Motor Racing Memories

Racing events, drivers, cars or anything else from the past.
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Seppi
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#46

Post by Seppi »

Bottom post of the previous page:

Not really wanting to give another forum a plug, but Geoff Friswell (Fris the Whizz) has started posting on Atlas TNF. His stories are well worth a read if it is memories from the 1970s you want :thumbsup:

U2 cars (from post #63)

Formula (Atlantic from post #141)

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Everso Biggyballies
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#47

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Hehehe.... U2's The wonderful Mallock . A great part of my memories. I would have to stop and think to work out how many of them I owned or drove in the late 1970's, from an antique Mk 8, Mk 11, 14, 18, 20, 21, 24 and even the works Mk 28. Then there was a Phantom a Centaur, which was modified by Dastle, (a guy called Geoff Rumble) , a Haggispeed, (Bob le Soer, I think was his name.....we all used to call him Haggis. Well you get the picture heaps of them.

The Mallock factory at Roade in Northants was a like a second home when I lived not far from there in the late 70's. They really were insanely quick cars in 'A' Sports form, especially for the money and I remember I owned a an ex Creighton Brown 'A' SPort Brian Hart development engine. I remember he was a pig farmer (how you farm pigs I dont know but thats what he was! He became a director of McLaren when Ron Dennis got involved and was quite involved at Mallock ....I think he ran Ray Mallock in F2. Sadly I heard not too long ago he succumbed to cancer. RIP Creighton. :cry:
Anyway I bought a car with this engine in it. It was too much for the standard BMC Diff (yes we used to use diffs straight out of a 35hp Morris 1000) and it was a regular job to replace a diff, which could be done in under half an hour. Halfshafts used to have a short life then as well and the splines ould look like corkscrews at the inner splined end. The trick was to use Ford starwheels in the BMC diff and get composite half shafts made with Ford splines on the diff end and BMC flanges on the outer end. The rich guys used to get Quaife to make them up.

When I say they were insanely quick I mean insane. Like 4 seconds a lap slower than an F1 round Brands club circuit. I remember Derek Bell (who drove Clubmans many years before) tested a group of cars every now and again and lapped certainly less than 5 seconds a lap off the Hexagon Penske ex GP car he drove there.

Geoff Friswell was I remember the star of the show one year and he cleaned up pretty much everything. Other names were Barry Foley (who used to do the Catchpole cartoons in Autosport) in the :ST Bruno Roughcutter

I will have to dig through for some piccies and stuff. I may even tell a tale or two about 'Scotch Egg Racing' if anyone is interested. First Im going to read what Geofff Friswell ( Fris the Whizz) has to say.

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#48

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Everso Biggyballies wrote:Hehehe.... When I say they were insanely quick I mean insane. Like 4 seconds a lap slower than an F1 round Brands club circuit. I remember Derek Bell (who drove Clubmans many years before) tested a group of cars every now and again and lapped certainly less than 5 seconds a lap off the F1 Hexagon Penske ex GP car he drove there. .
I found a link to the article I was talking off.
:wink:
http://www.classic-clubmans.co.uk/Histo ... le_06.html

* I started life with nothing, and still have most of it left


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#49

Post by Seppi »

Moved here from the 2007 Sportscar thread :shock: :shock:
Everso Biggyballies wrote:
Seppi wrote:
Everso Biggyballies wrote:Im trying to think here, and maybe our Brands expert Seppi ( :wave: )may be able to help, but sort of related is alcohol, and I recall what was probably a Brands coffee bar(or Beer bar) bet in which Tony Lanfranchi bet (probably with Gerry Marshall) that he could drive quicker round Brands after a few beers than sober.
Chris, i don't remember that particular bet, and it is not mentioned in TL's book 'Down the Hatch'. That does not mean it did not happen.. but I am wondering why it would be an issue? Tony and Gerry regularly had a 'few pints' between races at the Hatch :haha:
Seppi
..... and they would have had access to the track at times to suit, as I recall Tony was the chief instructor at the racing school there. Incidentally the book would no doubt have some fabulous stories. I have never seen it. We live a horribly sheltered life in Australia. I only recently heard of his passing. He must be the epitomy of the traditional race for fun sort of guy. I remember in probably 1975 he raced on occassions a Mazda RX3 in the Radio 1 production championship that was sponsored by a record company, and prepared by yours truly, when I spent a year working for John Markey (husband of Wendy :wink: ) at Arian Automotive Developments. I can vividly remember driving the race car to circuits on occassions. It was a yellowy beige thing built on a next to zero budget, but Tony used to hurl it around with reckless abandon. A race post mortem around Tony was always as visual as it was audible, and his laugh......ha. I remember his crash helmet.... and always felt that someone at Benetton modelled their multi coloured livery on it, although the helmet was just blotches of paint of assorted colours IIR.

I remember getting horribly pissed listening to his stories with him and others one night and him telling of some of the cars he drove in major events. I knew of his F3 and even Moskvich days, but think he actually got close to F1. Agaiin Seppi with the benefit of a book will know more. Barry (Whizzo) Williams was another who drove for Mazda that year, albeit the Group 1 1/2 version with a Weslake engine. I drove that on the road once, but thats a story for the Memories thread! Maybe also the place for more on the likes of Tony. Anyway im off on another nostalgic rant, way off thread, so I will stop now. :oops:
RIP Tony
First up Chris .. here is 'your' Mazda RX3 at Oulton in 1975 :cool:

Image Photo : Alan Cox : TNF

Tony and Gerry.. two names that bring back many fond memories for all those who visited UK racetracks in the late 1960s to early 1980s. I think I must have seen Tony driving in the widest variety of cars on most of the UK circuits, in the wildest fashion. No matter were you went he always seemed to be on the entry list. Maybe not EVERY race meeting, but it sure felt like it!

As you said, Tony was an instructor at Brands and did actually make a single F1 start (the 1968 Gold Cup) in a BRM P261 entered by Motor Racing Stables. My most abiding memories of Tony are not his single-seater exploits (F3, F2, Flibre, F5000) but saloons and sportscars. In a saloon car he could get to slide angles you would not believe. On many occasions I thought he was heading for a 'big one', only to see him straighten up and power from the corner.

I think one of his main claims to fame was winning the British Saloon Car Championship in a Russian Moskvich 412. OK, Class Championship, but what the hell... it was a Moskvich! He repeated the feat three years later, but this time in a more believable BMW 3.0 CSi.

I picked up my copy of 'Down the Hatch' on EBay for £4.. and it is one of the best buys in my library. One of the few racing books that made me laugh out loud.. I would recommend that everyone finds a copy and re-lives the life of a real racer.
Seppi
P.S. Also recommeded is 'Flat out, Flat broke' by Perry McCarthy!
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Location: Just moved 3 klms further away so now 11 klms from Albert Park, Melbourne.

#50

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Thanks so much for posting the pic Seppi..... I have searched hi and low for pics from that year and never found one other than the small b/w one here of the Gp2 car we dragged round Europe, and another of the Penthouse Car I found, from the 74 International Trophy race. Sadly being involved in a working capacity meant the old ZenitE was rarely used.

We built and ran maybe a dozen or more Mazdas that year, including the Gp2 one sponsored by Smith Kendon (the glucose sweets in a tin) for the ETCC in the pic, plus the Castrol/Japan Airlines backed car for Whizzo Williams in the National Championship (BTCC), the Penthouse backed one for Wendy (Markey), which was great because we used to have a Black and Gold Winnebago full of Penthouse Pets used to come to entertain us all. JAL used to bring their Winnebago with Saki pouring Geisha girls shimmering around giggling. We also ran a Peter Russek workshop manuals one for her, a Hitachi one for Cozy Powell (the drummer), the DJM one (they were Elton John's record co at the time). We also built one for Barry Andrews, backed by the infamous Sid Miller of Southern Organs fame, who seemed to sponsor every car and championship in every category, and then did a midnight flip owing squillions. I never really understood or knew what it was all about, other than an awful lot of people were pissed off and out of pocket (and out of a drive) There was even one backed by the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, but I dont recall who that was for, plus others we built but didnt run.

The two main partners were John Markey and Mike Chambers, who was had started at Cooper I think before working for Brabham under Ron Tauranac. His sister was married to Dick Emery, and she used to turn up all the time in her Elan Sprint. John had a number of 'other' cars including a Lola T212 (FVC IIR, and a Chevron-BMW Sports and a Lotus 30, quite a famous car that used to be Pink (sponsored by Pink stamps, a Green Shield Stamp sort of thing). However by the time I was there it was no longer Pink, and was a bit sad in Orange We were initially based in a small industrial estate near the bottom of Brooklands lane, in a complex seemingly full off small race car companies. Mathwall engineering was one I recall. We ended up in an old ex service station in East Horsley, just round the corner from the Tyrrell timberyard and 'factory'.

ImageImage

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“Good drivers have dead flies on the side windows!” (Walter Röhrl)

* I married Miss Right. Just didn't know her first name was Always
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#51

Post by Seppi »

Chris
You should take a look at this thread on TNF...
http://forums.autosport.com/showthread. ... ost2590480

Alan Cox has posted his photos of the Wendy Markey & Cozy Powell Maxdas there... if you contact him I am sure he would have more (and bigger size)
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#52

Post by buchinski »

Interesting read this thread. I not nearly read all of it but already on page 1 I understood completely what you people are saying. I may not be as ancient as most here (no offence :haha: ) but me myself also have nice memories of going to racetracks in the 80ies... just before the professionalism kicked in.

Me too, I remember strolling through the F3000 paddock (already in 1983 in Zandvoort, the F1 paddock was offlimits), seeing 4-5 support races, struggling to get to the other part of the track in time, ploughing through sand-dunes and then seeing the track, maybe just 20m away, only restricted by some shoulder-high fencing. Great views of the cars, nice free field to shoot photo's, even with a bare standard 50mm lens. What a shock when I returned in 2001 after a 10 year break in "visiting Grand Prix". All was expensive, fenced off, merchandised, professionalized... didn't like it one bit. Still, for the love of F1 I kept going (this time to Spa instead of Zolder and Zandvoort) : bronze tickets in 2002 (135euro), silver grandstand in 2004 (169 euro) and 2005 (free friday tickets). After 2004 they decided our Silver7 tickets (same grandstand, same track) would from now on be Gold7 tickets ... add 50EUR... So I decided NOT to return to F1.

Today I go to a lot of races. And as in the old days I still stroll the paddocks, smell the gasoline, touch the cars and meet the drivers for a chat. Only, they are not Schumacher or Alonso. Mostly they are drivers that are unknown, racing in lower categories or historic races. And I am having more fun than on F1 GP's. Last year I had long chats with Danielsson, some team engineers, met Bruno Senna for a quick chat and so many more of our local 'Belgian' heroes : guys and girls that race GT's and Touring Cars, Formula Renaults or Historic F1's and prototypes.

I will never again spent like 200 EUR on F1 to be lodged in the mud, with no access to the drivers and cars, with virytually no info on the track and expensive catering. And should Bernie pack up his show and head to Asia... well... be my guest. At least my beloved Spa will have one weekend more available then for some "real racing"

For all true motorsport lovers I strongly recommend the Spa Six Heures Historiques. Usually run late in the season (end september-beginning of october). Great cars, great drivers and an event that captures the true spirit of a legendary track like Spa :-)
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#53

Post by buchinski »

This is something I wrote when I was going to visit the 2004 Belgian GP. It was actually written in Dutch for the forum of a simrace league, so I had to translate the whole lot. I called it "reminiscences of 20 years of Grand Prix visits"


More than 20 years ago, August 1983, I visited my very first "live" Grand Prix. The Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. We paid 20 Gilders per day, converted to contemporary euro's, this would mean something like 10 euros for a day ticket general admission. It is just a shimmer of the prices you pay in this day and
age. We eventually reached the circuit after having been lost in the Utrecht city center when we quite stupidly had left the motorway. We roamed around
Utrecht for three quarters of an hour and than by sheer luck followed a bus from the bus line that headed for ..Zandvoort. When we finally got into the track
enclosure R5 Renault Turbo Cup practice was well under way. I immediately liked those little cars. Slipstreaming, late braking, rubbing doorknobs. I still
remember the great names of that day. They were Massimo Sigala, Joel Gouhier and Michael Bleekemolen. I also remember stupid little details : the smell from
the fish-and-chips stands, how the red decals of the Marlboro cars seemed more like orange to me, the camber of the Tarzan, it made this famous turn looking
like a sort of banking. We climbed up from underneath the main grandstand towards the Tarzan and it really seemed like you were heading for a attraction at
the fair. Nothing however prepared us for the sights and sounds of the first real F1 cars.

We had halted at the Tarzan exit and I still remember the first F1 cars coming towards us from the pit exit. They passed through Tarzan, their engines rumbling. If I remember correctly, my first sight of an F1 car was an Osella. It was the predecessor of the Minardi : underfinanced and always last. And then there were more and more cars. I was like a kid in the candystore : look there's Boutsen, and there's Prost.... When the first cars on their flying laps came thundering down the straight I was sure there was going to be a major crash. No way they were going to be able to stop those cars in time. They were going to crash head on in that grandstand at the end of the straight. I still get goosebumps when I think of the way they not only managed to brake in time but then perfectly launched themselves through Tarzan and went past us with an earshattering roar on their way to the Gerlach turn. Man, that was fast! This was the real stuff.
That morning, very early, before we left our home in Belgium, we had stood by the car, shivering in the rain and I had uttered that "if this race thing was no good we could still make it back in time to watch everything on the television." But now, all was forgotten. The weariness, the cold, the rain, it was all forgotten and I vowed to myself that I would return and see this spectacle everytime I had the change of doing so. By the way, it was the turbo Ferrari of Arnoux that eventually won the race.

In August 2004 I watched the whole spectacle again. In Spa at the famous Francorchamps racetrack. It was my 10the Grand Prix. We were on Silver7 grandstand and it had cost me a lot of money. Many many times more than what I had paid that very first time. In 1983 there was scarsely any fencing. Yes, behind the Tarzan were high catchfences but the rest of the track had these low, shoulder or waist high fences. The ones that are often used around local football grounds. We just leaned over the fencing then. Even in 1986 you could still do that in Spa at the busstop chicane. Nowadays you are just lucky if you can see over the nearly 3 meter high catch fences to see a probable Ferrari win by Schumacher. The tiny Osella team has disappeared. As did Spirit, Theodore, Ensign, Arrows but even Lotus and Brabham. In 1983 every engine had a distinct engine note. I could turn my back to the track and tell what car went past. But the turbo cars were gone, as was the legendary Cosworth V8 and every other V12. Nowadays, there are only V10 engines and they all sound alike.

Formula One nowadays is more like a football game. You HAVE to root for a team, preferably with a big giant flag. Than you have to root for McLaren and of course you must be against Ferrari. Or support BAR Honda but dislike Williams. here still was a tiny underdog running : Minardi. Underfinanced and always last on the grid. Alonso and Raikkonen are the future stars, maybe Trulli also... but only if Schumacher retires. Every connoisseur could tell you that! Drivers are long since strangers to the public. They reside in the paddock and are airlifted out to their hotels in Brussels and Amsterdam. The public still can see cars.. if they are lucky. If there is no fog or if it does not rain too hard. Meanwhile you have to kill time with... drinking Fosters beer for instance (2.5 euro a can). F1 is like football isn't it and football means passion!

Did things go so wrong during the past 20 years? Do we only remember the good things out of the past? Comparing drivers and statistics the crushing dominance
of Michael Schumacher in those figures just jumps in your face. The youthfulness and inexperience of the 2004 grid becomes obvious.Jack Brabham won the 1959
championship in a Cooper with the engine placed in the rear. That started off the era of the english kitcar-motorists and changed the face of F1 for the very
first time. 1967 was the last year without corporate sponsorship deals and without wings. After the disastreous 1982 championship year wingcars and ground
effect got banned and turbo engines and big car manufacturers found their way into F1. When Senna died in 1994 again F1 changed profoundly. 1959-1967-1982 and 1994 were watershed years in F1 history. Schumacher retiring from F1 will prove another one of those watershed years.

Zandvoort is long gone from the F1 calender. It is even uncertain if there will be future Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, or if there even is going to be a future for F1 in Europe... But meanwhile I will be attending this spectacle everytime the pportunity presents itself, just as I promised myself that chilly morning in August 1983, leaning against the fences of the Tarzan turn.



Some illustrated albums of my more recent visits (and even with English commentary on behalf of some Scottish friends we encountered on the track):

2004 part 1
(equipment Samsung 1.3 Megapixel digital + Kodak AE1 zoom 208mm on ISO200 colorphoto, scanned with HP Scanjet4000)
http://www.pixagogo.be/7156535157

2004 - part2
(Kodak AE1 zoom 208mm on ISO200 colorphoto, scanned with HP Scanjet4000)
http://www.pixagogo.be/6141595165

2005
(equipment Samsung 1.3 Megapixel digital)
http://www.pixagogo.be/1094025144
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(James Dewar)
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Seppi
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#54

Post by Seppi »

Good to read buchinski... thanks for your thoughts and memories.
Welome to the 'oldies' club :tongue:
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Favourite Racing Car: Too Many to mention
Favourite Driver: Kimi,Niki,Jim(none called Michael)
Favourite Circuit: Nordschleife, Spa, Mt Panorama.
Car(s) Currently Owned: Audi SQ5 3.0L V6 TwinTurbo
Location: Just moved 3 klms further away so now 11 klms from Albert Park, Melbourne.

#55

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Indeed Buchinski, exactly as Seppi said. Thanks for sharing.

* I started life with nothing, and still have most of it left


“Good drivers have dead flies on the side windows!” (Walter Röhrl)

* I married Miss Right. Just didn't know her first name was Always
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Real Name: Chris
Favourite Motorsport: Anything that goes left and right.
Favourite Racing Car: Too Many to mention
Favourite Driver: Kimi,Niki,Jim(none called Michael)
Favourite Circuit: Nordschleife, Spa, Mt Panorama.
Car(s) Currently Owned: Audi SQ5 3.0L V6 TwinTurbo
Location: Just moved 3 klms further away so now 11 klms from Albert Park, Melbourne.

#56

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

I thought that seeing as we have new members with an interest in memories and special moments of Motor Sport it might be an idea to 'bump' this thread, which has many memories and tales of days gone.

* I started life with nothing, and still have most of it left


“Good drivers have dead flies on the side windows!” (Walter Röhrl)

* I married Miss Right. Just didn't know her first name was Always
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Everso Biggyballies
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Favourite Motorsport: Anything that goes left and right.
Favourite Racing Car: Too Many to mention
Favourite Driver: Kimi,Niki,Jim(none called Michael)
Favourite Circuit: Nordschleife, Spa, Mt Panorama.
Car(s) Currently Owned: Audi SQ5 3.0L V6 TwinTurbo
Location: Just moved 3 klms further away so now 11 klms from Albert Park, Melbourne.

#57

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

I thought I had posted this story in this thread many moons ago, but it seems not.... I found in the off topic subforum under concerts but thought I would repost it here for any that had not seen it before. To those that have my apologies for repeating myself.
Back in 1975 BBC had recently launched Radio 1 as their new 'Pop' Music Channel, and Radio 1 sponsored one of the Production Saloon Car Championships. They used to promote some of the events with what they called 'Fun Days', which involved celebs and side shows happening. One of these 'Fun Days' was at Mallory Park in May 1975.....

.....this memory is of that Mallory Park 'Fun' Day. I was one of the close to 50,000 (yes Fifty thousand!) people that were at Mallory that weekend. i was working for Arian Automotive, who built and ran a number of Mazda RX3's in ETCC, BTCC plus the Radio 1 Prodsaloon Championship.

I have never seen so many people at Mallory, that I know, and to start with was hardly a fun day I can assure you. One of the cars I was looking after was the Cozy Powell Hitachi sponsored entry. Cozy was a drummer of some note (he had a UK #1 hit with a drum solo called Dance with the Devil, was drummer with Whitesnake and many top Bands) and so of great media and fan interest. (Sadly I read of his passing a few years ago, in a road accident near his home - RIP Cozy) Noel Edmonds was also racing that year in a Radio 1 / Castrol backed Capri, so there was always plenty of attention.

Of the huge crowd there on this day, very few were motor racing fans. Most were screaming girls there to catch a glimpse of the Tartan Terrors, the Bay City Rollers, the 70's equivalent of a 'Boy Band', who were to be the 'guest attraction'. There were also other celebrities involved in the day.

The thousands of girls around started off as being a delight bearing in mind I was a testosterone brimming 19 or 20y.o. at the time....being asked for autographs was a bit embarrassing, but I coped.;) It soon all started to go wrong though.

The Island in the middle of the lake had been converted for the day into a stage, and the band were supposed to play, or at least appear at some stage, and the DJs were doing their thing there. All the top DJs (for those not from the UK you have to understand that DJ's of a radio station that was National and the only source of music other than pirate radio were huge media stars) of the day were there, Tony Blackburn, David Hamilton, DLT, John Peel, plus of course Noel Edmunds. Another DJ, Paul Burnett, was broadcasting appeals for the public to stay away! They were all being driven round the track in course cars or around the lake in a small speedboat.

The arrival and landing of a helicopter indicated the 'Rollers' had been deposited on the island. Im sure the helicopter landed on the island itself. They were scheduled to do a 'lap of honour' but that never materialised due to the safety risk. What safety risk you might ask.....

The Formula Ford race was running full bore when the band appeared on the island, but that mattered not. At this point sheer hell broke out as hundreds of tartan clad crazy schoolgirls proceeded to run across the track, MID RACE, totally oblivious of the cars racing by.

Like lemmings they hurled themselves into the lake to try to swim to the island in the middle of the lake, which IIRC had a control tower on it. The band and others barricaded themselves in the tower as scuba divers in wet suits and flippers were flapping around, and with what seemed to be hordes of police, were trying to round up these girls. Part of the entertainment was a speed boat that was used to convey the DJs to the island.....

Indeed, one of the clearest memories I have of the proceedings was of this speedboat, cruising around the lake at this point, being driven by a Womble dressed in full regalia, whilst Tony Blackburn (Radio 1 National Breakfast Show DJ) was sat up behind, looking every bit like the Queen, waving regally to the crowds, with all these schoolgirls trying to cross to the island. The speedboat accelerated off back to the island with Blackburn flung from his throne onto the floor of the boat. The helicopter tried to land again to recue 'the Rollers', but there was no space. The band tried to escape by boat but the fans were hanging on to the side so it returned to the island and they scurried back into the tower. Frogmen were still running into and out of the lake collecting girls and depositing them on the bank for PC Plod to deal with.

Racing was naturally stopped, and when control was regained all those involved on the racing paddock side of things began to see the funny side of it. I know there were quite a few injured in the melee, none seriously I believe. The day continued with no further interruptions. Thankfully the intended Bay City Rollers performing a couple of songs did not go ahead.

In fact Cozy Powell won his class that day so we were quite happy by the end. However, by the time we had loaded up the race cars, the traffic was as bad as Silverstone on GP day at its worse, compounded by thousands of overly excited pedestrians dressed in Tartan and 'under the influence', walking in the roads aimlessly, in a state of euphoria .

By this time I was getting very peeved trying to escape the circuit driving one of the transporters, from memory a V6 petrol engined flatbed Transit with a car on the back, dragging a trailer with another car on it behind (although it may have been a caravan, my memory fails me). We were on the road leaving the track, at barely walking pace, literally bumping pedestrians out of the way to try and clear a path. Pedestrians were clambering on the rig, trying to cadge a lift and my mate in the passenger side of the truck was trying to tell them to 'get off please' ...or words to that effect. A few 'brake tests' did the trick, until the road started to clear and we were able to pick up speed. Thankfully the rest of the journey was straight forward.

The reason I was in a big hurry to escape...... I had tickets to see some real music that night. Led Zeppelin were playing at Earls Court and my mate and I had tickets. My next challenge that night was nearing Earls Court trying to find a suitable park to fit 40ft of transporter and trailer.

A while ago I actually emailed the friend of mine from UK who was with me that day to verify some points for that story. He related the story as an onlooker trying to reverse park 'the rig' in a side street space in Earls Court that was a little ambitious. There was a nice new car behind.... the owner of which came out from his flat to check what was happening, and seeing the size of the space, told me my rig wouldnt fit the space. Bear in mind at the time I was even younger looking than the 19 or 20 yo I was.... certainly IIRC I was still 'young enough to know everything'! so nowadays I can fully understand his concerns when apparently I very confidently said 'Oh yes it will', and continued to inch towards his car. At which point he screamed out Stop, pulled his keys out and moved his car to another spot up the road leaving a space that I fitted comfortably. Who said size doesnt count or mean anything!

We locked everything up and ran off towards the concert. So, Yeah I got to the gig, and it was great. Louder than a Mazda megaphone exhaust. A great end to a long day and night.

Altogether one of the more unique and certainly most memorable days motoracing I have had.

Fun to look back on but scary at the time.

Some pics I found....

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But moving on to the quality part of the day....


To be specific about the Led Zepp part of my 'big day', it was as I mentioned above, at Earls Court. May 1975. Im guessing here but it must have been close to 20,000 people at Earls Court that night to see the band play.

It was one of the first times I had been to a major / 'mega' venue for a concert, more used to seeing even fairly big name bands in smaller venues more like say the Hammersmith Odeon than the likes of Earls Court. I didn't like the separation from the act and the distance from the stage one was placed. I wasn't impressed by the prospect of having to watch a live performance on a big screen TV. I was, as a result perhaps inwardly disappointed when I arrived, as a result of seeing the distance from the stage etc.

But I do remember that I left with completely different thoughts, and thoroughly enjoyed the whole concert for multiple reasons ....... for the atmosphere that such a large crowd created, the massive interaction between the band and fans, and I know I was impressed by the loudness...... also by the awesomeness of 'the show', the massive lighting and SFX, all of which were a bit new to me. And just the fact that here was me listening to a brilliant performance of my favourite music (It was the time of Physical Graffitti) played by a superhero band. It took everything to a new higher level. Well worth the ticket price. Even if the £2.50 ticket cost was 10% of my pre-tax weekly wage it was well worthwhile. :wink:

But the best thing was that it went on for hours, literally, and they played many of their classics.

I only wish I could remember more of the specifics of the evening. Although I do recall losing my voice from 'joining in the atmosphere. :thumbsup:[/quote]

* I started life with nothing, and still have most of it left


“Good drivers have dead flies on the side windows!” (Walter Röhrl)

* I married Miss Right. Just didn't know her first name was Always
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Andy
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Posts: 4664
Joined: 16 years ago
Real Name: André
Favourite Motorsport: 2 & 3 Wheeling
Favourite Racing Car: Bike ;) - Yamaha YZR 500
Favourite Driver: Justin 'Weeman' Collins
Favourite Circuit: Isle of Man - Mountain Course
Car(s) Currently Owned: M'cycle ;) - Yamaha FZS 600
Location: Under a rock somewhere in Germany

#58

Post by Andy »

A memory but not a very distant :tongue:
I`ve started a little series on my first TT over on facebook but think it would fit fine into here, too

My first Isle of Man TT - Part I
I`m back at home now from my first TT and I`m still blown away from it. Words can only marginally describe what I feel about it, despite the worst of weathers in a very long time according to elderly locals and those tragic 24 hours when we lost Davy Lambert, Jochem van den Hoek and Alan Bonner.

I`m not sure where to start, so I`m starting where it all began – at the IRRC races in Frohburg last year. Saturday morning, still half asleep I grabbed a coffee and started a walk through the paddock. On my way, I walked along an elderly looking man who kindly asked whether I could make a step to the side because he wanted to film his sons tent. Still half asleep I took a step to the side. But my brain started rattling because the voice sounded ever so familiar. I turned around and looked at Roy Moore ! I introduced me to him as a fan of his lengendary commentary around the Mountain Course and the Billown circuit. We exchanged one word or another when a mechanic looked up from one of the bikes, Roys son Peter Moore was to ride. While I chatted to Roy, I noticed a Manx flag in the tent. The mechanic would ask : "Who is this boy uncle Roy ?". "His name is André and he says he knows you, Brian", Roy would reply. Something along these lines.

When I saw the Manx flag and heard the name Brian, another thing made 'click' in my brain, as I knew a Brian Moore, who had introduced himself to me as Roy's nephew, since the late days of the old realroadracing.com forum. We actually never met before but Brian once told me, that whenever I see a Manx flag at a German meeting, he wouldn't be too far away. Brian had attempted to drag me over to the TT since these days but it never worked out, for one or another reason. Brian and I live only 35km apart from each other but never met until then.

Roy and Brian then would introduce me to a whole gang of people, firstly Roy's sons Peter and Kevin Moore. Then André Rust, Phil Phil Hancock, Mark Curphey, Mark's dad Brian and Peter's girlfriend Rachel Wass followed in short order. And that was it, I basically ended up the whole weekend with this lovely bunch of people who again told me about the TT and got me trapped into coming over for 2017. Funny how things work out, when you think about it.
Especially Brian, I`m truly grateful (even if it doesn't show really well) for never giving up to get me into this experience, which even the word 'fantastic' fails to cover.

End of Part 1

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Peter Moore, Rachel Wass, Brian Moore

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André Rust, Rachel Wass, Brian Moore, Peter Moore

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André Rust, Roy Moore, Brian Moore, Peter Moore

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Peter Moore with the rookie bib during the first classic 250 practice

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Autograph session with Michael Rutter, Danny Webb, Gary Johnson, the Jähring (Grid-) girls and Brian Moore in the Peter Moore #45 awning

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Michael Rutter & Gary Johnson enjoying the craic in the Peter More #45 awning

Cheers,
:bye:
"Those who risk nothing, do nothing, achieve nothing, become nothing" - David Jefferies
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