MGCC Luffield Speed Championship
Co-Ordinators Corner - June/July 2005
At last some really good news. With this news letter you will find a press release from Luffield Cars revealing that in spite of all the trauma of the collapse of MG Rover, Luffield cars are setting up a special servicing facility for MG Rover cars. I have been talking to David Wood, and he confirmed that this would apply not just to recently manufactured MGs but also to the midgets and Bs that make up a large part of our Championship.
This means that there will be a dedicated, specially equipped, facility in the Midlands to cater for all MGs. I hope to visit the facility in a few weeks time to give you a detailed report of the facilities available.
Further good news is that Luffield Cars will be continuing their sponsorship of the MG Car Club Speed Championship. I believe they will be changing their Logo, but I don't think this will change the decals on cars for 2005. Meanwhile, as some of you know, I get very cross with competitors who do not display our sponsor's logo.
Target Times
There have been remarkably few complaints about target times, but we have made a mistake in one of the Loton
targets, and Iain will be publishing a correction. Three Sisters has been the subject of much discussion,
but it does now seem that the course this year is different to any we have previously used, so it will be
treated as a "New Venue"
Talking of new venues, we have been offered an exciting new venue for the Championship. No less
than the "Little Nurburgring", Cadwell Park.
Borough 19 Motor Club, whose Lydden Meeting we went to in June, are organising a Sprint at Cadwell in
September 2006. They have invited MGCC to make it a round of our Championship, and so great was the
enthusiasm of everybody I spoke to regarding this, that I have accepted the invitation and we are thinking
of making this a joint N/S venue.
I have never been to Cadwell Park, but MGCC have a race meeting there in September, so I am going up to
marshal, and have a look at the circuit. I will keep you informed of more details as I know them.
Even as I was writing this I hear that Goodwood is to be a two lap event this year. If this is so, then as far as I know at present we have no previous data on two lap times, so this too will have to be a "New Event".
Events this year have produced some mixed results. In general the weather has proved mainly dry, with
just recently some very hot weather. Perhaps one of the encouraging signs has been the much improved results
from Terry Pigott now that he has a more consistently reliable chariot. John Wilman has had a mixed season.
He started very fast, but of late has been less competitive. One of the worst bad luck events happened to TJ
Nicolson, who having competed with reasonable success , had the misfortune to run into a deer on his way
home, which severely damaged the car and prevented his competing in several events. David Coulthard, having
moved the ZR up a class and shown everybody how to go at his home event of Harewood, is now producing a
series of good times. I have always fancied the ZR for the Championship, but this is the year, because by
2006 David's 2005 times will become the basis of the targets.
The other MG I fancy is a well driven T type! The target times for this car are probably very much out of
date, so where is the brave soul who will have a go?
Ladies Award
A few weeks ago a young lady called Danica Patrick came within a whisker of winning the Indy 500. Fame and
fortune await the lady driver who can fight her way into Formula1 and win. So far all those who have tried
have been good looking enough for the media, but too slow. I am old enough to remember Pat Moss and Sheila
Van Damm who were regularly fast enough to beat the men. For you youngsters for whom this is a tale of
ancient legend, Pat Moss drove an Austin Healy 3000! By no means a car for the faint hearted.
So where are our ladies? For several years we have had only a few lady entrants, and this year there are
only three. Helen Waddington has done us proud with a consistently good score, but where is the lady with
the determination, drive and skill to dispute Helen's crown. And why are there so few ladies even trying. Is
it that the men wont let their partners loose in their car? Or is it that the ladies feel that they don't
want to be involved in our silly games?
I can see no good reason why a lady driver should not win the Luffield Championship. Sprinting and hill
climbing do not require great physical strength, they require precision, concentration, high skill levels
and determination. Come on girls, most of you have at least a weight advantage over the boys.
NB. I am well aware that I have stuck my neck out by even thinking these thoughts. But what do you think?
Happy Motoring