FERRARICOMPETITIONRESULTS
CompRes
25th ANNIVERSARY OF THE MARANELLO FERRARI CHALLENGE
ISSUE 058 SEPTEMBER 2010
CompRes Chevy Chase, Leeds Road, Selby, North Yorkshire YO8 4JH T: +44 (0) 1757-702 053 F: +44 (0) 1757-290 547 E: cs.man@btinternet.com
CompRes is available by subscription and is published 10 times a year for the FERRARI OWNERS’ CLUB
FERRARICOMPETITIONRESULTS A SMALL ISSUE Readers will have spotted that this issue of CompRes is far less bulky than usual. Following last month’s weighty edition you may have thought that we have, in modern parlance, produced a CompResLite version. The fact is that September was a quiet month for Ferrari competition. There were no PFfc or PFO races and just one round of the PFHC hillclimb Championship – at Shelsley Walsh and reported in this issue. With some space to spare, we have been able to include some material from the archives, as explained elsewhere.
25th ANNIVERSARY This year is the 25th Anniversary of the Club’s original race Championship, the Maranello Ferrari Challenge. Back in 1986, on Sunday, 25th May, the very first round of the new series got off the ground at Mallory Park. An encouraging number of 23 drivers took part in that first race, with a diverse selection of Ferrari tipos, bundled into five competition classes, pounding round the tight Leicestershire track. The series was enthusiastically supported by Col Ronnie Hoare, who arranged for Maranellos to provide hospitality at each race meeting. Tony Worswick, then one of the country’s foremost rally drivers, took the chequered flag driving his lightweight 308GTB. Tony’s Ferrari looked far more professional than the other cars taking part, with its bright yellow livery sporting lots of advertising for Demon Tweeks, Sealink and
Michelin (we didn’t have Pirelli on our side in those days!). The rest of us rapidly realised we needed to raise our game if we were to try to keep up with Mr Worswick! Following Mallory, the Maranello circus visited Donington Park (long circuit), Oulton Park, Donington Park again, but this time the shorter track, Castle Combe and Thruxton. At all these circuits the grids were exceptionally high, with 27 cars usually taking part. And at the end of that first season it was Tony Worswick who became our first champion. In 1986 our Club’s competition scene was covered by a newsletter called ‘Competition News Spot’ which your current scribe used to hammer out on an old typewriter each month. There were no photographs and the reports were confined to the results and a brief synopsis of the action. Competition News Spot developed into the long-running Ferrari Competition News a couple of years later when your editor discovered the advantages of an Amstrad computer over the typewriter, and some smudgy graphics were included. Thanks to CHRISTIAN MINEEFF, at that time heavily disguised under the pseudonym of ‘John Chester’ (I never found out why he chose that name) we are able to look back in the Club’s annals to find a report on the Mallory Park race, an account that appeared in the 1986 Winter edition of Ferrari magazine. Just for fun, and to bring back memories for all those drivers who took part in that first season of Maranello Ferrari
Challenge, we are reprinting Christian’s report in this issue. And to add to the nostalgia, we have reproduced on this edition’s cover, the 1986 cover of Ferrari magazine.
PIRELLI I am delighted to formally announce that Pirelli Tyres have agreed to sponsor our three Ferrari series in 2011: the Pirelli Ferrari formula classic, the Pirelli Ferrari Open, and the Pirelli Ferrari Hillclimb Championship. For many years we have enjoyed a close and friendly relationship with Italy’s leading tyre manufacturer, and we like to think that the link to the producer of Italy’s finest sportscars is a completely natural one. It is rather like pairing salt with pepper, fish with chips, or better perhaps, Marilyn Monroe with diamonds. I believe I speak for all Ferrari competitors when I say that we are not only immensely grateful for Pirelli’s continuing support but proud to have their logo on our cars. Despite the difficult economic situation, 2010 has been a hugely successful season for all three of our competition series. We have perhaps seen more Ferraris and drivers on the circuits and hills than ever before which speaks volumes for the competitive spirit of a significant number of members of our Club. We are already planning next year’s programme of events and Pirelli’s continuing involvement enables us to do this with confidence.
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END OF SEASON DINNER Last month we included full details and ticket application forms for the Racers End of Season Dinner at Pendley Manor Hotel, Tring, in Hertfordshire, on Saturday, 20th November. We advised you to book early to make sure you didn’t miss what promises to be a memorable party, not least because many of those anciens pilotes who took part in the first season of the Club’s Maranello Ferrari Challenge twenty-five years ago will be coming along to celebrate. With only a few weeks now to go, please make sure that you have completed the paperwork and sent it off to the Club office. We want to see everyone who has been involved with the hugely successful 2010 Ferrari racing.
A GRAND DAY OUT Competitors in our 2009 race series will recall that at the End of Season Dinner last year Anne and I were presented with some staggering gifts, and among them were two tickets for the 2010 Goodwood Revival, that unique showcase of historic circuit racing with the added twist of being enacted in period costume. Competitors’ generosity even extended to a splendid Bladen sports jacket which, as I said at the time, fitted me perfectly.
The Swiftys at Goodwood, having no difficulty at all in transporting themselves back to the 1960s.
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So, armed with our tickets and, we hoped, dressed to look like 1960s gadabouts, we pointed the F355 southwards and headed for Goodwood to savour this great event.
it was also evident that if you don’t own the race car yourself, as was the case with many of the drivers, the odd bash with another car or a pirouette into the barriers was of little concern. We came away having been thoroughly entertained throughout the day, and can’t thank enough all those who contributed to our Grand Day Out.
ENTRANT LICENCES
Looking absolutely spiffing at the Revival meeting were Shirley and Nigel Chiltern-Hunt. We’ve never before seen so many medals . . .
Although we had previously sampled the earlier Goodwood Festival of Speed, this was the first time we had attended the Revival. And what an eye opener it was! We hadn’t quite anticipated the enormous crowds, so although we had made an early start from a local hostelry we spent the best part of an hour in a long traffic jam before we finally made it to the car park. I won’t attempt to report on our day’s outing other than to say we were gob smacked throughout. Trying to watch the racing itself wasn’t easy with so many other attractions vying for our attention. However, we did manage to take in a few races from the luxury of our seats in the grandstand overlooking Woodcote corner. We were impressed by the closeness of the racing and the sheer exuberance of the drivers, many of whom were household names from the past. It was incredible how quick some of the seemingly innocuous looking saloon cars were, many of them sounding like F1 cars which rather gave the game away. And
There seems to be a misunderstanding among some competitors regarding the role of Entrant in connection with race entries. From time to time we receive race entry forms from drivers which specify the name of an entrant other than that of the driver. The adjacent box which asks for the Entrant’s Licence Number is invariably left blank – usually because the specified ‘entrant’ doesn’t have one. The requirements and responsibilities of Entrants are covered in detail in the MSA Blue Book. On page 128 of the 2010 version, it states that ‘An Entrant shall bear the prime responsibility for the compliance with the Regulations by all persons connected with an entry.’ Further definition of the Entrant’s quite formidable responsibilities are listed on page 139 (section 32) of the Blue Book. So, when competitors elect to nominate an entrant, they should consider very carefully whether ‘Joe’s Ice Cream Parlour’ is really able to fulfil the MSA’s requirements on responsibility and, furthermore, whether they have the necessary Entrant’s Licence. If the answer to either question is ‘no’ then it may be better for competitors to indicate that the driver is also the official entrant.
BRITISH GT SUCCESS Many congratulations to Pirelli Maranello Ferrari Challenge ‘old boy’ DAVID ASHBURN, who has become the 2010 British GT Champion. David, helped by co-driver
Glynn Geddie, collected the title at the penultimate round of the championship, at Brands Hatch on 26 September. The car David drove to distinction this season was a GT3 Porsche 997. David was a regular competitor in PMFC from 1998 to 2001 – initially driving a F355 in Class ‘O’ and then, in his last season with us, a Challenge car in Class ‘C’. Indeed, in his final year he entrusted his well-known earlier car, with its distinctive Blushes Café Bar livery, to your scribe for a few races at Nürburgring and Snetterton. It is always great to see our drivers achieving success in other series, and winning British GT is one of the ultimate goals for UK sportscar competitors. Well done!
WITT GAMSKI’S 24-HOUR VICTORY We are delighted to heap more words of congratulation on another ‘old boy’ from the PMFC Championship. WITT GAMSKI, a previous regular competitor in our Ferrari series, was the winner, along with his team of drivers, of the Britcar 24-Hour event at Silverstone at the beginning of October. Witt’s winning car was his trusty Ferrari 430GTC which has an unrivalled list of successes this season in Britcar racing. His MJC team of drivers also included his regular co-driver, Keith Robinson, along with Phil Dryburgh and John Gaw. Witt penned a few words about this exciting race which I reproduce here:
3 Litres of Oil and a Windscreen Wiper Blade! That was all we added and changed on the car throughout the gruelling 2010 Britcar 24hr race at Silverstone. I will attempt to put into words all the emotions, hard work and everything it took to get to the event and ultimately win the race.
Witt Gamski’s victorious 430GTC
I received a telephone call from Keith on the morning of Tuesday, 21st September advising me that I will receive another telephone call from John Gaw. Okay, an hour or so later John calls, asking me if we want to enter the Britcar 24hr race which was to take place in ten days time. Well, at first my reply was ‘no’ - not enough time to prepare amongst other things. By the end of that same day, we decided to go for it. Panic stations. Neil Cooke threatened to leave the country, Darren Handley went silent, Peter Livesey just smiled and shouted ‘YES’. Cristiano Michelotto tells us we are absolutely crazy, although he said 'I love crazy' and gave us all the possible advice he could to get us to the race. Cristiano also sent us a small package containing minor parts he felt were necessary for reliability, these being front light brackets, accelerator cable, and oil filters. Also, his strict advice to our crew was ' stop talking and get to work on the car!' They did just that and the car was ready for the Thursday 30th September testing. And, very importantly, we had to postpone Agi’s (my wife) mums birthday party after all the arrangements were made. Luckily, they are both great fans and I didn't get into trouble!
On Thursday morning, John Gaw, Phil Dryburgh, Keith Robinson, Sam, crew and friends were at Silverstone. None of us had a clue what we had just started. We have never competed in a 24hr race before and weren’t very sure what was to come. Probably a good thing. John and Phil had never driven the 430GT2 before but by the end of the day they were very comfortable behind the wheel and showing very good times - to be honest far better than any of us expected with such a short time in the driving seat, in not very hospitable track conditions. Fantastic! The Friday daytime qualifying session went well, again in damp conditions; the night session was also what we expected. We landed the car 7th for the start. Saturday warm up and the track was dry and very enjoyable. 3rd quickest. Okay, ready to go. The lights went out and the race began. I was the usual starter. From this moment, all the nerves, anxiety, panic and everything else were forgotten; the race was the only thing on my mind. I got the Ferrari up to 5th position by the first pit stop, Phil got in the car and was on his way. He regained the position following the pit stop, brought
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John Gaw in the MJC Ferrari takes the chequered flag just 55 seconds ahead after 24 hours.
It became a 16 hour sprint race, simply unbelievable. We decided that Keith and John were the ones to be able to take the fight to the Porsche to the finish albeit 2nd place looked more and more of a reality. Don't forget we had suffered two 1 lap penalties. Together with their professional drivers and crew, the JetAlliance team are not new to this game and their Porsche was prepared beautifully. JetAlliance were copying all our moves: pit stops, tyres , etc. However, they didn't realise that we were doing the same, keeping a close eye on their tactics. The final hour of the race was amazing, John got ahead and kept the Porsche a controlled distance behind, right up to the chequered flag. What a finish! A 24hr race with GT cars decided by a margin of 55 seconds. It may be a very long time, or if ever, that this sort of result and race will be repeated. My unreserved gratitude goes to all the team, family and friends who made this possible. Their support was outstanding. Everybody involved showed total passion and commitment which can only be described as amazing. And of course the car, our Ferrari performed like no other. What a machine!
the car back in great shape (by occasional changes at the lead, the way, Phil has eyes like a cat ) went on until 16.30 Sunday! and ready for Keith to take over. This was the most stressful It was an amazing stint by Phil on time we have ever had in racing. slicks in the wet. Keith did his stint as the weather deteriorated, keeping fantastic pace. Again, he brought the car back for John, same again with a fantastic performance. I must mention that Keith was behind the safety car for more than 2 hours. This must have been so demoralising: just imagine, cold, dark, raining, foggy, tired, adrenaline not there to help out. I think it was at around 11pm or so that the sheer enormity of the challenge began to dawn on me. My God, this is going to be one of the hardest tasks I have ever been involved in and, at my age, not easy! Looking at the leader board, it was clear that the JetAlliance Porsche was the car to worry about. By around 12.30am the Porsche was in the lead with us following very closely in second. Now, this It was a very damp finish for Witt on the podium. configuration, with the
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The Maranello Ferrari Challenge 1986 When you reflect upon it, it was quite a brave step back in 1985 to try to get a Ferrari-only Series off the ground for 1986. Historically FOC members have shown breathtaking timidity in bringing their little babies on to a race track – the traditional Donington fixture would normally muster a motley bunch of about 20 Ferraris but the Castle Combe event last year brought out but 8 starters. Even the Ferrari classes at hillclimbs and sprints were a little thinly populated when you consider how many Ferraris there are in this country. Nevertheless, there appeared to be a considerable core of competitive drivers upon whom a new series could be based. Jogged along by various encouragements, John Swift, the competitions coordinator, finally chanced his arm and rang around the circuits to see if there was any interest in a Ferrari series. The response was encouraging and it was decided to take the plunge. In addition to the traditional Donington, Zandvoort and Castle Combe fixtures further races were added at Mallory Park, Oulton Park and Thruxton. Oulton was, of course, an old friend since a number of Ferrari drivers had already taken part in the various relays and Cheshire Cats events over the past years. The potentially prickly subject of regulations for the new series was neatly side-stepped by opening the events to all roadgoing Ferraris and they were divided into 5 classes. Regulations were few and far between: there was a halfhearted attempt at insisting upon MOT certificates but this soon dropped into disuse and the only real casualty throughout the year was when David Piper tried to enter his 250LM on the basis that it was a road-registered car. This application, however, was turned down by the adjudicating committee.
This story, penned by ‘John Chester’ (the pseudonym at that time of CHRISTIAN MINEEFF) appeared in the Winter edition of the Club’s Ferrari magazine. It tells how the Maranello series got off the ground and something about the very first race, at Mallory Park on Sunday 25th May 1986. In essence, it was a free forall as far as the modifications were concerned and it was quite awesome to watch the multiplicity of go-faster bits which appeared as the season progressed, some of them finely engineered but others about as useless as an ashtray on a motorbike. In the heady days of 1984/85, when most Ferrari racers were largely standard and only some determined individuals tried to make their cars go faster, we were not used to such levels of competitiveness. This trend continued throughout the year and some frightening stories were soon circulating about the special light-weight cars with titanium chassis’, aluminium bodies, Kevlar panels and engines with fearsome power outputs. The nail-biting over the winter of 1985/86 was soon over as nearly 50 people registered themselves and their cars for the Series. The spread of tipos was not too bad, although heavily slanted in favour of various sorts of 308s. Some Boxers and Dinos were also registered but the V-12 category, surely the essence of all Ferrari motoring, could only attract a small handful of enthusiasts. The championship points system did not help in this regard. Points were only going to
be awarded on the basis of overall positions within the race which gave no chance to those with Dinos or V-12s. There seemed little point in having separate classes when class positions did not count for the championship like they do in every other RAC registered series. A bit daft, that. As far as the drivers were concerned, most of the usual stalwarts had entered, including Swift, Bott, Simpson, Crowther, Owen-Jones and numerous others who were familiar names to Ferrari race-goers. Worried frowns appeared when it also became apparent that some heavyweight car/driver combinations were intending to take part. The most fearsome was, of course, Tony Worswick who had not taken part in any Ferrari races before but who had a significant reputation in the world of international rallying with a highly developed 308GTB. Nick Harvey was at last entered in a competitive car, a 308GTB which was progressively modified during the year by Bob Houghton and which towards the end became the front-running combination. The thundering Boxer of the Millard brothers caused some nervous looks and the other quick flat 12s were entered for Mike Vickery and Robbie Stirling. The much fancied HRD team had entered a vast selection of cars ranging from Dino to Testarossa but the most potent combinations looked like being Frank Bott in the horrible green Bottmobile otherwise known as a 308GT. The preparation of this car was in the hands of DK Engineering. The Dutch contingent brought further palpitations into the hearts of the British stalwarts by entering a number of their more competitive drivers led undoubtedly by Henk Koel in his potent Michelotto-prepared
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Some of the cars at the start of the first race in the Maranello Series at Mallory Park. From front to back: Frank Bott (308GT4), John Swift (308GTB), Peter Collard (308GTB), Jeff Simpson (Dino 245GT), Mike Kleinsteuber (308GT4), Tim Blackburn (308GT4), Elwynne Owen-Jones (Dino 246GT), John Anderson (308GTB), Hans Schörn (308GTS), Mike Macquaker (250GT/L), Hew Dundas (Dino 246GT), Stephen Crowther (308GTB), Mark Junner (308GTB), Richard Chester (330GTC).
308GTB. Further Dutch assistance was to come from Hans Schörn in an obviously expensively prepared but odd looking 308GTS, Kjeld Jessen in his ex-Koel 308GTB and also Rob Grootveld and Nico Koel in their respective Boxers. The little Dinos were going to be led by Elwynne Owen-Jones and Jeff Simpson and the V-12s likewise had an obvious frontrunner in Mike Macquaker’s extensively modified and lightened 250Lusso/LMB concoction. It looked a healthy situation. Maranello Concessionaires agreed to let the series run under their overall name and they also provided a generous fund for the end-of-season trophies. In addition to this and to provide
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some much needed hostelry at all the races, the local Ferrari dealers were invited to add their support by providing hospitality units not only for the racers themselves but also for the many hangers-on and door-darkeners who appear with them. The scene looked set and it soon became time for the first of the races.
Mallory Park: 25th May Mallory has few attractions to anyone, let alone when it is cold, blowing a gale and a small Club meeting, and so it proved for the first round of the Challenge Series when a fairly trepidatious bunch of drivers appeared to see what the form for 1986 was going to be.
The entry was good with 23 cars appearing for practice. This, however, was an affair dominated by a fierce yellow 308GTB driven by someone who was not exactly a household word in FOC circles: Tony Worswick. He immediately showed class and experience by blasting round at a most frightening pace to record easily the quickest qualifying time. Second quickest, but some way behind, was young Nick Harvey and the third was another of the expected front-runners, Mike Vickery in his fairly extensively modified 365BB. Malcolm Little maintained the form he had shown towards the end of 1985 and was fourth quickest, ahead of Robbie Stirling, Frank Bott and John Swift. It was surprising to see the latter so relatively far
back on the grid but it just went to show how much of a leap the others had taken forwards in terms of car preparation and modifications. It was not that long ago that John Swift’s car was considered to be the state of the art as far as the modified cars were concerned. The race itself ran true to form with Tony Worswick thundering into an immediate lead that he was never to lose until the finish. Nick Harvey chased a little too hard and caused everyone a heartstopping moment by spinning on his second lap in front of everyone else. Much eye closing and avoiding action was seen to be taking place and Nick had to start a long chase to fourth place, his drive being one of the high
points of the race. Mike Vickery was therefore left a distant second, closely followed by a surprisingly quick Malcolm Little. After Nick Harvey came a tight bunch of cars consisting of Stirling, Grootveld, Bott and Swift. Amongst the tiddlers, Jeff Simpson had an easy win after Elwynne Owen-Jones retired with severe over-heating problems. The only V-12 which started was that of Mike Macquaker and he finished in a conservative 14th place. As always after the first race of the season there was much talk and analysis of the various performances in the Paddock afterwards, some of it considerably aided by the wine that was provided in the
hospitality suite laid on by Graypaul Motor. Tony Worswick had clearly brought a new dimension into the previously cosy world of Ferrari racing and it was thought that few if any would be in a position to challenge him as the season progressed. Nick Harvey, even at that time, seemed the brightest prospect but his car was clearly not yet in the same league. Nothing, however, that Bob Houghton and money cannot cure.
MALLORY PARK: MARANELLO FERRARI CHALLENGE RACE Sunday 25 May 1986 10 Laps Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 DNF DNF NS
No 32 43 5 38 42 3 20 11 23 1 6 8 28 9 10 46 36 31 27 17 12 19 25
Driver
Tipo
Tony Worswick Mike Vickery Malcolm Little Nick Harvey Robbie Stirling Rob Grootveld Frank Bott John Swift Peter Collard Jeff Simpson Tim Blackburn Mike Kleinsteuber Stephen Crowther Mike Macquaker John Anderson Hew Dundas Clive Joy Mark Junner Richard Chester Robert Berman Hans SchĂśrn Elwynne Owen-Jones Andrew Berman
308GTB 365BB 308GTb 308GTB 512BB 512BB 308GT4 308GTB 308GTB 246GT 308GT4 308GT4 308GTB 250GT/L 308GTB 246GT 246GTS 308GTB 330GTC 308GTB 308GTS 246GT 400GT
Class
Time
Laps
2A 4 2A 2A 4 4 2B 2A 2A 1 2B 2B 2A 3 2A 1 1 2A 3 2A 2A 1 3
9:15.4 9:36.7 9:39.3 9:42.0 9:50.1 9:50.6 9:51.6 9:52.1 10:02.8 10:03.2 10:05.7 10:11.1 9:15.5 9:18.1 9:30.7 9:34.7 9:35.3 9:49.5 9:58.8 10:00.1
10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 6 5
Best lap 54.5 56.7 56.0 55.6 57.9 57.3 57.1 57.3 58.9 59.1 58.7 59.4 59.8 59.6 61.5 62.3 61.8 61.3 64.5 64.2 58.0 60.0
Qual
Pos
54.7 57.0 57.2 56.0 57.4 58.8 57.5 57.8 59.2 59.9 60.0 60.7 62.6 61.0 62.9 62.5 64.9 63.8 66.4 64.0 61.7 60.4 66.8
1 3 4 2 5 8 6 7 9 10 11 13 17 14 18 16 21 19 22 20 15 12 23
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RA’s HILLCOMMENT The Last Round Up is just a few days off as I write these notes, with Curborough the place for this, as it has been for many years at Midland Automobile Club’s final meeting of their own busy season. Such is the popularity of our Club’s Championship – and the venue too - that no less than 24 Ferraris are out for the day. This formidable entry sees the return of both Christian Mineeff and Mike Spicer in their 360 Modenas. There is sure to be some ferocious competition, even though this year’s Championship rests safely with Chris Butler. Richard Prior is also secure in second overall, with Nick Taylor looking comfortable in third. However, Nick could just be hauled in by Andrew Holman, but to do this Andrew needs the 20 points and Nick to slip down the scores somewhat. Sounds an impossible task, but as you know Holman is hot at Curborough and he will be going for it! The Prescott Picnic on Sunday 12 September was again a really terrific Club day out, with socialising, tyre kicking and, most importantly, our Ferraris zooming up the hill all day long without incident. The weather was agreeable and the hillclimbing fraternity were out in force with some car sharing going on. Chris Butler and Nick Taylor had this cunning ruse of turning up sans Ferrari and pulling sympathy drives. Unremarkably it was Andrew Holman who got in most track time; his distinctive yellow Ferrari must have done thirty or more runs, many with other PFHC drivers behind the wheel. Jon Goodwin used his splendid 250GT Lusso to great effect, busily giving rides to all and sundry. He took me up and although the four -speed Lusso, with unsuitable gearing, struggled out of the
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hairpins, the cornering speeds were amazing and the level of grip on old fashioned tyres quite remarkable. This relatively simple, small and light car works really well on the hills with Jon at the helm as we all have witnessed. Silverstone Arena GP - the new grand prix circuit that is, proved another very popular outing for many of us. The last Club Track Day of 2010 offered the chance to drive the latest circuit configuration, and it certainly provided some new experience with two very fast sweepers and a couple of very slow corners, the last one opening out into a fast left-hand sweep on to the old Club Straight. A very long circuit now and whilst it generally got the thumbs up, many people missed Bridge corner. A few of the hillclimbers were in action, perhaps the most notable being David Tomlin in his 512BB. Now we know David can work wonders at the wheel, but someone must have sorted his BB out a little. His progress through the corners was very quick and assured with none of the terminal final oversteer prevalent on these cars. This Boxer should go well on the hills, so he may be tempted. The whole day passed without any damage incidents and our Club insurers went away duly impressed – just as they had done at all our 2010 Track Days. The Classic Cup was a new innovation for the 2009 season and came about as a result of the changing tipo entry patterns. More and more F355s and other newer Ferraris were turning out whilst 308s and 328s, which had been the mainstay of the series for so many years, were dwindling. This seemed a great shame as we have always been
proud of the greatly varied selection of Ferraris competing. After some deliberation we came up with the Classic Cup idea to encourage the older cars. As you can see if you read on, this appears to be working and has added another dimension to the series. There is little doubt it can be developed some more the way things are going. Looks like ancient and modern should still be a feature of the PFHC for many years to come! John Marshall after blinding us with the latest and greatest this season has, as predicted, gone well back in time. He has acquired a 308GT4 - presently red although though he may go for a colour change. The car has a fascinating history, reputedly the third one built in 1973. The Ferrari was originally LHD and went to Saudi Arabia. It came to England in 1982, but by 1989 had deteriorated to kit form or a box of bits as they now say. At that point these GT4 bits were acquired by Club member Richard Chester, well known to many of us, for his son Nick to circuit race. I vaguely recall Richard and half the Chester family competing in the car at Harewood at that time. After the Chester ownership the history is bit vague, and John describes the GT4 thus: ‘The car is straight and appears rust free, but is fairly scruffy, the inside looking as if several cats have been sleeping in it!’ Anyway, as John says this will be a nice job for the winter and you can bet it will look great by the time it turns out for a PFHC meeting. Mike Spicer may presently have a 360 Modena but like John Marshall he has designs on the PFHC Classic Cup. After a hunt around he has come up with an early 1986-build 328GTB, red
with tan interior, 45,000 miles, but like the Marshall 308GT4 he says it is bit scruffy. He does not mention the cat count but plans a winter rebuild and maybe a respray as well if the vacuum cleaner will function again. This all sounds like a lot of fun and you can be sure these two senior competitors will keep Sean Doyle busy in the 2011 PFHC season! Jon Goodwin heard just recently from the Jersey fuzz, though no mention of Bergerac. Seems they were gathering evidence on some paedophile they had arrested. It turned out he had some quite harmless pictures in his camera of Jon’s accident with the 360 Spider at Bouley Bay. The police wanted
Jon to verify the date of the incident, which as you can imagine was not too difficult. It was Easter Monday, of course, and the year 2004. They turned up for Jon to sign a statement, but only in a Panda car - not a Triumph Roadster! Public Road Closures for motorsport are not uncommon in Europe and may even become a reality here. As some of us know from competing at Bouley Bay, closed public roads make for the most exciting motorsport, and it seems the bigger events have substantial economic benefits for the local area. To suspend traffic using a public highway at present requires an Act of Parliament. A petition is being raised to get a change in the law and is
supported by our MSA. This petition proposes that the Government should provide a mechanism to suspend the Road Traffic Act on any stretch of public highway on which an event is to be held. This sounds an interesting prospect for the future and we await developments. The Prizegiving Dinner is just a week or so away and I am currently busy organising all the different trophies for the evening. We are planning the usual PFHC Special Awards too, and all the other things that go on at this fitting finale to another great year of Ferrari hillclimbing and sprinting – I look forward to seeing you there.
Photo: Richard Prior
PIRELLI FERRARI HILLCLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP: ROUND 14 SHELSLEY WALSH 19th September 2010
Autumn Shelsley
R
OUND 14 in the Championship saw the drivers head back towards
Worcestershire for the penultimate round of the PFHC reports RICHARD PRIOR. The weather forecast predicted ‘mostly cloudy’ around the area for the one-day meeting at Shelsley Walsh, so sensibly I left
the Hillclimb Ez-Up at home for a change (giving me more free space for luggage in the passenger seat). Predictably, as I neared Birmingham I had to use the wipers to shift the ‘mostly cloudy’ which was now
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Photo: Richard Prior
Photo: Richard Prior
drizzling down on the F355’s windscreen. Fifteen drivers were entered, but we lost Wendy Ann Marshall before the meeting with a badly cracked windscreen on her 328, but gained Sergio Ransford, who got a last minute entry. Tracey Haynes (328 GTB) and Julian Playford (F355 GTB) were making their first appearances here and, although this was only Chris Butler’s second visit, he looked certain to be on the podium yet again. As per the usual quirky practice arrangements at Shelsley, you choose which batch you would like to be in; an early choice means you get to see the track at its greenest and slipperiest which is handy if you expected more rain for the afternoon, or nearer the lunch break when the surface would be at its driest. In typical hillclimbing style, most arranged to be together with their fellow drivers in closely matched batches to compare how their rivals were doing. First practice was taken carefully and the track was very green - literally - as the grass verges had recently been cut so keeping your distance from the track side was in order. The early batch runners were in the 40-second bracket, while the later ones of Prior, Butler and Tomlin were in the 35’s in their F355s. Nick Taylor was hot off the start line in the 348 GTC
Jeff Cooper produced his best ever performance in his 360 Modena.
(2.50 secs over 64ft) but recorded 36.45 at the top. Second practice saw improvements by most of the field. Sergio Ransford (308 GTB) increased his speed traps and reduced his time by 4.5 seconds, Julian Playford by 3.5 seconds, Jeff Cooper (360 Modena) and Pauline Goodwin (328 GTB) by almost 4 and Andrew Duncan had improved by almost 5 seconds in the 348 Competitzione. Fastest drive of the morning was now held by David Tomlin on 34.92, but Chris Butler was close on his heels with 35.17 and had a faster speed over the finish line. Andrew Holman (F355) and Taylor were also gaining on this leading pack. Most drivers sampled the smart new dining facilities at lunchtime, and during the breaks the ever helpful competitors were prompting Chris Butler with new baby names, taken mostly from automobiles and racing drivers. Ali, I Concentration. Bethany Doyle and Wendy Ann am sure, will be more Marshall engrossed in the action. selective when the
10 CompRes
time comes. Another bout of drizzle sloshed down while we were in the restaurant but when the official runs finally arrived it was starting to dry again on the track. Julian Playford made a fine debut and recorded his fastest run of the day with 42.01. Sean Doyle (308 GT4) was now enjoying the track and had beaten his handicap target during his first run of 38.84; another quick man was Andrew Duncan, improving by another half second, and Pauline Goodwin was now ahead of Sean and Sergio on 38.04. Holman was up by 2 seconds and his 35.82 now put him into contention with the leaders; Phil Whitehead was also in range with 36.09 seconds, Prior was there with 35.28, Tomlin was 7 hundredths ahead of him, and the final three drivers were in the 34-second bracket and just 0.35 secs covered them. Taylor was in third spot with 34.90, John Marshall had pushed the Scud to 34.71 but Chris Butler had jumped into the lead with his 34.56 run. With the conditions drying all the time the final runs were expected to be even closer. Sergio Ransford led the Ferrari
Photo: Richard Prior
Negotiating with the banks. Chris Butler took a fine third to complete a spectacular season of hillclimbing.
quickly recovered the car back to the paddock with the help of a low loader. Fortunately Andrew was unhurt and the assembled Ferrari drivers were out of the cars on the startline speculating what had happened while cement dust was scattered on any spilt fluids where the incident occurred. Phil Whitehead was the one held on the line and his ascent was 8 hundredths slower than before. Richard Prior was quicker by 0.12 of a second, although his split time was down on the approach to the cement dust, as was Nick Taylor’s on 34.92 seconds despite having the quickest 64ft time of the class with 2.35. Chris Butler pushed his F355 lead a little further with 34.42 seconds and 92 mph over the finish line but there were still two more runners left. Tomlin was running low on fuel as per his usual style, and had earlier borrowed some special priced Vpower from Pauline Goodwin, which obviously helped as he made it up in 34.25seconds and took over the lead. But it didn’t last for long as John Marshall stormed to the win in 32.98 seconds and 101 mph over the finish line. It was yet another new class record for the 430 Scuderia, just 5 hundredths quicker than his previous time in June 2009. We shall miss the spectacle of this awesome machine on the hills, but wish John well with his chosen car for next year. It will be a total contrast to the Scud with its electronic devices when he returns with a lovely 308 GT4 to relive the charm of the classic carburettor Ferrari. With the podium of Marshall, Tomlin and Butler, the points were then calculated to give 20 to David Tomlin for his final run, 17 points to Chris Butler and 15 for John Marshall.
class to the startline for the final Holman was now on a time and despite a slower 0-64ft mission for a podium place. His time had his best run of the day speed trap on the approach to with 38.39 seconds and took 9 the Esses was normal but, with points on PEP, and was ahead of very late braking, entered the his fierce rival, Tracey Haynes, midway split time much faster who also improved her midway than lesser mortals driving speed trap by later braking into F355s. The unfortunate the Esses and produced her best consequence of this meant the time of 40.09 seconds, which front wheels wouldn’t turn into gave her the handicap win by the corner and, suffering dreadful beating her target by 1.41 understeer, came into contact seconds and snatching it away with the grass bank on the far from Sean Doyle, who bettered side of the corner. The red flags his earlier run by just 2/100ths of came out and the marshals a second. Colin Campbell also sorted out the mid part of the course for his best time on 50.89, Jeff Cooper made a great leap forward with 37.44 seconds, beating his personal best by 4 hundredths of a second and giving him a fine 8th position on scratch. Andrew Duncan had improved with each run and finished the day on 38.85, as did Pauline Goodwin who was another with a slight improvement and a fantastic launch from the startline to give her a satisfying end to her day at And negotiating with the boss. Andrew Duncan 38.02.
in conversation with MAC President John Moody.
CompRes 11
SHELSLEY WALSH Hillclimb 19 September 2010 Round 14 Pirelli Ferrari Hillclimb Championship Driver
Tipo
*John Marshall
430 Scud
Pract 1 42.36
Pract 2 40.49
H/C
Run 1
Run 2
0-64ft
split
PEP % 5.00
PEP time 34.63
Pts
21.28
speed traps 95/101
33.00
34.71
32.98
2.65
David Tomlin
F355 GTB
35.95
34.92
33.50
35.21
34.25
2.63
21.92
85/89
0.00
34.25
20
Chris Butler
F355GTB
35.98
35.17
33.50
34.56
34.42
2.52
22.11
86/92
0.00
34.42
17
*Nick Taylor
348GTC
36.45
35.72
34.00
34.90
34.92
2.43
22.27
84/86
2.50
35.77
12
Richard Prior
F355
35.75
35.95
34.00
35.28
35.16
2.62
22.59
88/92
0.00
35.16
13
Andrew Holman
F355
39.47
37.84
35.50
35.82
fail
2.53
22.09
82/--
0.00
35.82
11
Philip Whitehead
F355
NT
39.59
35.00
36.09
36.17
2.50
23.56
83/89
0.00
36.09
10
Jeff Cooper
360 Mod
44.39
40.52
37.25
41.07
37.44
2.59
24.48
77/92
1.00
37.81
6
Pauline Goodwin
328GTB
43.27
39.47
37.25
38.04
38.02
2.45
24.65
75/86
-3.00
36.88
8
Sergio Ransford
308GTB
45.66
41.12
37.50
39.07
38.39
2.68
24.78
71/73
-4.50
36.66
9
Sean Doyle
308GT4
40.59
40.06
39.00
38.84
38.82
2.72
24.95
73/75
-4.50
37.07
7
Andrew Duncan
348GTC
44.40
39.76
37.25
39.28
38.85
2.86
25.28
73/82
-0.50
38.66
5
Tracey Haynes
328GTB
44.85
45.63
41.50
42.62
40.09
2.55
26.13
72/82
-3.00
38.89
4
Julian Playford
F355
47.03
43.44
40.00
42.01
42.08
2.58
27.70
66/86
0.00
42.01
3
Colin Campbell
246GT
53.00
53.30
51.25
52.39
50.89
3.09
32.92
50/60
-6.50
47.58
2
* List 1B tyres
MAC Class Awards:
1st John Marshall
2nd David Tomlin
FOC Handicap Awards:
1st Tracey Haynes
2nd Sean Doyle
Championship Points after Round 14
Chris Butler Richard Prior Nick Taylor Andrew Holman *Richard Allen John Marshall Sean Doyle *Jon Goodwin *Pauline Goodwin Philip Whitehead David Tomlin Mark Hargreaves Jack Hargreaves Chris Hitchman Tracey Haynes Barrie Wood Sergio Ransford
157 135 125 113 111 110 96 78 77 70 65 47 46 41 38 37 37
3rd Chris Butler
Wendy Ann Marshall John Swift Jeffrey Cooper Peter Rogerson Ian Chadwick Lorraine Hitchman Peter Wilson Charles Haynes Peter Hitchman Edward Briscoe Colin Campbell Julian Playford Andrew Duncan Adrian Wilson Douglas Campbell Anthony Chadwick
* denotes competitor has also used a non-Classic Ferrari.
Classic competitors after Round 14 (best 8 scores) 12 CompRes
Richard Allen 109, Sean Doyle 96, Pauline Goodwin 75, Mark Hargreaves 47, Jack Hargreaves 46, Tracey Haynes 38, Sergio Ransford 37, Wendy Ann Marshall 33, Jon Goodwin 23, Lorraine Hitchman 16, Charles Haynes 14, Edward Briscoe 13, Colin Campbell 10
33 29 27 25 20 16 14 14 14 13 10 10 10 9 8 3
15
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CompRes 13
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