News
23 August 2019, WSM At South Mimms.
Rectified an omission and met up with the latest WSM owner Scott Murdoch. He kindly motored northwards from his London office to hitch up at what transpired to be the busiest motorway service area in the entire world at that late afternoon moment.
We established his interest in WSM’s began with the 1997 Classic & Sportscar article by Jon Pressnell, and was again prompted by the ‘Missing Moniker’ update by Gordon Bruce in 2012. Contact via email ensured his interest was logged should any WSM become available, hence acquiring Geoff Hill’s rapid WSM S2 405 in 2018. At present domiciled in Scotland, the car follows in a distinguished line of wheels owned by Scott.
18 June 2019, Brazilian Beauty In Isle of Man.
Pictured by Neil Gilmore at the TT Grandstand, a rare beast from the VW garage. In amongst a touring group of classic VW’s, the SP has to be one of the best looking VW designs alongside the Karmann Ghia. With only 11,000 built in Brazil between 1972-76 and prone to rust, they’re a rare sight on UK shores let alone the IoM. Chronically underpowered, the rear-engined SP looks far outweighed the performance.
4 April 2019, Woburn 1960’s.
Thanks to the response from Gordon England to the post below in January – ‘I was looking for something else altogether and came across your website which is really interesting and informative. In the news section you showed a photo from Colin Scrivener who I guess is a son (grandson?) of Ken. My father, Clifford England worked with Ken running the SODC meetings at Woburn and elsewhere for the second half of the 60’s and was a director of SODC for some time through to the mid to late 70’s. I think the person on the right of the photo with his back to the camera is Ken Ayres. He was a staunch supporter of SODC and in later years a serious sprint competitor in a variety of single seaters. Next to him and mostly obscured is “Doc” Pinkerton, who happened to be my family doctor for many years until I finally moved out of home. Doc was the commentator at Woburn and had a huge variety of interesting cars through the years. His son Robin was involved in some way with WSM but I can’t for the life of me remember what? My involvement in those days as a teenager was running the start line at Woburn – something that would not be allowed these days, which is a great shame. Hope this helps shed a bit of light on the photo. ‘
30 March 2019, Equipe At Spa.
News that Silverstone scrapped MGLive in order to carry out track re-surfacing was a bombshell that pulled the rug from under Equipe’s blue ribbon event, but Equipe picked up the shrapnel and organised two races at Spa on 29th/30th June. The Spa Summer Classic is a high profile event, and 30 minutes practice with two 40 minute pit-stop races provides a great opportunity to indulge in one of the world’s greatest circuits. WSM’s 401, 210 and MGB were last there in 2012 with mixed success, and whichever cars are re-visiting will be treading in WSM’s 1960’s footsteps – the Esso tiger hitched a ride on the WSM transporter in 1964 and to this day travels with the cars.
7 March 2019, New Home For WSM 403 S2.
The award-winning Sanction 2 WSM built for Bill Emerson is now with Michael Glore of Mississippi and joins an eclectic mix of two and four wheeled machinery including Alfa Romeo, Fiat 850, Innocenti, Honda and Bimota. Michael used to race a Lotus 1V and has a very British flavour to his collection – TR6, MGB, Mini Moke, Lotus Elan, Elise and Esprit amongst others. Currently in pride of place alongside a McLaren MP4-12C, 403 remains the only known WSM in the USA after four cars were exported from England in the 1960’s.
Race news
18th May
Equipe GTS Pre-63 Oulton Park
WSM 208
23
13
dnf
29th June
Equipe GTS Pre-63 – Spa Francorchamps R1
WSM MGB
70
51
43
30th June
Equipe GTS Pre-63 – Spa Francorchamps R2
WSM MGB
70
43
32
24th/25th August
HSCC Gold Cup Historic Road Sports – Oulton Park
WSM MGB / 401
24
13/12
11/10
Baked Bank Holiday Extravaganza.
After searing temperatures at Spa in July, the Cheshire rollercoaster hosted a week-end that closed cockpit drivers will remember for equally testing conditions at Oulton Park. The Historic Road Sports Saturday qualifying saw the Morgan of William Plant just pip the Cobra of Kevin Kivlochan for pole, and the Dunlop-shod WSM’s in 12th and 13th amongst Elan, MGB and Porsche opposition.
After the initial sort out in to Old Hall on Sunday afternoon, Kivlochan got the jump on Plant, and bar nosing ahead on lap 3, Plant just could not displace the Milton Keynes driver. Less than a second separated them at the flag after 30 minutes full-on, while Hulett escaped his team mate’s clutches to run a lonely 12th, and the WSM MGB was similarly lacking playmates until the TR2 of Richard Owen filled mirrors over the last three laps.
Pit & Paddock.
WSM 3000 owner and Cheshire resident Robert Waterhouse in a suitably aged Ford Poplar trundled in for Sunday viewing. The Poplars air conditioning had evidently broken as a topless driver was ushered in through the entrance gates sans ticket. The WSM 3000 restoration is very near completion and there’s a lot people looking forward to the public unveiling.
Good to see IoM resident Mick Fuller enjoying the spectacle, and Nigel Adams with wife Angela. The Fullers pop up all over the globe, and we’ve not seen the Adams family for years after having raced in the Austin Healey championship for many moons together.
Thanks to Richard Cable who sorted out the GoPro camera mounting. Another couple boning up on their geography as their recent return from Italy and a myriad of stops in their Westfield was testament.
Young love in evidence. Newly-weds Chris and Susie Hulett were ‘mechanicking’ for Ian, but Chris was quoted as “not getting much sleep. “
Historic Sports Car Club Gold Cup at Oulton Park.
Ian Hulett with WSM 401 joins the WSM MGB at the colourful Cheshire circuit for the Historic Road Sports grid. Lotus Elan, Ginetta G4 and other MGB’s feature amongst the 22 entries, and the racing is usually fast and close. The HRS and the 70’s Roadsports races are now 30 minutes duration, where the majority of the HSCC Bank Holiday week-end races are traditionally just 20 minutes. HRS qualifying on Saturday afternoon and race on Sunday afternoon allows plenty of time to watch some exotic grids.
Heatwave Bathes Belgian Classic.
In temperatures reaching 35 degrees and not a raindrop in sight from Thursday practice to Sunday’s concluding races, the Spa Summer Classic provided eleven stanza’s of the most eclectic racing machinery. The Spa Ardennes Challenge grid was numerically dominated by the 40 entries from Equipe GTS with MGB’s, Healey’s, TVR’s, E-Types and TR4’s mixed with rapid Crossle 9S sport racers from the Crossle RDC. Add in the Motor Classic Belgium entries from Porsche, Morgan, Lotus and BMW, and the 70 car grid had every prospect of an entertaining week-end.
Untimed 40 minute practice on Thursday was a welcome re-introduction to some, and an eye opening baptism for others. Qualifying on Friday saw the Rawles family Healey 3000 head the Equipe times, with Keers-Trafford the quickest of the MGB’s – the WSM clocked 5th fastest of the thirteen MGB Equipe entries and nine of the B-series powered cars were clumped together in the 3m 20s region.
The rolling start on Saturday morning for Race 1 was at least in manageable temperatures but featured the usual scramble around La Source. The WSM was mugged as avoidance became priority, and never recovered lost ground. The 3000 of Will Linley won from the Brewer/Rowley Aston DP412 copy and E-Type of Kennelly to take Equipe honours, and Keers-Trafford was comfortably the quickest Equipe MGB of thirteen. The Healey’s of the Woolmer Classic Engineering team were headed up by second-in-class Smare in 22nd, Williams in 25th and Harris 31st, but the Abecassis/Collyer car came to grief with two laps to go. The WSM ran a lonely race for 11th of the Class 3 MGB’s.
Race 2 saw the Rawles Healey recovered from race one maladies to win from Brewer/Rowley and Linley, and Keers-Trafford again dominated the Class 3 MGB’s and TVR’s. Smare, Williams and Harris all brought home WCE bacon, and the WSM incurred a few track limit penalties on its way to 7th of the Equipe MGB’s.
Pit and Paddock
Good to meet three generations of the Harris family – grandparents over from Portugal, son Jason driving and granddaughter Darby spannering.
The liveliest Triumph Spitfire on four wheels – a shoehorned V8 in the shapely curio and it only became apparent what was beneath when we found the car in the paddock with the Dutch owners.
Spa-Francorchamps Frites Beckon.
Pedalled laps of the hallowed track on the foldaway paddock bike were almost quicker in 2012 than the subsequent laps in practice and race the last time here with the MGB WSM and the HRDC. A fuel issue baffled all and sundry until an almost invisible sediment was spotted in a filter that only manifested itself as a problem after a few active miles and then disappeared again. Clive Cocks and Ian Hulett went well in their respective WSM’s and the usual Spa inclemency made matters even more interesting.
This time with Equipe GTS and practice on Thursday, qualifying on Friday and 40 minute races Saturday and Sunday, we’ll be hoping for better performance and weather.
Cheshire WSM Season Opener.
Oulton Park’s undulating nature amidst the woods and fields ranks as a favourite with most drivers, but WSM at the picturesque circuit seems to attract a mechanical hex lately. The MGB WSM was entered for the Equipe 30 minute grid, but engine maladies intervened and WSM 208 took to qualifying with Ian Hulett’s donated engine proving a strong unit. A liberal dose of oil on track after four laps put paid to much improvement, but series organiser John Pearson had been next to arrive at Clay Hill on the engine oil at full chat in his Austin-Healey 3000. The driver was subsequently fine, but the car thumped every corner with substantial contact. Will Linley’s Austin-Healey 3000 comfortably took pole from the E-Type of Paul Kennelly.
The race was quite attritional and only six cars completed 18 laps. Linley went out after 11 laps, Kennelly’s E-Type after 14, and the 3000 of the Rawles family had almost 10 seconds in hand on the Lotus Elite of Marc Gordon at the flag. The WSM covered herself in brief glory with a blazing start, but almost immediately spat the dummy as the clutch progressively shortened until complete failure after 10 laps.
The ex-Sprinzel Sprite PMO 200 has an additional note to the ownership history – a past owner introduced himself to Paul Woolmer and expanded on his time with the car.
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