Veteran to Classic Club News, February 1991
Compiled by WB and WPK
Like the VSCC the VMCC has published its 1991 fixtures list. This leading club for the older motorcycles has more than 10,000 members and it lists 308 events for the enjoyment of its members and those who like to watch motorcycles at work. Among them are the President’s Run on May 12, the celebrated Banbury Run on June 16, a National cycle-motor run on July 7, the Levis Cup Trial (two-strokes) on August 4, Cadwell Park racing on September 14/15, the Secretary’s Road Run on September 8, and the Founder’s Run on September 22. The club is divided into some 50 regional and specialist sections, publishes a fine monthly magazine edited by Dr David Styles
* * *
The Bugatti OC has announced the following fixtures for 1991:Bugafti Spring Rally, April 5/7th; Prescott Midland hillclimb, April 13/14th;RAC & Midland hillclimb Championships, May 4/5th; Prescott Classic Meeting, June 8/9th; Prescott Midland hillclimb Championship, June 29/30th; Prescott Garden Party, July 28th; VSCC Prescott, August 3/4th; RAC & Midland hillclimb Championship, August 31/September 1st.
* * *
At one time the VSCC, when permitting post-war Historic racing cars to enter its events, restricted them to front-engined types, as more representative of the heroic age than rear-engined racing cars, the design of which is in the modern idiom. Now the Committee has decided that the latter are acceptable for the VSCC Drivers’ Challenge Trophy series of races, by invitation, and for 1991 only. Thus do times change!
* * *
The Classic & Historic MC asks us to publicise three of its events open to non-members. These are the Bath Festival Run on June 2 for pre-1959 vehicles, the Heart of Somerset Run for pre-1965 vehicles on July 7, and a static event at Ashton Court, Bristol on July 14.
* * *
The 12/50 Alvis Register Bulletin for last autumn, received just before Christmas, contains more FWD material, an article on the Charles Follett 12/50 Alvis now owned by Jim Paterson, and an amusing but erudite piece about efficient six-cylinder exhaust systems, etc.
* * *
Among the enjoyable things in the current issue of the Bullnose Morris Club’s magazine is an account of a journey to Moscow and back in a 1924 Morris tourer, which covered 2800 miles in 18 days, the only troubles a fractured petrol-pipe, a chewed-up speedometer cable, a faulty tyre valve and broken brackets of the luggage trunk on the rough Leningrad roads.
* * *
In recent years the active Morgan 3-Wheeler Club has included a Night Trial in its events’ list, which seems an adventurous fixture, especially as it entails removing and replacing a tyre and changing a lamp-bulb against the clock, trials hills including a restart, driving tests, and a timed change of sparking plugs, apart from navigating. Yet ten competitors started in the 1990 trial, the winners being Bob Angell/Frank Kilshaw in a 1934 Morgan MX4, the runners-up Tony Rothin/Mike Slynn (1932 MX2) and Nick Edwards/Geraint Owen (1934 MX4). The oldest Morgan, a 1928 Aero-JAP, took the Bowman & Acock Trophy, well deserved, behind aero-screens, one would think! The breakdown of Morgans in the Club shows a total of 1164, including 296 two-speeders, 620 three-speeders, and 236 Ford-engined models.
* * *
The Frazer Nash CC’s Chain Gang Gazette has published some interesting history recently, including Guy Griffith’s memories of racing ‘The Spook’, Dudley John’s recollections of early GN ownership and Lawrence Mitchell’s experience when successfully racing his High Speed Frazer Nash TME 924, and in the Humber Register magazine Ken Fantom has been telling of the 14/40 Humber design changes.
* * *
Just in case anyone thinks that the clubs get away without paying to use public roads for their events, the MCC’s magazine Triple, which under the Editorship of Tom Threlfall so admirably reflects the activities of members of this pioneer institution, notes that the DoE charges, via the RAC/MSA) a hefty £1200, for instance for the Land’s End Trial, in spite of the Club repairing by its own efforts wear and tear on the sections it uses, also used by other road-folk.
* * *
The Inter-Register Competition, between eight typical one-make clubs, went well in 1990, with these Clubs each staging an event, concluding with the Austin Ten DC’s Night Rally on Salisbury Plain. The winner was the STD Register with 45 points, from the 12/50 Alvis Register with 41 points and the Humber Register with 33 points. Seven fixtures have been planned for the 1991 series, commencing on April 7 with a contest in Kent or the West Country organised by either the STD Register of the Fiat Register.
* * *
An International Endurance Register has been formed by Richard Shepherd-Barron and the 96 Club to cater for cars and drivers who have taken part in recognised sports, GT or touring car endurance races requiring two or more drivers. Derek Bell, MBE, is Patron and the Register is to be launched at the 96 Club’s Press Day at Silverstone on April 4th.
* * *
The Sheffield and Hallamshire Motor Club will be running the third White Peak Classic Reliability Trial on February 17th, a round of the ACTC Classic Trials Championship with entries open for cars, bikes and sidecars.
* * *
The ‘T’ Register of the MG Car Club will be holding its 11th seminar on the rebuilding and maintenance of classic MG sports cars. Owners of all models up to 1955 are welcome to attend.
The format of the one-day seminar will consist of two 90 minute sessions on a choice of three subjects followed by an extended question-and-answer session to exhaust the subject fully.
The seminar, which costs £16, will commence at 10.00am on Saturday, 23rd March at Ernulf Community School, Bar ford Road, St Neots, Cambridgeshire. The speakers are Barrie Jones on “Electrics”, Don Spurr on “Back to Basics”, the chassis-up rebuild from the “do-it-yourself” viewpoint and Roger Thomas on “Steering Gear” with special mention of the “Bishop Cam”.
* * *
The first Bank Holiday weekend in May at Donington promises to be a mouth-watering affair if Steve Lydon of the HSCC has his way. Set against a background of racing on the Sunday and Monday, Steve Lydon is organising what he hopes will be the largest collection of 3-litre Grand Prix cars ever assembled in one place in order to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 3-litre formula. Not only that, he is hoping to reunite many of the drivers with their mounts as well. While the grid will be static on the track for the cameras, the cars will be re-assembled in the paddock in chronological order for closer inspection.
The Club is also to be congratulated on its magazine Histrionics, the first issue of which has just been published, containing a number of interesting articles as well as useful summaries of the HSCC season.