2018 Season Review

News

5 December 2018, WSM 405 goes to WSM.

The instigator of the fastest WSM to date, Geoff Hill has parted with WSM 405. The K series-engined car ordered in 2011 and the first of the Spridgets equipped with anything but the ubiquitous A series, is now in the hands of William Scott Murdoch.

5 August 2018, Jim McManus.

The ‘M’ in WSM passed away on Sunday peacefully with family. Jim joined Douglas in 1963 when they opened the Healey Centre in Swiss Cottage, and the expansion of the Leighton Buzzard-based business heralded a busy time for the duo. Within a couple of years they outgrew the London site and relocated all WSM construction back to Bedfordshire. A popular figure at Rockingham in 2001 and subsequent WSM re-unions and gatherings with wife Peggy, he will be missed. The funeral takes place at 2.30pm on Friday 17th August at St Nicholas Church, Cranleigh, Surrey.

27 January 2018, Cairns Calling.

The power of the internet! A previous owner of WSM 205 got in touch from Australia, having left Kent in the early 1970’s for Cairns. He recently unearthed pictures of 205 which prompted a trawl on the net for the car he owned between 1967-69. Stephen Porter competed in hill climbs and sprints, and had a Twin Cam MGA at the same time. He lived in Goudhurst, which happens to be a mile or two from the school AW-S attended at the same time.

5 January 2018, Woburn Winner.

Courtesy of Colin Scrivener, a picture from circa 1965 at Woburn Park. DW-S receives a pot from the WD & HO Wills representative who was presenting awards at the Inter-Club Hill climb that the SODC organised. Neither of us can ID anyone else from the picture, taken by a Leighton Buzzard Observer broadsheet photographer.

1 January 2018, WSM 202 & Happy New Year.

Happy New Year all. WSM 202 has gone to a new home in Switzerland with Peter Kappeler. The car joins the 1947 Fiat 1100s MM which Peter drove with Renato Sutter on the California Mille in 2017.

Race news

23rd June Equipe GTS Pre-63 Brands Hatch AMOC

WSM 202 / 208 1919 / 15

12 / dnf

25th/26th August

Historic Roadsports – Oulton Park Gold Cup

WSM MGB

dns

Lapping Up The Sunshine At Brands.

Sharon’s cooking and hospitality were amongst the best WSM moments of a baking hot week-end, with 208 retiring at half distance and 202 in exploration mode during the 40 minute pitstop race. Ex-WSM pilote John Pearson took a maiden pole position on Saturday morning in his Healey 3000, pipping the Parry-Williams 3000 by a whisker. WSM208’s new engine is a torquefest but the qualifying time did’nt do it justice, while Peter Kappeller was coming to grips with another new circuit to the Swiss driver in WSM202. The race drama ultimately unfolded without Pearson as a misfire plagued the 3000 after leading for 24 laps, and it was left to the Paul Kennelly Jaguar XK, Rob Cull MGA and Marc Gordon Lotus Elite to tussle for the podium placings. Kennelly was cool under pressure at the front, with Cull pinned to his bumper for lap after lap and Cull having mirrors full of Gordon ready to pounce. It took a puncture and off at Paddock on the penultimate lap to rob Kennelly, and Cull eeked out a winning margin to Gordon at the flag.

Young fans were out in force and one chalked up a race seat picture.

Congrats to John Pearson on his pole lap. His cheerful admission that the car ‘sent a postcard before sliding’ does’nt alter the fact that he’s found his mojo with this baby. A Chatham prepared car, various steeds including MGB, WSM Midget and single seaters have preceded, but John looks to have uncovered another ‘perfect mate’.

AMOC Brands Hatch 23rd June.

Catching up with the flourishing Equipe GTS series will see two WSM’s on the Pre-63 grid on Saturday. Peter Kappeler with WSM202 (left) is at the Kent circuit for a test session on Friday afternoon, while 208 arrives on Friday evening. Qualifying at 10.35am precedes a 40 minute race straight after lunch at 1.25pm, and Lotus, Healey, Turner, Morgan and MGA are amongst the competition. Last time out at Silverstone MGLive, the Rawles 3000 and Equipe’s own John Pearson topped qualifying, with the Rawles Healey taking the race win.at a quicker pace than the