Greeting the Armco
Having realised that in fact I am never ever on time writing this I’m not sure our resident Karate master will chop this into the next issue. My tardiness this month is due to my baptism into the world of racing single seaters. But more of that next month.
As a result of this lack of time this scribbling will have no form of finesse (just like usual!).
Have you ever noticed people who put a pack of Kleenex or the like on their rear parcel shelf? What on earth are they going to do back there, or am I being my usual badly informed self? Have I just not noticed the race of people with an amazing knack of being able to reach their parcel shelf from a normal seated driving position? Oh and this race have constantly running noses. There is an upper class too who have silver and gold encrusted tissue boxes that adorn the parcel shelf and bring all of the other road users joy when we catch them sitting in the middle lane of the M40 as is their right. Can anyone enlighten me more on this strange race of beings? Answers on a post card to the usual address – the best solution win a pint off me in the Bell!
Speaking of the Bell ain’t it about time we had a club news and display board in there permanently? Perhaps a picture too of the reigning Rose and Crown winner at work (in the car) on the wall would be good. At least it would let the residents of Kemsing know who we are. Just a thought.
Rob Roy Hume our resident Scot has either given up on building a Sports 1000 or has given up on telling us about it. I for one want to know more. How about a progress report Rob?
I think Sports 1000 could be a great new lower budget sports prototype series. Now I know that a lot of people think there is no need for any new race series and in fact many should be amalgamated. Sports 1000, though seems to me at least to be the start of a great new era of sports car racers. ADR Engineering, series sponsor and the manufacturer of the bulk of the cars, have currently  sold 15 kits and countless more sets of drawings for home builders to work from. Advertising has got them over 600 enquiries. There are two other manufacturers also selling cars. They are Scholar and Farrington, but neither has a quite finished product. More on this to come, as I’m due to take the ADR and the Farrington for a spin in a few weeks.
I went to Rockingham the other week. Now the place to be frank is situated in the ugliest corner of the UK this side of Gateshead. In fact as you drive into the entrance on your left there is a building that can only be described as looking like the innards of my mum’s vacuum cleaner turned inside out. The circuit facilities themselves are top notch. Even the paddock (foot) access tunnel has lifts at either end for disabled access, as do the vast stands. However the place does have a feel of the new Oxford United ground to it, lots of great plans but the money ran out before they finished the place. In the gleaming (and may I say empty), stands, the “Mickey Mouse” infield track looks very poor indeed and the far side of the venue is wide open and looks fairly bleak. The oval however looks fantastic and it would be great to see the big cars back on it and maybe some little ones too. In the USA Formula Vee races on Oval tracks and I’m sure the UK/Irish series boys and girls would love to go there, Imagine 30 Vees slipstreaming their way around the fast oval track – brilliant stuff. The Uniroyal Beetles are capable of Oval racing too. Here’s the set-up of two race meetings I would love to see happen. The first is of my own creation – the second an adaptation of Marcus Pye’s idea that he and I discussed during a power cut at work.
1) Rocking at the Rock Oval meet.
 1 day meeting (a Bank holiday Sunday) with a loud concert starting at nightfall – Perhaps the Prodigy or the Chemical Brothers.
Races – Not a huge bill so the day can have a late start around lunchtime.
Super Silhouettes (stock car based specials)
ASCAR
Formula Vee (with its 90 registered competitors – 50 of which who tend to show up)
Uniroyal VW Team Challenge (with the BELGIANS!) 30 cars – practice / testing the previous day, 5 hour sunset race into the night with the concert main act starting during the race’s final hour imagine the spectacle.
2) The PYE in the sky VW Festival at Brands Hatch
VW fest with racing on the Indy circuit. A display of surfer style camper vans on South Bank and a veritable mass of Beetles and Golfs on the GP loop. Also on South Bank there would be the Stella big screen showing surfer films like Blue Juice. Then again in the evening a concert with the Uniroyal Beetle’s racing into the night in a 4 hour endurance trundle, again they practice a day earlier.
Uniroyal VW Team Challenge
Formula Vee UK
Irish Formula Vee
VW Racing cup
Vee all comers race
Demo runs by Le Mans Audis and racing VWs from over the years.
Both would be great meetings, both for the spectator and the competitor – both staples of the future of National Racing. Just a thought. Better than complaining about a lack of venues.  We need more venues in the South East, lets build one. The Welsh and Scots have done it – why can’t we?
I think the selection of club branded clothing is pretty poor for the female members of the club… How about a Team 7oaks skinny rib shirt?
Oh don’t forget to let the Press and PR chap know what you’ve been up to, he is quite well connected these days. PR exposure can make the sport cheaper.   Run out of things to say now so I’m going to return to my hole until next time the track/stage/hill beckons.

Stig of the Dump