Vintage Racing Club of BC

The Spirit of Westwood Lives On!

October 4, 2012

Six Formula Fords enter Turn 2 during the 2012 BCHMR: Alan McColl (1977 Tiga), Dave McKay (1984 Lola T644), Charlie Lyford (1970 Caldwell D9b), Keith Robinson (1979 Van Diemen RF79), Chris Schoap (1970 Titan FF Mark VI) and Jim Johnson (1972 March 729) – Jim Moody photo

Updated: October 9, 2012

Have you been thinking about getting into Vintage racing but aren’t sure whether you want to go with a sedan or sports car (called Closed Wheel) or with a single seater (called Open Wheel or ‘formula cars’)? There are pros and cons to both choices but if you have never tried a formula car, don’t rule it out until you check it out. They are great fun to drive and race, and easy to maintain. (And you also get to brag to the Closed Wheel racers that you drive a ‘real’ racing car, not some modified street car!)

Formula Fords have been one of the most popular forms of single seater road racing around the world since the class was first created in the 1960’s and it is no different in BC. If you would like to find out more about racing a Formula Ford (either Vintage or modern), then check out the Formula Ford BC web site (here) for more info.

 

October 1, 2012

The ‘Bimmer Battle’ earlier this season: Leigh Anderson (1967 BMW 1600) leads Ian Thomas (1971 BMW 2002) – Brent Martin photo

The beautifully prepared ‘Battling Bimmers’ of Leigh Anderson and Ian Thomas are just two of the VRCBC racers already registered for the final Vintage races of the season at Mission Raceway Park Road Course on Saturday, October 6th. The Vintage races are part of the SCCBC’s season – ending ‘Flying Feathers’ Weekend. You can find the full race information and weekend schedule by clicking on ‘Driver Information’ on the SCCBC web site ( www.sccbc.net ) or just click here.

Note: The Vintage races are usually held on the Sunday but for this weekend only, they will be on the Saturday.

The Vintage races are on the Saturday because the SCCBC is bringing back the old Westwood tradition of ending the racing season with an Enduro on the Thanksgiving weekend. The last race on Sunday October 7th, will be the 4 Hour ‘Done Like Dinner’ Enduro (see the schedule for info) presented by Nixon Prosports Ltd.

Attention Vintage Racers: There will be prize money! Maybe you should enter the Enduro too, and show those modern cars how it’s done – and also take some money home!

 

September 28, 2012

Mark Brown ‘three-wheeling’ through Turn 9 on September 23rd – Mike Stanway photo

Thanks to some clever camera work by Mike Stanway, we now finally know why Mark Brown is so fast in that dang Lotus Seven of his – he only uses three wheels! The reduction in friction must be worth at least a couple of seconds per lap! Thanks Mike; we are all in your debt.

You can look for more of Mark’s secrets on his personal racing web site here. You can check Mike’s Facebook page here.

September 28, 2012

Race 1 – ‘Which way did he go?’ – Mark Brown photo

The other stories described Dennis Repel’s very ‘interesting’ day at Mission during the Volunteer Memorial Weekend. In Race 1, he made lots of smoke (as in tire) while dealing with a sticking throttle in Turn 2. Then in Race 2, his Camaro made more smoke (as in goodbye engine!) when a rod let go on the overrun as he entered Turn 1.

Race 2 – ‘Goodbye engine!’ – Mark Brown photo

You can see it all from the best seat in the house – Mark Brown’s following Lotus Seven. Look for the video on the right (or just click here) to watch.

September 27, 2012

Dennis Repel (Chevy Camaro) lays down a smoke screen in Mission’s Turn 2 in an (unsuccessful) attempt to confuse second place Mark Brown (Lotus Seven S3) – Michael Stanway photo

Dennis Repel was leading the first race on September 23rd when his throttle stuck open entering Turn 2. Mike Stanway captured the moment as Dennis laid on the anchors big time while a startled Mark Brown, who was right behind, tried to figure out what to do. Mark said later: “My instincts told me to steer towards the air without tire smoke and it seemed to work.”

With judicious use of the kill switch through the rest of the race, Dennis was able to recover back to second place. In the subsequent laps, it was Phil Roney who got to watch the display. (See the other photos below.) Great photos Mike; thanks.

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