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Other Motorsports
Members of Lindholme Motor Sports Club compete in a wide range of different motorsporting activities including Stage and Road rallies, circuit racing, hillclimbs and sprints.
IAN WRIGHT - runs the MG Midget, Car 14 shown below, in a one make series, the FISC (Foundation International Spridget Competitions), competing at many of the UK and European circuits.
ROY JOHNSON - runs an Audi and a Westfield in Hillclimb & Sprint Championships using venues such as Harewood, Olivers Mount, Curborough and Three Sisters to name but a few.
Back on Course – A Quickie report from Roy Johnson - The Skyline’s not back from the garage after last years mishap (replacing the 21 bent valves was not a problem but we had to order a new cylinder head from Nismo in Japan and they are not an off shelf item so subject to delay), so I entered the Audi for the first event at Three Sisters.
Not much competition I thought but I was wrong. Apart from a full blown turbo Quattro, I was against 3 Porsches, 2 TVR's, several Fords and a V6 Scimitar.
The weather was brilliant which is more than I can say for the Audi. I thought it was a quick, good handling car until I got onto the circuit. The truth was it's heavy, suffers from massive understeer and rolls so much that I nearly took the paint of the wing mirrors on each bend. By the end of the day, I had managed 4th place. On the way to it I only embarrassed myself once with a diversion off the track, between the tyre marker bales and back on again. The Quattro Turbo won, Cosworth Turbo 2nd and a Porsche 911SC 3rd so it wasn't a disgrace as I was the only car with a normally aspirated engine.
The big difference from last year was the times I recorded. My old record for this circuit in the Westfield is 49.80 seconds. The best I got with the Audi, in perfect conditions, was a 55.32 BUT it was brilliant fun and because I knew from the start that I couldn't win, I didn't mind being beaten.
Apart from possibly sorting out the springs I don't intend to do much to the car but I am going to have to reverse the tyres on the rims as the edges of the (brand new) front tyres have disappeared.
As you know...
As you know, I sold the Westfield earlier this year. The Skyline, blown up last September, is still not functioning as it awaits a few more "trick" bits from NISMO in Japan.
We have missed any chance of competing with it this year so decided not to rush. Hopefully, when it is ready we should have 600+ BHP on tap from a virtually indestructible engine. Obviously the Japanese don't know about my driving (in)capabilities.
Desperate for a motoring fix, I teamed up with Dave James navigating to do the S & M Scatter (didn't know it was a rally). For the effort, we were fourth, Dave was sick and I got to wash the car after him. Carrots stick like epoxy resin.
Next attempt was a relaunch of the old Fiesta at the Autotests. A bit more luck here as I was the only saloon out on most occasions so I won my class just for turning up.
In July, I persuaded my brother to navigate for the Treasure Hunt. I refuse to accept it is my fault but I had yet another sickie in the passenger seat. This one managed to hold on till the end but suffered for several days afterwards.
As well as the above, I decided to risk the Audi at a few sprints. Bog standard car, 160,000 miles on the clock and a number of rattles from unknown sources. All of the events were at the Three Sisters circuit in Lancashire, starting in April with a class 3rd. I was grouped in with the modified cars and was the only one there with under 3000 cc. No big adventures, but with a car that leans like a 2CV I had a great time and the spectators seemed to appreciate the tyre squeal.
In July, I returned for another session and managed 2nd against similar opposition that included a Porsche, TVR and an Integrale. Only the ex Andy Rousse Cosworth beat me.
Mid August saw me back but this time I was seeded in the correct class - Standard Road going over 2 litres. There were no heroics, no excitement but as before, great fun and a first place.
Every time I went on the track I expected the engine to go bang. As it is, it still seems to be running okay and using masses of oil. Apart from a loose gear linkage there have been no problems.
That's it for my season. Proof if needed that Motor Sport can be done on the cheap. Because I wasn't in the Westfield, I didn't feel I had to win every time. Much as I loved that car, it was becoming an expensive class. Several of my colleagues still do it and tell me the latest "must have" is a sequential gearbox costing a few grand. If you don't keep up with the trick bits, you don't stand a chance in that class. Interestingly another friend with a single seater has just e mailed to tell me his latest opposition is coming from a new 4 litre Dallara and an ex Nigel Mansell car - serious money to buy and run.
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