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Newsletter – 2021 October

14th Oct 2021
Dear Member,

Consolidation of the Veterans of Scottish Motorsport Association

There has been quite an upheaval within the Association with a new Chairman, Secretary and a change in Board Members. One thing that became clear was that the funds of the Association were very limited and, in order to sustain and progress the Association, it was decided to introduce an annual subscription. This was voted for at the AGM held via Zoom on Thursday 4th August 2021 and to which all members were invited.
It was decided that the annual subscription would be £20.00 becoming payable on 1st January 2022 and on 1st January every year thereafter. Payment can be made by bank transfer to:
Account Holder: The Veterans of Scottish Motorsport Association.
Sort Code: 80-08-77. Account No: 00137949
or by cheque payable to V.S.M.A. and posted to:
Robert K. Baillie, 11a, Arran View, Mauchline, Ayrshire KA5 5BB
I trust that you will continue to support V.S.M.A. by taking up the annual subscription and by returning your membership details by email to vsmasec@yahoo.com or by Royal Mail to: Nancy Crichton, Secretary V.S.M.A., 42 Turnberry Gardens, Westerwood, Cumbernauld, Glasgow G68 0AZ.
One of our new Board members, Chris Paton, is doing a sterling job of updating the website and I would ask that you visit the site to keep up-to-date and update your personal information. The intention of the board is to produce quarterly newsletters with details of upcoming events and snippets of news and information which will be of assistance to members. This will be on the website and if necessary sent to a small number of members who do not use the internet.
Chris has also set up a Facebook page initially only for members which can be found by searching “Veterans of Scottish Motorsport Association”.
Please complete the accompanying form asking you to confirm your name, address, email address ( if you have one ) and the best telephone number on which you may be contacted – either landline or mobile. It is hoped that most correspondence will be carried out via email but if you don`t have an email address then it will be via Royal Mail.
With Kind Regards

Bob Baillie

Chairman, V.S.M.A.

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Tales

2015 Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique

By Chris Paton

The Monte-Carlo Historique is a gentle Sunday run round some nice hotels and cafes for old people in old cars, right?  Never having entered a ‘Regularity Event’ that’s what I thought it would be. When I was asked by Michael Hyrons, who is hoping to take part in the rally one day in his restored Cooper-S, if I would like to go to France to find out more about the rally, the idea sounded quite appealing. Michael contacted Alistair Vines and asked if we could tag along with him and his team in their entry in the Mini Cooper-S CRX89B. The initial plan was that this would be a fact finding mission to establish what is required to complete the course. A couple of weeks before the event Alistair asked us if we could carry some spare wheels and fuel to do remote service, and by running ahead of him on the route we could relay back road condition information. When we received the second issue of the service schedule there was an additional column with our instructions and the heading ‘Ice Car’.

A little Explanation

Some detail here about the Monte-Carlo Rally and how the Automobile Club De Monaco ran things. There were five different starting points. These included Glasgow, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Turin and Reims.  Eventually all these ‘Concentration Routes’ converged at Saint-André-les-Alpes on Saturday, 31stJanuary to take a route which would include the first Regularity Zone (ZR) en route to Monaco.  Timing was to the minute with a set time between main controls.  Once the cars reach Monaco they were fitted with a GPS tracker called a ‘Tripy’ which allowed the AC de Monaco to track where and what speed each car was doing.  Heavy penalties were applied for exceeding a speed limit and all road sections had a target time between main controls.  Between main controls there could be Regularity Zones or ZRs as they were called. The ZR was a regularity section with the aim of achieving an average speed throughout the route. The Tripy allowed ACM to calculate the average speed at several points on the route and award penalties for each point of measurement.  That meant that you could not fly through the ZR and then wait near the finish to clock in at your target time.  Penalties were awarded per 1/10th of a second early or late on a ZR section.  In all there would be 14 ZRs over the whole “Common Route”.  After they reached Monaco and had their Tripy fitted they proceeded, after a nights rest, to Valance.  Then a loop back to Valance, then back to Monaco for the final couple of sections.  [Details of the Sections and  ZRs can be seen in the Appendix below, along with links to the ZR routes, etc]
On Wednesday 28th January at 7.00hrs Michael and I set off from Lanark in Michael’s Skoda Octavia VRS which was shod with Pirelli 210 snow tyres. We had a brief stop at Alistair’s house in the Midlands to pick up six wheels and tyres and a small jerry can for spare fuel and then headed for Dover to check into the hotel.
The following morning at the P&O ferry terminal we met Alistair and co-driver Willy Cave along with Nigel and Simon who were on servicing duties. CRX89B was on the trailer ready to board the boat bound for Calais.  Michael had done all the planning and paperwork for the trip and I was to do all the driving in France. The journey from Calais to Reims was straightforward and we were checked into our hotel by late afternoon.
We awoke on Friday morning to discover a light covering of snow. We took the car off the trailer and gave it and the Land Rover Discovery service car a quick wash in preparation for applying sponsors stickers. Next we did a trial fit of the snow chains on the VRS and also on the Mini.
Car 304, a 1964 Mini Cooper S, Regn No. CRX89B in the hotel car park before going to scrutineering.
On Wednesday 28th January at 7.00hrs Michael and I set off from Lanark in Michael’s Skoda Octavia VRS which was shod with Pirelli 210 snow tyres. We had a brief stop at Alistair’s house in the Midlands to pick up six wheels and tyres and a small jerry can for spare fuel and then headed for Dover to check into the hotel.
The following morning at the P&O ferry terminal we met Alistair and co-driver Willy Cave along with Nigel and Simon who were on servicing duties. CRX89B was on the trailer ready to board the boat bound for Calais.  Michael had done all the planning and paperwork for the trip and I was to do all the driving in France. The journey from Calais to Reims was straightforward and we were checked into our hotel by late afternoon.
We awoke on Friday morning to discover a light covering of snow. We took the car off the trailer and gave it and the Land Rover Discovery service car a quick wash in preparation for applying sponsors stickers. Next we did a trial fit of the snow chains on the VRS and also on the Mini.
At 11.00hrs we were off to scrutineering in a massive building full of amazing old rally cars which made it feel like a time warp back to the 1960s. The crew signed on and dealt with the paperwork and we all helped with the last minute preparation for scrutineering. After successfully passing we had a late lunch and then a couple of hours sleep in the car.
Scrutineering at Reims 

Fri 30, Sat 31 Jan : “Reims – Le Puy-en-Velay”  (127 cars)

The concentration run from Reims to Monaco included those crews who started from Glasgow making up a total field of 127 cars.  Our car was running right at the back of the field at number 304 so our start time was 21.00hrs.  Our brief in the ice note car was to run 10/15 minutes ahead of the rally car so that we could alert the crew of any adverse weather conditions or road blockages.
The first section was from Reims via passage controls at Gueux, Vitry-le-Francois, Bar-sur-Aube to the main control at Le Puy-En-Velay. Distance 614 Km. Target time 12Hrs 14Min. In theory it should be very easy to do the 614 Km in the time allowed, but as well as the delays at the passage controls there were also fuel stops and general servicing to be done, and also the unpredictable weather to be taken into account.The route was over a mixture of what would be A,B and C roads in the UK and even well after midnight there were people standing out in every village to see and hear the cars passing through. The roads were mainly free of snow and ice, but under the watchful eye of the very experienced Willy Cave, Alistair was really having to press on to keep to the schedule.First fuel service was at Bar Sur Aub just after midnight. We waited for CRX and helped with servicing and then followed to Brion Sur Ource.  From there it was a long slog down to Autun, and after 349Km we helped with another fuel service and changed CRX onto studded tyres in preparation for the smaller roads and the higher ground we were approaching.
The route was over a mixture of what would be A,B and C roads in the UK and even well after midnight there were people standing out in every village to see and hear the cars passing through. The roads were mainly free of snow and ice, but under the watchful eye of the very experienced Willy Cave, Alistair was really having to press on to keep to the schedule.
First fuel service was at Bar Sur Aub just after midnight. We waited for CRX and helped with servicing and then followed to Brion Sur Ource.  From there it was a long slog down to Autun, and after 349Km we helped with another fuel service and changed CRX onto studded tyres in preparation for the smaller roads and the higher ground we were approaching.
From there we were following the rally car on main roads to Roanna via Digoin. As we approached Roanne the snow came on heavily. We had to stop a couple of times to help clear the build-up of snow on the lamps and the screen on CRX as Alistair was having difficulty seeing the road.
Between Roanne and Feurs the snow was so heavy that the only cars moving were rally and service cars and on the N82 a number of lorries had simply come to a halt on the main carriageway as it was too dangerous for them to continue. But we had a schedule to keep to so following CRX at speed was the only option.
Leaving Feurs we were heading into the mountains on snow covered minor roads and with another 100Km to go it started to get light.
At 08.45hr we reached the main control in Le Puy En Velay. The rally had taken over the snow covered town square and there were many interested locals watching Nigel and Simon check the car over and do a full service of fluids, tyres and fuel.  Meanwhile I was trying to grab some sleep in the VRS, but despite having been up for more than 24 hours the adrenalin in my system kept me wide awake.
The Copenhagen crews joined our route here ready to tackle the second section from  Le Puy-En-Velay via Sederon to St Andre Les Alpes. Distance 342 Km. Target time 6Hrs 53Min.
This part of the route should have been fairly easy, starting with a very long run over the N102 through Aubenas to Montelimar, but we were in fairly busy Saturday morning traffic so progress was somewhat restricted. This was one of the few opportunities we had to see some of the rally cars as we travelled in convoy with an Alpine Renault A110, a Porsche 356 SC, a Lancia Fulvia Zagato and a Simca 1100 Rallye. From Montelimar we then headed down to Nyons, then over the Col De Peyruergue to the PC at Sederon and then through Sisteron on to the N85 and the N202 to arrive in St Andre Les Alpes at 15.30hrs.

Sat 31 Jan – “St Andre les Alpes – Monaco”, Includes ZR 1    Common route for all 314 cars after their ”concentration runs”

The Turin and Barcelona crews joined the route here making a total field of 314 cars to tackle the third section which would take us to Monaco via ZR1 (the first regularity section).  Distance 138Km. Target time 3hrs 15min.
Our tasks in the ice note car was to get well ahead of CRX and drive up the mountain road to the end of ZR1 at Levens village and report back on the road and weather conditions. The ZR was 12Km long on the M19 from Saint-Jean-La-Riviere to Levens. We were able to report back that the weather was cold but dry and there was no evidence of snow or ice. These regularity sections are timed to a fraction of a second with the aim being to maintain a constant average speed for the entire route. Alistair and Willy emerged from the ZR looking very pleased at having set a time only 1.1 seconds over target, helped by the correct tyre choice.
Car 304, Alistair Vines and Willy Cave (GBR) in their 1964 Austin Mini Cooper S approaching the remote service
From there we followed CRX down the mountain and as night fell we joined the A8 to Monaco where we met Nigel and Simon at a layby just off the motorway. We managed a final service of the car here before continuing into Monte-Carlo.
The rally crews had to proceed to the Beach Hotel in Monaco to the Tripy distribution zone where the satellite tracking device would be fitted to the cars. This would allow the AC de Monaco to monitor the exact position and speed of each rally car for the rest of the event.
Nigel who had towed the trailer all night went to find the trailer park and we headed to our hotel for a very welcome meal and a comfortable room for the night.

Sun 1st Feb –  Start of Classification legs: “Monaco – Valance”    Includes ZR2, ZR3, ZR4 and ZR5

The Sunday run was from Monaco to Valence. Section one was to Gare de Clelles. Distance 381Km. Time 8hrs.  The one advantage of running at number 304 was that we did not have an early start on the Sunday morning, so at 10.00hr we set off to ZR2 to check road conditions and weather. We were able to report back to Alistair and Willy that the weather was fine and the roads were dry

 

Car 217, Fernandel Cosin/Martinez Huarte (ESP) in a 1970 Lancia Fulvia 1600HF
Car 233, Legros/Perquin (FRA) in a 1977 Opel Kadett GTE
We then set off on the long drive to ZR3 at Selonnet where we found a way into the middle of the ZR route to find the road covered in hard packed snow and ice. We had travelled 230Km since we left Monaco and Alistair and Willy were due to arrive at 15.00hr. We waited to make sure Nigel and Simon arrived safely at the service area and reported the road conditions to them before setting off to get ahead of CRX to be able to meet them 60 Km away at Monetier-Allemont for emergency service. The service area was on the D942 just across the A51 from Montier-Allemont about 25Km north of Sisteron.
Remote Service 
The rally car was due at 17.00hrs. Nigel and Simon arrived 20 minutes before them and as CRX approached all seemed fine but when Alistair stopped the car he announced that they had had an accident. On a narrow road behind local traffic another competing car, in an attempt to overtake, had rammed the rear left hand corner of CRX. Alistair appeared very calm under the circumstances and a quick inspection showed there was no damage to the suspension or the fuel tank. However the bumper was destroyed, the lamp lens was broken and there was considerable damage to the aluminium boot lid. Temporary repairs were made using tape and we set off in convoy towards Gare de Clelles.
As we climbed to an altitude of 1200M the snow was really coming down and the “chains compulsory” signs were on as we approached the Col de la Croix Haute. Our instruction was to take the D539 over the Col de Grimone to rendezvous with CRX at Chatillon after ZR4 (Col de Menee) in case tyres or fuel were needed before tackling ZR5. As night fell we arrived in the small village of Chatillon where we had a long wait in -5 degrees C.
When Alistair and Willy arrived no service was required and we followed them towards ZR5, but as we turned off the main road in the village of Die the snow was so heavy that there were no tyre tracks visible on the road and we wondered if the route was closed. We decided to continue and Alistair was pressing on at speed so we had to follow suit up the incredible Col de Rousset with very thick snow on the road and snow banks at least one metre high on either side. At the summit we had to bear right as Alistair took the left fork to head to ZR5 which went over the Col de Carri and the Col de l’Echarasson. We met Nigel and Simon at Saint-Nazaire-En-Royans to wait for CRX and then travelled in convoy to Valence arriving at 21.30hrs.

Mon 2nd Feb – 1st part of the Common leg: “Valance – Valance”.    Includes ZR6, ZR7, ZR8 and ZR9

 

Cars in the village of Saint-Pierraville waiting to start ZR6
Monday morning in Valence was cold but sunny and on paper the ‘Valence to Valence’ route looked like a fairly easy day ahead for us. The first section from Valence to Saint Agreve was a distance of 234Km and a target time of 5hrs30. We set of at 10.30hrs to make our way to the ZR6 at Saint-Pierreville to be there at least half an hour ahead of Alistair and Willy to relay back the road conditions, snow line height and weather. We arrived in the village to find that the roads were dry and there had been very little snow all the way there. After reporting back to the crew we set off to La Champ Raphael to report the conditions for ZR7 Burzet to Saint-Martial. This region appeared to have had no recent snow because despite there being a good covering at the side of the road, the roads were clear and dry.
Saint-Agreve ZR8
There was a major service at Saint-Agreve but first we had to go to ZR8 to check weather and road conditions. The ZR started at the Col du Faux and came back round towards Saint-Agreve finishing at Labatie d’Andaure. We made our way to a cross roads in the middle of the rally route to again find there was no snow or ice on the road and we actually had some spare time to watch several rally cars passing by here.   Doing Ice Notes and Remote Service is quite a lonely task as you rarely see your rally car or service crew, but just outside Saint-Agreve there was a handy car park where several crews including Nigel and Simon had set up. We had some time in hand so we met them there to enjoy a hot coffee made by Nigel in the back of the Land Rover and to compare notes with the other service crews on how well or otherwise things were going for their crew.
The next section was from Saint-Agreve to Tournon. Distance 120Km. Target time 3hrs.  We left service before Alistair and Willy arrived, and while they were in service and then tackling ZR8 we had a relatively easy run along the D533 and through Lamastre and into a junction in the middle on ZR9. Again there little or no snow to report so we returned to Lamastre to wait for Nigel and Simon to report the conditions.
Start of ZR9  Lamastre to Plats 
The start of ZR9 was right beside the service park so we were able to walk up to watch the some of the cars leaving. It was getting quite dark when Alistair and Willy arrived and after a very brief service they were off to tackle ZR9 so we followed Nigel and Simon to Tournon.
We had been bypassing the main controls to keep ahead of the rally car, but at Tournon there was time for service right beside the control. The town of Tournon was fully geared up for the passage of the rally with a main control in the town square complete with flood lit marquee, live commentary and interviews (in French) with the crews. When CRX arrived we managed to check the car over, adjust the rear brakes and change the wheels before booking into the control. From here is was a fairly easy run to arrive in Valence at 20.30Hr.

Tues 3rd Feb – 2nd part of the Common Leg: “Valence to Monaco”  Includes ZR 10, ZR 11 and ZR 12

Tuesday morning in Valence was again very cold but sunny and ahead of us was a 400Km route back to Monaco with a target time of 8Hrs.
ZR10 was a 70Km drive away and started at Saint-Nazaire le Desert. We set off 30 minutes before the rally crew to get onto the Col de Pommerol to assess the road conditions, snow line height and weather. We phoned the information back to Simon who was waiting to service the car before ZR10.
ZR11 Verclause to Eygalayes  
We then set off on a route that would take us into the middle of ZR11 at the village of Villebois-Les-Pins. The ZR started at Verclause and went over the Col du Reychasset and then the Col du Pierre Vesce and finally the Col Saint Jean to Eygalayes. After watching 20 or so cars through we set off to wait for Alistair and Willy at the end of the ZR to follow them through Sederon to service at Les Bons Enfants. From here there was a drive of 100Km on main roads to ZR12 at Puget-Theniers. For us there was no suitable access to the middle of the ZR route so our only option was to continue on the main road and then double back to the village of Gilette to wait for Alistair and Willy to emerge.  Having successfully completed ZR12 the rally crew were to meet Nigel and Simon for a major service and then on to Monaco to prepare for the forthcoming night section. Meanwhile our task was to recce the final two ZRs to report back on the road conditions.

Tues/Wed 3rd/4th Feb Final leg during the night: “Monaco to Monaco”  Includes ZR 13 and ZR 14

It was dark by the time we reached ZR13 from Luceram to Lantosque over the Col St Roch and the Col de la Porte all 26Km – all completely free from snow or ice.

ZR14 La Bollene Vesubie to Sospel

Snow falling at the top of the Col de Turini at the Leranch Col Turini Hotel
The final regularity section was ZR14 and very much the sting in the tail of the event. Starting at La Bollene Vesubie the route went up the Col du Turini and then down through Moulinet and Sospel before tackling the Col Saint Jean and then down the D54 before returning north again on the D2566 to finish just outside Sospel, 53 Km in total with a target time of 1hr 4mins 7.7secs.  There were several other ice note crews on the road when we arrived but there was no ice to report. The road was dry all the way up to Turini where there was a light flurry of snow, but on the way down to Moulinet the road was wet and below that it was dry. We reported back the conditions and having completed our ice note duties set off for Monaco arriving at 20.30hr for a welcome meal and an early night as we were planning to travel home on Wednesday morning.
Before setting off for Calais the next morning we met Nigel who could give us the excellent news that Alistair and Willy had finished 59th overall, Top Mini, Best Brit, 1st IRDC Team GB (Tyresoles Trophy) and 2nd in Class.
The week had been a real eye opener to just how difficult the rally is, especially the regularity sections where a set average speed has to be maintained throughout and which are timed to 1/10th of a second at several points along the route – penalties can be accrued at each point and at the finish.
I’ve been involved in special stage rallying for over 40 years and this was by far the greatest distance I had covered, having travelled over 3600 miles from leaving home to returning. I have to admit I’m not sure if regularity events are for me, but the Monte-Carlo Historique maintains a fairly tough schedule with little margin for error or failure and it’s certainly no tea and muffins tour for old duffers. 
Chris Paton                                                                                    
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Appendix:

Timetable of Sections

Concentration Legs

Wed 28 – Fri 30 Jan – “Glasgow – Reims”  
1042 kms including ferry from Calais. Only 8 cars did this section.

Fri 30 – Sat 31 Jan – “Reims – Le Puy-en-Velay”
12 hours 14 min for 614 km, includes 127 cars from Glasgow and Reims

Sat 31 Jan – “Le Puy-en-Velay – St Andre les Alpes”
6 hours 53 min for 342 kms.  Now includes those cars from Barcelona, Turin and Copenhagen

Sat 31 Jan – “St Andre les Alpes – Monaco”
3 hours 15 min for 138 kms, Common route for all 314 cars after their ”concentration runs” Includes ZR 1

 

Classification leg

Sun 1st Feb – “Monaco – Valance”
7h 50 to 8h for 381 kms, Includes ZR2, ZR3, ZR4 and ZR5

1st part of the Common leg

Mon 2nd Feb – “Valance – Valance”
5h 20 to 5h 30 for 233 kms, Includes Includes ZR6, ZR7, ZR8 and ZR9

  2nd part of the Common Leg

Tues 3rd Feb – “Valence – Monaco”
8h to 8h 10 for 394 kms, Includes ZR 10, ZR11 and ZR 12

 

Final leg – a night section

Tues/Wed 3rd/4th Feb – “Monaco – Monaco”  
4h 10 to 4h 20 for 169 kms. Includes ZR 13 and ZR 14

 

Back to Tales from the Past Index 

Other Events

2013 Bo’ness Hill Climb

6th Bo’ness Speed Hill Climb Revival, 7th and 8th September 2013:

For those of you who have never been to the Bo’ness Hill Climb, below are two photographs of Kinneil House on the estate where the Hill Climb is held.  The view on the left shows the house as you would drive in from Bo’ness village.  Beyond the gateposts is where the Classic Car Show and the V.S.M.A tent would be situated.  The view on the right shows the grassy area where the Classic Cars would be displayed on each side of the driveway.
The Bo’ness Hill Climb Revival Site Plan
The sketch above shows you site plan of the Hill Climb as shown in the event Programme.  It is fairly self-explanatory. The Hill Climb route from Start to Finish is shown in red. As you can see it crosses over the driveway just before the Finish. This creates a barrier between the public car park and the display area.  However, the “barrier” is opened very frequently between runs to allow access to the other side of the track for access to better viewing of the Hill Climb, and also to the display area where the V.S.M.A. tent was pitched.
As promised we did come back to the Bo’ness Hill Climb Revival meeting. This time with an extra tent and a slight change of “Staff”, but in the same location as last year, just behind the Tunnock’s grandstand and in front of the Classic Car Show.  So, you really couldn’t miss us!
 It was a mad scramble getting everything sorted out before the practice runs started on Saturday morning. Thanks to the helping of our usual stalwarts Bob and Margaret Baillie, Mid and Val Bruce, Duncan and Adele Paterson, Stuart and Mairi Parker, and Donald Gordon.  Donald had arrived in his 3 litre Austin Healey which drew very admiring crowds all day despite Donald not having entered the Classic Car Show!

The Classic Car Show:

Barry and Nancy Crichton once again had been in charge of organising, setting up and controlling the Class Car Show. This was a repeat of the previous year being held again in the display area just in front of the historic Kinneil House, and behind the VSMA tent. There were 15 Classic Clubs on display at the show, including the following clubs:
Scottish Mondeo Club      Hamilton Classics
The 289 Register     MGCC Caledonian Centre
Scottish Riley Enthusiasts     Scottish Kit Car Club
Sporting Bears Motor Club     Jaguar Enthusiasts Club
Manta Owners Club     Rear Wheel Drive Club
Autoscots       Marcos Scotland
Lotus Drivers Club       Rock’n Roll Motors
Jaguar Drivers club
Unfortunately we have no photographs of any of the Classic Cars on the show.  Of particular interest were some of the kit cars and the range of MGs.  However, the Best Individual Entry in the Classic Car Show was won by a beautiful vintage Austin hearse! Appropriate for the occasion??

The Hill Climb:

You can see from the track layout on the right (Click to enlarge) where the Paddock lies in relation to the Display area, the Start and the Finish.  There being no convenient return route, following their run competitors have to retrace their way back to the Paddock in groups. Practice Runs took place from 09.30 to 12.30 each day. This was followed by the Cavalcade of cars from the Classic Display down to the Paddock and back, giving the spectators (and the Competitors in the Paddock) a marvellous display of the classic vehicles, of all shapes, sizes and age.  They were truly splendid.  After a lunch break, the Competition Runs commenced from 14.00 through to around 17.00 with the Presentation of Prizes taking place in the Paddock after the last run. The Hill Climb Revival, was really two separate events, one on Saturday and one on Sunday.  Most competitors competed on both events which gave them extra practice and a further go in their Class.  A few indeed had double entries in different vehicles in different Classes!  In all there were nineteen Classes, so the organisers were kept very busy getting the entries sorted out, not just for practice but for the runs themselves!  A logistical nightmare!   However, they were pretty close to keeping to their timetable on both days – this despite crashes on each day which did cause some delay while the track was very efficiently cleared.  On Saturday the FTD was set by our own Malcolm Wilson with a time of 30.51 seconds, while on Sunday this was beaten by Geoff Hunt from Andover in a time of 27.84 seconds.  This was quite appropriate as both were in Lotus cars and winning on the 50th anniversary of Jim Clark’s first World Championship, also in a Lotus.

The Paddock:

Spectators were able to get down to the Paddock via a somewhat tortuous route or by taking the regular free minibus service which rotated between the display area and the Paddock between runs. There they were able to observe what was going on, chat to the competitors and see more action at the Start and the Hairpin.The photograph on the right shows Ian Smillie beside his old Lotus 22 with the current owner Geoff Hunt from Andover.  Geoff has now owned the car for 40 years (yes, forty!) and because of this was on “BBC South” recently while competing at Gurston Downs, where he is a committee member of the organising BARC.  Geoff keeps the car immaculate and any major work is carried out by Simon Hadfield. The car is better built now than when it left Colin Chapman!As mentioned above Geoff on Saturday went on to snatch FTD from Malcolm Wilson with a scorching 27.84 seconds.  Ian has now been invited down to Andover where Geoff stays, in December for a celebration of the forty years of the Lotus’s dual ownership!!

 Sunday Lunchtime at the VSMA Tent:

 Lunchtime on Saturday was probably better forgotten – the heavens opened and we were almost washed out, and as a result, we had very few “customers”.   Fortunately, Sunday turned out to be a really nice DRY day.  Indeed, the better weather brought hordes of spectators which must have delighted the BHCR organisers.  As you will know our main purpose at this Hill Climb was to provide a meeting place for our members, where they could drop in for a chat and some refreshment.  Here are just some of the VSMA members who dropped in – Kenny Allen, John Fenwick, Peter Girvan, Bill Henderson, John Jeffrey, Clive Reeves, Ian Smillie, Harry Simpson and Iain Ralston.  John Melvin and Bruce Lyle also paid us a short visit before departing for the beer tent! We were delighted to meet again Ronnie Morrison who had brought along his daughter Erica.
A very pleasant surprise during lunch was the fly-past of two World War II planes, a Spitfire and a Hurricane.  There was considerable interest in photographs from the distant past on display within the tent, kindly supplied by Bill Henderson. Below is an assortment of photographs taken over lunch of some of our members.
The photograph on the right shows Donald Gordon chatting with Stuart Parker, while parked just alongside our the tent was the original Lotus owned by the late Jim Clark.  It had been kept in remarkable condition.All in all, it was a pleasant two days, meeting old friends and seeing all the marvellous cars in the Classic display plus some fantastic driving up the hill.   In addition to Barry and Nancy Crichton, below are lists of VSMA members who also were involved in the organisation or were competitors.

VSMA Members Officiating were:

MSA Steward: John Fenwick
Club Steward: Ian Smillie
Chief Scrutineer: Ian Ralston
Classic Car Show: Barry & Nancy Crichton

Classes  

Class  1   Saloon and Sports Cars prior to 31 December 1918
Class  2   Saloon and Sports Cars 1 January 1991 to 31 December 1930
Class  3   Saloon and Sports Cars 1 January 1931 to 31 December 1946
Class  4   Saloon and Sports Cars 1 January 1947 to 31 December 1961
Class 5A   Saloon and Sports Cars 1 January 1961 to 31 December 1973 up to 1500cc
Class 5B   Saloon and Sports Cars 1 January 1961 to 31 December 1973 over 1500cc
Class 6A   Single Marque only, Jaguar Pre 1974
Class 6B   Single Marque only, Triumph Pre 1974
Class 6C   Single Marque only, MG Pre 1974
Class 6D   Single Marque only, Porsche Pre 1974
Class  7   Sports Racing Cars 1 January 1947 to 31 December 1960
Class 8   Sports Racing Cars 1 January 1961 to 31 December 1973
Class 9   Single Seater Racing Cars 1 January 1947 to 31 December 1960
Class 10   Single Seater Racing Cars 1 January 1961 to 31 December 1965
Class 11   Single Seater Racing Cars 1 January 1966 ro 31 December 1973
Class 12   Formula Junior Racing Cars
Class 14   Historic 500cc CarsClass  15   Cars fitted with “Flat Head” engines
Class 16   Other Cars as agreed or invited by the Organisers
Best time of the weekend was made by Geoff Hunt in a Lotus 22, Class 10 with a time of 27.43
Further details on the 2013 event, all the Classes and the FULL Results, can be seen by visiting the 2013 Bo’ness Hill Climb Revival Official Website by clicking here.
Finally, our thanks to Bill Henderson for supplying the photo display in our tent from his Collection, and all the VSMA members and partners who assisted in manning the tent on both days – you were great.
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Other Events

2012 Bo’ness Hill Climb Revival

5th Bo’ness Hill Climb Revival, 8th and 9th September 2012:

VSMA was represented at the fifth Bo’ness Hill Climb Revival on 8th and 9th September.  Actually, we were very well represented! Apart from those manning our “tent”, there were fourteen members competing, four officiating and another dozen or so who dropped in to see us at the “tent”.
 
However, the most prominent V.S.M.A. member there was Ian Stewart, he of Ecurie Ecosse fame, who drove one of the E-Type Jaguars on a demonstration run up the hill.  The paddock containing the competitors was separated from the spectator area where our tent was situated by the Hill Climb itself.  However, we were able to visit the paddock and Start by using a curtesy Minibus but the competitors were unable to come up to us and partake of what we had to offer. None-the-less from what we gathered everyone had a great couple of days. 
Another of our members who was not really there in person at the event was Roy Allingham!  But he could be heard many times during Sunday afternoon.
      
He was the train driver that day for the Scottish Railway Preservation Society’s Bo’ness & Kinnell Railway and every time he passed above the paddock he gave a prolonged toot on his whistle to encourage the competitors and public alike. Thanks, Roy. 
Apart from the excitement of the Hill Climb itself, one of the main attractions of the weekend was the presence of the famous Ecurie Ecosse Transporter and several of beautiful vintage racing vehicles.  These were all parked alongside our tent and caused a great deal of interest.
There were numerous other vehicles on display from those of the Caledonian MG Car Club and other vintage marques. 
Here were of just some of the members who dropped into our stall: Fulton Beaton, Iain Bennie, Charlie J.H. Brown, Mid Bruce, Sammy Colman, Ian Cunningham, Bill Cuthbertson, Peter Girvan, Bill Henderson and son William, John Jeffrey, Rob McKinna, Mairi Parker, Margaret Baillie, Val Bruce, Jim Pettigrew, Iain Ralston and Boyd Tunnock.

Officiating VSMA Members were:

MSA Steward: John Fenwick
Chief Scrutineer: Rob McKinna
Club Stewards: Ian Smillie and Bill Wood

Fourteen Competing Members: 

Stephen Smith: Austin 7 Special
Tom Richardson: Riley Brooklands and also in a Riley MPH
Jim Grant: Lotus Elan S3
Hugh MacKinnon: Porsche 911 3.0 RS
Kenny Allen: Lotus Elan
Bob MacGillivary: MG Midget
Alistair Muir: Triumph TR4A
George Cooper: Cooper Sports
Jamie Gibbon: Morgan 4/4
Stephen Cooper: Cooper T59
Malcolm Wishart: Cooper T65 FJ
Alex Graham: Vauxhall Firenza
Olly Ross: Triumph TR8
Brian Hopkins: Morgan
Members’ Results:  Best results were from George Cooper in Class 6 “Sports Racing Cars from 1st Jan 1947 to 31st Dec 1960″ – he was 1st in Class on both days. Similarly in Class 7 “Sports Racing Cars from 1st Jan 1961 to 31st Dec 1973” Jamie Gibbon was first in Class on both days.  In the “Formula Junior Racing Car Class,” Stephen Cooper was 1st on both days with Malcolm Wishart being 2nd.  As for others, they all seemed to have had a great couple of days despite not collecting any silverware. Sympathy does, however, go to Hugh MacKinnon who was well beaten by his son Colin in the same Porsche!
Thanks are due to the many who helped in setting up and manning our presence at this event, especially to Bob and Margaret Baillie, Mid and Val Bruce, Charlie and Netta Young, Duncan and Adele Paterson.  Thanks too to William Henderson for providing his father Bill’s historic images from previous Bo’ness Hill Climbs which were on display at our stand. I’m sure we will all be back in 2013 to enjoy another great Motorsport event.

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Tour

Tour – 2009 Highland Run

“Highland Run” 8th/9th May

Friday Morning –  To accommodate the many members who come from many different parts of Scotland, the Run really got started from the Altnamore Hotel, Blairgowrie although Bob Baillie and Mike How had arranged easy runs up from the west and Edinburgh respectively for those members living in the central belt.  Driving up from the south to Blairgowrie the heavens opened up with torrential rain most of the way!  However, this was no matter as what a great weekend it would turn out to be!  The 49 member “competitors” and partners congregated at the Altamount House Hotel, Blairgowrie, where we had a pleasant lunch.
Waiting for the Start at the Altamount House 
The car park at the Altamount was like a Concours D’Elegance with several beautifully prepared vehicles –   E-Type Jaguar, Ferrari, Maserati, MGA Coupe, MGB, MGF, etc.
Click on an image below to enlarge a few of the cars in “Parc Ferme”  

After lunch, by 1.30 we were flagged off by Mike How, who was only able to be at the start due to business commitments.  Our final destination was the Grant Arms, Grantown-on-Spey.  The sun had eventually decided to appear and ‘hoods down’ was the consensus. This was fine for those who only had to press a button, but for those like your scribe (who had forgotten the intricacies of an MGB hood), this was a somewhat slow and verbally heated process.

As we should have expected, the sun shortly disappeared and it was ‘hoods up’ for the rest of the trip north.  Over the Lecht the rain gave way to sleet making the last leg down to the Spey valley quite exciting!  However, we all arrived safely at Grantown-on-Spey late on Friday afternoon, where the Grant Arms Hotel awaited us.

Friday evening started off with a cocktail reception when everyone got to know each other a bit better and quite a few members bought the latest embroidered VSMA headgear which was being enthusiastically sold by your Hon. Secretary!

Some snaps taken at the Friday evening reception 

Then it was off to dinner during which President Jimmy and Bob Baillie made a few remarks of welcome!  After dinner, it was down to practice for the serious business of the “Highland Speed Challenge” (to be held on Saturday evening) on the Scalextric circuit, which had kindly been provided by Gordon and Karen Clendinning.

Track and vehicles on the “Highland Speed Challenge” 

Bob had divided the group into two classes, Drivers and Co-drivers.  It was thought that the men would be the more competitive but surprise, surprise it was the ladies who turned out to be extremely aggressive and with several excellent times!  So much so that Bob decided that he would have to get a Ladies Prize for Saturday night’s main event.

Saturday morning saw most of us up bright and breezy, although some showed early signs of post-competitive stress somewhat strangely relieved by Alka-seltzer!  The first outing was a trip to Aviemore and back on the privately owned steam train.  This brought back pleasant memories for most of us and it was nice to be driven for a change!   In the afternoon for most of the “Competitors”, it was off to the Macallan distillery near Aberlour for a conducted tour and a wee dram at the end.  Then it was back to the hotel to get ready for the evening festivities. 

Saturday Evening – an excellent dinner was followed by the serious business of the “Highland Speed Challenge”. The gentlemen were desperate to beat the ladies on the track – an almost impossible task. It was suggested by more than a few gentlemen that “thems wimen must have been practising”.  Anyway, apart from Ian Gemmell who had obviously been practising hard, the men were put to shame.  The track closed down at 11 pm when most retired to drown their sorrows.

Results of Highland Speed Challenge

1st Driver             –   Ian Gemmell with a time of 1 minute 34 seconds

1st Co-Driver       –   Nancy Crichton with a time of 1 minute 38 seconds

1st Ladies prize    –  Netta Young with a time of 1 minute 36 seconds

Sunday morning  – breakfast saw the presentation of prizes to the winners of the “Highland Speed Challange” – bottles of Macallan whisky and Macallan jam!!

Presentation of Prizes 

Sunday afternoon and evening   –  After breakfast, apart from those souls who had decided to stay for another day, everyone else made for home and a rest!  After seeing everyone off, the remaining 16 went there separate ways, visiting garden centres, visiting local friends, watching Osprey nests, etc., but generally having a quiet and restful morning and afternoon.  Dinner in the evening was much more subdued than on the Saturday with an early night for some!

Monday morning departure 

Finally  –   It was unanimously agreed that this had been a great venture, with the repeated plea “When is the next one?”.  From the proceeds of the Highland Speed Challenge plus the donation from Tunnocks we were able to donate a grand total of £500 to Glasgow University Trust Fund for leukaemia research.

Many, many thanks are due to Bob Baillie, the Clerk of the Course, Chief Marshal and altogether general factotum, for all his hard work before and during the event. Thanks, Bob.

Stuart Parker

2009 Highland Run “Competitors”

Kenny Allen & Kenny Gunn      Fraser Anderson & Alastair Clark    Bob & Margaret Baillie
Donald & Lilian Brown              Mid & Valerie Bruce              Gordon & Karen Clendinning
Barry & Nancy Crichton       Bill & Ann Cuthbertson       Chris Edwards & Andy Fenwick
Ian & Louise Gemmell                Walter & Bette Gray            Jimmy & Arlene McInnes
Hugh Mackinnon & Olly Ross    Bill & Eileen Montgomery          Malcolm & Anne Noble
Stuart & Mairi Parker                 Duncan & Adele Paterson           Ian & Margaret Smillie
Pat & John Smith                        Ron & Elspeth Smith                Bill & Frances Thomson
Graham & Margaret Wright      Alexander & Carol Anne Young       Charlie & Netta Young

 

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Tour

Tour – 2019 Spring Run

27th to 30th April

Friday Morning Start

This year’s Spring Tour was destined to be held in Cumbria, primarliy to visit M-Sport a loction which had been requested to visit for many years by several members.

As usual the event had been organised by Bob Baillie and started fron the Hetland Garden Centre south of Dumfries just off the A75.  A simple route had been devised by Bob Baillie using Google Maps.

The usual entrants (33 in all) gathered at the garden Centre prior to starting off at around 11.30.  The route would by-pass Calisle, down the A689 towards Cockermouth and hence into M-Sport’s premises in time to start the tour of M-Sport by 1.00pm.

M-Sport

Overview of the M-Sport’s eventual facilities at Cockermouth. The track is now complete. Other areas such as 1,6,7,8,12 and 13 in the above plan are currently under construction.

A delighted Malcolm Wilson, after Ford with Marcus Gronholm won the 2006 Monte Carlo Rally. Sunday, 22nd January 2006.

To those who don’t know, M-Sport was an enterprise started and now run by one of our members, Malcolm Wilson.  He was a well known rallyist in the UK as well as in Scottish events. During the competitive phase of his career, while he was searching for bits for his rally car, he decided that he could make a business by selling these “bits” to fellow rallyists……… the rest is “History” as they say.

Having spread his wings he now runs an International company that produces complete Rally Cars for major manufactures for the World Rally Championship, as well as a few privateeers.  Malcolm nearly always accompanies his cars around all the World Rally Championship events!

Our members were delighted to be taken round M-Sport’s facilities.  Understandably, we were not allowed to take any photographs of their workshops or the vehicles being prepared – not just for World Cup Rally cars but racing cars including several Racing Bentleys!

He has certainly come along way since I first met him while running the International Burmah Rally during the 60’s and the 70’s.

ALL photographs shown in this article are curtesy of member Margaret Smillie, unless shown otherwise, and they were taken in M-Sport’s own “Museum”.

.

 

Friday Evening

Following our amazing visit to M-Sport the route took us down through the centre of the Lakes to our headquarters in the Newby Bridge Hotel at the foot of lake Windermere.  Bob had arranged a reception followed by dinner in the Hotel.

Having been suitably refreshed we proceeded to dinner where most of us were to be seated at one very long table.

Following dinner it was back to the bar to plan the following day’s activities.

Saturday Morning, Afternoon and Evening

The plan on Saturday was firstly to visit the Lakeland Motor Museum which was less than a mile along the A590.  Prior to visiting the Museum a few members took time to visit the Hotel’s garden to inspect several ancient statues.

After this visit having left our cars in the museum car park we were bussed along to Lakeside where would board a steamer.  This would take us up Lake Windermere to Bowness where we could alight to shop or have some lunch.

Unfortunately the rain came when we were cruising on Winderemere but a nice relaxing afternoon none-the-less.

“Back on land” we were back to the Hotel for Dinner, etc.

Sunday Morning

First thing on Sunday Morning was to visit one of the only remaining bobbin mills in existence in the Lake District.  They first began during the Industrial Revolution when the cotton trade was at its height in the Midlands. Being close to where cotton cloth was being made, the Lakes were ideal place to produce bobbins used to hold the threads used in weaving.  Lots of water power and plenty of trees were the ideal magterials to produce the many millions required initially in the Midlands but latterly throughout the whole world. With the advent of used for steam power, the use of water declind as did the many mills themselves.  Today there are only a handful left.  The one we visited is now just a museum but a very whorthwhile place to visit.

Following the visit to the bobbin mill we were left to visit several sites south west in and around Burness-in-Furness, includingCumnria Crystal in Ulverston.  We visited the Dock Museum in a Victorian Dry Dock in Barrow-in-Furness which was also worth a visit.  Following this was a pleasant run back to Newbridge via the north edge of Morecambe Bay.

Sunday evening was a good bit quieter than the previous evening causing a number of our members having an early night.

Monday Departure

Following a leisurely breakfast most gathered in the Hotel forecourt for a “photoshoot” unfortunately not all stayed on for this event.

Finally it is time to thank Bob and Margaret Baillie for all the time and effort they had put into providing yet again a marvellous Spring weekend.  Where to next Bob?

 

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