Historic racing news
Tribute to Scottish success
Stewart’s F1 cars headline Edinburgh show | By Paul Lawrence
Scotland’s international motor sport history will be central to the annual Concours of Elegance, which is being held at Edinburgh’s Palace of Holyroodhouse (September 4-6).
Jackie Stewart’s three title-winning F1 cars – Matra MS80, Tyrrell 003 and Tyrrell 006 – will be on display, alongside period crash helmets relevant to each car. It will be the first time this collection has ever been shown in Scotland.
“I can’t think of a better place to showcase some of my championship-winning Formula 1 cars,” said Stewart. “The Concours of Elegance celebrates the best of the motoring world, and this year’s event does that at one of Scotland’s most picturesque venues.”
The story of the Edinburgh-based Ecurie Ecosse team will be marked by a major display that includes three of the team’s Jaguar C-types and two D-types. From more recent times, the Group C2 world championship-winning 1986 Ecosse and current Ecurie Ecosse BMW Z4 GT3 will also be on display.
Jim Clark will be represented by the Lotus Cortina he used to win the 1964 British Saloon Car Championship, the Lotus 43-BRM H16 that carried him to victory in the 1966 US Grand Prix and his 1963 F1 title-winning Lotus 25.
Also on display will be Andrew Cowan’s successful 1968 London-Sydney Marathon Hillman Hunter, and the Jaguar XJR-9 that triumphed at Le Mans in 1988, driven by Johnny Dumfries, Andy Wallace and Jan Lammers.
Two podiums, 37 years apart
The Theodore TR1 Grand Prix car recently scored its first podium finish since Keke Rosberg won the rain-hit 1978 International Trophy at Silverstone. Current owner Philip Hall took the Ralt RT1-derived machine (below) to a podium finish during the second Derek Bell Trophy race at the Brands Hatch Historic Super Prix.
“I think that’s only the second race it has ever started and finished,” said Hall, after climbing from the back of the grid to finish second to Greg Thornton’s Formula 5000 Surtees TS11.
In period the Teddy Yip-entered car started only one Grand Prix, when Rosberg retired in South Africa. However, his win in the non-championship race at Silverstone came after an outstanding performance in terrible conditions.
Green light for BRM V16
The rebuild of the engine in the National Motor Museum’s 1950 BRM V16 will now go ahead, after a Preservation Appeal reached its £50,000 target with the assistance of the Goodwood Revival.
The fund was set up to finance vital restoration work on the 1.5-litre Type 15 Grand Prix car. The first of only five, it was driven by Reg Parnell and Juan Manuel Fangio. The work will centre on reworking the car’s supercharged V16.
The museum’s manager Douglas Hill said: “Thanks to the amazing achievement of raising the funds, we have been able to send the car to specialist Hall & Hall.”
Ex-Nunn Lotus triumphant
An ex-Mo Nunn Lotus 41 has made a victorious return to racing at Cadwell Park. When new in 1966, chassis eight (above) was driven by future Ensign F1 team owner Nunn with backing from Astrali Accessories.
“It was last owned by John and Linda Elmes, who used it on the hills,” said James Denty, who drove it at Cadwell. “It’s been in storage with us for at least 20 years. It is a gorgeous little car.”
The 1-litre F3 racer is owned by German Klaus Bergs and was entrusted to Denty for restoration – and its comeback outing. Bergs drove his ex-Alan Jones Brabham BT28 in the same race.
Swiss rarity returns
A rare Sauber C3 sports-prototype is racing again after an absence of about 30 years. Dutchman Dick van Amsterdam found the car in Canada and has put it back on the track with the help of Andy Newall from Gelscoe Motorsport.
Peter Sauber created his first car in 1970, for the Swiss Hillclimb Championship, and 1975’s C3 was the first model of which more than one example was built. The three cars competed mainly in Europe, although two later went to Canada.
“It’s incredibly original,” said Newall, who drove the C3 in the Pre-80 Endurance race at Brands Hatch.
A probable podium finish was lost to a fuel metering problem.
RAC stays in Sunderland
The 2015 Roger Albert Clark Rally will be based in Sunderland for its 12th running, on November 27-29 this year. The event will take in the best elements of recent editions, with special stages in the massive Kielder forest complex in Northumberland as well as the Scottish borders.
Scrutineering will take place in Sunderland, following a successful move to the city last year, and the rally will start there on Friday afternoon. Competitors will return to Sunderland each evening, with central servicing in Hawick on Sunday.
Rally director Colin Heppenstall has pledged to hold the entry fee at a similar level to 2014, for a total of 160 stage miles, and says spectators will be welcome on most special stages.
* American veteran James King won a Formula 3 race at Cadwell Park during June’s Wolds Trophy meeting, 38 years after his last start at the Lincolnshire track netted victory in the British F3 Championship. Back in 1977 King, 70, was racing a works March 773, but this time he drove a 1-litre Chevron B17.
* Theo Paphitis, one of the dragons in TV’s Dragon’s Den, makes his Goodwood Revival debut in September after a programme of events to gain a National A race licence. Paphitis has driven his Ford Anglia in various series to qualify for the Revival; his participation will raise charity funds.
* Four cars from the FIA Masters Historic Sports Car Championship race were penalised 45 seconds after a recent race at Donington Park, for failure to produce FIA Historic Technical Passports. Those affected were Paul Gibson (Lola T70 Mk3B), Tim Cousins (Chevron B23), Alec Hammond (Chevron B8) and Andrew Owen (Chevron B8).