This is an earlier Newsletter than I had intended but as I had received numerous bits of information and photographs I felt it was right to get it to you before it became too out of date. I have received numerous photographs from people who were at this year’s Spring Run to Grantown-on-Spey. The report on this run will be able to be seen in the “Previous Event” section – but not yet! I will let you know when it is available.
Can I remind you that all the images within this Newsletter (and all previous ones) can also be viewed in the “Picture Gallery” by the various methods of searching.
Malcolm Parkin seems to have set memories alight and caused some cross-member discussion. However, peace seems to have settled – read below.
Address changes –
Our Gordon Brown (not the political one) has moved to West Kilbride. His new Address and phone numbers can be found in the “Members and details” section.
Here are some of the other items of news this month –
Interesting Stuff from Members
The 6th Flying Scotsman, 4th to 6th April 2014
Scottish Malts Classic Tour – 28th April to 2nd May 2014
More on the “Thoughts from Malcolm Parkin”
Interesting YouTube clips
Bits and Pieces which may amuse
Interesting Stuff from Members:
Brian Harrison: Got an email from Brian which will be of interest. You may recall that the HaldaneHD-100 and HD-300’s cars were manufactured in East Kilbride during the 80’s and 90’s, the company was run by Brian Harrison and Alasdair Scott. Actually, one of the last HD-300’s made is now stuck up on the wall in the Glasgow Transport Museum! Recently he was contacted by an enthusiast/owner in Holland and asked to contribute details of the history of Haldane Developments for a website the Dutchman was producing. Have a look at the ‘History’ and ‘Register’ chapters at this site www.haldane.nl to get the story behind the Haldane’s production, etc. This is an excellent effort and makes interesting reading. Isn’t it amazing just how many of these cars have survived and are still enjoy an active life !
With more family and business responsibilities, Brian retired from racing in 1975 and took up something less expensive and less dangerous ………………………. Hang-Gliding.! Check out Brian’s own site showing now his involvement in gliding. His present company is X-C Aviation where he is currently working on the development of an electric powered glider with a company in Poland. Changed days!Brian had over 7 years direct involvement in motorsport, 7 years in Haldane Developments and 8 years in Karting with his son Kenneth, during which time he also developed an award-winning performance logging system for karts and race bikes under the name Datalap Racing Systems. Karting at that time was full of fathers who were co-competitors of his and several friendships were renewed including with Jimmy Sime who is currently finishing the rebuild of his original 1970’s Mini and is about to go racing again! As he said, “once a competitor, always a competitor, I guess!”
Willie Crawford:
Got an email from Willie including the photographs below for inclusion. He mentioned that “Funnily enough since I retired some years ago I have satiated my desire to fly around the place on four wheels by having a part-time job driving a small car transporter, collecting and delivering hire cars all around Scotland. Does not pay much money but keeps me happy….”
Eric Dymock:
Eric emailed to say that he was recently celebrating his 80th birthday! Also, he attached the couple of photographs below which he had received from Andy Morrison. This shows Eric competing in the 1964 Scottish Rally with Graham Birrell as his co-driver in a borrowed Works Cortina.
The 6th Flying Scotsman, 4th to 6th April 2014 –
Organised by the Endurance Rally Association. The event this year, which was a Vintage Reliability Trial, broke with tradition and moved further north. Starting at the Forest of Arden which is near Birmingham, the Competitors drove north into Lancashire and Yorkshire on the first day. On day two they moved into Scotland finishing at the Gleneagles Hotel on day three, having driven much more on Scottish roads than in previous events. To be eligible the cars had to have a pre-war chassis and a pre-war engine design. However, they did allow an HRG, which was essentially a pre-war car, and an MG T-Type as it had two leaf springs at the front. It was a Regularity Road Rally with off-the-public-road time trials. There were 98 starters, of which 94 managed to finish which is quite remarkable considering the age of these vehicles. Again the vast majority were from Great Britain (61) but there were entries from Ireland (5), Holland (8), Switzerland (2), Germany (4), Belgium (7), Luxembourg (2), Spain (2), Canada, USA (3) and Australia (1). Have a look at the ERA website to see the huge variety of vehicles entered. The photographs below are only a few of the ones taken at the control near Carron. Again we are grateful to Bill Barr who sent in these photographs of himself and Harry Merry still doing their bit for Motor Sport as Marshals at that Time Control.
These Photograph below are with the courtesy of Bill Barr 
Scottish Malts Classic Tour – 28th April to 2nd May :
This was an event run by the Classic Endurance Rallying Organisation. They have been running this particular event annually since 2007 tending to be based in places like Gleneagles or Turnberry, as well as visiting a number of whisky establishments en route. I must admit it was the first I had heard of this event. Bill Barr and Harry Merry were both involved in manning the Rest and Be Thankful section. Having just finished their stint with the 6th Flying Scotsman Rally, and having been involved with running events in Scotland for many years, they were not amused by the dreadful organisation at the Rest. Anyway, Bill sent these photos he took on the Rest for your interest. For those who would like more detail of this organisation click here.
![](http://vsms.tunaweb.com/wp-content/uploads/News003-1.jpg "The correct attire for a "Rest"? ( Photograph courtesy of Bill Barr )")
More on “Thoughts from Malcolm Parkin“ from the April Newsletter:
What a flurry of emails following “Malcolm’s Thoughts” in the last Newsletter! Here is a précis and hopefully a conclusion to what has turning out to be a bit of a saga. Interesting none-the-less…..!
Extracts from Emails
21 April, 14.34 hours
Donald MacDonald emailed to state that “regarding JYS’s demonstration of Tyrrell 003 at Ingliston, features (with photographs) on page 90 of Graham Gauld’s book ‘Scottish Motor racing and Drivers’ and according to the report, the August meeting was in 1978.”
30th April, 23.35 hours
Iain Nicolson from the Ingliston-circuit website wrote: “I was interested to read Malcolm Parkin’s thoughts in the recent VSMA members newsletter of Jackie Stewart bringing his Tyrrell 003 up to Ingliston on a demo. He suggests that it may have been in 1971, and that may have been so, however, I can vouch for the fact that JYS did indeed bring Tyrrell 003 up to Ingliston for the August 1979 meeting – and I also had the sense to take some photos (although surely others did too?). A couple of these are on my website but I’ve also attached a few more to this email, for your enjoyment…”
1st May, 9.58 hours
Malcolm Parkin responded to Iain as follows: “Many thanks for that 1979 information about Tyrell 003. Jackie Stewart has demonstrated twice at Ingliston, and the earlier occasion – which is the one I was thinking about – was 1969 when he demonstrated the Matra Cosworth F1 car, in which he won his first world championship. The engine was fluffing due to a mixture problem, and he stalled the car while doing a racing start in front of the grandstand, much to his embarrassment. He later went on to give a tremendous drive, and it was interesting to note that he was still accelerating round the left-hander at Clock, leaving his braking to the entry point at the right-hander before the grandstand. Very impressive! The Clerk of the Course on the day as I recall was the late Ernie Herrald.”
1st May, 15.23 hours
Iain Nicolson responded: “Aha, this is getting interesting! I’m not sure you are entirely correct about the date and the car Malcolm. Jackie Stewart did demo his March-Cosworth (not the Matra in which he won the championship) at Ingliston at the May 1970 meeting – see photos attached, including my autographed programme cover! As you see below, the car was covered up in the paddock before I managed to get my photos, presumably because this was a current Grand Prix car at the time, which Jackie was actually racing that season, and so perhaps they didn’t want it to be seen too closely…?! Correct me if I’m wrong, but to the best of my knowledge the Tyrrell Matra-Ford was never demonstrated at Ingliston.
1st May 17.38 hours
Malcolm in reply to Iain: “Well, I think you could be correct! I am copying this into my good friend Douglas Thomson who had it as the Matra in 1969. Doug also mentioned to me that Tyrrell used the March chassis in 1970 until they could develop their own car. What a game of trivial pursuit I have started, except it isn’t trivial! Douglas, would you like to comment please?“
1st May, 20.57 hours
Douglas Thomson reply: “Oh dear, oh dear, curious and more curious!! The car in the photograph is unmistakably a March 701, the driver is unmistakably Jackie Stewart, and the track is unmistakably Ingliston. That would make it early 1970 because the Tyrrell 001 first appeared at the Gold Cup non-championship Formula One race meeting at Oulton Park sometime in the Summer of 1970, and the March chassis was abandoned after that. Tyrrell, of course, ran the Matra chassis in 1969, powered by a Cosworth DFV engine, and Stewart won the World Championship that year. The Tyrrell team wanted to continue using a Matra chassis in 1970, but Matra insisted that if Tyrrell wanted their chassis, they also had to run Matra’s own V12 engine which was heavier and underpowered compared to the DFV. As Tyrrell and Stewart were committed to using the (Ford) Cosworth DFV engine because a lot of their money came from Ford, the team were forced into running a customer March 701 chassis for the start of the 1970 season, until they could get their own car up and running. I think I am right in saying that Stewart was the only person to win a Grand Prix in a March 701, the Spanish GP if my memory serves me right, although you might want to look that up.
However, I am glad to see that all the pieces of the jigsaw are gradually coming into place.”
2nd May, 09.53 hours
Douglas to Malcolm : “Shortly after sending off the e-mail to you last night, I had a phone call from my photographer friend Eric Bryce who went to most of the Ingliston race meetings. He said he had found a photograph he took of Jackie Stewart at Ingliston with the March 701 in 1970, but no record of Stewart being there with the Matra in 1969. That would tie in with the photos you e-mailed to me yesterday. So it seems I was quite wrong about the Matra, and I am very sorry for sending you off on the wrong tack with that possibility.
The facts seem to be, therefore, that Jackie Stewart’s two visits to Ingliston to demonstrate a Formula One car were in 1970 with the March 701, and in 1979 with the Tyrrell 003″.
2nd May, 10.13 hours
Finally, Malcolm replies: “After some clever investigation, and thanks to Iain’s eyewitness, photographs, and autograph, we have clarified the position with Sir Jackie’s Ingliston demonstrations.“
Editor: Well done if you have got as far as this. We know now who we could have in our Pub Quiz Team…….. or maybe not!
Interesting Youtube clips:
Just a few, which are best viewed in ‘Full Screen’
| A quite topical and amusing advert from France for the use of paper | Click here |
| This is really an annoying one! Click above the runner when he stops. | Click here |
| This one reminds me of Boyd Tunnock in his youth! | Click here |
More Bits and Pieces from our Chairman
A couple of Primary Schoolchildren
The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note and posted on the apple tray: ‘Take only ONE. God is watching.’ Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note, ‘Take all you want. God is watching the apples….’
A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six-year-olds. After explaining the commandment to ‘honour’ thy Father and thy Mother, she asked, ‘Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?’ From the back, one little boy (the oldest of a family) answered, ‘Thou shall not kill.’
Shampoo Warning
WARNING TO US ALL – YOU NEED TO READ THIS
I don’t know WHY I didn’t figure this out sooner! I use shampoo in the shower when I wash my hair, the shampoo runs down my whole body, and printed very clearly on the shampoo label is this warning,
“FOR EXTRA VOLUME AND BODY”
No wonder I have been gaining weight! Well, I got rid of that shampoo and I am going to start showering with Palmolive dish-washing liquid instead because of its label reads
“DISSOLVES FAT THAT IS OTHERWISE DIFFICULT TO REMOVE.”
PROBLEM SOLVED
That’s all folks………………. !
Stuart Parker, May 2014