Racing in the seventies
A typical race day began in the wee small hours for most of us in the “Touring Circus” that we called Special Saloon Car Racing. Travelling to such diverse areas as Brands Hatch on the Saturday and Croft on the Sunday, and in some cases over a Bank Holiday Weekend, Silverstone on the Monday! But then we were all young and all having a brilliant time. You know I can recall arriving at Snetterton and seeing a car with ADVERTISING on the sides!! “ADVERTISING FOR GODS SAKE:” That’s how far most of us go back. I think we were all sort of innovators, hybrids, just like our cars. But, I digress. A typical day would be to get up early, secure the car onto its trailer, (in our case we had to put road wheels on the car, because the race wheels and tyres wouldn’t fit on the trailer ramps) then with a full pack of ciggy’s (it was the done thing in those days) we would set off for the track. Arriving at the track usually involved hiding one of the helpers in the race car, or in the boot of the tow car, as we were only allocated so many passes, and there were never enough, and then into the Paddock and unloading began. If I’m really honest in my case I had a very good Mechanic, who would start the race preparation on the Anglia, and I would have a walk around the track and catch up on all the gossip with other drivers, people likePeter Baldwin, Gerry Marshall, Dennis Knott, Terry McNally, Jeff Farmer, and so many more of the Circus. Serious preparation began after breakfast (remember this would be around 7am and no engines were allowed to be started before 10am) soDave Neal my Mechanic, would get a full can of Duckam’s and then light up the small gas ring cooker. The oil can would then be placed on the heater, along with the water in a large saucepan. Now you’re probably thinking at this time “What the hell is he doing”? Well, when I first started racing cars I had a close friend, and he told me this. “How would you like to be pulled out of bed at four thirty in the morning and told to run a mile straight away?” I said I wouldn’t, and he then explained to me that this is just what you’re expecting a race engine to do! So. He said “Warm the oil and warm the water, and then add it to the engine, that way it will be warmed up and ready to drive up to Scrutineering. “Treat the engine like a baby”. Incidentally, that wise voice was Roger Williamson, and I still miss him. So that was the initial procedure, and it’s amazing how many other did the same. Scrutineering was a trial for most of us, as it really did depend on the Scrutineer himself as to whether you got a ticket straight away or were subjected to the third degree about your engine, your cars silhouette, the size of the wheel arches, the roll cage et al. In my day there was a big chap with a big bushy ginger beard, and we tried to stay away from his line. He would nit-pick and keep sending you back to get this changed or that altered, a real pain in the butt. Others understood what it was all about, and would ensure that your car was safe, and that you were aware of the rules and regs, and off you’d go, ticket in hand (see picture of a Scrutineers passed ticket) Then it was time to get out and do your allocated practice. We all had our own way of doing our Practice laps, which were timed, and this is what your grid position was based on. My own way was to wait until almost the last car was out on the track, then go. I would do maybe three laps at a normal racing speed, watching my pit-board each lap. This would tell me what times I was doing. Then I would put in a couple of fast laps, until my pits told me “OK” this would be my sign that I had put in a good enough time to place me either on POLE, 2nd or 3rd position of the front row. This wasn’t always the case though, sometimes you would try and try and still not get any quicker (ask any driver and he’ll tell you that its happened like that for all of us). For instance in all the times I raced at Brands Hatch, I was never quick enough to catch people like Bill McGovern, Les Nash or John Young. No reason, it just happens that way. In those days of the late 1960’s thru to the mid 1970’s it was an OPEN PADDOCK meaning that your fans, could all come along and chat with you, and get your autograph, and it cost them nothing! I remember well the day that I arrived at Mallory Park and I had bought a set of F3 wheels and tyres, called SLICKS!!! We widened the wheel arches on the Anglia, fitted them and…Wow, did they cause an upset. It was a time of innovation, a time when tweaks would be added to see if they worked, I mean ideas formulated in the kitchen, and made in the garage, not bought at Cosworth or Holbay or a tuning company. You came up with an idea, and well, just tried it out. Brilliant times! We had a diff cooler, it was an ordinary small radiator fitted just in front of the diff, and it worked! Anyway, lets look at the Prizes for winning. I along with all my old friends from those days have a cupboard full of Trophies, from names long gone from the sport now, Triplex, Redex, Patrick Motors Group, Hepolite and so on. But given the choice of a Trophy or a CHEQUE, we would opt for the MONEY EVERYTIME! You see, we had no big sponsors in those days (I was amongst the first to have a sponsor and run on an open cheque book, but that was much later on) so we literally gave up everything to race, every penny we had went on the car, on the sport! Also, I remember racing at Silverstone one day, and one of my competitors who drove an A.40 (An Austin Car Me Lud’ of the saloon type) his name was Bill Shepherd, and he blew a Diff and having travelled all the way up from London to race, we loaned him a spare diff fitted with a 5.3 ratio so he could at least race! I’m not so sure if that happens these days, but it was a great clubbie atmosphere in those days, where we would all help each other out in the Paddock, and do battle with each other out on the Circuit. My favourite Circuit? I suppose I would have to say SILVERSTONE then MALLORY PARK. I say Silverstone because I had such terrific races there in 72 and 73. I set a new class lap record of 1.8secs for up to 1000ccs and the thrill of doing that is something I wish everyone could experience. Not on my own in this of course, but a feeling that cannot be equaled in Motor Racing. Mallory Park, because of the atmosphere (in those days) it really was a Friendly Circuit. Yeah, the Lap Record was good, but the social side was really great. I have happy memories of THE BAR up those steps in the Paddock, of after race evenings, ofGerry Marshall, of Edwina Overend and Ron (The circuit management) Of the voice of Don Truman (Clerk of the Course) booming out “AND FORMULA FORDS…DON’T DO IT”!! I wish you all could have been there in those far off days; it was a once in a lifetime experience, never to be repeated. We were the innovators, the Pioneers of Saloon Car Racing; each car was TRULY different in every way, the drivers all “Personalities”. Names confined to the distant past of Tin-Tops.NICK BICH (IMP), RICHARD LONG (ANGLIA), RAY PAYNE (IMP), MALCOLM JOHNSON (16 valve TWIN OVERHEAD CAM BDA FORD-MINI!) So many of my mates, some still around, some long gone. To all of you thinking of getting into the sport I wish you well, and to everyone who was there in those great days. I was proud to be one of you.
Gerry Taylor. Swish Racing Team. Ford Anglia
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