Club news, March 1982
BARC Yorkshire Centre
The future of the Harewood Hill Climb was very much in the balance at the end of last year when Arnold Burton, who, in the early fifties, secured the farm on which the hill lies, announced that he planned to sell up. Luckily, BARC member Steven Smith agreed it buy the land with the intention of retaining the areas immediately involved with the Hill Climb and re-selling the remainder. The plan is that the BARC should form a Company to obtain a long-term lease on the land and to capitalise improvements to the venue.
Further recent good news for the Centre is that Shell will again sponsor their own Halewood Hill Climb Championship, open to all kinds of cars from road Minis to ex-Formula One racers. Last year’s series attracted over 175 members to compete, and this year’s will be run on similar lines with class handicaps, to enable all kinds of tins to have a chance in the overall placings, as well as a top-ten run off for the really fast boys.
Monoposto Racing Club
A programme of six races has been organised by the Monoposto Racing Club for the first season of Historic Formula 3 racing. A set of regulations have been formulated and the new Formula is for all cars built to the one litre formula that was so popular between 1964/70 and was responsible for the early experience of no many drivers, of which Jackie Stewart, James Hunt, Jo Schlesser and Tony Trimmer are but a few.
The series is sponsored by Gates Energy Products Ltd., the company now responsible for the manufacture of Varley Batteries. The events are organised as a championship with prize money being awarded to the top three finishers at the end of the season.
Further details from Alan Putt, “Brooklands” 10 Fairby Lane, Hartley, Dartford, Kent, GAS 8DA. Tel: Longfield (04747) 3794.
Wolseley Hornet-Special Club
The1,000th member has been enrolled recently, since the launch of the Club in 1950, membership remaining fairly stable, at around 140. The Club issues a duplicated magazine and its Editor has been compiling a history of Patrick Motors, who made bodies for Wolseley Hornet and other cars, and he would welcome information about other such coachbuilders, and on the original Hornet CC which was formed in 1931 and amalgamated with the Light Car Club in 1933. The Club Secretary is: R. S. Banks. Taliesin, Heath Road, Horsell, Woking. Surrey.
Ford V8 Pilot Owners Club
This specialised club, which we refer to in the Editorial, was formed less than two years ago but already has 220 members. Coming activities centre around the Enfield Rally on May 29th/31st. with emphasis on the Sunday’s activities, and the “Ford Festival” at Knebworth over the weekend of June 13th/14th. The Club has been looking into celebrities who have made good use in the past of Ford V8 Pilots, one of whom, Jean Kent, is featured in the January issue of the Club’s magazine, Pilot Affairs. The annual subscription is now £10 and the Membership Secretary is: Phyliss Millard, 31 School Road, Dagenham. Essex RA110 9QB.
AC Owners Club
An active season was enjoyed last year, including appearances of ACs in competition events, with a Cobra coming within a fraction of a mark of winning the VSCC Pomeroy Trophy, and this year it is hoped to take members on an international weekend to Switzerland, in May with the National Rally taking place at Birtsmorton Court, near Worcester, on June 13th. The Vintage and Edwardian AC Register, started ten years ago, has been painstakingly revised by David Wakefield and lists 30 Sociable and Box-carrier ACs, seven Fiver models, including a rare twin-cylinder chassis in Russia, a BSA engine replacing the original JAP engine, 20 1921-1924 Empire and 35 1924-1928 Royal four-cylinder ACs, 39 Acedes six-cylinder 1923-1930 ACs including the ex-Bruce/Mollart Montlhéry record-breaker, and three racing ACs, one a replica, with rumours of another racing can in South America.
The Club caters for ACs of all ages and types, and operates 13 Registrars covering those from vintage 10 the ME3000. The President is W. D. Hurlock and the Membership Secretary is: S. E. Bathurst-Brown. 4 Portsmouth Road, Camberley, Surrey.
Maserati Club
The latest issue of Trident, the Maserati Club’s quarterly magazine, includes a photograph which would it very well with the correspondence elsewhere in this issue concerning racing cars on the road (a 250F Maserati by the roadside, policeman standing by) were it not for the fact that the car carries a registration plate and was, presumably, legal on the roads of Germany where the photograph was taken, despite lack of lights and wings. Other items in this high quality production include a brief description of the new Maserati Biturbo, an article about Nello Ugohni, one time Sports Director for Ferrari, and an interesting piece about the Quattropotec of 1966.
Sunbeam Talbot Alpine Register
At the recent Annual General Meeting of the Sunbeam-Talbot Alpine Register Miss Sheila Van Damm was introduced by the Chairman. Miss Van Datum very willingly agreed to take on the role of Club President. During the ’50s she was a very successful Sunbeam-Talbot team driver and competed in several Alpine rallies along with Stirling Mom, under the management of Norman Garrad. Miss Van Damm spoke to the Club, saying that she has Sunbeam-Talbots in her blood. She said how the spirit of competition had always run through her veins and to this end she presented the Club with the Norman Corral Trophy, to be awarded annually in Club competition. She will personally be involved in the organisation of the competition and svill present the trophy at future AGMs.
The Club has some 400 members owning Talbots and Sunbeam-Talbots made from 1936 to 1957. It is sub-divided into eight regions throughout the country and each realm holds its own events and film shows. For further details contact James Wheildon, 3 Firs Road, Alderburv. Salisbury (telephone Salisbury 710407).