AUTOSPORT HISTORICS 25 JULY 2019 33a sump guard or overdo the
transformation to the MG. The
headline revisions include bolting in
a seat and harness for the co-driver,
mounting a radiator fan, plus packing
a first aid kit, belt cutter, fire extinguisher and warning triangle.
It’s an unexpectedly small list of modifications and, with
practice, the time to prepare the car has dropped significantly.
What was once a 90-minute task now only takes an hour, and
that’s left Brain wondering why more people don’t follow suit.
“It’s a good question,” he says, and instead blames a
misconception. “I think the perception is that rallying is really
damaging, and sometimes it is. But there’s been a real rise of
circuit rallies and, in the winter months, it’s perfect as you
don’t need to stop competing. It is, for the most part, smooth
surfaces and at places we know, so the car is well set up for it.”
As the modifications are quick and easy to reverse, it means the
MGB doesn’t spend the majority of the season as either a rally or
race machine. Instead, Brain dovetails both. The year started at
Goodwood before a race at Silverstone. It was back to rallying
for the AGBO Stages, then a circuit outing at Brands Hatch
and then the Down Ampney and Abingdon rallies.
Unlike the Equipe GTS or Classic K grids, Brain can be the
only historic entry on a rally. The subsequent lack of rear grip
from running crossply tyres is entertaining to watch but doesn’t
help his stage times. As such, the addition of a mid-engined
Lotus Elise to the garage is in the pipeline.
“You go from a modern car with sticky tyres and huge brakes to
a 1960s sportscar with nothing apart from a steering wheel. The
big difference between the two is management. With modern cars
you just get in and drive it and you know the car is going to stay
constant. With older cars you have to manage the car because
the brakes will deteriorate – you need to heel-and-toe to use the
engine braking to help slow the thing down. It’s a much more
physical and demanding experience trying to drive the B quickly.” Q
THE MORE TYPICAL
WAY TO DIVIDE
YOU R TI ME
Arguably, the easier way to enjoy competition in both historic rallying
and circuit racing is to have cars dedicated for each discipline. That’s
the approach taken by Ben Gill and his co-driver David Didcock.
Throughout the regular season they race with a 1964 AC Cobra 289
and a Ferrari 250 GT SWB, and Didcock’s DMD Motorsport Engineering
outfit build and prepare their Broadspeed Mk1 Ford Escort RS. For the
winter months, that line-up is complemented by a 1979 Group 4 Escort
Mk2 rally car. The ability to split their time not only leads to variation,
but all-year-round motorsport.
“The racing season kicks off for
us at the end of March and that will
see us through until the end of
October,” says Gill. “Then we can
go rallying up at Goodwood and
Brands Hatch until Christmas, race
at Dijon, in the Silverstone Classic,
and with Masters Historic.”
Well, that was the plan. A greasy
hairpin on the 2019 Tour Auto
Optic 2000 put paid to the Cobra’s
season as it dived off the road and down a 40-foot drop. The chassis
survived, but extensive bodywork damage means it’s been sidelined
while it undergoes surgery.
That leaves the duo with the 1972 Broadspeed Escort (top), which
was one of two cars bought by 1979 European Touring Car champion
Martino Finotto. After use in the Italian tin-top championship until 1976,
its sister Jolly Club team car was destroyed. Even though that now
makes their car a one-off, it’s still been fettled from 1600c up to two
litres for use in Group 2 competition and now runs a healthy 290bhp.
Now that one car has greater power, and the other Escort is more
used to stage rallying, it’s brought the machinery closer together.
“They both get sideways quite easily, and there’s a lot of power,”
says Gill. “They’re not entirely dissimilar. I love both disciplines and
all cars – I couldn’t pick a favourite from the cars or out of racing
and rallying.” There are worse conundrums to have.A dusky outing
at Goodwood
was the MGB’s
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