Mag on Cars

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Issue /01

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“Never forget that you have an appointment with a man with a chequered flag at the end. You can be late if you like, but if you don’t keep that appointment you might just as well not have started.”

“Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games.”

“I don’t make mistakes. I make prophecies which imme-diately turn out to be wrong.”

“Every car has a lot of speed in it. The trick is getting the speed out of it.”

Sammy Davis (1920)

A.J.Foyt

Earnest Hemingway

Murray Walker

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CONTENTS4 / 7 - MG MIdget Challenge

8 / 15 - Circuit

16 / 23 - John Collinson

24 / 31 - Race

32 / 39 - Richard Bridge

40 / 45 - Trophies

46 / 51 - Heading Home

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MG MIDGETCHALLENGEThe MG Midget Challenge is a national race series for MG Midgets and Aus-tin Healey Sprites (built 1956-1979). The championship is run at all major UK circuits, with the occasional visit to Spa-Froncorchamps in Belgium. It is a serious, professional but very friendly championship and has been running since 1977. The photos and race is at Castle combe so heres deatil about this circuit. The circuit opened just 18 months after Silverstone in the summer of 1950, making it one of the longest es-tablished circuits in the UK. Until 1999, the circuit followed it’s original layout, around the perimeter of the old air base. In that first year, a young Stirling Moss won a race and over the next few years, names like Mike Hawthorn, Colin Chap-man, Les Leston, Roy Salvadori and John Surtees thrilled huge crowds.By the 60’s, several planning con-straints had seen the circuit become run down and although the old Brands Hatch company, Motor Circuit Develop-ments tried hard to develop meetings in the early 70’s with Formula 5000 and

other major events, planning problems prevented long term development. However in 1976, the circuit lease was obtained by the current owners and the long road to developing the circuit as a modern national racing venue began. Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna, and David Coulthard all won races in the 70’s and 80’s, and by the 90’s, the circuit hosted rounds of most of the national champi-onships.Today, the circuit boasts modern facili-ties for competitors and spectators, and the resurfaced and now reshaped circuit providing what is generally recognised as providing the closest circuit racing in British motorsport.

RIGHT/The MG Midget Chal-lenge sticker found on all the cars

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ABOVE/A nice close up on a sticker that descibes the sport

RIGHT/A Close up of the left hand side of the number 1 car

BELOW/The front of the same car showing of some of the curves that makes these cars beautiful

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BELOW/Quarry corner at Cas-tle Combe Circuit

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BELOW/One of the circuits photographers getting ready for the start

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BELOW/A warning sign found only meters from the track

ABOVE/Two marshalls observe the track just before the lights go green

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BELOW/The crowd of specta-tors anticipate the start of the next race and the dash for quarry

ABOVE/The corner entry sign at the esses chicane

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BELOW/The metal fencing that protects the spectators from crashes at Quarry

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BELOW/The Speakers that allow all the spectators and teams to hear the comentators

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RIGHT/John with his car after the race just as the rain started to pour.

JOHNCOLLINSON

John is a member of Team Sibling Ri-valry, consisting of three brothers com-peting in the Lenham Cars MG Midget Challenge, with Cornwall Surveying. This rivalry goes beyond winning, or even putting a wheel in front of a sibling on the track. It’s just as much about bat-tling over who buys the race fuel, whose turn it is to wash the support vehicle or who left thier pint at the previous nights session. When I met up with John at the Castle Combe circuit, on a grey bank holiday monday at the start of may things were not looking good. A broken crankshaft had put his race weekend in jepody. After a good qualifying seeing him sitting in fourth in his respected class, the problems with his crankshaft put a downer on his chances of winning at his favorite circuit. Even with this, John was more than happy to let me have a talk with him, and took time to introduce me to some of his competitors.

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JK/ When did you start racing?John/ “Hillclimbs and sprints in 2003. Great fun but not long in the seat, so started circuit racing in 2005.” What is it about MG Midget/ Sprite racing that you like?John/ “My first proper car was a Midget so was the obvious choice. They are easy to fix, no computers or black boxes like modern cars and relatively cheap to race.” What is your favorite track you race on?John/ “Castle Combe, its the most local to me, I also took my racing test there, and the marshalls and people are very friendly.”Whats your favorite track in the world you would like to race on?John/ “Spa francorchamps. I raced their last season, just a fantastic circuit.”Have you driven/ raced in any other cars or would you like to?John/ “Sprinted a Lotus Elise and an MGB. No desire to race anything else at the moment.”

What does a typical race weekend entail?John/ “Assuming everything is OK with the car, check tyres, oil, water etc. a day or 2 before. Load up the camper the day before and drive to circuit. Camp there, after a BBQ and a few beers normally. Race day - sign on and then have the car scruiteneered. Bit more prep on the car and then out for practice/qualifying. race later, then pack up and go home.”Best result or most cherished vic-tory or race in your career?John/ “Season before last I won my first ever race at Castle Come - bril-liant. Also won 3 other races and was runner up in class - only a spin at Oul-ton Park prevented the championship. Best race though was at Spa - mixed grid of 74 cars, overtook a full race Porsche 911 despite my car being 50 years old now; has a fantastic power to weight ratio and surprises many other cars.”

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Do you have any superstitions or rituals you go through before a race?John/ “No.”Any major events that stick in your mind?John/ “Lots of schoolboy errors - see our website for details! Race car falling off the back of the trailer because I for-get to strap it down probably being the most memorable.”Obviously on the track you want to win but off the track is it rivals or pals?John/ “Pals...totally.”

LEFT/John putting the cover on as the rain starts.

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BELOW/The front of the 71 car with johns racing gloves on the bonnet

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BELOW/The Cockpit of the race car Racing stear-ing wheel and wires

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ABOVE/John’s Class B car on the trailer

RIGHT/A close up of the wheel on the 71 car

Facts about the number 71 car. Built 1959. Original 948cc engine changed to a later 1275cc type (es-sentially a mini engine but driving the rear wheels) bored out to 1380cc. 145 bhp weighing 550KG - 0-60 is probably about 5 seconds. 6” slick tyres, about 120mph tops.John says “really bad aerodynamics.”

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If you want anymore information on John or Team Sibling Rivalry please go to http://www.teamsiblingrivalry.com

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GENTLEMEN START YOUR ENGINES/The cars line up on the grid

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LEFT/As the cars race round Quarry for the first time small gaps start to appear

BELOW/The 74 car of Jim Mackie in some clear air early on

ABOVE/The drivers take Esses for the first time its pretty hectic

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BELOW/Its quite tight as they filter into the Esses one more time

ABOVE/The cars spread out after the tight Quarry corner

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CLASS A/The number 33 the A class car belonging to Edward Reeve

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BELOW/Richard Bridge in the 68 car leads them in to the Esses

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BELOW/The bright red 62 looks gorgeous as it races by

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RICHARDBRIDGE

LEFT/A smiling Richard after a tough morning and a tough race

When I arrived at Castle combe Circuit on the day of the race, it was all hands on deck as Richard and his team tried to patch up and repair his number 68 car. After a crash in the mornings prac-tice with fellow driver Phil Attwood at the Quarry corner. Richards car was left in a bad way, this didnt stop the Team Mamba Motorsport with only minutes to spare, getting the car up and running. It may have taken alot of work to replace a broken stearing rack, and a alot of tape to hold the body together. Richard started the race in good postion after a qualifying that saw him sitting in third in his respective class and eighth overall. After a good start to the race on lap 6 he had a small spin dropping him down the places. It was at this point he decided to drop off the pace and nurse the car home some-thing wasnt right with the car. Richard finished seventh in his class by the end of the race, im sure not the result he would have wanted after a very good qualifying. After the race Richard and

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his team continued to look over the car and try to find out what had gone wrong before loading the car on the trailer to head home. Richard was kind enough to let me ask him some questions about his career and some of his experiences.

JK/ When did you start racing?Richrd/ I’ve only been racing for a year. I did my ARDS in February 2009 and did a few races in 2009.What is it about MG midget / sprite racing that you like?Richard/ Firstly, it’s racing! Midgets have excellent weight distribution and rear wheel drive so they are really good to race. The technology is well matured so the playing field is pretty even mean-ing the racing is close. Also the cars are British and look great.Whats your favorite track that you race on?Richard/ Brands Hatch National is great - there’s so much time to be gained and lost through every corner - for a short track it requires a huge amount of con-centration and practice.Whats your favorite track in the world you would like to race on?

Richard/ Monaco of course! I’d love to drive the corkscrew at Laguna Seca too, it looks an incredibly hard corner to drive quickly.Have you driven/ raced in any other cars or would you like to?Richard/ Just Midgets so far. I like the classics so maybe a Lotus 23 in SRGTC in the future?What does a typical race weekend entail?Richard/ Normally starts on a Friday, begging off work early for the hour drive to the Mamba Motorsport workshop to pick up the car, spares, tools and camp-ing equipment. The midget drivers are a friendly lot so arriving in the paddock is a chance for a chat and a couple of beers, someone’s usually got a BBQ going if the weather’s OK. Saturday is rather more business like with a pre-race checklist of paperwork, scrutineer-ing and mechanical checks. I like to take a few quiet minutes with my track notes before qualifying and visualise driving the course. Driving is the best bit but so soon over, the qualifying times are normally out quickly and then the long wait for the race begins - .Check

ABOVE/After the race one of Richards team mem-bers manages to enjoy the day

RIGHT/Moments before the race Richard adds a little more tape to the body of his car

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36tyre pressures, wheelnut torques, fix things that weren’t working in qualify-ing. Then the race itself. Exhilarating, tiring and hot - 3 layers of Nomex and fighting to keep the car on track and in front of people is the easiest kind of hardwork though. After the race comes the analysis, everyone talking about how they got on, what happened up the front, and who’s car broke when. This goes on well into the night with some more beer before a terrible night’s sleep in a tent. Sunday is race 2 and if you’re lucky a good drive home arriving back before the adrenaline wears off and the tiredness sets in. Monday passes in a blur of memories and explanations.Best result or most cherished victory or race in your career?Richard/ Two 4th places in class at the brands hatch double-header this year - after a season learning the ropes it was my first time coming back to a circuit.Do you have any superstitions or rituals you go through before arace?Richard/ I’m not superstitious but I do like to tap all the gauges when I’m putting my belts on.Any major events that stick in your

mind?Richard/ Crashing backwards into the wall at Quarry bend Castle Combe this year.Obviously on the track you want to win but off the track is itrivals or pals?Richard/ The drivers are all very friendly off track, the evenings are very sociable and everyone helps out if there’s a problem with the car.

If you want anymore information on Richard please go to http://www.mam-bamotorsport.co.uk

Facts about the number 68 car.MG Midget Class B‘Gertie’1380 cc a series engine130bhp585kgTop speed (rev limited) 120mphWheels 13x6 with AVON slicks.10” cross-drilled, grooved, vented discs with 4 pot alloy callipers.Protech dampersAll fibreglass body on Midget chassis BELOW/

A nice close up of the 68 cars side( the side without tape)

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BELOW/Richards wounded 68 car on the trailer home

ABOVE/A team member straps yet more tape to the body of the car

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BELOW/The team working on the engine after the morning crash

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BELOW/A small part of the tape holding the 68 car to-gether before the race

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41FAMILY/The drivers await the trophy ceremony

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ALL/ The driver’s that won get there trophies

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ABOVE/David Pymm’s Number 6 winning C class car

BELOW/David’s winners trophies along with his hat

45WINNER/David Pymm holding his trophies for winning Class C

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47ICECREAM/Two drivers enjoy a Icecream after the days racing

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RIGHT/Paul Sibley and team roll the car on to the trailer for the journey home

ABOVE/BELOWGil Duffy starts to move his car on to the trailer, its been a long day

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David and his Wife/This photo sums up the occasion family and fun, his wife help-ing him secure the car

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BELOW/After a very challeng-ing day the boys from mamba motorsport load the trailer

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