Motorsport News – July 17, 2019

Dave(l)and

KarlJones

Messer:Journeyfinished

MarkRichardsonwilladdanHistoricF2machinetohisLolaT290,whichheraces

Langridge’sLotus

AndyLangridgemadehisAnglesey

debutat theweekendin hisLotus

61 FormulaFordand,in doing,so

completedthefullsetof current

licensedUKracetracks.Theformer

Porscheracerhasnowcompeted

at all 16tracksandaddedAnglesey

in theDanEagling-tendedLotus,

scoringa bestresultof 14thin the

secondrace.

NewcarforOwen

VersatilehistoricracerGeraint

Owenhasaddedtheex-Roberto

GiordanelliListerKnobblyto his

stablebuthasnoimmediateplans

to racetheChevrolet-engined

car.“I’mbetterat buyingcarsthan

sellingthem,”saidOwenduring

a recentshakedowntest.Among

othercars,heracesa 1950sKurtis

IndyRoadsterwiththeVintage

Sports-CarClubandusesa Ford

ModelA in vintagetrials.

Irishin Wales

ExpatriateIrishmanCormac

FlanaganwasanotherAnglesey

debutantin theHistoricFormula

Fordgrid.“Thistrackis brilliant

andit is onmywayhome,”said

theWarwick-basedAlexisracer.

“Sixof mysiblingshavecome

overfromDublinontheferryto

Holyheadso,morethananything,

I justwantedto finishbothraces.”

Hedulytooka pairof ninthplaces.

F3newcomer

Newto theHistoricF3gridthis

seasonis SimonEtherington,who

is fulfillinga lifetimeambitionby

goingracing.TheEastAnglian

driverpreviouslyraceda pre-war

MGwiththeVintageSports-Car

Cluba decadeagobutnowhas

theBrabhamBT15firstraced

byManfredMohrin 1965.The

Brabhamis tendedbyDanEagling

at LifetimeRacing.

SilverFern 2020

The 2020 SilverFernRallyin New

Zealandwillbeheldonthecountry’s

NorthIslandfromNovember 22 to

28.Oftenratedas thebesthistoric

gravelrally,thenextSilverFernwill

startin Rotoruabeforecovering

700 milesof gravelstagesin

sevendaysandfinishingbackin

Rotorua.Expressionsof interestare

beingtakenviasilverfernrally.co.nz.

Arnold’sback

HistoricFormulaFordracerRoger

Arnoldmadea popularreturnto

racingat Angleseyaftera

16-monthabsence.Lastspring

Arnold,72,wasdiagnosedwith

pancreaticcancerandgivena

fewmonthsto live.However,

somespectacularchemoresults

alongwithsurgeryhaveworked

superblyandheis nowbackin

goodhealth.“It’sunbelievable,”

hesaid.“I can’tthanktheNHS

teamenough.”

Coghillinharness

HillclimberGeorgeCoghillhad

hisfirstracein 35yearswhenhe

ranhisex-MartynDonnLolaT760

in theFormulaAtlanticracesat

Anglesey.TheFalkirk-based

racerwasa regularGTracer

in the1980s,notablywitha

LotusEsprit,buthasmore

recentlybeena regularcontender

in speedevents.Healsoran

theLolaat theBo’Ness

HillclimblastSeptember.

HISTORICS

Rallyiconsdemo

forOultonPark

SINGLE-SEATER ADDEDTOTHE RICHARDSONSTABLE

LandscapegardenerMark

Richardsonhopestojoin

theHistoricF2gridatthe

SilverstoneClassicinan

ex-worksMarch752.

Frenchdriversdominated

F2in 1975 withMichelLeclere

andPatrickTambaytaking

secondandthirdinthe

EuropeanChampionship.If

thecaris ready,hewillrace

it alongsidehisLolaT290

whichrunsinThundersports.

RacingtheMarchwill

havea particularfamily

significanceasRichardson’s

uncleJeremyracedin

Formula2 inperiodandhis

fatherPeterracedinGroup 6

sportscarsinthe1970s.

Nextseason,another

generationoftheRichardson

familywillstartracingas

Mark’s16-year-oldson

Charliewilljointhe

Thundersportsgridina

Sports 2000 March.

WalesRallyGBwillhonourthe

75thrunningoftheeventwitha

displayofcarsfromtheevent’s

historyatOultonParkon

ThursdayOctober3.

Stand-outcarsfromtheWRGB

storywillincludeFordEscorts,

GroupB machinesandwinning

carsofColinMcRaeandRichard

Burns.The 2019 competitorswill

arriveatOultonParkfollowinga

ceremonialstartonthewater

frontatLiverpool.

Formerlyknownasthe

RACRally,andthenLombard

andNetworkQ indeference

tosponsors,theeventfirst

ranin1932.

OultonParkwillhostthe

openingcompetitiveaction

ontheThursdayeveningof

Britain’sroundofthe 2019

WorldRallyChampionship.

Angleseysign-offtoendepicthree-circuitadventureforMesser

RacingveteranKeithMesser

marked 50 yearsofracingwith

a three-week,threecountry

racingtrek,whichfinishedat

Angleseyovertheweekend.

MesserandMikeFaloonset

outfromLedburyonJune 26

withMesser’sunique

one-litreF3Veseyina trailer

behindthemotorhome.

Thefirstracemeetingwas

atMagny-CoursinFrance,

followedbya three-daydriveto

KnutstorpinSwedenandthen

a journeystraighttoAnglesey.

“It’sanhomagetotheperiod

one-litreF3driverswhospent

thewholeseasontravelling

aroundEurope,”saidMesser,

whofirstracedin1969.“Itwas

42 degreesatMagny-Coursand

12 degreesinSweden,butI loved

theKnutstorptrack.”

AfterSweden,therewasferry

toHullanda driveforhisfirst

racesattheNorthWalestrack,

whichnettedsixthandseventh.

ByPaulLawrence

Severalhundredpeople,

includingmarshalsand

fans,gatheredonthegrid

at AngleseyonSunday

afternoonasWelshracing

driverTomPrycewas

celebratedduringthe

inauguralHistoricSports

CarClubracemeetingat

theNorthWalestrack.

Forty-twoyearsafterPryce

waskilledina freakgrandprix

accidentinSouthAfrica,a

minute’sapplausemarked

whatwouldhavebeenhis70th

birthdayyear.

Thefocalpointofthemoment

wastheRoyaleRP11Formula 3

carheracedin 1971 and 1972

broughtfromGe

bycurrentowner

Feldmann.Mean

theroad-goingM

GTthatwashisro

caratthetimeof

hisdeathwastherewithDave

Jones,whowasgiventhecarby

Tom’sparentsin1977.Jonesknew

TominhisearlyyearsinDenbigh.

“I thinkhe’dbeamazedthat

peoplewereremembering

eseyearslater,”

es.“Thisis the

cemeetingtobe

inhismemory

d it is sucha

onderfuloccasion.

d lovetothinkthat

t canbecomean

nnualeventand

it is righttodoit hereatAnglesey

onWelshsoil.Hewasa proud

Welshman.Whenhewasa

youngboy,he’dcometoAnglesey

onholidaytoa caravanwith

hisparents.”

FormerBritishTouringCar

ChampionshipracerKarlJones

wasalsoonhandtohonourhis

countryman.Jonessaid:“I can

remembervividlyseeingTomon

thetelevisionintheShadowand

heinspiredmetogoracing.I was

alwaysa fanofTom.Heworked

hardandwasnaturallygifted.”

DOWNTHE PUB

DAVENURSEY

Officialandcompetitor

Age: 68 Lives:TenburyWells

‘Coghill backafter 35 years

Former GT man’s return, below

HISTORICS TACKLE DEMANDING WELSH CIRCUIT FOR THE FIRST TIME PAGE 22

He’sa ShelsleyWalshfan
“My motorsport story started at
Shelsley Walsh with my father when
I was three or four years old. In about
1974 they advertised for marshals
so I volunteered. I later became chief
marshal and was then asked to be
clerk of the course for the Jaguar
Drivers’ Club, including the
Silverstone race meeting.”

He started racing
“Later they asked me to be clerk of
the course at Shelsley and now
I’m senior clerk for the Midland
Automobile Club. In recent years
I’ve been a club steward at some
race meetings. But this year, for the
first time ever, I’ve been racing in an
MGB in Classsic Sports Car Club
two-driver races. We went to Spa
recently, which was stunning. I had to
do three races in the UK to upgrade
my licence to go to Spa.”

He’s been competing
on the hills
“A few years ago, Bruce Atkinson
suggested I had a couple of drives in
his Alfa GTV in sprints and hillclimbs
and that was the first ever competitive
driving I did. Then Phil Nuthall asked
me to share a couple of drives in
Crumpet, his Shelsley Special. A year
later my brother-in-law John Palmer
finished rebuilding his Lotus 7, so we
shared that for two seasons.”

There’s a V8 MGB coming
“In a foolish moment at the beginning
of 2018, Philip Stader offered me
the chance to drive his Alfa and we
also shared his MG Midget. This year
we’re running his Alfa, his Austin A35
and we’ll also share his MGB GT V8.
That will be another step up! We’re
going to run the V8 MGB at MIRA
and Castle Combe.”

Philip Stader makes it
possible
“Over the last three seasons I’ve
almost done more driving than
clerking. On the basis that I may
never get another opportunity to
drive, I’m taking advantage of the
generosity of Philip and David
Waterhouse with the MGB. I can’t
believe how generous people like
Philip and David are.”

He spends time at Shelsley
“I was an independent financial
advisor and I’m now semi-retired. I
sold my business but was kept on as a
consultant, so I do some work but not
too much. In the last six or seven
months I’ve been helping out at
Shelsley and I run the hill when there
are driving schools or corporate days.”

Photos:PaulLawrence

Applausemarked

Pryce’sbirthday

Nursey likes car variety

IN BRIEF

Welsh hero remembered at HSCC’s first ever race meeting at Anglesey

CROWDS GATHER TO

REMEMBER TOM PRYCE

28 JULY 17 2019 motorsport-news.co.uk Advertising enquiries: 0203 405 8110