Castle Combe?

[Peter Mallett]

Started 16th and 4th in class, finished 8th and second in class, no spins no matter how I tried. Lost out a bit due to the afety car but hey ho. Alan Daffin won the class.

Actually found 2 secs from my last visit and looking good for Silverstone next month.

[SZRacer]

By the way, does anyone have the results of the Oldies but Goldies race? They were still working the results out, when I left one hour after the race finish!


James

Originally Posted by SZRacer

Hi all,

Well, another great Easter Monday meeting at Combe. Fantastic weather, everyone seemed to be in a good mood, and the transition from Julius T. to the Masters series seemed to be largely irrelevent to most people.

James

[Peter Mallett]

Also met up with B1ackcrow for a chinwag at lunchtime.

[Grandslammer]

Well done to the Classic Racers for putting on some entertaining races
Highlight of the day for me was the Mk1 Jag,regularly power sliding out of Tower

[HoTWire]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Started 16th and 4th in class, finished 8th and second in class, no spins no matter how I tried. Lost out a bit due to the afety car but hey ho. Alan Daffin won the class.

Who span in practice?? Was it the other red Capri?? Or is my eyesight failing me in my advancing years??

[zefarelly]

Sounds like a Good result PEter.

Why am I not suprised there was some dented Mustangs in Top Hat, at a glance it would appear business as usual for those guys, obviously no one can remember the post race b0110cking at Spa.

look forward to seeing the results and DNF's

[Peter Mallett]

OK I was a bit tired last night so the story of the Stars of the Seventies from my perspective anyway.

We scrutineered in silence because we were pre 08:30 am so a lot of pushing was involved. Got my new helmet and hans device stickered up, checked the fuel, fluids and tyres and we were ready to go.

In the assembly area one of our 10thers (I'm sorry I didn't get your name) checked my new exhaust (104.5dB), so in warm sunny weather we set off.

The entry included 2 Group 2 Mk3 Capris, 4 Group 1 versions, 4 Mk1 Escorts (Gp 2), 2 sunbeam Tis (Gp 1), Alfa 2000 GTV (Gp1) 3 BMW 2002 (Gp1) and then some of the Best of British including the stonkingly quick Bryant Morgan Plus 8 and the very well driven Davis/Stevens Healey Sprite (sadly on the wrong tyres). In all there were 16 Touring cars on the grid.

Total 22 cars so not bad.

I haven't driven the car since Spa last year and haven't been to Combe for 2 years so although I only qualified 16th I was happy to have shaved around 2 secs of my previous best.

Heading Group 1 was Alan Daffin followed by the Tyzak/Clevely BMW 2002ti, next was John young with Mann jr in a Capri the Diffey/Legg 2002 and me.

Off the line in excellent weather I passed three cars and by the end of lap one I was up to 11th (I'm told). I had a great dice with Tim diffey who finally go past into the second chicane. however at about 12 mins he went wide at Camp so I regained that spot. The car was sliding a bit but I'd already made my fastest lap (about 2/10 quicker than practice) when the Safety Car came out. The Lancia Fulvia had spun in Camp and in taking avoiding action the Ashworth TVR ended up in the barrier, quite badly damaged!

At that point Alan Daffin was heading into the pits and he got out just before the SC went by thus gaining a lap!

I avoided the crush on the second trip past the pit lane and caught up with the Safety Car train and took my stop next time round. The first bunch had been held in the pit lane for a fair amount of time but we were releasesd almost immediately. And that was it really. From then it was a chase to the flag but I couldn't quite match my previous pace (I think the tyres tend to go off in longer races) and Allan, having gained almost a lap finally came up to me with three to go. We made a dice of it which was good fun and then passed the flag.

A word about the Oldies but Goldies. The Ken clarke prepared Austin A40 being driven for the first time by Richard Postins finished third overall and first in class. Well done that man.

A great weekend, well done to Combe, Masters, and all the drivers and most of all thanks to the marshalls and officials for providing a great event. Silverstone will need to go a long way to match this organisation.

A side note:- I finally met up with fellow ex pat Roger Wills and of course Simon Drabble who was lucky enough to peddle Roger's Chevrolet Corvette.

[zefarelly]

Well Done Roger, I gather 7th overall in the LC with a flat tyre, good going

Interesting to note that, as with previous years the locals don't like the longer races, they find them boring, and they also found the disruption due to crashes and stoppages frustrating.

Thats a difficult one as the racers pay for the track time and want to do longer races, but its nice to have a good crowd, I'd have thought the complainants would be in a minority?

[zefarelly]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Best of British including the stonkingly quick Bryant Morgan Plus 8.

Is that the same Morgan that does the other race series with Astons etc Peter ?

[HoTWire]

Some photos here :
http://www.retro-rides.com/Gallery.a...20Raceday&a=24

Not as much track action due to the disparity in time between pressing the button and it actually taking the photos. So all tracking shots with cars curiously almost out of frame

Thanks for the entertaining track action everyone...

[devon kev]

Some very interesting photo's there HoTWire

[zefarelly]

its very interesting that the results have been witheld from the public eye for so long, they're finally up now . . .following a stewards enquiry

http://www.msttiming.com/ccrc/2007/71568.pdf

[Peter Mallett]

Yes that is interesting. Apparently the new MST timing system was guinea pigged on us yesterday and was found wanting so it was left to manual timing to do the do. I doubt that any results will go up on the website from this weekend. So, nothing sinister, just pure human error.

[zefarelly]

ahh I see . . .well at least that justifies everyones outlay on transponders . . .to finance a fast efficient professional service

I can't help but notice ( and I thought this last year as well) that the gap in lap times between the super prepared V8's up the front of Top HAt and the 'also rans' is getting bigger, I know it will always exist, but theres nothing in the middle

[brands]

A fantastic mixture of cars and some great racing at Combe.
My problem with the longer races was that the PA system is so poor it is hard to keep track of whos where plus a couple of entertaining battles were spoiled by the pitstops

All in all a great day out, with some lovely tin whizzing about, a huge crowd, good weather and the bonus of only being 20 minutes from home

[SZRacer]

Ahh.....that explains a lot!

While my friend and fellow Giulietta racer John Bennett, is a fast and competitive driver, I'm sure even he'd be surprised with his 'random' fastest lap in the Oldies but Goldies, of 1'20"........!!

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Apparently the new MST timing system was guinea pigged on us yesterday and was found wanting so it was left to manual timing to do the do.

[Peter Mallett]

Frankly, I could care less. I met up with some good friends, drove my car reasonably quickly, passed a few cars and was passed by a few less, generally had a good time so if MST got it wrong that's their problem.

We paid for our transponders years ago so it can,t be an issue now.

[zefarelly]

To be honest everyone posting on this thread has a different agenda so its not a very constructive one, It Sounds like you had a good race and the coming together of 2 series (if you like) made a good grid for 70's cars, OBG & CC looked good and I'm sure good races to watch, likewise from a bystanders point of view Top HAt was probably entertaining, but the fact still remains that driving standards are poor and cars are getting smashed up, 2 races in a row stopped by red flags.

When I did my ARDS I was told in no uncertain terms that If I drove like a BTCC driver I'd loose my licence . . . . . Is that not now the case ?

[Teddington Ted]

I have been holding off contributing to this thread on the basis that I would sound like Mr Grumpy. However, (IMHO) the Top Hat race came across as a cheque-book racers' dodgem derby. You expect that sort of carnage from Formula Fords but not a historic race. It was interesting that the local saloon car race (full of souped up hot hatches) was very competitive and very clean showing that panel bashing is not required to provide entertainment and good racing.

If I read the results correctly it looks as though two of the entrants in Top Hat were disqualified. This could be for a pit stop misdemeanor or a technical infringement but how often are cars/drivers disqualified in other historic races ?

[Peter Mallett]

I didn't watch the Top Hat race so can't comment. I did hear of one Mustang stopping in the middle of the track on fire but I don't know who it was. I suspect that any wrong doers (in terms of driving standards) will be asked not to enter the next round.

[zefarelly]

Ted, THanks for backing me up!!!!!!! no one else has the balls to say it

Peter, that won't happen, these guys spend a lot of money, organisers need them, BUT when it starts putting people off entering they have to look at it from an overall perspective surely?

Re disqualifications, I believe one Mustang blew up, properly blew up. the BMW was embedded in a tyre wall with another Mustang, from a seperate incident, I do know an LC was still running with heavy damage to the passenger side because I frightened someone with the cost of replacement wings and door panels yesterday!

[jonners]

I don't want to sound like mr grumpy either but i just can't keep quiet any longer

i was watching at the second chicane and then camp corner so maybe if i'd been watching elsewhere things would have been different

but there was precious little racing all day

didin't watch the local sports/gt race and there was no action in ff1600 but they're irrelevant to this thread anyway

the morgan winning the 70's race was just ridiculous. ok - the fact that the entry was overwhelmingly saloons made it look bad but the entry was thin anyway and the field was so strung out by the end of lap one that the whole race was a procession

the pitstops didin't help and the lack of an effective pa was inexcusable

the same goes for the 60's saloons and it was a relief that the race was stopped early. I never thought i'd hear myself say that but on the banking where i was we were all pretty bored...

Thank god for the castle combe saloons.

Then came the 50's saloons - great dcing at the front - all ruined by the pitstops - and again - no pa...

The last race for the sportscars was the day's highlight in terms of entertainment - but ruined by the pitstps and the pa...

Clearly a great day out for the competitors and i'll be back next year - i know i sound negative but some things do need looknig at. lovely cars, some great driving but felt like a trackday at times

one last thing - as usual the cars and drivers bore little resemblance to the programme or entry list on the cc website - when are race organisers going to wake up and make available correction sheets on the gate?

As for the paddock - all i can say is that if i'd been charged for a paddock pass i would have demanded my money back

[zefarelly]

Why is it that longer races and pit stops ruin it for Spectators, I think it can make it exciting, BUT, it does need a good PA and commentator, I thought one of the good bits about CC was the fact it has no pit buildings so you can watch the stops, I had a great stop last year and it made all the difference to my race. longer races do get spread out, and a less than full grid won't help that, but if your kept well informed surely its still interesting to watch?

[Teddington Ted]

The problem at Combe was that the PA was poor and the commentators, good chaps though they are, didn't have the information or knowledge to provide a very meaningful commentary on any of the historic races. At the beginning of the Cloth Cap race they were highly critical of the information they had been given and threw it away ! Rather frustrating that Marcus Pye was there (racing a Jade) when we could have done with him in the commentary box.

Interesting point about whether pit stops are a help or a hinderance to the entertainment value. Personally I think they add something because they shake things up and can make a race more interesting if a car is taken over by a driver who is slower or quicker than his co-driver. But the spectator needs a good commentator to make sense of it all.

[jonners]

when the race is very processional and you don't know who has and who hasn't stopped and the whole field is mixed up completely - you just lose interest

the 50's saloon race had a good dice at the front between the 2 mk 1 jags - until the pit stops which broke the dice up

similar story with the sports cars race.

i can see that pit stops add something special for the competitors but the racing isn't close enough for it to work as a spectacle

i remember in Thundersports there was always a possibility that the second driver might be quicker or slower than the first so it added to the excitement

doesn't really work with processional races where some of the cars aren't in the programme and you don't even know whether there are 2 drivers

and unless you want to bury your head in the programe all race having - for example - capris in 2 separate classes just adds to the confusion

not everyone on the spectator banks understand the in and outs and some of the comments were quite scathing

it's a shame - the cars are great and some of the driving was entertaining but the question i kept hearing was 'how long does this one go on for?' - says it all