News in brief, July 2004

Grand prix mechanics from five decades met at Silverstone in April (above) for a reunion of the Grand Prix Mechanics’ Trust, which supports ex-mechanics in hard times. Trust founder and chairman Sir Jackie Stewart, who hosted the get-together, called them “the true professionals in our industry”.

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The residents of the Italian town of Collesano have created a museum dedicated to the Targa Florio. Threetime winner Nino Vaccarella served on the management committee which brought the project to reality.

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Charles `Titch’ Allen, a pre-war riding mechanic for Bob Gerard at Donington and Brooklands, was recently presented with an OBE at the Donington Grand Prix Collection. Working for the Leicester Evening Mail, Allen was one of the people invited to Donington in 1930 to assess the venue’s racing potential.

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Having won the opening race in the Classic Endurance Series at Monza in his ex-Bobby Rahal Porsche 917, Juan Barazi plans to contest the remaining three races in the series at Spa, Silverstone and the Nürburgring. He will also compete in the Le Mans Classic in late July.

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New Zealander Ross Maxwell has acquired a Chevron B8 to race alongside his B19. “This is my first car with a roof over my head since Minis in 1969,” said Maxwell. He’ll dovetail racing the B19 in Supersports events and the B8 in Group 4 races.

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Former Jaguar racer Tony Bailey is driving the 1955 prototype Elva in drum-brake sportscar races. Raced in the 1955 TT at Dundrod, the Elva spent many years in the museum at Stavelot, near Spa.