Never a dull moment

A busy month has found most weekends filled with motoring adventures. First up we had the Light Car & Edwardian Section Welsh Weekend, a fabulous event held in Llandrindod Wells where people assemble at The Metropole Hotel for a rally on the Saturday across the beautiful countryside, back for a big awards dinner and then to a trial on the Sunday.

I was competing alongside my partner, Louis Parkin, in his Austin 7 Top Hat Saloon. Despite a dodgy magneto, we had a fabulous run along the Elan Valley en route to Aberaeron. With a £2.50 membership fee and a collection of low-powered cars, this really is a great introductory event for anyone who wants to get involved.

A couple of weekends later we had the The Diffey Brothers Trial in Wells, Somerset. Reborn only a few years ago, this year the event was dedicated to the late Jim and Simon Diffey, a force to be reckoned with within the VSCC and wider historic racing scene. I had the pleasure of knowing Simon, who had always been so encouraging and would always meet you with a huge smile and a (slightly dodgy) dad joke.

The sun shone, and I was ‘bouncing’ for Louis in his family’s Trojan. His parents had been loaned another Trojan, meaning we were in a head-to-head Trojan battle, albeit a slow one. For anyone not privy to what a Trojan is: the engine is two-stroke with only seven moving parts, it’s chain driven, has one brake and they marketed it as being cheaper than walking (and not much quicker either!). Important to note, we won the Trojan battle!

“I pipped two cars before Copse but they quickly got me back”

Then came the VSCC’s Spring Start race meeting at Silverstone. It was fantastic to be back out on track in the mighty Ford-engined Morris Minor known as Mord, that my father, Steve, built. Despite some issues with axle tramp, which we tried multiple ways to cure but to no avail, I was flying.  I qualified on row five, which I was happy with. Mord is traditionally a strong starter, and I pipped two cars before Copse but they quickly got me back. Unfortunately, my cautious (and slow) entry into Copse to avoid the dreaded axle tramp meant those ahead edged into the distance. I then had a bit of a lonely race until I managed to catch up with some of the back of the field, which made for some exciting overtaking. I finished eighth of 23, so not too shabby.

The meeting was great, with the VSCC regulars joined by two grids from FISCAR and the Classic & Modern Motorsport Club, plus Bentleys and ERAs.

My favourite race was the GP Italia Trophy & Vintage Scratch with an epic battle between Ollie Llewellyn, Tom Walker in the Amilcar Hispano Special and Justin Maeers in the Parker GN. The most impressive drive came from Julian Wilton, who had started from the pits in his ERA due to losing bottom gear, but came through to finish third! There was a real buzz in the paddock, a huge variety of cars, loads of spectators and sunshine. What more could you want on a spring Saturday?

Next month: chasing  last year’s times at the Wiscombe Park Hillclimb.