushbrook/Jim Anderson (RS2000);

8. David Hardcastle/Andrew Bodman (Mazda Hatchback);

9. Mitch Baylis/ ‘Harry Plunkett’ (RS1800);

10. Geoff Bartram/John Porter (Escort).

END

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 30 July 2024 - 09:25.

[Rupertlt1]

Formerly Kleber Southern Rally, from 1973.

The first Kleber Southern Rally, organised by the Southern CC takes place over May 19/20th. Route, through Sussex is 180 miles with very few white roads included.

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 30 July 2024 - 10:41.

[BRG]

Excellent stuff, Rupert. 

 

Yes, Kleber Tyres sponsored everything for a while when they first entered the UK market and celebrated the use of their tyres on Concorde by doling out rather naff silver plated plastic Concorde Trophies that some people claimed to actively avoid winning!

 

Some names of old sparring partners of mine appear on that list of top crews for the Happy Eater.  Derek Skinner was quite a character using an MGB roadster and then a GT V8 for road and stage rallying at a time when such cars had become rather unfashionable although Derek pedalled his pretty damn quickly..  They would often compete in suits and ties and wearing bowler hats

 

On the Wises, a search of old rally papers did not reveal any Robin Herd entries - I don't seem to have retained the papers for the one event I was thinking of - Mike Wise was a front runner with various Aylesbury MC drivers so very likely sat with Herd at first.