Formula Ford tyres, Group Racing Services, Kodak, Barnard Formula Six

•There is a rather large smell in Formula Ford at present regarding the tyre situation which all leads back to the comment ln “Around and About” back in January. Since then every major Formula Ford race held has been won on Firestone Torino Wide Oval tyres but the competitors have found that the wear rate of this rubber is astronomical. In fact a set of tyres only lasts two or three races compared with more than double that of the Avons used last year which cost less money.

Obviously the wear rate would be totally unacceptable for road use although the Formula Ford regulations state that tyres for the Formula must be road tyres. It seems that Firestone have circumnavigated the regulations and got away with it. However, during the past month they have come in for heavy criticism in the correspondence columns of the racing weeklies, and this prompted Firestone to issue a very strangely worded statement which hardly answered any of the questions being raised, and generally made it perfectly obvious that Firestone Torino Wide Ovals are totally useless for road car applications.

•Remember the name Group Racing Services, for this recently formed company could well be making racing cars by the end of the year. The company has been formed by various former employees of the Lotus Racing Ltd. firm which was disbanded by Colin Chapman recently now that Lotus are no longer offering racing cars for sale due to a change in policy. GRS is headed by former chief Lotus Formula One mechanic Gordon Huckle, who has recruited the services of Dave Baldwin, who designed the successful Lotus 59 and 69 range, and we also reckon that former Lotus Racing Managing Director Mike Warner is in the background somewhere.

•For the third year running Kodak are sponsoring a race meeting at Thruxton and offering special facilities for photographers. There will be races for Formula 5000, Formula Three, Formula Super Vee and saloon cars while other attractions include the Red Devils Free Fall parachute team, an ascent by a hot air balloon and a photographic competition. Kodak enter into their sponsorship wholeheartedly and spectators, particularly those with cameras, can be assured of a good day’s racing. The meeting is on Sunday, August 1st.

•Those little racing and sports cars for children called the Barnard Formula Six were in jeopardy recently when the Barnard Engineering Company of Sittingbourne ceased trading. We learn that all sales and manufacturing rights have been taken over by the engineering company of Berry, Ede & White. Doting fathers can contact them at the Esplanade, Rochester, Kent.