[alfa] Re: Brits & Historic Racing

["Tim Hancock" <timhancock@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Calm down everyone, too many people getting their pants in a bunch over this
one.

The top end of the historic racing scene is clearly for the well off e.g
Anthony Bamford of JCB fame and Nick Mason of Pink Floyd are two notable types
(Though Bamford does not race himself anymore). The cars are faithfully
rebuilt as far as is possible and,has been testified to by others, the racing
is very close without being vicious. As to rebuilds in a week, well if a car
can be got back to trackworthy condition during the season, then a few corners
will be cut to enable the competitor to continue racing, but make no mistake,
once the closed season comes they are put back to their former glory, and we
have such a restorer not many miles from here, Trentside Classic and Sports
Cars, and lo and behold they specialise in Italian cars, Alfa, Fiat, Ferrari
and Lancia. Their prospectus reads " Road/race preparation, automotive design
and construction engineers, highly skilled technicians and craftsmen with a
wealth of specialised knowledge. restorations carried out in house". There is
not a lot they can't do, and they are by no means the only outfit doing this,
in fact I think they are one of the smaller ones. See
www.trentsideclassics.co.uk

At the complete opposite end of the scale I have a friend who marshalls at
VSCC (Vintage and Sports Car Club) meetings. Ian is a very lowly type in the
money stakes, but back in his secret (from his wife) workshop there is a Riley
chassis taking shape with a Mercedes gearbox and a Liberty Aero engine up
front, and dual chain drive. He is trying to build his version of 'Babs' the
Higham Special Leyland in which Parry Thomas briefly held the world land speed
record. He is not intending to emulate Thomas awful fate at Pendine Sands I am
happy to say. I nearly fell over backwards when he told me about it, but it
will be raced one day, but in no way will it ever be passed off as the genuine
article.

You can thus historic race at whatever level your pocket will allow here in
the UK, and I for one think its great as I am seeing again some of the cars I
saw racing when I was a young boy in the late 50s and early 60s. I still have
some rather tatty black and white photos of Elvas and Lotus 11s and early
Mclarens and Coopers & Lister Jags, and I never thought I'd ever see them race
again.

Whoever said " Nostalgia isn't what it used to be" was quite wrong. The real
racing fans love it.

Tim Hancock   Boston UK

164TS
164Super
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