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So when did it all begin?


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We know that the current Sprint and Hillclimb Championship trophy was first awarded nearly 35 years ago in 1983 but when did the championship actually start?

 

I've been searching through the archives and Issue 12 carries a report from the 1st October 1972 Curborough Sprint bemoaning the lack of entrants and the Editor adds "Well at least it should help your position in the Register's championship". The competitions secretary at the time was Roger F Bailey and the editor Colin Chuck.

 

Issue 5 contains a report that the Register through competitions secretary John West had applied to the RAC for official recognition.

 

So from what I can see, I think the Register's sprint and hillclimb championship actually began in 1972.

 

Agree?

 

And has was it continuous since those early days?

 

take care Kev

 

 

 

 

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Hi Kev

 

I think Neil Revington would know.

As I think would Tony Thompson the previous owner of my car. As they were very active in the club and motorsport in the 1970s.

I have photo copy records of results from various events. 1970s / 80s.

Such as this from Prescott April 1976 showing Tony and YWK50 finishing 2nd in class 7.

And picture of pictures of Tony at Prescott and Gurston ( date unknown)

 

Together with one from me this year where YWK50 and I got 2nd in class 2a for the whole championship.

 

H

post-14544-0-88103400-1511736936_thumb.jpeg

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Hi Kev,

 

TR Register motor sport during the early '70s was pretty informal.

 

1976 Darryl organised our first Practice Day at Goodwood, which (unintentionally) didn't quite match up to RAC (MSA) requirements of the time, and the club finished up in front of a tribunal. We were barred from organising events for a period . . . . .

 

The late Dave Wilson (one of the South Downs Group founders) and yours truly then persuaded the RAC to relent, and to allow us to take personal responsibility for a 1977 TR Practice Day . . . . we both had experience of event organisation, team management, and held international licences - and the licences were at risk if we put so much as a foot wrong !

 

All went well thanks to so many willing and competent volunteers, and the following year 1978 we progressed to a 2 day meeting, Practice Day followed by a Sprint, and this became an annual event for a decade.

 

The original volunteer organising team evolved very well indeed, and achieved sufficient invitations to other events to justify organising a pukka RAC-recognised Championship . . . . which started I think in 1980 or 81, and Steve Wolf (Wessex Group) had a lot to do with that.

 

Ian Evans, our Vice President, will probably remember lots of detail . . . . he was chief commentator, rent-a-gob, at the Goodwood meetings, and an excellent job he made of it too !

 

Cheers

 

Alec

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Hi Kev,

 

There was an earlier little remembered event before the 1976 Goodwood event. This was an Autotest/Sprint in 1973 co-promoted by the Register and the Alfa Romeo OC, Roger Bailey being the TR mover behind it. There is a report in Newsletter 15 but although I took part I can't remember too much apart from completing about 20 laps which seemed very good value. I remember Tony Thompson and Peter Male also competed so maybe they will have recollections.

 

The organisation seemed pretty lax, no scrutineering just put on a helmet and get out there.

 

Mike

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Then there was the Brentford autotest

 

post-12009-0-22719100-1511873418_thumb.jpg post-12009-0-66334300-1511873419_thumb.jpg

 

 

& the Fairthorp SSC organised Denham auto tests

 

post-12009-0-22840100-1511873420_thumb.jpg post-12009-0-84323800-1511873565_thumb.jpg

 

& Goodwood (as mentioned above) of course

 

post-12009-0-49994600-1511873664_thumb.jpg post-12009-0-43700000-1511873666_thumb.jpg post-12009-0-80426300-1511873796_thumb.jpg post-12009-0-63643700-1511873798_thumb.jpg

 

Bob.

Edited by Lebro
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Correct, Alan, I organised the Autotest at Brentford - it was the first competitive event run by the TR Register, held on Sunday 25th June, 1972. I obtained the necessary go-ahead from the RAC, and the entry fee was 60 pence. There's a photo of a multi-coloured TR3A (not uncommon back then) on page 35 of the Register's History Book.

 

According to the Summary of Championship Winners on page 160 of the History Book, 1983 was the first year of the Sprint & Hillclimb Championship, and it was won by Neil Revington in his trusty TR2 (both still going strong, by the way).

 

Ian Cornish

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According to the Summary of Championship Winners on page 160 of the History Book, 1983 was the first year of the Sprint & Hillclimb Championship, and it was won by Neil Revington in his trusty TR2 (both still going strong, by the way).

 

Ian Cornish

Neil is the sponsor of the championship now ????

 

And all is set for 2018 championship. Now thats what I call great organisation.

 

H

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Gents,

 

many thanks, but what do you make of this from Issue 12 of TR Action:

 

Issue 12 carries a report from the 1st October 1972 Curborough Sprint bemoaning the lack of entrants and the Editor adds "Well at least it should help your position in the Register's championship". The competitions secretary at the time was Roger F Bailey and the editor Colin Chuck.

 

​regards kev

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  • 3 weeks later...

Finally managed to master the scanner on Win 10.

My blown TR2 (later very blown!!) at a Brands test day

circa 1975/6.The man in the incredibly filthy overalls

is one Tony Thompson.His TR3A,YWK50, is just visble

at the front of my car in one of the shots.

Roger M-E

That’s a serious bit of Kit for a TR3 in 76,Thanks for Sharing.
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Finally managed to master the scanner on Win 10.

My blown TR2 (later very blown!!) at a Brands test day

circa 1975/6.The man in the incredibly filthy overalls

is one Tony Thompson.His TR3A,YWK50, is just visble

at the front of my car in one of the shots.

Roger M-E

Thanks Roger

That looks to be an amazing modified TR did it go round corners with those F1 rear wheels ??

Tell us more about your car.

Tonys car that you refer to is now in my custody and still used in anger in competition.

2nd in class 2 in the club champs in my rookie year.

H

post-14544-0-40706100-1513584268_thumb.jpeg

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Chaps,

I have to confess that having spent every penny I earned for about 3 years,

the test session at Brands ended almost immediately when the blower drive belt

was thrown off. The kind soul in the Dolomite picked it up from the track and handed

it back to me in the paddock!

Having sorted that, the next outing was a BRSCC mod-sports event again at

Brands.Having squeezed thru scrutineering with my TR Reg Aley FIA roll over bar,

(they were unhappy with it's mounting onto the the rear wheel arches) my practice

session ended early with a head gasket failure and chronic pre-ignition.Result

was most of the Powermax pistons had shed their ring lands!Blower gearing was

the most likely culpret as the boost guage needle had bent itself against the 20psi

stop!

Never found out if it went around corners either!

Car still exists in Lyme Regis sans blower.Still runs stops and steers.

Fed up, I went and bought an Allard

 

Roger M-E

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  • 3 years later...

Related to this topic, I’m looking for a copy of the 1978 summer or autumn copy of TR Action, which has the report of the 1978 Sprint at Goodwood. If anyone has a copy, I’d be happy to buy it, or at least would love to see a scan of the article.

TIA,

Rob Futcher

Edited by Rob Futcher
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3 hours ago, Rob Futcher said:

Related to this topic, I’m looking for a copy of the 1978 summer or autumn copy of TR Action, which has the report of the 1978 Sprint at Goodwood. If anyone has a copy, I’d be happy to buy it, or at least would love to see a scan of the article.

TIA,

Rob Futcher

Rob - Scanned copies of TR Action are available to members here https://www.tr-register.co.uk/tr-action-index

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Hello Rob

I took this shot of the Futcher 6 as it approached Fordwater at full chat. I am unsure of the year (thought to be 1981), but I'm sure someone will have kept a record of the numbers.

 

DenisFutcher-Goodwood-Fordwater.jpg.16a4b70028766df8980551e3ca288745.jpg

 

Regards

Julian Stephens    TR Register member number 918

St. Austell

 

Edited by Julian Stephens
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Often forgotten is the informal 'Scottish TR Hillclimb Championship' for TR Register members which started in 1982 and ran for a number of years. We even had a TR specific class in the Scottish Hillclimb Championship.

Attached is an image of the the competing TRs taken at Doune in June 1984.

In recent years the Bo'ness Revival has seen a good turnout of TRs, again with our own TR specific class.

There is some talk of an Scottish Historic Hillclimb Championship being organised, if it comes to fruition it would be great to see TRs back out in force again.

Cliff McKinnon

img004.jpg

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Hi Hamish,

The 3a , if it was a 3a, was supercharged and was a real beast when it ran properly, which was not all that often. At the time the car was owned by Bill Pollock who bought from Englandshire, I wonder if it is the same car on previous posts on this thread. The car went back to Englandshire in around 1985 and seemed to vanish without trace. There cannot be many supercharged sidescreen cars about, perhaps it is languishing in a garage somewhere. If my memory serves me correctly, Bill's wife Val competed in their TR5 at the same meeting, making her one of the very few lady TR drivers to enter a competitive event, certainly the only one in Scotland.

Cliff

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