**** NEWSLETTER ****
16th December 2009
Dear Competitor
I am pleased to announce the 2010 race dates as follows:
27/28th March - Pembrey (double-header)
10/11th April - Brands Hatch (MG Car Club double-header)
16th May - Cadwell Park (single race)
5th or 6th June - Silverstone Grand Prix circuit (MG Car Club single round on one day)
19th June - Oulton Park (double header on one day)
1st August - Mallory (double-header on one day)
28/29th August - Thruxton (double-header)
25/26th September - Snetterton (double-header)
9/10th October - Croft (double-header)
At Mallory Park, we plan to have “split grids”. At all other rounds, all four MGOC Classes will be amalgamated into a single grid.
We have 16 races and, as usual, our Regs allow you to drop two scores ie. best 14 from 16.
You will note the increase in “double-headers”. As a result of MGOC adopting “single grids” and request from a number of other Championships to reduce the number of meetings, BARC have found themselves with a lot of unexpected grid capacity that must be filled. When we discussed the question of double-headers at the Drivers Meeting at Mallory, there was some support for more double-headers, there are a couple more than I personally would have liked but I hope you’ll accept what is becoming very much the norm these days for Club racing.
One of the downsides of double-headers is that 14 races would only mean seven or eight meetings a year. This isn’t enough for most of you and I think 16 races over nine weekends is a fair compromise.
Since the successful meeting with MGCC at Brands in May, I have been talking to them about opportunities to race with them in 2010 and I’m delighted that they have agreed to invite us to Brands in April and to their prestigious Silverstone meeting in June. This meeting is normally held on the International circuit but that has largely been demolished for alterations for the Moto GP event and MGCC have signed a contract to run this meeting on the full 3.19 mile GP circuit. There will be a premium cost for this 20 minute race but we will do our very best to keep the costs down to a reasonable level. The GP circuit starts 48 cars and the race format is yet to be agreed but the fact remains that it is rare and exciting opportunity to race on the GP circuit.
As ever with the MGCC meetings, I’ve had to stick my neck out and will be writing out personal cheques running well into four figures for the race hire charges. Needless to say, I hope you’ll support these excellent meetings.
Awards Dinner
This went ahead as planned on 21st November. The numbers were, as expected, down on previous years but it was an excellent evening and I’d like to thank those who attended for their support if this event.
If any of you guys have any thoughts or ideas for the 2010 event, please let me know. One thing I’d like is to find a venue where the bar is in the functions room, if anyone knows of a suitable venue please let me know.
Cars for Sale
The latest Cars for Sale list is attached, please let me know if any of the cars on the list have been sold or if you know of any other cars to go on the list. I am looking for a race prepared MGB for a new driver, if anyone knows of such a car for sale, please call on 07971 149505 or email baynam@btinternet.com as soon as possible.
News Update
I’m delighted to say that Dale Wells is back in good form and on the road to recovery after a very difficult and troubled 2009. He has been sorely missed at BARC and we look forward to seeing him back in the frame next season.
Congratulations are due to Ian and Julie Deaves for the safe arrival on 16th November of baby Riley Benjamin. Ian has told me that he hopes to be doing some MGOC races next season.
Andy Robinson is building a ZS160 to race in Class Z. His mentor, Adrian Olsson, is also rumoured to be making a return to the track next season.
Doug Cole has sold his ZR to a pal of David Obree who will be racing in with us in 2010.
Paul Wisbey sold his MGF but has bought it back and is planning a full season.
Phil Churchill, Koumis Tjiepras and Andrew Forsythe have all had new engines built and are looking forward to the new season. With Kevin Broadley, Colin Govey and Chris Pollard also returning, it looks as if Class A is heading for strong grids next year.
Christmas is nearly upon us and I’d like to thank you all for your continued support, it’s been a tough year but many Championships would love to have our level of race entries and we consistently put on the best racing at every event.
I am already looking forward to 2010 and the 30th year of the MGOC Championship. It will bring some new challenges but, with your continued support, I’m confident that we’ll have another successful season and see a resurgence in entry levels.
Wishing you all happy Christmas and a peaceful, prosperous and successful 2010.
Jim
8th November 2009
Dear Competitor,
I’m sure it comes as no surprise to you that I’m making a final push for some more bookings for the Awards Dinner on 21st November. The evening isn’t just about collecting a trophy, it’s about supporting the Championship and is an opportunity to meet up and enjoy a social evening.
I know that some of you are on away on business or on holiday and money is of course tight, but I’d ask you to have rethink and do your best to come along for the evening.
We can take booking right up the day before the event ie. 20th November so there’s still time to gather a few friends together and book a table.
Lap Records
Attached are sheets showing my understanding of current lap records. These are not “official” and if anyone thinks I’ve got something wrong, please let me know.
Cars for Sale
I don’t know of anyone looking to buy a car at the moment but please let me know if you have a car for sale and I’ll add it to the list.
Regards,
Jim
**** NEWSLETTER ****
17th October 2009
Well that’s it for another year.
The 29th year of the MGOC Championship was rounded off on a grey and ultimately very wet day at Thruxton. Despite all the Class and Championship titles being settled after Mallory race, we had 26 entries which was pretty good in the circumstances.
We had a dry Practice session but the weather slowly got worse and the race started on a wet track that got progressively wetter as the race wore on. With the sole exception of John Perkins, who retired with a wheel bearing problem, everyone finished and there were no major incidents or dramas. Given the track conditions, it was probably just as well that the Championship positions had been sorted as it allowed everyone to drive well within safe limits.
It was good to see some old faces, Doug Cole and Chris Pollard, returning and to welcome Lloyd Fountain and James Keepin to the fold. Lloyd plans to do a full season next year in his Maestro and I hope that James comes over to us from the Castle Combe Saloon Championship.
Despite the conditions, the racing was good and congratulations go to Doug Cole for an excellent win and to Ben Short who paddled his Dad’s Maestro to a superb 5th place overall, to Paul Eales who thoroughly deserved his Class A win after a very frustrating season and to Stuart Plotnek for his 6th win of the season.
Congratulations to the following drivers for their Championship and Class wins:
Overall and Class F Champion: Stuart Plotnek
Class A: Jim Baynam
Class B: Ben Short
Class Z: Lee Sullivan
The Best Novice trophy goes to Paul Williams who entered every race and drove the ex-Trevor Dixon MGBGT to an excellent 3rd place at Snetterton
If any driver has a dispute or query on the BARC points tables could they contact me immediately.
Awards Dinner
Yes, it’s that time of year again and I make no apologies for rattling on at you all to support this event on 21st November. It’s always a good evening and an opportunity to meet up with friends, family and fellow drivers and socialise away from a cold and windy race circuit.
An awful lot of work goes into this event, we need 100 bookings to make the evening work and I hope you’ll do your very best to support it. Your friends, family and travelling supporters are very welcome so please do your best to press gang them in for the evening.
Drivers Meeting and 2010 Regulations
As previously mentioned, we have to advise BARC/MSA of any proposed changes to our Regulations by the end of October. As much as I enjoy the discussions and banter or a Drivers meeting, I’m not sure if there is any real point in having one on the afternoon of the Awards Dinner as any changes to the Regs have to be sorted a couple of weeks before then.
As a result of discussions held at the Drivers Meting at Mallory last month I don’t anticipate any significant changes to the Technical Regulations for 2010 but in view of the timescales we have to achieve, I’d ask that any changes you wish to be considered are emailed to me at baynam@btinternet.com by Monday 26th October. You can, of course, ring me any time on 07971 149505 if you’d prefer to have a chat.
2010 Race Dates
BARC and other organising Clubs are already working on 2010 race dates but, as ever, these are unlikely to be released until early in the New Year. The uncertainty over the date and location of the British GP will only delay this process.
I have already had a call from MG Car Club asking if we’d be interested in joining in on any of their meetings next year and I’ve asked to be considered for grids at a couple of their premier meetings but, to state the obvious, it’s very early days.
2010 Race Format
It is pretty clear to us all that the days of getting 45 cars entered for every race are sadly over, at least for the immediate future.
For most of this year we’ve had amalgamated grids. I’ve spent a fair amount of time talking to you about this and the overwhelming view is that you’re happy with it. Amalgamating the grids has been a bit change for us and it does take a bit of getting used to and I’d personally like to thank you all for your understanding of this and entering into the sprit of full grid racing.
Given that For 2010 I fully expect that, with the possible exception of Mallory, all races will be amalgamated grids. Sounds like fun to me.
If race entries suddenly shoot up then we’ll do what we can to go back to a split grid but, as you’ll appreciate, there is seldom any spare time on a race programme to add another race at short notice. This is a problem I’d love to have and we’ll deal with it if and when it happens.
Thanks for your support this season and I look forward to seeing you on 21st November at the Awards Dinner.
Jim
15th September 2009
Dear Competitor,
It was good to see a decent entry at Mallory on Sunday and particularly pleasing to see 10 ZR’s on the grid. It was good to Gary Smith out again with us driving an MGF and a ZR and it was good to see Mark Witherington back out in his MGBGT.
As is often the case at Mallory, the day wasn’t without some drama and we had three red flags over our two races. Mark Halsall went off the track exiting Gerrards and hit the tyre wall head on at high speed, it was big shunt and he was taken straight to hospital for a check up. I spoke to Mark on Monday morning was relieved to hear that he was in good spirits and his injuries weren’t as bad as first suspected. He suffered a couple of crushed vertebrae, bruising and some whiplash injuries but was in good spirits and is already thinking about how to repair the car.
Mark has asked me to pass on his grateful thanks for all those who helped to load his car up and get things sorted while he was at the hospital.
The Class A/F had it’s own drama with Stuart spinning out after a brave but very late outbraking move on Martin on the run into Gerrards. I watched the race from the commentators box at the top of the control tower and clearly saw the whole sequence of events, I reckon I was probably the only person at the circuit who had such a perfect view of the incident. I really would put this down to a very unfortunate racing incident but it was really tough luck on Martin.
Despite the incidents, there was some tremendous racing and congratulations go to Malcolm Hill, Ben Short, Simon Byrne and Ian Evans for their wins.
Drivers Meeting
We did have a short and informal meeting during the lunch break, a number of issues were discussed and the following points were made.
• As usual, I made my stance on the Drivers Forum clear in that any unwarranted, factually incorrect, disrespectful or insulting comments will be removed and the perpetrators will be barred from making further postings on the Forum. This is certainly not intended to stop good healthy and positive discussion and such postings are welcomed. Let’s stop this nonsense and use the Forum to spread the word about the good things we do.
• If anyone knows of anyone who would be willing to sponsor a single race meeting or the entire Championship, please talk to me.
• There were a number of different views about the number of races we should have and how many of those should be double-headers. After listening to everyone’s views, we had a show of hands and it was good to see that a large majority of drivers thought that we had a good varied programme and the mix of single races and double-headers was about right.
Awards Dinner
A booking form is attached. I am, as ever, rather concerned about the numbers we will get for this event. It’s always a really good evening and is a fundamentally important part of the Championship. Please do your very best to persuade as many of your friends and family to come along.
2010 Technical Regulations
BARC have advised that, in accordance with MSA requirements, we must inform them of any required changes to our Regulations for the 2010 season by the 30th October. This, of course, means that any changes must be agreed prior to having our usual Drivers Meeting on the Saturday of the Awards Dinner.
I can’t see the need for any significant changes but the table is open for any driver to put forward a rational proposal. Any relevant proposals will be put out for comment in a questionnaire to be sent out to all drivers straight after the Thruxton meeting.
Please feel free to email any proposals to me.
It’s a long wait until Thruxton but with the major Class positions now sorted, I hope we can all enjoy a good no pressure day to round off the season.
Jim
I look forward to seeing you all at Thruxton,
Jim
17th August 2009
Dear Competitor,
As seems to be the way these days, Snetterton was a pretty small entry but 26 cars isn’t quite as bad as it may seem in the current climate. You only have to look at the Mazda MX5’s who managed to put just six cars on the grid.
Once again, we put on some excellent racing show, there were a number of very good battles right through the field and some notable performances.
Congratulations go to Martin Wills, Lee Sullivan and Ben Short for their wins. I had a comfortable Class A win but managed to set my best ever time round Snetterton in an ultimately vain attempt to beat Chris Pollard’s 2003 lap record. From where I was, I watched at close quarters a fantastic race between Ben Short and Nick Arden in Class B, both took turns to lead and both fell off at exactly the same place exiting the Esses. It was tremendous stuff and shows that there is still some great racing to be had in a Maestro.
It was good to see Liz Head and Stratton Mackay back out with us, I hope we’ll see them both again at Mallory and/or Thruxton.
Mallory
We will be having split grids for this race and BARC have confirmed that Class A/F drivers are welcome to join the Class B/Z race as “Invitation Class” drivers for an entry fee of £100. If any MGB, Midget or MGF driver wants to join in the Class B/Z race they should contact Nicola at BARC as soon as possible. Novices should note that this will allow them to get two licence signatures on the same day.
Mallory is always a well good meeting and the Paddock restaurant is far and away the best of all UK circuits – what better reason do you need for going. It’s likely that Simon Byrne and a new driver will be out in Class Z and hopefully Malcolm Hill and Paul Eales will be returning to Class A so hopefully we’ll have a decent entry.
Kelvin Fagan
A note to remind you all that Kelvin continues to attend all of our meetings and offers top quality photographs of every car on the grid, take a look at his excellent website www.kelvinfagan.com
Cars for Sale
I’ve had a few enquiries from new drivers interested in joining us next season. The Cars for Sale list is looking a bit thin, there must be a lot of cars sitting in garages out there so please drop me an email if you have a car to go on the list.
I’m specifically looking for a decent race prepared MGB roadster, if anyone knows of one for sale please get back to me as soon as possible.
See you soon,
Jim
30th July 2009
Dear Competitor,
I suppose it’s a sign of the times that only 23 cars made the journey up to Croft last weekend. The financial climate is unquestionably affecting entry numbers at all levels of Motorsport but we are still putting on decent grids and I’d like to thank you guys who made the long trip up the A1 to Croft for your continued support. With the notable exception of the truly horrible last corner hairpin, Croft is a great circuit and BARC and with BARC giving us 12 and 15 lap races, we got a lot of track time for our money.
The small entry levels are a worry but we shouldn’t be too disheartened as the cash rich Kumho BMW’s and the local Darlington and District Saloon Championship could only muster 24 cars and the Clubmans, FF 1600 and FF2000 grids barely reached double figures. Simon Byrne, Malcolm Hill and Phil Churchill would all certainly have been there but for engine problems and Ian Evans was on his way to the circuit but had to turn back on receiving the sad news that his father-in-law had passed away.
The races weren’t without some drama (most of which seemed to involve me !!) and a few drivers were invited to have a chat with the Clerk of the Course but , once again, we put on by far the most entertaining racing of the weekend and I’d congratulate Will Sharpe, Ben Short, Lee Sullivan, Martin Wills and Stuart Plotnek for their wins.
The only lap record to be broken was in Class F where Paul Savage took a few tenths off is own 2008 record.
A number of cars suffered mechanical gremlins and I’d like to thank all of those kind souls set about mending other peoples cars and willingly lending clutches and tyres etc. to other drivers. This level of co-operation has always been the norm for our Championship and with such a great spirit we will survive these difficult times and grow again.
It was good to see Ray Downes back on the scene and helping out around the paddock at Croft.
Forthcoming Races
The race timetable sent out by BARC with the Final Instructions for this meeting show us as having separate races for Classes A/F and B/Z. This is incorrect and I can confirm that for this race we will definitely be having an amalgamated grid. The revised timetable as advised by BARC is a follows.
Scrutineering - 9.15am
Practice - 10.45
Race - 2.40pm.
Mallory Park can only start 30 cars and I can confirm that we will definitely be having split grids for that meeting.
Thruxton can start 38 cars and our race there on 11th October will definitely be an amalgamated grid.
Awards Dinner
As mentioned in my last Newsletter, this will take place at the usual venue near Cambridge on Saturday 21st November. Given the downturn in entry levels it’s likely that we’ll suffer a similar downturn in bookings but we need a minimum of 100 bookings to make it work so please do your
very best to join in what is always a really good evening. If you can recruit some friends and family then so much the better.
I look forward to seeing you all at Snetterton.
Jim
4th July 2009
Dear Competitor,
June has been a very busy month but the meetings at Oulton Park and Thruxton went well and we put on some really good racing. It’s highly unusual for us to have races on consecutive weekends but the offer of races at these two plum circuits was too good to turn down and I’d like to thank you for supporting these meetings. We now have a decent gap until Croft and the remaining meeting of the season are well spaced.
Congratulation go to Martin Wills, Lee Sullivan, Malcolm Hill and Ben Short for their wins at Oulton Park and to Lee, Stuart Plotnek and Nick Arden for their wins at Thruxton.
The only new lap record to be set at these meetings was at Oulton Park where Malcolm took a couple of tenths off my 2008 record.
Combined Grids
With entry levels dropping to 23 at Oulton and 33 at Thruxton, we have clearly made the correct decision to amalgamate the grids. Just about every driver I’ve spoken to understands and supports the reason for this. It’s always good to see a healthy grid of cars, at Thruxton we had by far the biggest grid of the day and were congratulated on that fact by the MG Car Club Championship co-ordinator.
Over recent years, we’ve been fortunate to have sufficient entries to warrant split grids and we will return to that format if and when the numbers increase. For now, we have to live with what we’ve got enjoy the racing.
I know only to well how frustrating it can be to get caught up in a battle with cars from other Classes but it has to be better than tootling around on your own. Motor-racing is all about beating the car in front and that’s what we have to do. If the car in front happens to be from another Class then so be it.
The decision to run single grid races for the rest of 2009 season and into 2010 is by no means final and we still have the option to run split grids if entry levels warrant it.
Track Etiquette
As with any level of Championship, we have a cross section of quick cars and slower cars with quick drivers and slower drivers. This always presents a few challenges but the same principles apply whether you’re in FI of MGOC in that a slower car must make way for a faster car and the Blue flag regulations are clear on this. Having said that, the faster cars don’t have an exclusive right to the track and are duty bound to give the slower cars enough room when passing them.
Most situations can be dealt with by being aware of what is going on around you and by treating your fellow drivers with due respect. The slower drivers must give room to the faster drivers and, conversely, the faster drivers must exercise due car when overtaking or lapping a slower car. I’ve been racing long enough to know that it’s sometimes not quite that easy but it’s something that we all have to deal with.
Thankfully, incidents between faster and slower cars during lapping are rare but, as with all on-track incidents, they avoidable and it is up to each and every driver to deal with such situations in a safe and considerate manner.
This is not meant as a criticism of any driver (fast or slow !!) and I hope you won’t take it as such. It’s just feel that I have to make the point so that every driver understands what is expected.
Croft
I know it’s a long way for most (not all !!) drivers but this is a fantastic track and presents a real challenge. We have two 12 lap races with an amalgamated grid and I’d strongly recommend that you do your very best to go to this meeting, you’ll enjoy it.
The race timetable is really good with Scrutineering at 10.30am and Race 1 at 4.40pm on Saturday. The race on Sunday is at 1.50pm so we can all be heading back down the A1 in good time.
Awards Dinner
A date for your diary. This will take place at the usual venue near Cambridge on Saturday (JULIE – PLEASE ADD DATE). With the downturn in entries this year and the general economic situation, it’s going to be even more of a struggle than usual to reach the required 100 bookings so please do your best to support this Club event. I will be asking around the Paddock at Croft and Snetterton as to whether you plan to come to the Awards Dinner and how many guests you will be bringing so please give it some thought before then.
Points Table
The MGOC championship points tables as shown on the BARC website now appear to be correct and a copy is attached for your information. There is one error in that I should be on 121 points as I got fastest lap in Round 4 at Snetterton, please check your own scores and let me know if there are any errors.
I look forward to seeing you all the Croft.
Jim
2nd June 2009
Dear Competitor,
The Brands Hatch meeting went really well and everyone commented on what a good meeting it was. Our friends at MG Car Club put on an excellent meeting and I have written to them thanking them for inviting us and for making us all so welcome. I know that they were very pleased with our races and the conduct and enthusiasm of MGOC competitors and I will be talking to them later in the year to see if we can join them on some of their prestigious meetings next season.
The entries didn’t quite reach the required levels and I made a hefty personal loss on the finances of the meeting. We were just unlucky with the entries, a good number of drivers really wanted to do the meeting but had to back out for very good and valid reasons. It was a bit disappointing but I fully understand that times are hard at the moment and I’m just happy that those of you that did enter the races had such a good time and I’d like to thank you for your support.
The Class F races were superb. Stuart won Race 1 and set a new lap record after a great dice with Martin. Martin lead Race 2 until he spun off on lap 19 but he regained the lead on the last lap to take a well deserved win.
I was delighted to continue my good record at Brands with two wins. My job was made somewhat easier when a start line melee in Race 1 delayed Paul and gave me a comfortable lead by the end of the first lap. It would surely have been more difficult if Malcolm hadn’t suffered yet more bad luck when his gearbox expired in Practice, he missed Race 1 and worked through Saturday night and Sunday morning to fit a spare gearbox only to retire from the Sunday race with a serious transmission vibration. I know that Malcolm would like to record his thanks to Paul and others who helped out in removing the engine and fitting the replacement box, sadly all to no avail.
Class Z saw Gary and Lee having two quite incredible races. Lee had to adopt defensive tactics to hold of Gary and take a hard earned win in Race 1. Nick surprised everyone, including himself I suspect, by taking an early lead in Race 2 but Lee and Gary soon got past and had another amazing scrap with Gary getting alongside Lee at Paddock Hill Bend and taking the lead on the run into Druids.
Ben took two Class B wins but both races were disappointing. Paul retired from Race 1 with a wheel bearing failure. Race 2 was even worse when the Monty left the track exiting Clearways and hit the barriers hard causing serious damage. I didn’t see the incident and thus will not comment on what happened other than to say it was hugely disappointing for everyone and took the edge off what had been a great show by MGOC. I just hope that Paul and Ben can shake hands and move on with the high quality racing they’ve given us in the past.
Points Tables
With BARC seemingly struggling on a number of fronts this year, Mark Baker has kindly assumed the role of MGOC points scorer and the latest points table is attached. Please note that the points shown have not been formally approved by BARC and therefore remain Provisional. If anyone thinks there are any errors in the tables, please contact as soon as possible.
Amalgamated Grids
In view of the disappointing entry levels in Class B/Z, we will be running amalgamated grids at the Oulton, Thruxton and Croft meetings. Every driver I’ve spoken to has accepted this on the basis that it’s far more fun to race with a full grid, I thank you for your support in this.
The following notes define what is a well laid down procedure for accepting entries
The circuits are licenced to start a defined number of cars in a race, this being 32 at Oulton, 38 at Thruxton and 36 at Croft.
Entries will be accepted in order of the date received at BARC offices up to the maximum as detailed above. A further 6 entries will be accepted, these will be nominated as Reserves nos. 1 to 6 and will be allowed to go out in the main Practice session.
In the event that any cars with confirmed entries can’t make the Race (eg. major problems in practice) , Reserves will be called up for the race in order of their Reserve number not by lap times set in Practice. Reserves must start from the back of the grid irrespective of their Practice times.
Anyone nominated as a Reserve at Thruxton and doesn’t make the main race will get an automatic entry into the Invitation race ie. everyone who enters will get a race. There is no Invitation races at Oulton or Croft and anyone nominated as a Reserve who doesn’t get a race will get a partial refund from BARC.
I must make it clear that but entries will be accepted strictly in order of the date of receipt at BARC offices and it is clearly down to you to get your entries in as soon as possible.
Thruxton
The race slot left by us amalgamating the Classes will be taken by an Invitation Sports/Saloon car race, this will be open to all MGOC Classes and other MG and Classic sportscars entered at the meeting. Enclosed is a revised entry form showing the Invitation race, this shows that the entry fee for this race will be a £180 or a paltry £100 if it is your second race of the day. The entry form does state that the entry fee of £100 applies if only it’s your second race of the day “with the same car “. BARC have agreed to delete the “with the same car” condition as there may be some drivers who want to swap cars with other drivers. This will be done by a simple “change of driver” notification at signing-on on the day.
This is a great opportunity to have another no-pressure race on this wonderful circuit and for Novices to get two licence signatures. I realise that money is tight at the moment but please do your best to support MGOC and BARC by entering this race.
If anyone has any questions or queries on the format for Oulton or Thruxton, please call me on 07971 149505 or email jimbaynam@freenet.co.uk
I look forward to seeing you all at Oulton.
Jim
13th May 2009
Dear Competitor,
Snetterton is a circuit where we have traditionally has good grids and with a Double-header meeting on one day I saw it as a benchmark for the rest of the season. Once again, we had a good entry of 23 cars for Class A./F but a pretty dismal 8 cars turned up for Class B/Z. Despite the poor entry levels, there was a good buzz around the Paddock and everyone seemed to be having a good time on what was a lovely sunny Spring day.
With one or two notable exceptions, the racing was fairly unspectacular but congratulations go to Malcolm Hill, Paul Eales, Martin Wills, Paul Haylett, Nick Arden and Lee Sullivan for their wins.
I enjoyed getting my first win of the season in Class A, this was made a bit easier when Malcolm retired with a broken drive shaft. Malcolm took the win in race 2 after I suffered a similar drive shaft failure. It wasn’t a good day for MGB drive shafts !!.
It’s easy to get demoralised with small grids but there are always positives to be taken and it was good to see a good number of Novices out on track and enjoying the day. Julian Howe was having his first run out in his newly acquired MGF, he had a few problems and it was heartening to see so many experienced drivers offering advice and assistance. As long as this spirit stays with us we’ll always have a good Championship.
Lets not forget that there are many Championships out there who would love to have 30+ entries for their races. It looks bad for us simply because we have split grids at every meeting. Times are hard for a lot of you guys and we just have to be realistic with our expectations.
Brands Hatch
At the time of writing we’re still well short of the magic break even figure of 38 cars. Entries are beginning to come in and I’m sure that we’ll get the required number but please get your entries off to MGCC as soon as possible to save me getting more grey hairs. I can hardly believe that we’ll be struggling to get a total of 38 cars for such an excellent meeting.
Future Races
I had a meeting with Ian Watson of BARC on Sunday to discuss what to do with our remaining races given the shortage of entries this year. We have agreed the following.
For the meeting at Thruxton on 28th June we will be amalgamating all four Classes together into one race. Thruxton can Practice 44 cars with 38 able to start the race with the remainder being nominated as Reserves. If any nominated Reserves don’t make the main race, they will go straight into the Invitation race so everyone is guaranteed a race. We will advise the entry selection procedure in the post-Brands newsletter but, in principal, entries will be accepted in order of date of receipt at BARC offices. There will be room for everyone but get your entries in early to make sure of a slot on the Championship race grid.
The spare race slot will be taken by a non-Championship MG Invitation race, this will be open to any 4 cylinder MG on List 1b tyres ie. no slicks. Drivers will not have to be MGOC or BARC members. BARC will be offering this second race at a reduced entry fee and I hope that you will take the opportunity to have another race at this very special circuit.
We will also be amalgamating the grids for the double-header meeting at Croft meeting on 25/26th July. There will not be an Invitation race at this meeting and BARC will offer the spare race slots to another Championship.
The races at Mallory and Oulton will remain as split grids.
We will make a decision what to do with the final race of the season at Thruxton on 11th October nearer the time.
I’m sure that you’ll all understand the reasons for amalgamating the grids at Thruxton and Croft. From the feedback I’ve had from you it is pretty clear that you’d sooner have one big grid than two small ones, the racing will be good and a full grid of 38 cars at Thruxton will be a great spectacle.
Thanks for your continued support in these difficult times.
See you at Brands,
Jim
7th April 2009
Dear Competitor,
Silverstone wasn’t the most memorable day of my 29 years in the Championship with the lowest grid we’ve ver had for an opening race. While Class A/F dropped from 23 to a still pretty reasonable 20 following some late withdrawals and it there is plenty to be optimistic about as a number of regular drivers will be returning over the next month or so.
The Class B/Z was frankly awful with just 9 cars making the grid. I fully appreciate and understand why some of you couldn’t make the race but it is very disappointing to see so few cars out on what was a good season opener. Having said that, we now have 20 B/Z’s registered and there are a few more to come so let’s look to a brighter future.
Despite the small grids, there were some positives to be taken for the day. We had six new drivers out and I’d like to welcome Matthew Short (Ben’s dad) to Class B, Gareth Jones to Class F and Julian Howe, Phil Churchill, Koumis Tjiepras (forget Koumis, everyone calls him Gomez) and Paul Williams all out in Class A.
We may have had small grids but, as ever, the racing at the front of all four Classes was quite superb. Well done to Gary Smith, and Martin Wills for their wins and special congratulations must go to Paul Eales and Paul Haylett who at long last took their first Class wins. Well done to you all.
New lap records were set by Nick Arden, Stuart Plotnek and Lee Sullivan. I missed my own Class A lap record by four hundredths of a second.
Bad luck story of the day must go to Malcolm Hill, he had the engine on his MGB rebuilt over the winter but it ran the big ends after 10 laps of practice but he still managed to set a time almost half a second under my lap record. I had a cracking race with Paul but it would have been even better if Malcolm had been in the mix as well.
I called an informal drivers Meeting at lunchtime on Saturday to discuss a few relevant issues, I would summarise the pints discussed as follows.
Trophies
We have persuaded BARC not only to return to giving garlands to the winners instead of the horrible medals given last year but they will also be giving garlands to the Class winners. I don’t know of any other Club who do this so a big thank you goes to all at BARC for this gesture.
You will all be aware that we have lost our sponsorship money from Yokohama. This has given us a shortfall in our trophy budget and after a lot of thought and discussion we (Paul, Julie and me) have decided that we will not be giving trophies to the Class winners as they get the garland. We will however continue to give trophies (slightly larger ones than last year) to 2nd and 3rd as long as there are at least 5 starters in the Class,
When a driver wins his first ever race (Paul Eales and Paul Haylett last weekend) we will be giving a one off race winners trophy to commemorate that achievement.
I know this may be a disappointment to some of you but, like everyone else these days, we have to cut our cloth according to our income. I would take this opportunity to tell you that we spend almost £2,500 a year on trophies. This is 80% of our income !!.
18th February 2009
Dear Competitor,
2009 Championship Registration
The Championship Registration Form is on the final page of the Regs sent out a couple of weeks ago. When these are received at MGOC offices they are forwarded on the BARC who then formally register you as a Championship competitor.
BARC will only send out race entry forms out to those drivers actually registered for the 2009 Championship so if you want to receive race entry forms I’d suggest that you fill in the registration form and sent it to MGOC as soon as possible.
Race Numbers
In line with our established policy, drivers will retain the race number they had last year with the exception of Lee Sullivan who, as overall Champion, will run with no.1 and Stuart Plotnek will be allocated no. 1 in Class F. In the unlikely event that we have a race where all four Classes run in one race, some number s may have to be changed on the day to avoid duplication, in such a situation, Lee will remain entitled to no. 1.
New drivers will be allocated an available number by MGOC when they register.
2009 Sponsorship
The Managing Director of Yokohama UK called me last week to advise that Yokohama have withdrawn their sponsorship of all Club level Motorsport pending a restructuring of the Japanese parent company. They are frustrated and disappointed with this and hope that a new deal can be struck for 2010.
We are committed to using Yokohama tyres for the 2009 season but I will explore other avenues throughout the coming season. You may think that getting an alternative supplier would be pretty easy but I can assure that it’s no easy matter to find a supplier to provide a suitable tyre in all the required sizes.
Yokohama were a secondary sponsor but their financial input was critical to meeting the Championship budget. If anyone out there knows of a potential sponsor who could fill the void, please contact me.
I’d be pleased to receive emails with any thoughts, comments or suggestions you may have on the tyre subject.
Silverstone
You will have noted that this is a two-day meeting. BARC have confirmed that both MGOC races will be Practice and Race on the Saturday.
Test Day
As advised in my last Newsletter, we were unable to secure a suitable date and will therefore not be having a Test Day at Mallory this year. We have been invited to join in the Classic Sports Car Club Test Day at Snetterton on 19th March. A booking form is attached, I can confirm that MGOC drivers will pay the very reasonable CSCC Members rate of £95.
26th January 2009
Dear Competitor,
2009 Regulations
The 2009 Regs have finally been approved by MSA and a copy is attached. The final page of the Regs is the 2009 Championship Registration Form, please fill it in and send it back to MGOC as soon as possible.
2009 Race Dates
Rather as expected, the race dates have been changed slightly and we now have an additional one day double-header meeting at Snetterton on 10th May. I didn’t ask for this meeting, it was given to us as a “fait accompli” by BARC as they have to fill some grid spaces on the meeting that day. We were given a few options for the race format and, after talking it through with Paul and a few other regular drivers, we have decided to go for a double-header on the one day with the usual separate grids for A/F and B/Z. We’ve done this before and I’m sure it will be a busy and entertaining day.
The revised race calendar is as follows:
Round 1 : 4/5th April - Silverstone (National Circuit)
Rounds 2 and 3 : 18-19th April - Pembrey
Rounds 4 and 5 : 10th May - Snetterton
Rounds 6 and 7 : 30/31st May - Brands Hatch (Indy Circuit)
Round 8 : 20th June - Oulton Park
Round 9 : 28 June - Thruxton
Rounds 10 and 11 : 25/26th July - Croft
Round 12 : 8/9th August - Snetterton
Round 13 : 13th September - Mallory Park
Round 14 : 11th October - Thruxton
We’re now back up to 14 rounds as in 2008. I well remember that some drivers wanted to stay with 14 rounds, some wanted to drop to 12, some wanted more double-headers and some wanted less double-headers. This extra meeting may not be quite what you wanted but I’m sure you’ll support it.
I will miss not going to Cadwell but BARC just didn’t have a suitable date to fit in with the rest of the calendar. It’s always a surprise to me that Cadwell is usually rather poorly supported, last year we only managed 26 entries which was very disappointing. In contrast, we always get at least 40 cars entered for Thruxton. It’s not hard to see which is the more popular circuit with the majority of the drivers.
Our 2009 programme is as good as we’ve ever had and I’d personally like to thank Dale and Ian at BARC for giving us a set of race dates that will be envied by many other Championships. I’d also take this opportunity to thank the many drivers who have contacted me to say what an excellent race programme we have.
If any of you have any queries about the 2009 dates or need any information about any other matter relating to the 2009 season, please email me at jimbaynam@freenet.co.uk or call me anytime on 07971 149505
Test Day
I spoke to Mallory back in November but, even then, the only date they could offer us was 5th March. I guessed this would be too early but did make a provisional booking pending confirmation of our race dates. With Silverstone now confirmed as 4/5th April (still not sure which day) I tried to arrange a later date with Mallory but to no avail and as a result of this, we will not be going to Mallory this year.
To be brutally honest, for the past couple of years we have only had 30 or so bookings from MGOC drivers. This gives us less than half the break even figure and it’s a real hassle chasing around other Championships to get drivers on board to make up the numbers.
We have been invited to join in the Classic Sports Car Club Test Day at Snetterton on 19th March. I appreciate this may not suit some of you but it’s a welcome offer at less than we would have to charge for Mallory. A booking form is attached, I can confirm that MGOC drivers will pay the CSCC Members rate of £95.
MGF and MGZR Brake Pads
Attached is a note from Kevin Bull regarding the availability of MGF and MGZR brake pads. I’d suggest you contact Kevin for an update on the situation
Lap Records
Attached is a list of lap records updated to the end on 2008. If anyone has a query on any of these, please contact me.
As I’ve mentioned a number of times over the winter, I feel really optimistic about the 2009 Championship. We have a superb race programme and with a number of new cars coming out and some ex drivers returning to the fray, please continue to spread the word for what is going to be an excellent years racing.
I look forward to seeing you all soon.
Jim
To all MGF and MGZR drivers from Kevin Bull
You should all be aware of some fairly important information that I have received about Mintex brake pads. I have some very reliable contacts at Mintex Racing from the days of my involvement with Britcar and the 24 hour races and I guarantee this information is factually correct. At the moment they are no longer able to produce the M1177 compound brake pads that most people use in MGF’s and MG ZR’s. Apparently there is a vital ingredient that has to go into the mix that produces the compound that they are unable to source and this means that they can no longer produce this compound of pad.
As I said, I know the majority of MGF’s and MG ZR’s currently use this compound of brake pad, especially in the front brakes and this will obviously have an effect on anyone that uses these pads. Mintex have unofficially told me that they are working on trying to produce a very similarly priced & specification pad but this will be a long term fix and in the short term there will be some big availability issues. They are able to offer a similar specification pad, the F4 compound, but they are much more expensive to produce due to a completely different manufacturing process and anyone ordering these can expect at least a 6 week delay from when they are ordered.
Mintex themselves have no stock at all of M1177 pads for either MGF or MG ZR. I know Brown & Gammons have no stock of MGF pads but some limited stock of MG ZR front pads and I have some stock on the shelf of MGF and MG ZR front pads. The alternative for anyone that cannot get Mintex pads would have to be EBC and I know that some competitors are not keen on using these as they do not seem to produce the same consistent results as Mintex.
Obviously at this stage of the season most people are expecting to be able to pick up the phone in a few weeks and order their pads as normal and could suddenly find themselves in a very difficult position so I was wondering if you could pass this information on via email or newsletter to make sure that everyone knows the score. I would strongly recommend all MGF and ZR competitors who use Mintex brake pads should get sorted with some ASAP before the limited stocks that are left run out. MG Car Club regulations force their competitors to use the Mintex pads so MGCC runners will be snapping up what is left very soon if the MGOC guys don’t get in first.
As I said, I do have some limited stock of pads. I will do what I can to make sure that anyone in MGOC who needs some can have a set at a sensible price. If anyone needs to contact me about this, please contact me on 07900 085701.
Regards to all,
Kevin
KB Automotive
Unit 7
Grove Farm
Wormingford
Essex
CO6 3AJ
01206 242492
email kevin@kb-automotive.co.uk