Speed race reports 2018

2018 Speed Race Reports

Championship sponsored by Bill Rawles Classic Cars and Peter May Engineering

Round 15 - Prescott - 7 October 2018

(Words by LC Branch and Pics/videos by Jackie Baker and Vicki Walton)

On to the final round of the season and where else would you want to be than Prescott, one of the top hill climbing venues in the UK. Situated just north of Cheltenham in the picturesque Cotswold hills, this superb hill climb track tests all the driver's skills and unsurprisingly is extremely popular with both drivers and spectators alike. All the Healeysport classes have been run here for the last three years as the 'Allan Cameron Memorial' since we lost our old chum Allan - who ran our championship and was also the Competitions Secretary for Prescott.

We had a great turn out of 11 Sprite drivers and 13 Big/Jensen Healey drivers. Unfortunately, Lawrence Maudsley and Grant Marshall had to withdraw prior to the meeting but ex Healeysport champion Murray Wakeham put away his single seater and dusted off his Ashley Sprite, to come and join us as an invitation driver for this final event of the year, giving an extra competition for the Sprite drivers.

The weather was expected to be fine and dry if not a little cold so there was the opportunity to have a crack at personal best times and maybe a class record two.

As far as the championship was concerned, the Sprite class was all but done and dusted with Colin Gale in the top slot, with Steve Casson in second place and Robin Johnson in third. However, in the Big Healey class it was anything but clear who was going to finish where in the top three spaces. Going into the last round, John Tewson was leading the class on 76 points with Richard Mason in second place on 73 points and Paul Baker in third on 71 points. But to complicate matters, both John and Richard had to drop points but this was Paul's ninth event so all his points counted. We must not forget Pat Cooper in this equation, as although he could not amass enough points to take one of the top three places, he could take points away depending on where he finishes. So as we used to say - its perm any eight from ten to get the answer.

So with this as a backdrop the tension was palpable.

After the two practice rounds in the Sprite class, it was very close with 5 drivers within half a second of each other - Joe Mackrell was quickest with a 52.01, then Murray Wakeham and Robin Johnson tied on 52.45, Colin Gale on 52.47 and Dave Abram on 52.65. Then Steve Casson was next in 54.36, Max Shand in 57.62, Garrow Shand in 61.19, Claire Giles in 61.87, Rafe Haywood in 62.27 and Phil Gardner in 65.00.

In the Big Healey class, it was Richard Mason (pictured right at Ettores) who was quickest with a best time of 52.94, from Pat Cooper in 53.68, Paul Baker in 53.74, John Tewson in 55.68, Huw Edwards a whisker behind in 55.70 and Pete Walton in 55.81. Then we had Ed Giles in 57.59, Trish C-P in 58.87, Derek Job in 58.99, Will Richards in 59.04, John Ducker in 61.13 and Murray Shand in 62.96.

In the Jensen Healey class, David Lane had a best time of 57.28. A good start for someone who has only been to Prescott once, two years ago and had a mechanical failure after a trip to the gravel at Pardon bend in practice.

On to the timed runs and in the Sprite class the order changed again as Robin Johnson was quickest with a 52.25 (check out his in-car video footage) just 0.01 secs ahead of David Abram in 52.26, then Colin Gale in 52.62, Joe Mackrell in 52.70 and Steve Casson in 53.61 (pictured below right at the Esses). Max Shand continued to test the limits of their new sprite as he went off at Pardon hairpin so recorded no time. Claire Giles jumped up the order with a 59.58, from Rafe Haywood in 60.41 (see in-car video), to be just ahead of Garrow Shand in 60.49 and Phil Gardner in 64.56.

The Sprites must have warmed the track up, because surprisingly, there were 6 personal best times recorded on the first timed run in the Big Healey class. Richard Mason beat his pb with a 51.18, as did Paul Baker in 51.90 (see video footage) to take the top two slots, then Pat Cooper posted a 52.08, followed by co-driver John Tewson in 52.52. Then Huw Edwards set a pb with a 54.38, Pete Walton in 54.94, then Will Richards got in the groove by knocking 2 secs off his last run to post a 56.97 and a pb and then Ed Giles in 56.98. Trish C-P and Derek Job both recorded pb's with similar times of 57.41 and 57.89 respectively. John Ducker almost broke the 60 sec barrier with a 60.35 and Murray Shand went slower than his last run with a 64.00.

David Lane in his Jensen Healey posted a much quicker time of 55.26 and a pb.

On the to the final run of the day/season and it was so close in the Sprite class, but experience won through in the end as Murray Wakeham posted his best time of 51.82 despite not having driven the car for a year. Robin Johnson went slower with a 53.25 and David Abram was clearly trying hard but hit the Armco on the exit of the Esses, recorded a fail and sustained some front and rear body damage. Colin Gale (pictured right) went faster and posted a pb with a 52.42 to just hold off a late charging Steve Casson who posted an excellent 52.66 and a pb and pushed Joe Mackrell back to sixth as he could not go quicker than his first timed run. Max Shand managed to stay on the track this time to post a very quick 56.87 - some 8 seconds faster than his previous best albeit in a different car. Garrow Shand broke the 60 second barrier with a 59.17, Claire Giles went slower, as did Rafe Haywood, but Phil Gardner showed steady progress throughout the day to finish with a 64.05 and a pb.

In the Big Healey class, both Richard Mason and Paul Baker tried too hard and ended up going slower as a result (with 52.51 and 52.75 respectively) and John Tewson posted exactly the same time of 52.52 as he had on his first run. Up strode Pat Cooper to show how it should be done with a 51.83 to take second place and beat Paul Baker's first run time by 0.07 secs. Huw Edwards went slower but held onto fifth place as Pate Walton recorded a 54.39, just 0.01 secs slower than Huw's first run time. Will Richards, Ed Giles, Trish C-P and Derek Job all went slower so held position but John Ducker (pictured below locking up into Ettores) trimmed his time to 60.16, a whisker away from his personal best and Murray Shand ended with his best time of the day with a 61.40.

David Lane finished with a 55.90, a fraction slower than his first run but overall an excellent time for effectively his first timed runs at Prescott and shows the improvement made by the suspension changes carried out earlier this year.

So, the finishing order in all three classes was:

Sprite class: 1st Murray Wakeham (but as an invitation driver does not affect the points awarded), 2nd Robin Johnson, 3rd Dave Abram, 4th Colin Gale, 5th Steve Casson, 6th Joe Mackrell, 7th Max Shand, 8th Garrow Shand, 9th Claire Giles, 10th Rafe Haywood and 11th Phil Gardner.

Big Healey Class: 1st Richard Mason, 2nd Pat Cooper, 3rd Paul Baker, 4th John Tewson, 5th Huw Edwards, 6th Pete Walton, 7th Will Richards, 8th Ed Giles, 9th Trish C-P, 10th Derek Job, 11th John Ducker and 12th Murray Shand.

Jensen Healey class: 1st David Lane

So what impact did this event have on the championship? Well, as predicted in the Sprite class, the top three positions stayed the same with Colin Gale taking the class and overall championship win with 92 points, Steve Casson retained second place with 74 points and Robin Johnson took third with 69 points. In the Big Healey class, it was Richard Mason who took the top honours with 80 points with Paul Baker and John Tewson tied on 78 points each (in the event of a tie, podium place count back is used and as a result Paul took second place and John third place). In the Jensen Healey class, David Lane finished with 53 points.

As it was the last race of the season which coincided, as last year, with Pete Walton and Paul Baker's birthday, cake and bubbly was on offer for all the drivers, partners, friends and others who had watched the day unfold. (the excellent Chocolate cake was supplied by Pete's wife, Vicki). It was also Rafe Haywood's last competitive event with Healeysport as he has decided to hang up his race boots, but he has promised to come and support the drivers in the future.

Overall, during the 2018 season we have had more than our fair share of good weather, really close racing and most importantly, good camaraderie and fun. Let's hope we have more of the same for 2019.

Click on the links to see the full results from this and all events this season. To see all the pictures, in-car and outside videos go to our Gallery page. If you want to see the sprint and hill climb records for each class and venue, then go to the Big Healey and Jensen Healey records and the Sprite records pages.

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If you own a Healey or Jensen Healey and you like what you see on this website and want to find out more then click here to take a look at our Beginners Guide. If you want to get involved, then send an email to Paul Baker our Championship Organiser at competitionsec@austinhealeyclub.com New drivers are always made very welcome.

Round 14 - Gurston Down - 9 September 2018

(Words by LC Branch and Pics/videos by Jackie Baker)

We had fourteen drivers booked to come to our next target time round at Gurston Down, but unfortunately, Grant Marshall had to withdraw at the last moment due to work commitments. That left us with the six Sprites of Robin Johnson, Colin Gale, Steve Casson, Phil Gardner and Joe Mackrell co-driving his Frogeye with Claire Giles whilst her 3000 is awaiting repair. We also had the Jensen Healey of David Lane, and the 3000's of Trish C-P, Pete Walton, Richard Mason, Paul Baker and the co-driving duo of Pat Cooper and John Tewson.

The weather forecast was for it to be dry and bright and that was the way it turned out to be.

Practice got underway smartly at 8.30 and in the Sprite class after two runs, Colin Gale leading with a best time of 40.11 from Joe Mackrell in 40.35, Steve Casson in 41.98, Claire Giles reacquainting herself with Joe's Frogeye in 45.04 and Phil Gardner in a much improved time of 49.45. Robin Johnson was having problems with his clutch/gearbox selection and needed a tow back to the paddock for the Richard Mason to ascertain that the clutch appeared to have failed. A great shame as Robin had nothing else to do but load the car back on the trailer and take it home early.

In the Big/Jensen Healey class, it was Richard Mason leading with a best time of 39.50 from John Tewson in 40.64, Paul Baker in 40.75, Pat Cooper in 41.70, David Lane in 43.15, Trish C-P beat her pb with a 43.53 and finally, Pete Walton (pictured right) did a 45.02 on his first run, yet on his second he ran out of fuel just into Karousel bend and needing the tow truck to take him back to the paddock - it was either trying to run with the least amount of fuel or incompetence - you decide - my money's on the latter!!

After lunch the timed runs got underway and in the Sprite class, it was Colin Gale who opened up with a personal best time of 39.77 (his first time to break the 40 second barrier) to take the lead from Joe Mackrell in an improved time of 39.96, with Steve Casson next in 40.69, Claire Giles in 45.14, then Phil Gardner taking out another big chunk of time in 48.34.

In the Big/Jensen Healey class, John Tewson broke his pb to post a superb 38.74, from Richard Mason in 39.57, Paul Baker in 39.83, pat Cooper in 40.31, Pete Walton in 41.40, David Lane in a pb time of 42.48 and Trish C-P in 44.73.

With the slick operation and the smaller field of drivers at Gurston, the Healeys were back out on track for their final run by 3pm. In the Sprite class, it was Joe Mackrell who took the top slot with a personal best time of 39.27 from Colin Gale (pictured right) who went marginally slower in 39.80, Steve Casson in 40.10, a big improvement from Claire Giles in 43.87 and a slower time from Phil Gardner in 49.16.

On the last run for the Big/Jensen Healeys, it was John Tewson who went even faster to lower his pb even further to 38.48, from Richard Mason in 39.49, Paul Baker in 39.88, Pat Cooper in 40.66, Pete Walton in an identical time of 41.40, David Lane in an improved pb time and new course record for a Jensen Healey in 41.79 and Trish C-P finished with a flourish and a new pb time of 43.50.

As this was a target time event, the spreadsheet was brought into action and the finishing order was as follows:

Sprite class: 1st Colin Gale, 2nd Joe Mackrell, 3rd Steve Casson, 4th Phil Gardner and 5th Claire Giles

Big/Jensen Healey class: 1st John Tewson (pictured right receiving his award from Claire his wife), 2nd Trish C-P, 3rd David Lane, 4th Pete Walton, 5th Paul Baker, 6th Richard Mason and 7th Pat Cooper.

Overall, the weather was great and the competition very close - what could be better. Our last round of the season is at Prescott on Sunday 7th October, so be there if you can.

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Round 12/13 - Loton Park - 25/26 August 2018

(Words by LC Branch and Pics/videos by Jackie Baker)

The last of our double header weekends saw the Healeysport championship cars at the fabulous Loton Park hill climb, west of Shrewsbury in Shropshire. Expectations were high for some good times as the weather was expected to be dry on the Saturday but unfortunately very wet on the Sunday.

The format followed the previous two double headers, with a scratch event on the Saturday and a target time event on the Sunday. For Saturday, we had the Sprites of Messrs.' Gale, Casson, Baker, Johnson and Mackrell (out for the first time this year in his Frogeye), with Phil Gardner new to Loton. The Big Healeys included Mason, Cooper with Claire Giles co-driving, Richards (Jnr), Richards (Snr), Edwards, and Cecille-Pritchard in their 3000's, with John Ducker in his 100 and David Lane (pictured above) in his Jensen Healey.

The day dawned bright and dry and it stayed that way all day. After the two practice runs in the Sprite class, it was Paul Baker leading the class with a personal best time of 62.64 from Steve Casson in 63.80, then three cars in very close order - Robin Johnson in 64.05, Colin Gale in 64.53 and Joe Mackrell in 64.65. Phil Gardner was learning this challenging track and had a best practice time of 80.65.

In the Big Healey class, it was Richard Mason leading with a 62.49 from Pat Cooper in 64.10, Huw Edwards in 66.04 and a pb, John Richards in 67.20, son Will Richards (pictured right - check out in-car video) close behind in 67.36, Trish C-P in 75.08, John Ducker in 76.41 and Claire Giles managed a 79.41 as her first competitive runs back in a car after her accident at Shelsley Walsh. David Lane in his Jensen Healey, posted a 68.84.

After lunch the timed runs got underway and in the Sprite class it was Paul Baker extending his lead with another pb of 61.97, just 0.32 secs off the hill record, from the next four cars again in close order: Robin Johnson in 63.94, then Colin Gale in 64.03 and Steve Casson in 64.18 and Joe Mackrell in 66.29. Phil Gardner was slowly chipping away at his time and posted a 79.61.

In the Big Healey class, Richard Mason recorded a 62.59, but John Richards made a big improvement to post a pb of 66.01 (check out in-car video), just ahead of Huw Edwards in 66.06, Pat Cooper in 66.59, Will Richards in 67.98, Trish C-P in 73.81, John Ducker in 76.38 and Claire Giles in 78.50. David Lane reduced his time further with a 68.19.

On to the last run of the day and in the Sprite class all the cars went faster, Paul Baker (pictured right) lowered his pb again to finish with a 61.81 (check out in-car video), from a much improved time from Steve Casson on 63.28 and a pb, 5 thou ahead of Colin Gale in 63.33, from Robin Johnson in 63.57 and a big improvement by Joe Mackrell with a 63.71 - just half a second covering four cars. Phil Gardner ended with his best time of 77.55.

In the Big Healey class, all bar one driver went faster. Richard Mason took the top honours with a 62.42, but it was Pat Cooper who knocked over three seconds off his first run to finish with a 63.60. John Richards was third with a pb of 65.42 from son Will in 66.04 just 0.02 secs ahead of Huw Edward first run time. Trish C-P made a big jump with her last run of 71.27 (check out in-car video) as did John Ducker in 72.49 and Claire Giles in 75.34. David Lane finished with a pb of 67.42 and a new course record for the Jensen Healey class.

The finishing order of this scratch event was:

Sprite class: 1st Paul Baker, 2nd Steve Casson, 3rd Colin Gale, 4th Robin Johnson, 5th Joe Mackrell and 6th Phil Gardner.

Big Healey class: 1st Richard Mason, 2nd Pat Cooper, 3rd John Richards, 4th Will Richards, 5th Huw Edwards, 6th Trish C-P, 7th John Ducker and 8th Claire Giles.

Jensen Healey class: 1st David Lane

Seventeen of the Healey drivers and partners retired to the Old Hand and Diamond pub, just over the border in Wales, for dinner and some liquid refreshment - all gratefully organised by Claire Giles and Cate Ducker.

Unfortunately, Sunday dawned with light rain and the forecast was for the rain to get heavier throughout the morning and stop at some point after lunch. We had two drivers added to the sprite class with Rafe Hayward co-driving the yellow frog with Robin Johnson and Lawrence Maudsley (pictured below) competing for the first time at Loton in his Sebring Sprite. Will Richards, unfortunately had to get back to work and not take part.

As practice started for this target time event, it was clear that the track was very slippery, so caution was the order of the day as the track is not wide and there are hazards all the way up the course.

The outcome of practice in the Sprite class was: Colin Gale was quickest to get the measure of the place with a best time of 76.96 - to give an idea how tricky it was -some 13 seconds slower than his best run the day before. Joe Mackrell was next in a 79.16, then Paul Baker in 79.79, Steve Casson in 80.79, Robin Johnson in 82.25, Phil Gardner in 86.09, Rafe Haywood in 87.75 and Lawrence Maudsley trying to learn a challenging track in very difficult conditions finished with a best time of 95.75.

In the Big/Jensen Healey class (merged for target time events), Huw Edwards, our Welsh rally master revelled in the rain and led the class with a fine 74.48, from Richard Mason in 76.90, then Pat Cooper in 77.61, John Richards in 82.68, John Ducker in 83.97, David Lane in 86.98, Trish C-P in 88.68 and Claire Giles in 90.37.

After a short lunch and with the rain all but stopped, the first timed runs got underway with a very damp track. In the Sprite class, it was Colin Gale who had mastered the conditions best with a 70.80 from Paul Baker in 73.14, Steve Casson in 74.61, Robin Johnson in 75.41, with Joe Mackrell (pictured right - controlling a slide under braking into Triangle) a whisker behind in 75.55. Phil Gardner was still taking chunks out of his previous times with an 83.03, from Rafe Haywood who was suffering a misfire in the Frogeye (due to water in the electrics) in 83.73, with Lawrence Maudsley posting an 86.25, some 9 seconds quicker than his last run!!

In the Big Healey class, despite Huw Edwards doing a rain dance to keep the track wet, the conditions improved and Richard Mason took full advantage to be the first car in the 60's with a 69.84, from Huw Edwards in 72.05, Pat Cooper in 73.58 and two drivers on exactly the same time of 78.33 - namely Trish C-P and John Richards. John Ducker was next in 80.30, from David Lane in 81 dead and Claire Giles in 83.09.

It became obvious to the Healey drivers that many of the drivers in the other non-championship classes had decided to pack up early, so we were called very shortly after our first timed run to line up again for our final run in improving conditions but a still damp track.

In the Sprite class, it was Colin Gale who finished with the best time of 68.13, from Steve Casson in 70.89 just ahead of Robin Johnson in 70.93. Paul Baker and Joe Mackrell tied with a same time of 72.43 from the improving Sebring Sprite duo of Phil Gardner and Lawrence Maudsley in 81.82 and 83.11 respectively. Rafe Haywood had major issues with the yellow Frog yet still recorded a time, which he will quickly want to forget of 117.72.

In the Big/Jensen Healey class, as the track dried all the cars went quicker. From lying in third place all day, Pat Cooper took the honours with a fabulous 67.32 from Richard Mason in 69.05, early leader Huw Edwards (pictured right) in 70.49, John Richards in 73.25, Trish C-P in 74.22, David Lane in 75.36 and Claire Giles in 77.72.

As this was a target time event with cut glassware on offer to the top three in each class, the spreadsheet was used to calculate the results - which were as follows:

Sprite class: 1st Phil Gardner (pictured right), 2nd Colin Gale, 3rd Lawrence Maudsley, 4th Steve Casson, 5th Robin Johnson, 6th Joe Mackrell, 7th Paul Baker and 8th Rafe Haywood.

Big/Jensen Healey class: 1st Huw Edwards, 2nd Pat Cooper, 3rd Trish C-P, 4th John Richards, 5th Richard Mason, 6th John Ducker, 7th David Lane and 8th Claire Giles.

As it was Jan Casson's birthday, Jan and Steve laid on cake and bubbly that was enjoyed by all whilst Richard Mason presented the prizes ably assisted by Jan. Many thanks Jan and Steve (pictured below).

Overall, another great day's hill climbing at this well organised and friendly track that is Loton Park. As forecast, we had a fine day on Saturday and a wet/damp day on Sunday. It was a shame about the weather but at least the event ran without hiccups and all our cars finished this time with no damage. Given the much reduced entry in the afternoon we were finished much sooner than expected and leaving the event by 3.30pm, a bonus for those with a long journey home.

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Round 11 - Rockingham - 19 August 2018

(Words by LC Branch and Pics by Jackie Baker)

This was our first visit to this MAC run sprint at the Rockingham Speedway near Corby and from what we are led to believe it will be the last, as the site is being demolished for residential housing. A great pity given the investment that has been put into this place.

We had 13 Healeys booked to attend the event. Five Sprites: The Sebrings of David Abram and Lawrence Maudsley (out for his second event). Garrow Shand (pictured right) was out for the first time in his freshly restored square bodied Sprite with a Swiftune 1380cc engine and Paul Baker and Colin Gale made up the quintet with their Sebring GT and Frogit respectively.

In the Big Healey class, there was the Midland based duo of Pat Cooper and John Tewson in their 100/6, the 3000's of Trish C-P, Pete Walton and Huw Edwards and the sole 100/4 of John Ducker, fortunately repaired after it's frontal damage at Harewood. David Lane joined us in his Jensen Healey, but unfortunately, Grant Marshall could not attend with his 3000 due to work commitments.

The weather was dry, cloudy and windy but not too hot for a change. As there were only 60 cars at the event, practice started at a leisurely 10.00 and we expected an early finish.

After the two practice runs, there was no surprise that David Abram was quickest in the Sprite class with a best time of 73.33 - anyone would think he had been given personal tuition by the current CEO of Rockingham on how to drive this track the night before!! Colin Gale was next with a 76.99 from Paul Baker in 80.89, Garrow Shand in 86.70 and Lawrence Maudsley in 96.17.

In the Big Healey class, Pete Walton was quickest in 75.45 from John Tewson in 78.12, Pat Cooper in 81.41, Huw Edwards in 82.46, John Ducker in 88.27 and Trish C-P in 98.23.

After a short lunch break the timed runs got underway and in the Sprite class, In common with all the drivers, David Abram continued to shave time off each lap as he got used to this fast, sweeping track and recorded a 72.21 lap. Colin Gale was next with a 76.91 from Paul Baker in 78.26, Garrow Shand in 83.87 and Lawrence Maudsley in 95.34.

In the Big Healey class, Pete Walton went off the track at the bend just after the chicane believing he could take it flat!! Click here to check out the in-car video of Pete's run to see what happens when you try this. John Tewson therefore posted the best time of 76.11 from Huw Edwards next in an 81.64, John Ducker in 86.88 and Pat Cooper put in a slow time (for him) of 87.20, from Trish C-P in a much improved 92.81.

David Lane almost broke the 80 second barrier with a 80.27.

On to the final run and in the Sprite class David Abram (pictured below) reduced his best time by another second to finish the day with a new course record time of 71.19 (a shame that we will not be able to challenge that time in the future). As Colin Gale had a moment off the track, Paul Baker's best time of 76.48 just pipped Colin's first run time of 76.91. Garrow Shand continued to lower his time to finish with an 83.33 although Lawrence Maudsley could not beat his first timed run.

In the Big Healey class, John Tewson took the honours and the record with his last run of the day in 75.52 - a great outcome given the car had a slipping clutch. Pete Walton had to record a time without incident and did so with a 75.63 a whisker behind John to come second but regretted he could not go faster than his best practice time. Huw Edwards held third place with his best time of 80.30 to beat Pat Cooper into fourth with an 81.43 (also with a slipping clutch). John Ducker posted his best time of 85.92 (a new Healey 100 record) with an 85.92 from Trish C-P who finished with a 92.65, also her best time of the day.

Unfortunately, David Lane could not go faster than his first run time, which is now a Jensen Healey record, but at least his rear suspension worked the way it should and gave confidence on this quick track.

The finishing order of this scratch event was:

Sprite class: 1st David Abram, 2nd Paul Baker, 3rd Colin Gale, 4th Garrow Shand and 5th Lawrence Maudsley

Big Healey class: 1st John Tewson (pictured right), 2nd Pete Walton, 3rd Huw Edwards, 4th Pat Cooper, 5th John Ducker and 6th Trish C-P

Jensen Healey class: 1st David Lane

Third timed runs were potentially on offer but only after the top 12 run off had taken place, assuming there were no incidents. So all the Healey drivers decided to pack up and get off home early. In fact we were away from the track by 3.30pm which must rank as the earliest we have left a venue. However, given the state of the M1 that was a blessing indeed.

Next weekend is the two day meeting at Loton Park, so be there if you can to see the cars in action.

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Round 9/10 - Harewood - 4/5 August 2018

(Words by LC Branch and Pics by Jackie Baker)

The events are coming thick and fast at the moment. Only a week ago we were at Shelsley Walsh and now we are heading north of Leeds to the BARC hill climb track at Harewood for a two day event. Friday afternoon traffic on the M1, M18 and A1M routes was very heavy as usual, but soon forgotten once at the venue.

Again, the event was over-subscribed and not all our drivers could take part. However, we had the three Sprites of Colin Gale, Steve Casson and Robin Johnson and the eight big Healeys of Murray Shand (only out for the second time in his 3000), John Ducker in his 100/4, Trish C-P in her 3000, Will Richards in the family 3000, Paul Baker in his 3000, Pat Cooper and John Tewson sharing the 100/6 and Richard Mason in his 3000. On Sunday the Sprite class included Rafe Haywood sharing the Johnson Frogeye.

The weather was hot, dry and sunny all weekend.

As usual at these two day events, the Saturday event would be on scratch and the Sunday based on target times.

Before practice got underway, most of the drivers took the opportunity to walk the course to see what changes had been made to the track as a new tarmac surface had been laid earlier in the year. Would the new track result in new records - wait and see.

The other major change at Harewood was the way that the whole sign-on/scrutineering process was carried out. The scrutineers now come to your paddock space and scrutineer each car in number order and once the car has passed then the driver takes the pass ticket to sign on. Big improvement - as it eliminated the big queue for sign on. Facing us in the sign-on room was a huge poster (see pic above right) of Colin Gale's green Frogit being used to publicise all the events at Harewood - what good taste in cars these Yorkshire folk have!!

Saturday practice got underway and in the Sprite class it was Robin Johnson - pictured right (68.69) with a fractional advantage over Colin Gale (69.98), with Steve Casson (70.21) a whisker behind. In the Big Healey class, John Tewson posted a very quick 69.47 on his first run with the memorable quote "that'll probably be my quickest run all day". Pat Cooper was next with a 71.20, then Richard Mason in 71.94, then Paul Baker a way off in 73.23 complaining something about no grip on new tyres, then Will Richards a tad behind in 73.51 from John Ducker in 75.90, Murray Shand in 80.84 and Trish C-P in 86.24.

As all the cars were behaving themselves and staying on track the first timed run was held before lunch. In the Sprite class, Robin Johnson recorded a very quick 67.91, with a fast flying Steve Casson just behind with a pb of 68.69, but the pressure clearly got to Colin Gale as he was trying too hard and ended up going the wrong side of the markers on the finishing line and recorded a fail, plus he got a visit from the clerk of the course.

In the Big Healey class, our early leader in practice, John Tewson, went too fast and came off the track to record a fail as did Will Richards. So the new leader was Richard Mason in 69.40 with Paul Baker in second in 70.02, with Pat Cooper picking the wrong gear off the start to finish with a 73.18, John Ducker posted a 76.00, Trish C-P got her car and everything else into gear with a much improved 77.77 and Murray Shand went fractionally slower with an 80.65.

On to the last run and in the Sprite class, Robin Johnson went slower but held the lead with his first run time from Steve Casson who's much improved confidence in his fine handling Sebring resulted in a lowered time yet again to record another pb of 68.41 with Colin Gale a whisker behind in 68.71 - also a pb.

In the Big Healey class, Richard Mason went a fraction slower but took the honours with his first run time. Paul Baker was second, also with a slower time. Pat Cooper needed to record a good time and finished with a 70.18 to pip co-driver John Tewson who finished with a 70.83 and fulfilled his prophecy by not going quicker than his first practice run. Will Richards also needed to record a good time and did, as he posted a 74.28 to just hold off the much improved time and pb of 74.58 from John Ducker. Trish C-P went quicker still with a 77.40 but Murray Shand could not improve on his first run time.

The finishing order of this scratch event was:

Sprites class: 1st Robin Johnson, 2nd Steve Casson and 3rd Colin Gale

Big Healey class: 1st Richard Mason, 2nd Paul Baker, 3rd Pat Cooper, 4th John Tewson, 5th Will Richards, 6th John Ducker, 7th Trish C-P and 8th Murray Shand.

After the event, all the drivers repaired to the 'Duckers Cocktail Bar' in the paddock for a quick Harvey Wallbanger plus nibbles. This annual treat is laid on by John and Cate Ducker and is really appreciated by all the drivers, plus a few interlopers from the Paul Matty Lotus Challenge. This was the precursor to dinner for 20 at the Swan and Talbot in Wetherby, all organised by Claire Giles who unfortunately could not be with us (see Shelsley report below). So sorry you could not be with us Claire, it was a really good meal and great company.

Sunday dawned bright and sunny and was expected to be even hotter. We were joined by Rafe Haywood, who would be sharing the yellow Frog with Robin Johnson. On the completion of practice in the Sprite class, it was Robin Johnson who, yet again, was quickest with a 68.08 from Colin Gale in 68.78, the Steve Casson in 69.90 and Rafe Hayward trying to come up to speed in a 73.23.

In the Big Healey class, John Tewson again led the way with a very quick 68.18, just 0.05 secs off the hill record. But can he repeat this form in the timed runs? Read on to find out. Richard Mason posted a best time of 69.63 and Paul Baker a 70.02. Pat Cooper lodged a 71.85 and Will Richards a 75.27. John Ducker (pictured above) recorded a 76.59 on his first run but then disaster struck on his second practice run when he put a rear wheel off the track at Chippy's which sent him into the banking on the right resulting in some significant frontal damage to the front shroud and wings. The car was loaded onto a breakdown vehicle and brought back to the paddock and was to take no further part in the event. Such a shame as John's family had come from far and wide to see him compete and John was driving really well. Murray Shand posted his best time so far of 79.99 and Trish C-P finished with a best time of 81.05.

On to the first timed run and in the Sprite class, it was Robin Johnson who pulled out all the stops to record a very quick 67.50 from Steve Casson in 68.80, Colin Gale in 70.44 and Rafe Haywood in 74.69.

In the Big Healeys, it was all very close as the top 4 cars were within a second, with Richard Mason just ahead on 69.56, from John Tewson in 69.75, Paul Baker in 69.93 and Pat Cooper in 70.73. Then Will Richards in 74.63, Trish C-P in 78.42 and Murray Shand (pictured above) through the 80 second barrier in 79.03.

On to the final timed run of the weekend and in the Sprite class, Robin Johnson went much slower than his first run but held the lead from Steve Casson who also could not improve. Colin Gale posted a 69.66 and Rafe Haywood a quicker time of 73.51.

In the Big Healey class, it was John Tewson who finally got every bend just right to post a new class hill record time of 67.95 - well done John, as you had been threatening to do this all weekend. Richard Mason held second with his first run time, but Pat Cooper posted his best time of the weekend with a stonking 69.20. Paul Baker did not improve on his first run but Will Richards did with his time of 74.01. Trish C-P and Murray Shand also did not improve on their first run times.

So, the finishing order of this target time event was:

Sprite class: 1st Steve Casson, 2nd Colin Gale, 3rd Robin Johnson (pictured right showing off his new boots), 4th Rafe Haywood.

Big Healey class: 1st John Tewson (pictured below receiving his prize from Cate Ducker), 2nd Pat Cooper, 3rd Paul Baker, 4th Richard Mason, 5th Murray Shand, 6th Will Richards, 7th Trish C-P and 8th John Ducker.

The prizes were awarded and all headed home content in having enjoyed an excellent weekend of hill climbing at this well run track at Harewood. The staff and marshals really do a superb job.

Our next event is at Rockingham for a sprint on Sunday 19th August, please join us if you can.

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Round 7/8 - Shelsley Walsh - 28/29 July 2018

(Words by LC Branch and Pics by Jackie Baker)

The Classic Nostalgia weekend at Shelsley Walsh is always a big crowd puller. This year the theme was F1 through the ages with static displays and demonstration runs from 16 F1 cars cars from pre-war Type 35 and 37 Bugatti's through to a 2016 Williams FW38. In addition, there were demonstration runs from Group A and B rally cars covering the period 1982 to 2004 and a showcase of rare and classic racing motorcycles. So lots to see in addition to all the action on the hill.

Unfortunately, after weeks of dry and hot weather, this weekend proved to be wet on both days, which must have reduced the attendance at the event, but it at least kept the gardeners and ducks happy.

As this popular event was significantly over-subscribed, our championship entry was considerably reduced to 12 drivers on Saturday and 13 on Sunday which resulted in many disappointed drivers.

Those who did take part included the Sprites of Colin Gale, Steve Casson, Garrow Shand and Phil Gardner out at Shelsley competitively for the first time. The Big Healeys included Claire Giles, Trish C-P, John Ducker, Pat Cooper with co-driver John Tewson, Paul Baker, Richard Mason (pictured right in the tyre warming area) with David Lane representing the Jensen Healeys.

As the weather was showery, the track conditions were changing all the time, plus the drivers were not sure how dry the track was in the Esses even if it was dry in the paddock. As practice got underway, it was clear that Colin Gale in the Sprite class and local track specialist, Richard Mason in the Big Healey class were coping with the changing conditions better as they led their respective classes, Colin with a best of 36.88 and Richard with a 35.60 - only a second off his hill record!!

After lunch the timed runs commenced and the track was at it's driest all day. The Healey classes were the first out on track and in the Sprite class Colin Gale (pictured right) recorded a personal best of 36.49 from Steve Casson in a 38.46, Phil Gardner in a 48.87 and Garrow Shand in the 1098 Sprite in 56.36.

In the Big Healey class, Richard Mason opened with a 35.83, with Paul Baker next in 37.37, John Tewson a whisker behind in 37.62, Pat Cooper in 42.78, John Ducker in his 100/4 in 43.28 and Trish C-P in 44.20. Then disaster struck, as Claire Giles entered the Esses too quickly and bounced off the inside rumble strip and ended up in the Recticel barrier on the other side of the track. Most importantly Claire was fine but this brought a halt to the proceedings until her now rather damaged 3000 could be loaded onto a breakdown truck and brought back to the paddock. This took about 40 minutes by which time the rain decided to come down hard soaking the track.

Once the track was clear David Lane in his Jensen Healey was the first one up and could only manage a 54.47, some 13 seconds slower than his best practice time due to the wet track.

Our final run of the day was in pouring rain, so not all the drivers decided to take part and all those who did went slower than their first run time.

The finishing order was as follows:

Sprite Class: 1st Colin Gale, 2nd Steve Casson, 3rd Phil Gardner and 4th Garrow Shand

Big Healey Class: 1st Richard Mason, 2nd Paul Baker, 3rd John Tewson, 4th Pat Cooper, 5th John Ducker, 6th Trish C-P and 7th Claire Giles

Jensen Healey Class: 1st David Lane

As the Healey class were the only one's to see a dry track that afternoon, Richard Mason (pictured right receiving his award from Robin Webb from MAC) was awarded FTD (fastest time of the day) by the organisers and was presented with an envelope with a cash prize. Well done Richard, as this is the first time in all the years that we have been hill climbing that a Healey has won FTD at an event, as there is usually a quick single seater on hand to take the award.

On to the Sunday event and we had a few changes of driver/car. Robin Johnson and co-driver Rafe Haywood in the yellow frogeye replaced Phil Gardner and Garrow Shand, and Grant Marshall and Pete Walton in their 3000's replaced David Lane with Claire Giles now back home with her 3000.

Sunday was always expected to be the wetter day and we were not disappointed. The Healeys were the first class out on track again for practice and in the Sprite class Colin Gale was the quickest with a best time of 40.13, some 4 seconds slower than his best time the previous day. Richard Mason was the quickest in the Big Healey class with a 41.29 but only just as there were three other cars within half a second of his time.

On to the first timed run after lunch and in the Sprite class it was Colin Gale who yet again was the quickest with a 40.65 despite the damp/wet track. Robin Johnson was next with a 42.15, then Steve Casson in 44.59 with Rafe Haywood a tad behind in a much improved time of 44.61.

In the Big Healey class, it was Richard Mason who continued to lead the way with a 40.27 just ahead of a fast charging Pat Cooper in 40.84. The next three cars were split by 0.15 seconds - Grant Marshall in 41.80, Pete Walton a thousandth behind in 41.81 and Paul Baker in 41.95 - close or what! Then John Tewson posted a 42.99 from John Ducker in 45.57 and Trish C-P in 45.87.

A number of accidents then occurred which took some considerable time for the marshals to sort. The net effect was that by 5pm the organisers decided to cancel the last timed run as there would be insufficient time to complete all the batches before the curfew. A disappointing end to the day especially as the rain had stopped, the sun had come out and the last run would have been a quick run.

As the Sunday event was a target time event, the handle on the spreadsheet was cranked and the results was as follows:

Sprite Class: 1st Colin Gale (pictured right), 2nd Robin Johnson, 3rd Rafe Haywood and 4th Steve Casson.

Big Healey Class: 1st Grant Marshall (pictured below right), 2nd John Ducker, 3rd Pete Walton, 4th Pat Cooper, 5th Richard Mason, 6th Trish C-P, 7th Paul Baker and 8th John Tewson

Our next event is at Harewood for two rounds on 4/5th August, please join us if you can.

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Round 6 - Lydden Hill - 14 July 2018

(Words by LC Branch and Pics by Jackie Baker)

Just south of Canterbury in Kent lies the renown rally cross track at Lydden Hill. As the name suggests, the track is not flat, in fact it appears to be a cross between a sprint circuit and a hill climb. It is also deceptively short, because it looks longer than it's one mile length, the same as the Stowe Circuit at Silverstone, which, coincidentally, has also been set up to take rally cross events. We used the tarmac track around the outside but for rally cross there are two off road sections. The track fits within the natural confines of the surrounding hills, which makes it ideal to view the whole track from almost any spectator point around the course. The owner of the venue has clearly spent some money recently upgrading the paddock area and the catering facilities.

Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks District Motor Club ran the event and the whole day ran to time with no real hold ups, apart from a few on-track breakdowns.

The weather, as we have come to expect this year was perfect - with full sunshine all day, if not a little on the warm side.

We were expecting to have 8 Healeys in our class but unfortunately Grant Marshall had to withdraw his 3000 due to an Achilles injury sustained at a recent triathlon and Jonathan Alder had to withdraw his Sprite due to clutch problems, which was a great shame as he lives only a few minutes from Lydden and had been looking forward to taking part. So that left us with 6 Healey drivers who knew nothing of this course: the 3000's of Pete Walton and Huw Edwards (yes Huw made it this time to the event!) and the Sprites of Dave Abram, Garrow Shand, Paul Baker and newcomer Lawrence Maudsley (pictured right). This was Lawrence's first competitive event in his Sebring Sprite. We all wished him good luck with plenty of advice about taking it easy and staying on the black stuff - we could not offer any further advice as we did not know the track either.

Officially, practice was one session of just under three laps followed by three timed runs of just under two laps each. However, experience at Anglesey suggested that we counted the first timed run as an additional practice run and count the final two runs as our two timed runs. All the drivers agreed.

In the Big Healey class, our resident track specialist, Pete Walton, finished practice with a best time of 89.23 and Huw Edwards (pictured right) completed his runs with a best time of 94.70.

In the Sprite class, David Abram was quickest with an 88.76 followed by Paul Baker in 93.83, then Garrow Shand in 110.73 and Lawrence Maudsley in 117.81.

As we have not been here before we all had not idea if that was a good time or complete rubbish but guessed that times would fall as the drivers got to know the track better. It also became clear that the track was not as simple as it first appeared and significant time could be found by getting every aspect of the lap right.

On to the first timed runs and in the Big Healey class, Pete Walton was still the quickest with a slightly slower time of 89.97. Click here to check out Pete's run in-car video. Huw Edwards also went slower with a 97.32.

In the Sprite class, Dave Abram took almost another second off his second practice run to post an 87.89. Paul Baker went marginally quicker with a 93.44, (click here to see his in-car footage), yet Garrow Shand was slower with a 111.12. Lawrence Maudsley was still getting to grips with taking his car out onto a track and took over two seconds off his previous run to record a 115.43.

On to the last run and in the Big Healeys Pete Walton (pictured right) went slower again with a 90.94 and Huw Edwards finished with a 95.23 - both drivers could not improve on their second practice runs!!

In the Sprite class, Dave Abram went fractionally slower with an 87.99, but Paul Baker finally got the hang of this track and posted a much improved time of 90.67. Garrow Shand finished with a 111.17, also not quicker than his second practice run and Lawrence Maudsley took yet another second off to finish with his best time of the day of 114.50.

We all felt that this track was a real test and a proper challenge to drive. The weather had been fantastic and all the drivers enjoyed their time at Lydden. The finishing order by class was:

Big Healey class: 1st Pete Walton and 2nd Huw Edwards

Sprite class: 1st Dave Abram, 2nd Paul Baker, 3rd Garrow Shand and 4th Lawrence Maudsley

Our next event is at Shelsley Walsh for two rounds on 28/29 July, please join us if you can.

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Round 5 - Silverstone - 3 June 2018

(Words by LC Branch and Pics by Jackie Baker)

The two day MG Live event at Silverstone always attracts a good group of Healey drivers and this year was no exception. We had 18 drivers over three classes - Sprites, Big Healeys and Jensen Healey. Out for the first time this year was Max Shand, sharing the family Sprite with father Garrow; Murray Shand (pictured below right - testing the laws of physics) in his black 3000 - which was the first time this car had been used for a competition and it got through scrutineering without a problem; Ian Grainger in his familiar red W&P bodied Sprite but now with a Ralph from Pitstop new 1380 engine; Huw Edwards at last made it to his first event having failed to get to two previous events due to a tricky to find electrical fault; David Lane made it out in his Jensen Healey and Paul Baker had switched from his usual 3000 and was out in his Sprite for the first time in 4 years.

The weather was expected to be fine and dry all day, which is ideal for sprinting, so could some of the records be challenged? Read on and see.

Practice was delayed a bit, in fact we did not get through our first timed run until after the stop for the Church service at Stowe church which finished at 11.10. Between practice runs many of the drivers went to watch the first few laps of the Equipe GTS Pre 63 race from the bridge over Hanger Straight before they had to go back for second practice, to see how Jack Rawles fared against a field of Big Healeys, E Types and an Aston Martin project car. We found out later that it was great news, as Jack won the race in the Rawles 3000.

After both practice runs the outcome was as follows: In the Sprite class, it was David Abram leading with a best time of 61.42 from Paul Baker (pictured below right) a second off in 62.49, with Colin Gale in 63.00 and Steve Casson a whisker behind in 63.05. Max Shand posted a best time of 70.70 on his first run with Ian Grainger next with a 76.07 and Garrow Shand in 79.02.

In the Big Healey class (which for Target Time events this year will include the Jensen Healey class), it was Pete Walton leading the way with a 63.69, just ahead of Grant Marshall (pictured top right) in 64.05, John Tewson in 65.45, Pat Cooper in 65.61, Richard Mason in 66.40, David Lane in 67.88 and Huw Edwards a tad further back in 67.98. John Ducker in his 100 was next with a 69.05 from Claire Giles who had not been to Silverstone for a while and posted a best time of 70.39, Trish C-P recorded a 71.80 and Murray Shand, despite a couple of spins posted a best of 77.25.

After lunch the timed runs got underway. In the Sprite class, most of the drivers improved on their practice times with David Abram out front with a personal best time on this track of 60.32 with Paul Baker still getting the hang of driving a Sprite but improved with a 62.10, with Colin Gale still a whisker behind in 62.21 and Steve Casson in 62.97. Max Shand went a bit slower with a 70.88. Garrow had a much improved 76.25 run and Ian Grainger also went slower with a 77.57.

In the Big Healey/Jensen Healey class, Grant Marshall posted a personal best time of 62.12 to take the lead from Pete Walton in 62.57, next was John Tewson in an improved 63.05 with Richard Mason taking nearly 3 secs off his practice time leapfrogged Pat Cooper with a 63.77. Pat was probably regretting fitting the Avon ZZ's over the Kumho's as he posted a 64.75, yet David Lane (pictured right) was consistently improving with a 66.69. John Ducker lodged a 67.99 to stay just ahead of Huw Edwards with a slower time for him of 68.08. Claire Giles broke the 70 sec barrier and set a new personal best of 69.82 into the bargain (click here to see in-car video of this run). Trish C-P posted an improved time of 71.04 and Murray Shand did his best run of the day of 74.56.

On to the final run and in the Sprite class David Abram got very close to breaking the class record with a pb of 59.94 just 0.07secs off Adie Ball's 2014 record. Colin Gale also pulled out all the stops and lodged a pb time of 61.02 to push Paul Baker back to third with his time of 61.07 (click here to see in-car footage of this run) and Steve Casson finishing with an improved time of 62.74. Max Shand could not improve on his first run time yet Ian Grainger finished with a flourish and a time of 74.22 to leap ahead of Garrow Shand who also improved with a 75.10.

It was all change again in the Big Healey/JH class, as Pete Walton (pictured right) took the top slot with a new pb and beat his own course record time with a superb 61.89. Grant Marshall could not improve on his first run time and John Tewson also finished with a pb of 62.42. Richard Mason did not improve on his time but Pat Cooper whittled his down to a 64.57. David Lane finished with a new pb and course record in his Jensen Healey with a 66.14, just ahead of John Ducker who also finished with a pb and course record for a Healey 100 with his time of 66.44. Huw Edwards saved his best run for last and ended with a 67.41. Trish C-P was not prepared to lose the battle of the ladies and took nearly 1.5 secs off her previous best run to finish with a pb in 69.63, some 0.19 secs ahead of Claire Giles who could not improve on her first time run. Murray Shand finished with a slower time due to two spins and probably spent the trip home contemplating the jobs he needs to do on the car before its next outing.

Overall a great day's sprinting with some fabulous weather which resulted in nine personal bests, three course records and some superb competition. As this was a target time event, the finishing order was as follows:

Sprite class: 1st Colin Gale (pictured right), 2nd David Abram, 3rd Steve Casson, 4th Paul Baker, 5th Max Shand, 6th Garrow Shand and 7th Ian Grainger.

Big Healey/JH class: 1st John Ducker (pictured below right), 2nd Grant Marshall, 3rd David Lane, 4th Trish C-P, 5th John Tewson, 6th Claire Giles, 7th Pete Walton, 8th Murray Shand, 9th Richard Mason, 10th Pat Cooper and 11th Huw Edwards.

Our next event is a sprint at Lydden Hill (near Canterbury in Kent) on 14th July - join us if you can.

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Rounds 3 & 4 - Anglesey Circuit - 5/6 May 2018

(Words by LC Branch and Pics by Jackie Baker and Andy Wright)

We usually try and have an international event each year and this year the drivers thought that Anglesey Circuit at the very northern tip of Wales fitted the bill. We had a good entry of 7 big Healeys and 4 Sprites although two drivers had to pull out. Tom Walker broke his engine at Brands Hatch the previous weekend and one of our local experts, Huw Edwards left west Wales in his 3000 only to find the engine was playing up so decided to head back home.

So that left us with the three Sprites of Steve Casson, Colin Gale (pictured right) and David Abram and the five big Healeys of Trish C-P, Pat Cooper (pictured below on the start line with sombrero'd marshals), John Tewson, Richard Mason, Paul Baker and Will Richards/John Richards, albeit two cars had dual drivers.

Most drivers travelled to the circuit on the Friday to have a chance to see the track, most for the first time and to understand the layout as the National circuit was being used on the Saturday and the International course on the Sunday. The views from this circuit are simply stunning being on a cliff top with the Irish seas in one direction and the Snowdonia National Park in the other.

Saturday dawned bright and cold but most importantly dry. All the drivers signed on - bar one who had forgotten his race licence. Top tip - take a photo of your race licence on your phone and it will save you £70 if you ever have the misfortune of forgetting your licence with no means of going and getting it.

The MG Car Club were running the event and decided that there would be 1 practice run of two laps and 3 timed runs, also of two laps. As most of the drivers had not tackled this track, they agreed that for our championship we would treat the first two runs as practice and the second two runs as timed runs. The more practice the better.

Onto practice and in the Sprite class despite taking to the grass, David Abram (pictured right) led the class on the first run from Steve Casson and Colin Gale spun at Rocket. On their second practice run, David Abram still lead with a 136.62 but it was very close with Colin on 137.65 and Steve on 138.76.

After two practice runs in the Big Healey class it was John Tewson, car sharing with Pat Cooper, who was quickest with a 134.86 from Paul Baker in 137.14, Richard mason in 138.30, Pat Cooper in 138.28 and local Conway man Will Richards in the family 3000 in 146.64.

After lunch the two timed runs started and in the Sprite class the order stayed the same with David Abram lowering his time to a 134.43, a fraction above his own class record of 134.08. Colin Gale brought his time down to a pb of 136.24 and Steve Casson posted a pb of 139.16. On their last timed run, David Abram broke the class record with an excellent 133.60, yet neither Colin or Steve could go quicker so the order stayed the same.

In the Big Healey class, Paul Baker (pictured below right in his 3000) took the class record with a 134.44 (click here to see the in-car video footage) and pushed John Tewson into second place with his time a whisker behind in 134.62, Richard Mason lowered his time to a 137.11 as did Pat Cooper in 137.83 and Will Richards in 146.17. When the Tewson Cooper 100/6 came back to the paddock it was clear that the abrasive surface had taken it's toll on the two nearside tyres with the front down to the carcass. As the pair did not have a pair of spare wheels with fresh rubber to fit but had a new set of 4 tyres that needed to be fitted to the rims, the car was retired for the last run and a tyre fitter booked for Sunday morning before the event started to have all 4 tyres changed.

On the last timed run Paul Baker went slower but Richard Mason lowered his time to a 135.50 and Will Richards brought his time down to a 144.93.

As this was a scratch event the finishing order was:

Sprites: 1st David Abram, 2nd Colin Gale and 3rd Steve Casson

Big Healeys: 1st Paul Baker, 2nd John Tewson, 3rd Richard Mason, 4th Pat Cooper and 5th Will Richards

All the drivers and partners went out to dinner that evening at a local restaurant where the food was generally good but the service was diabolical hence we got a 50% discount on the meal!! It was good though to spend time with each other and David Abram did a fantastic job of organising the minibus, restaurant and the garage at the circuit.

On Sunday morning, the sun came out and the wind died down but we now had mist to contend with. See pic right of Richard Mason in his 3000. The organisers were happy top let us out on the full International circuit with it long straight (although really a long curve) and obvious higher speeds.

We had a slight change of drivers as Will Richards handed the 3000 over to his father, John and Trish C-P had entered the Sunday event in her 3000.

The organiser returned to the usual format of two practice runs of 1 x 2.1 mile lap in the morning and two timed runs in the afternoon. In our championship, this was a target time event with each driver being given a target and the one who beats or gets closest to their target wins. Target times are set after second practice.

After two practice runs in the Sprite class, David Abram was leading the way with a best time of 108.99, Colin Gale was next in 112.53 and Steve Casson's best was 116.36. See Steve's Sebring Sprite below.

After two practice runs in the Big Healey class, it was very close between the top four drivers with John Tewson heading the list with a 110.03, Paul Baker was next in 110.95, then Pat Cooper in 111.60, closely followed by Richard Mason in 111..94. Next was John Richards in 116.89 having spun at Rocket on his first run and Trish C-P posted her best time of 127.10.

On to the timed runs and in the Sprite class David Abram pulled out all the stops to record a stunning 106.05 to claim a second class record this time beating Neil Cameron's 107.24 record by over a second. Click here to see David's run. Colin Gale also broke his pb with a 109.93 and Steve Casson lowered his time to a 113.30. Feeling he could not better his first run David Abram decided not to do his second run. Colin Gale went slower on his final run but Steve Casson posted a pb of 112.33 to round off the weekend.

The timed runs in Big Healey class all the drivers improved their times and were headed by Paul Baker in a 108.32 from John Tewson in 109.19, then Pat Cooper in 110.44, Richard Mason in 111.39, John Richards 116.71 and Trish C-P in 121.38 - a whopping 6 secs off her practice time and a new pb. On to their final run and with the new tyres now nicely scrubbed in, John Tewson posted a new class record of 107.92, Paul Baker could not go any quicker, but Pat Cooper lowered his time to a 109.78, Richard Mason dropped his time to a 110.09, John Richards posted his best time of 115.41 but Trish C-P recorded a slower time.

Once the target times had been taken into consideration, the results were as follows:

Sprite: 1st Steve Casson, 2nd David Abram (pictured right) and 3rd Colin Gale

Big Healeys: 1st Paul Baker, 2nd Trish C-P, 3rd John Tewson (pictured below right), 4th Pat Cooper, 5th Richard Mason and 6th John Richards

This was a fabulous weekend and an excellent event enjoyed by all. It was very well run and organised by the MG Car Club with a very friendly atmosphere - just the way this sort of event should be.

Our next event is at Silverstone on 3rd June for the MGLive sprint on the Stowe circuit - join us if you can.

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Round 2 - Gurston Down - 22 April 2018

(Words by LC Branch and Pics by Jackie Baker)

Round two and off to the rolling hills of Broad Chalke in Wiltshire, just west of Salisbury. The weather all week had been unseasonable hot which had dried out the place after one of the wettest winters on record. However, as always in these parts, a hot spell is often ended with thunder storms and we were not disappointed. For over an hour the night before the event the sky was ablaze with lightening and the heavens opened. Then the sun came out in the morning, the temperature rose and the place dried out.

For a first time, the Healeysport class of 12 drivers was asked to use the grass by the start line as the paddock was full. Although concerns that the grass might turn to mud proved not to be the case with the advantage that we were close to the restaurant and timing board.

Two drivers had to withdraw - Huw Edwards, due to a problem with his engine and Simon Leeming due to family reasons. We did however have 6 Sprite and 6 Big Healey drivers including the dynamic duo in the yellow Frog namely Robin Johnson and Rafe Haywood (hoping their car would prove a little more reliable than it's last outing at Curborough), Steve Casson out for the first time this year in his refreshed Sprite, Phil Gardner out for the first time at Gurston competitively with new racing rubber, Kevin Rowe in the tri-tone Sebring and Colin Gale, winner at Curborough, in the ever popular and very green Kermit.

In the Big Healey class, the drivers were keen to see the two cars that had been in the Rawles Emporium for most of the winter, namely Claire Giles's BJ8 (pictured right) and Trish C-P's BN7. Claire's car looked very similar until the bonnet was opened revealing a full race engine with all the trimmings. The work on Trish's car was less obvious as the work was more structural but great to see freshly painted steel in all the right places. Equally less obvious was the other change made by Pete Walton, in that he had switched the wheels, tyres, hubs, brakes etc.. with his Blue BJ8 to lose weight with the bolt on rather than centre lock wheels.

First practice got underway and the Healey classes were one of the first on track. It was exceedingly slippery due to the rain and mud on the course, so all took it carefully and waited for the sun and the other cars to clean up the track. As is tradition, an excellent breakfast followed in the restaurant - after which all is right with the world.

As expected, the times tumbled in second practice with 7 of the 12 drivers within 2 seconds of each other. In the Sprite class, Robin Johnson was leading with a 40.42 from Colin Gale in 40.52 and Steve Casson in 41.23. In the Big Healey class, Paul Baker was quickest with a 40.35, Richard Mason next in 40.64 and Pete Walton in third with a 40.81.

Lunch was delayed due to a single seater going off the track at hollow - the driver was fine but the car clearly was not. So after lunch the timed runs got underway and in the Sprite class the order stayed the same with Robin Johnson (pictured right) leading the pack with a 39.23 from Colin Gale in 40.25 and Steve Casson in 40.78. Then it was Rafe Haywood still getting to grips with driving the yellow Frog in 45.27, just ahead of Kevin Rowe in 45.34 and Phil Gardner in 52.32.

In the Big Healey class, Paul Baker lowered his time to a 39.19, from Pat Cooper in 39.52 and Richard Mason in 40.55 albeit without his overdrive, which had decided to stop working. Pete Walton beat his pb with a 40.81 from Claire Giles who was learning fast how to use her newly acquired horsepower with a 43.21 - some 6 seconds faster than her pb for this course!! With Trish C-P improving her time to a 44.69.

Before our last run of the day, Nick Revels (Gurston Down Comp Sec) did a live interview with Paul Baker and Robin Johnson in the paddock with his roving microphone linked to the public address system, asking about the cars that take part in our championship. Some lively banter ensued between the pair to the delight of the watching Healey drivers.

On to the last timed run for the day and as the weather had stayed bright and sunny, the track was probably going to be the quickest it had been all day. In the Sprite class, Robin Johnson's Sprite starter motor failed so he could not take part. However, his first timed run of 39.23 was good enough to secure first place. Steve Casson recorded a 40.17 - his best time of the day to take second place from Colin Gale who went slower than his first run. The next tree drivers all improved their times by a small amount so held position - with Rafe Haywood in 45.11, Kevin Rowe in 45 32 and Phil Gardner in 52.24.

In the Big Healey class the top two drivers both went fractionally slower with Paul Baker (pictured right) in 39.49 and Pat Cooper in 39.54. Rich Mason worked out a way of driving the hill without an overdrive and finished with a very creditable and quicker 39.85. Pete Walton went faster still with a new pb of 40.16, Clare Giles went fractionally slower with a 43.40 and Trish C-P finished with her best time of the day of 44.39.

An excellent day's hill climbing at this very well run venue.

So, the finishing order was:

Sprite class: 1st Robin Johnson, 2nd Steve Casson, 3rd Colin Gale, 4th Rafe Haywood, 5th Kevin Rowe, 6th Phil Gardner

Big Healey class: 1st Paul Baker, 2nd Pat Cooper, 3rd Richard Mason, 4th Pete Walton, 5th Claire Giles, 6th Trish C-P

Our next event is at the Anglesey Circuit on 5/6th May for a weekend of sprinting - join us if you can.

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Round 1 - Curborough - 8 April 2018

(Words by Trish Cecille-Pritchard with Pics by Marius Abram)

Our season opener was held at Curborough near Lichfield, where we’d visited two weeks earlier for a test day. This was also a target time round.

After endless wet weather and dreadful conditions in previous weeks, it was encouraging to arrive in the dry, although pools of lying water on the grass in the paddock were a stark reminder! The forecast was for a warm but cloudy day with no rain in sight.

A colourful turnout of five Sprites and five Big Healeys, including the comeback kid “ Robin Johnson” with Rafe Hayward sharing the Yellow Frog.

Practice got underway after Rafe suffered the first of many gremlins which beset the Yellow Frog when it refused to start and had to be pushed by marshals to get going, leading us out of the paddock.

First time out we everyone went fairly cautiously testing for grip and more importantly because some were getting to grips with more power, fresh new tyres, total rebuild, damage repairs and other tweaks!

Colin and Kermit (pictured above) were on fire from the off, so was John Ducker (pictured below) who so narrowly avoided blowing his PB in practice throwing caution to the wind! Our MGCC hosts decided to do a first timed run before lunch with the possibility of extra runs in the afternoon.

Rafe was out first bringing the Yellow Frog back in 77.47secs. Colin and Kermit put in a blinder of a run in 68.14secs, achieving a new PB and beating his target by 1.76secs. Garrow Shand was another taking advantage of the grip and posted a new PB in 79.89secs under target by 1.44secs. David Abram scorched around but unusually was a tad off target but a quick time of 68.96secs and Robin back in the Yellow Frog went extremely well in 71.39secs.

Grant Marshall led out the Bigun’s and blistered round gaining a new PB in 69.57secs and under target by 1.51secs. John Ducker in the smart 100/4 is clearly on a mission this year, posted another PB in 75.63secs which was 1.44secs under target. Not to be outdone, Rich Mason put in a “spirited run” (Quote from commentator), to record yet another PB in 69.05secs a nanosecond under his target. Pete Walton out for the first time this year having driven his 3000 up from Buckinghamshire, masterfully drove round gaining another PB of 69.32secs just .14 shy of his target. TCP back in the saddle with her extensively remodeled BN7 was erring on caution but still made up 1.13secs from practice.

Lunchtime provided drivers with much needed sustenance and time to catch up with each other after the winter break. The weather had held, in fact the sun attempted to shine as we had lunch only to fade away under a thin layer of cloud and the breeze dropped, rendering it warm and muggy for the start of the afternoon.

Our class followed four single seaters, who managed all day to keep us waiting around up at the start with dual drivers, endless faffing and red flags!! Eventually, our second run of the day produced two faster times for David and Robin in the Sprites. Colin had led the way from the start to take top spot, Garrow made great progress all day to claim second place. Eventually, Robin (pictured right remembering to put his visor down at the first bend!) managed to put in a second timed run of 69.66 to take third place with David in fourth. Robin and Rafe were having starting problems all day from a powerless battery. Down but not out, this trio will be back on song at Gurston.

The Big Healeys, the last cars to go out, still had it all to play for. Grant and John couldn’t improve on their first runs which put them in first and second place, both with PB’s. Pete managed to record an identical time and a PB from his first run, there’s consistency for you! Richard and TCP were the only two to go quicker, Richard by .22sec and a new PB. TCP after gaining confidence clawed back .98sec to finish just shy of her target.

A great day was had by all, lots of PB’s and much was learned about our cars with improvements at the start of the season. The top three in each class were:

Sprites. 1st Colin Gale 2nd Garrow Shand 3rd Robin Johnson

Big Healeys. 1st Grant Marshall 2nd John Ducker 3rd Richard Mason

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Colin received top honours from MGCC for fastest car in the Healey Class ( an Extra Birthday Present! )

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