Another round of the Morgan Three Wheeler Club Challenge Series ran on Sunday 24th May at La Vie En Bleu. This superb event is organised and run by The Bugatti Owners’ Club at the Prescott Hillclimb near Cheltenham.
Quick Clicks:
The Words:
There were 19 entries for Prescott which included 4 four 5 speeders. The weather was threatening rain on Sunday morning but this held off until after practice and then was confined to a sharp shower. Sue Darbyshire had offered a prize at the AGM raffle of a competitive passenger ride up the hill which had been won by Christine Shorrock and she was ready all togged upon borrowed leathers getting instructions from Maggie Bridge, Sue’s usual passenger about the best way to hold on around Semi-Circle! Hamish and Greg Bibby were in good form but both broke the newly introduced circuit noise regulations and were warned to be quieter.
The weather improved for the competitive runs with flashes of sun and an increase in temperature. Tony Quinn had his recently finished TM car still in primer but this did not prevent it from winning the TM class in the hands of Tom Cowley with a time of 61.67. David Poplar was 5 seconds behind followed by the all girl team of Cathy Quinn and Jackie Scruton. Chris Harfield’s was the only Standard Class car running and managed a creditable 79.62 on his first run. Iain Stewart was in good form and was the quicker of the 2 Speeders with a time of 55.51 followed by Alistair Rew who just pipped Sue Darbyshire. Martyn and Chris Baylis shared the Super Aero with Chris the faster in a time of 68.51.
The 5 Speeders were led by Mark Reeves in the Racing Class car with 54.33. Austin Smith in his Standard car spent the first run in the ‘kitty litter’ but with his time of 61.00 for the second run he was the fastest of the group beating Graham Sherwood’s TM car by 0.4 of a second with John Scruton not far behind. The competition in the 5 Speeder class is getting closer every meeting.
Hamish Bibby took FTD but was hampered by having to lift for the noise meter but still managed a 53.08. Greg was not so fortunate and had his final run cancelled after recording a time of 55.10 on his first but breaking the noise barrier again. Nigel Challis, the man with the widest smile in Morgan Racing after finally getting his car to run properly, had an even wider smile after his time of 57.33.
Running ‘Vintage’ motor sport events is becoming very difficult for everyone from the drivers to the organisers and circuits with increased bureaucracy, tighter regulations and changes in what many people find acceptable. It appears that the sound of old engines is not as strong a part of their history as their appearance. Like noisy children we should be seen but not heard.
The Hill:
The Photos:
Courtesy of Sue Clews and Jon Mark.
Click here for more photos from the La Vie En Bleu website.
The Results:
click on the results for a closer look
