Name: Keith Lay

Occupation: “MSA Ombudsman” according to Roy McNeil in Acorn!

1. When did you join 7 Oaks? …….1995 I think; Jon Miles said I was doing many of the events so I should be doing the 7Oaks speed championship.

2. What or who inspired you to get into motor sport? ……Indirectly, 7Oaks Vice President David Siegle-Morris (whom I’ve never met), Clerk of the Course of the Gulf London Rally International. Rallying came virtually to my doorstep on my cycle route to school.

3. What was your first competition car and why did you choose it? …….  998cc Mini Cooper. I persuaded my father he needed one when his Riley was off the road for major work.

4. Brief history to present day…..Driving on road rallies. Destroyed car on what we would now call a track day at Brands. Re-shelled it (it wasn’t mine) despite only having repaired a bicycle before. Navigated on road rallies, since I couldn’t be any worse than my previous navigators and I didn’t get sick. Won a few, including the Pilgrim Rally in Kent. Service Crew on RAC Rally ‘68-‘72.Drove a few stage events in Cooper. Built Cooper S from new shell for Internationals. Drove on Welsh, co-drove friend’s Mini on Scottish (look at period videos and see how rough it was, you don’t think I was going to use my car on that do you?).Clerk of the Course for one of the Great Cotswold Road Races…I mean Road Rallies. Co-drove on a few Internationals, including the 1000 Lakes in Finland in ‘74. Got married and retired from motorsport…for 3 months, when offered a ride on the ‘75 RAC.Three consecutive finishes as co-driver on RAC, co-drove on a few other major UK events and one in Belgium. Worked in USA and followed NASCAR Winston Cup up and down eastern seaboard. Back in UK, watched 80RAC. Next day, walking across Trafalgar Square at lunchtime, decided to build Escort and drive next 5 RAC’s and no other events before homologation expired. Not ready in ‘81. Finished in ‘82, despite rolling down embankment in Kielder. Sidetracked into Belgian Open Championship in ‘83. Finished ‘84 RAC. Only retirement was Ardennes in ‘85. Finished ‘85 Limburgia, during which we passed through 3 different countries…2 of which were on the correct route. Some club level forest rallies in ‘86/7. Moved to Dorset, logistics of rallying became too difficult with rest of team in Surrey. Tried local autocross; hated it-there were 3 other cars to race on the same track-far too dangerous! Tried hillclimbs and had to build another car to be competitive under crazy regs. Class wins in wet; few in dry. Won 7Oaks Tourist Trophy in ‘97 (despite what yearbook says - and Andy Webber didn’t even come second!). Drifted out of competing in frustration at lack of progress to standard speed rules and continued presence of a few ”old farts in blazers” making up dangerous and non-existent regulations like wearing helmets down hillclimbs in closed cars (saw a marshal nearly killed as a direct result of the limited visibility).

5. Most extravagant bit of kit for your comp car…The complete spare car, less engine and bodyshell, you needed to carry around on major rallies

6. Did it work?….Frequently - for other competitors who were always borrowing parts.

7. Favourite venue/track/hillclimb and why? ……Most central Wales forests-best surfaces by far. Pestalozzi-most like a rally stage…shame about the organiser…

8. Worst venue/track/hillclimb and why ……Mount Kemmel on Ypres-  stalled on hairpin & thousands of Belgians jeered…

9. Worst/Most expensive accident……… With no roll cage, should never have lived to tell the tale about the Cooper at Brands Paddock Bend, leave alone walk away unscathed. On Ypres in ‘83, had a far faster version of Sainz’s 2001 RAC shunt, flat in top over a brow and in the air when needing to brake for a slow 90L. The row of spectators and marshals knocked down all jumped up and pulled the car out of the ditch it barrel-rolled into…Oh, there was the trip to hospital between timed runs at Goodwood caused by McNeil’s quick lift jack- only motorsport injury that wasn’t in a car…!

10. Best/Favourite motorsport car ever ……….Works rally Cooper S

11. Best/Favourite racing/rally driver ever ........ Timo Makinen. So dominant at the time he could run away with the Monte despite the handicap of smoking 60 a day and drinking large volumes of whisky (neither of which are commendable but are not in the same category as the widespread drug-taking that went with what too many still consider the” Golden Age” of rallying and racing). Now all references to him seem to begin with ”no relation to Tommi”, when it should be the other way round. Although Makinen is remembered more for winning in Cooper S and Escort, perhaps the ultimate accolade comes from Pat Moss-Carlsson: ”only Timo ever tamed the Big Healey”.

Keith Lay