Torque Talk The magazine of Durham Automobile Club

January 2018

WEBSITE ADDRESS:

WWW.DURHAMAUTOCLUB.CO.UK

Our Championship winning competitors of 2017

Club nights October to December

Durham Auto Club now meet every Wednesday at 8:00pm at the Honest Lawyer Hotel (see address and web

link below).

Honest Lawyer Hotel, Croxdale Bridge, Croxdale, Durham, DH1 3SP.

http://www.strhotels.co.uk/honest-lawyer-hotel/

Durham Auto club Website

http://www.durhamautoclub.co.uk

Forthcoming Events

Durham Automobile Club Annual General Meeting

This meeting will be held on the 24th

January at the

Honest Lawyer. Please if at all possible attend as it is key

to the running of the club. There will be a buffet following

the meeting.

January 24th AGM Honest Lawyer 7.30 for 8pm Start ALL WELCOME followed by Buffet.

February 14th Committee Meeting – Honest Lawyer (date TBC)

February 24th Karting night organised by Whickam See article in magazine, on website and

Facebook for more information

March 14th Committee Meeting – Honest Lawyer

March 21st ‘OLD’ COMERS NIGHT!! (ALL welcome, members, non-members &

EX members!!) Social get together and buffet night. **Come along! Its FREE**

March 28th Club Navigational Series Briefing and Help night See Social Sec report in magazine for more

details ALL WELCOME

Editorial

Hi Everyone and welcome to 2018 and the new season! I have decided that after this year I will

pass on the baton as far as editing the magazine is concerned. To assist with this transfer, if you

are in the least bit interested in being the next magazine editor, have a word with me or send me

an email and I will spend some time with you to get you up to speed. Also, don’t forget the Annual

General Meeting if you would like to get involved with the running of the club. It’s going to be a

busy start to the year, so don’t forget about the Dinner Dance. Tickets have been selling well so

get yours before they sell out!

Now that the craziness of the last few weeks running up to Christmas is past (just out of interest,

M&S sold 1.1 Million Turkeys across all its stores!), it’s time to focus on all things motorsport!

I can’t wait for the new season. As I said in my December Editorial, I’m really looking forward to

my trips to the World Endurance Championship at Silverstone, the BTCC event at Croft and

thanks to my Son, the World Rallycross also at Silverstone. As much as I would like to, I don’t

think that I will be able to fit in Le Mans this year, but it’s definitely on the cards for next year. This

is probably the better bet as it will be the finale of the season following this and next year’s super

season.

It will be good to get to these events, but I would also like to do a bit of competing. Things are

progressing nicely – up to now! – as far as renewing my racing license is concerned. It’s all down

to the medical profession and my ability to pass the ARDS written test. One of the biggest issues

up to now is getting all the documentation required but with a bit of luck I will have all the

necessary bits of paper by the end of the month. A racing license will cover me for most events

I’m interested in, but there again, I may just have to do the rally driver bit as well. First things first

though.

I haven’t even considered cars or what I would like to do because if I can’t get my license then it’s

all a bit of a waste of time. However I still like the idea of something rear wheel drive. I’m not

ruling out front wheel drive, but I think I would prefer something that I’m used to. Another thing

that is absolutely paramount is the car has to be as safe as possible – that’s a promise to Mrs Hall

that I wouldn’t dare go against!

Looks like our club members who ventured out over the Christmas holidays had a really good

time. I well remember doing a hill climb on Boxing day or the day after at a farm just before

Lanchester. Muddy didn’t cover it and a set of Kleber mud and snow tyres and a lack of skill

ensured that I didn’t have to trouble the awards ceremony! However one of the best Boxing Day’s

I ever spent was with Fred Henderson at the Garage at Ainsley Street. I think it was 1978 or 9 and

we installed the link boxes, bars and rear axle to convert the CCC Chevette from torque tube live

rear axle to four link. It was one of those days when just about everything went right, and the work

wasn’t a chore but good fun! It made a hell of a difference to the car as well!

There was however some sad news between Christmas and New Year. Two crew members were

killed on the Loco 2 single venue stage rally held at Bramley Camp near Basingstoke, Hampshire

and I would like to pass on my and the club’s sympathy to the family of the crew involved. Details

of the accident are pretty sketchy, but that isn’t important at this time. It’s just sad that two guys

lost their lives doing something that they thoroughly enjoyed. It is a fact of life that when we

compete in motorsport we are competing in a “safe dangerous sport” and things can and do go

wrong with sad and tragic consequences.

On a lighter note, I had the misfortune of watching the latest Formula E race the other day, and I

have to say that I am still totally underwhelmed by the series. Porsche, Audi, Jaguar and

Mercedes among others have thrown their weight behind this series in place of WEC, DTM and

various other works backed series. Why? Manufacturers go racing to do one thing – sell more

cars. If people like myself don’t watch then their investment is for nothing. Maybe it’s a tour de

force from a technical standpoint? Not really, the cars can’t do the full race on a single charge so

drivers have to change cars at the midway point. Maybe it’s to show how fast and reliable electric

cars can be? Try explaining that to Audi which had two failures on the same car in both qualifying

and the race. Maybe it’s less expensive than doing the DTM for example? Well flying cars, a team

and all the associated spares around the world is going to be a lot cheaper than travelling around

Germany isn’t it? For me I’m afraid, I just don’t get it!

Another series which I’m beginning to run out of enthusiasm for is Formula 1. Again I don’t get

this hybrid stuff, drag reduction systems and the multi element front wings, strakes, gurney’s and

the like. The first time I saw an “up to date” Formula 1 car in anger was at Silverstone in 1989.

Mansell came around Club Corner, fully committed in the Ferrari, V12 wailing like a banshee,

sparks being thrown up from the skid plates and the deft application of opposite lock by Mansell –

absolutely brilliant! For 2018 we have the addition of ….. Halo! The cars are stuck to the road just

like the old ground effect cars, and you don’t even have the noise of the exhaust to keep the

interest up. There are concerns that F1 is losing its appeal yet they can’t or won’t see the reason

for the problem. TV coverage on a payment basis and cars that are not that desirable to watch.

The other thing is that we now no longer have drivers in F1 that could be called characters!

Everyone has to tow the corporate line at the risk of losing sponsors or getting into trouble from

the team. I well remember Keke Rosberg standing on the grid of the British Grand Prix. He had

no time for hangers on, spoke his mind, flicked his cigarette end away, got in the car and blitzed

the opposition. Great stuff!

It’s not all bad though as the lower Formula and Grass Roots Motorsport is still doing relatively

well in a depressed marketplace. However I suspect that Dave Richards the new head of the

MSA will have a sizable in box on his desk!

Sad to see that Dan Gurney passed away. He was notable for quite a few things including being

the first driver in F1 to wear a full face helmet, and also gave his name to the Gurney Flap, a small

piece of aerodynamics that had a major influence on airflow. He also gave Porsche their only win

in Formula 1 as well as being a champion in Indy Car, Nascar and Sports Car racing. In the

sixties, he headed up All American Racers and had notable success well before Penske in the

seventies and now Haas GP flew the star spangled banner.

I did mention that it would be good to have some insight into what everyone who competes in DAC

would be doing this year, but up to now I haven’t received anything. Hopefully I can rely on your

good nature to let me have some reports of your exploits over the coming months.

Finally, another reminder for the Annual General Meeting next week. It is your opportunity to put

forward suggestions, see what the Officers and Committee have been doing, and generally

provide a platform for discussion.

Happy New Year and good luck if competing!,

Marty

Chairman’s report

Before I start my Chairman’s ramblings I would like to wish you all a very successful 2018 in all of

your motorsport disciplines.

My 2017 rally season was a mixed bag for me. As you all know by now, I won the North of

England Tarmacadam Rally Championship sitting alongside Rob Snowden and I also won Class 2

in the SG Petch Stage Rally Championship sitting alongside Ben Cree.

Unfortunately Ed Todd and Team Fury had a poor start to the year in the GTM with 1 retirement

on the Christmas stages at Croft. Andrew Hutchinson sat in with Ed on the Jack Frost stages at

Croft and unfortunately retired after the rear wheel parted company from the car, launching it

sideways into a straw bale. Andrew was bruised and winded but I think he really enjoyed the

experience in the Wee Beastie. My last rally of 2017 with Ed was the DCC Ingliston stages, where

we were sitting 6th overall on the final stage, only for the gearbox to jam the whole transmission,

spinning us around by 180 degrees and blocking the stage. We managed to limp home to finish

21st overall. I did say last year, that if the Wee Beastie didn’t buck up its ideas it would be

replaced by a “newer” model. Well Ed brought out his Brother’s Mk1 Ford Escort for the 2017

Christmas stages. However wrong tyres, a misfire, a misting windscreen and a bent axle didn’t

help Ed to play with his “new” toy. Ed finally posted a good time on the last stage helped by Shona

Hale in the Co-Drivers seat. I hope to see Ed post some good times in the Mk1 Escort at the Jack

Frost stages on 21 January.

The 2017 DAC AGM will be held at the Honest Lawyer on Wednesday 24 January. This

magazine will be published before the AGM so I hope to see you all there. What an amazing year

for the club, we have achieved so much in 2017, which can only have been done with the support

and commitment of the Committee. I hope you will join me in thanking the Committee members for

the hours they put into the club. But you also had a role to play in Durham Auto Club success in

2017. So now I ask all DAC members to continue supporting our success into 2018.

I have to say a big thank you to Peter Sewell who will step down from the post of Chief Marshal.

Peter has done a great job during his term and I’m glad he will remain on the committee for 2018.

But we now need somebody to fill this important role on the Committee. If you are interested

please let me know. We still have the vacant role of Secretary and we also need to plan a

replacement for the role of Magazine Editor. Marty Hall has done an amazing job to launch the

Torque Talk magazine and provides a great read every month, but he will step down from the

Magazine Editor position at the end of 2018. So please take a few moments to consider if you

would like to help run the club. It doesn’t take a lot of your time. Also you don’t need to be on the

committee to organise or run an activity. If you would like to run an event, let us know and we will

discuss your ideas with you.

Our Social Secretary is now planning the DAC events calendar which will be listed in this

magazine and on the DAC website.

The preparations for the Dinner dance in February are nearly complete and we still have a few

tickets left. If you are collecting an award or just fancy some good food and company, please get

in touch with your Social Secretary Pam Broom.

I have had some requests from members of the Committee to pass onto the club members.

For the new club championship Gordon Dundee would like to know if you have done any events or

marshalled. If you don’t inform Gordon you will not be recorded for championship points.

If you would like the Club to hold different events, then please contact your Social secretary Pam

Broom and we can consider adding your request to the DAC event calendar.

If you would like to see different articles in the magazine or would like to hear some different

reports from other members, then why not send us your reports or information to be added to the

Magazine / Facebook / Website. We know our club members are competing so why not drop us a

small report.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a small report, anything written or pictures will be good.

To register for championship points send your results/attendance to Gordon Dundee gandjdundee@gmail.com.

To add events to the DAC calendar contact your Social Secretary Pam Broom pam.broom@btinternet.com.

Any magazine pictures / reports or information can be sent to Martin Hall martinhall49@gmail.com.

Andy Brown

Chairman of Durham Automobile Club

SOCIAL Secretary’s Report Happy New Year to everyone who I have not seen or spoken to as yet. I hope it is a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous one for all of us. We finished off the ‘old’ year with our Christmas Auto Test on 29th December at Ebac.....’ AND IT SNOWED!’ Oh Boy! How it snowed...Around four inches came down. When we arrived there was a good covering on top of ice in places and by the time we were set up it was snowing hard. It made for some interesting times and some entertaining – if not fast- competition. Grip was a problem not only for cars but also for people with several folk hitting the deck throughout the day! I was wrapped up well and quite cosy inside my layers, the biggest problem I had was keeping the check sheets dry. I was juggling pen, clipboard, stopwatch and umbrella at times. ...We had a good turnout of entries but were short on marshals, but we managed and it was a great day. I know Peter has written a report and results are included from Gordon elsewhere in the magazine. 2018 already looks like being a busy year for the Club with the AGM on 24th January, the Dinner Dance on 10th February, an interclub karting night on 21st February and a Social Night and Buffet on 21st March. Details of all these are to be found on other pages as well as the website and facebook pages. Also please keep an eye on your email in boxes as Andy or I will be sending up dates from time to time. APPEAL FOR RAFFLE PRIZES:........ We would like some good raffle prizes for the DINNER & AWARDS NIGHT. If any of you can help by donating something, be it a voucher, wine, or some other gift we would be most grateful Please let me know ASAP if you have something for us! NAVIGATIONAL EVENTS and Championship news! As some of you know we have over the last few years been running some low key Navigational /Fun nights once the lighter nights arrive. We want to keep these nights fun and to appeal to everyone. They really are suitable for everyone to have a go at and as they are low speed and involve driver, and passengers ( as many as you can legally carry! They are suitable for families and friends. For anyone who has not had a go at these before it really is fun and we always finish somewhere where food is available afterwards. Points will be awarded for ALL finishing positions so the more events you do the points will count to your final total. There will be 6 – 8 rounds made up from Treasure Hunts, Scatters and Regularity/jogularity events running from April to October. On 28th March at the Honest Lawyer everyone will be welcome to pop along to the Club Night and we can take a look at each of the event types, how they work, what you can expect, what you need to do and know. Navigational skills are useful to have –we all know SatNavs are not always the answer! Those of us at the Club that do these events and organise them are more than happy to share our knowledge! DAC really wants to encourage more members to get involved with events of all types and to enjoy good social interaction. It really is fun..COME ON give it a try! Pam.

DURHAM AUTOMOBILE CLUB Ltd 2017 Championships

Roll of Honour

BTRDA Gold Star Rally Championship MSA English Rally Championship 1st Driver – Stephen Petch 1st Co-driver – Michael Wilkinson AS Performance North of England Tarmacadam Rally Championship 1st – Co-driver – Andy Brown HRCR Motorscope Northern Historic Asphalt Rally Championship 1st Driver – John Nicolson NESCRO Challenge 1st Targa Driver – Simon Jennings 1st Targa Navigator – Clive White 1st Classic Navigator – Andrew Fish BTRDA Autotest Championship MSA Autotest Championship 1st Overall – Richard Pinkney Congratulations to all the above Durham Automobile Club members –

good luck for 2018!

www.DirectCarParts.co.uk

Proud Sponsors of the DAC Autotests, Car Display and Auto Jumble

Did you know that we can supply the following performance brands?

Discounts available for DAC members! Contact simon@directcarparts.co.uk

Tel: 0191 3847803 or 0191 3849913

Monday – Friday 9.00am to 5.30pm / Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm

Direct Car Parts

Front Street

Framwellgate Moor

Durham

DH1 5AU.

Christmas stages 2017

Croft is one of Rob’s favourite events, so we approached the Christmas stages with some

excitement. Rob had prepared the Escort to his usual standard, even borrowing some snow tyres

from Steve Bannister. What was to come I don’t think any of the top 50 would expect.

We attended Scrutineering on the day before the rally and snow was falling and lying on the

tarmac. We didn’t like the snow but that’s rallying. Anyway it was to thaw and we hoped for just a

wet track in the morning. Well it had started to thaw but it had also froze during the night with a

small smattering of new snow on top. When we arrived on the rally day we went for a walk around

the circuit. Yes the snow had started to thaw but there was a small amount of ice under the slush.

We decided that snow tyres would be required for at least the first 2 stages.

We were seeded 9th and after a few of the top ten had dropped out, we were 7th on the road.

Sitting in the start line queue waiting to start SS1 we noticed that the only other crew on snow

tyres was Paul Swift. All the other top ten teams were on very wide wets. I said to Rob “this will be

interesting” and I wasn’t wrong. For safety the organisers decided to have 1 minute starts.

Wow the grip was very poor even on Snow tyres but as we crossed the finish line of SS1 we had

caught our minute and 2 minute man. Looking at the times in service we were 5th overall. We were

pleased with that until 45 minutes later when the later cars started to post times 2 minutes faster

than us. The top 50 had cleared the road allowing later crews to blitz our times. We dropped from

5th to 59th overall. We were the highest placed top ten crew some 2 minutes behind the leading car

which was car 96.

Although we had stripped 2 minutes and 8 seconds off our previous time, heading into SS2 with

snow tyres still fitted was the wrong thing to do. We posted 46th fastest and only clawed up to 53rd

on the leader board. We thought our day was now ruined and SS3 wasn’t going to be much better.

The organisers announced at the start of SS3 that the final two stages would be cancelled due to

the delay caused by the conditions, making our job to get a decent finish even harder.

SS3 was almost the same as SS1 & 2 but there were new sections which were still covered by

slush and yes you guessed it we cleared the roads for the later crews. On our first lap we let Guy

Smith passed and I got a face full of slush through the side window. Then we came across Proctor

who had spun. As he recovered he nearly caught us head on at the hairpin at the top of the main

straight. Heading down the main straight we had an almighty 360 spin coming to rest up against

the pit wall at the entrance to the chicane. How we didn’t bang every corner off the pit wall or

demolish the straw bale chicane I’ll never know. Oh and Rob got a face full of slush this time :0)

haa haa.

Luckily the only damage to the car was a small dent to the wing on my side of course. :0(

We posted 35th fastest and climbed a few more places up to 51st overall.

We had to now charge to get a decent finish and championship points.

SS4, 5 and 6 saw a change in fortunes for a lot of crews and normal service was restored. The

track was now a lot clearer with only standing water in a few places. On SS4, SS5 and SS6 we

posted 7th, 8th and 5th fastest times which catapulted us from 51st to finish 10th overall and second

in class 4. Mmmmm what could have been if not for the slush on the first 3 stages?

Big thanks to Dan and Fred for servicing and Rob for keeping us on the TAR and mainly out of the

stage furniture :0)

So what happened to the other Durham Crews???

Not sure how Mark Burton and Zoe Wright got on during the day but they finished 49th overall.

Mark or Zoe maybe you could let us know how you get on the Jack Frost stages for the next

magazine?

Ed Todd brought out a MK1 Escort that he is babysitting for his Brother and suffered a number of

problems throughout the rally. Ed did say he doesn’t know how his brother drove his car as it

handles like a dog. With wrong tyres, misfire and a misting windscreen, Ed and Shona Hale

struggled throughout the day. Ed finally got to grips with this red top powered Ford on the last

stage posting 17th fastest but the damage had been done and Ed was unable to improve much to

finish 62nd overall. I bet we see a lot better times on the Jack Frost stages this coming weekend.

Andy.

The Honest Lawyer, Croxdale Bridge

Durham DH1 3SP The hotel’s renowned AA rosette awarded Baileys Bar and Restaurant. Food served all day, offering a

quality combination of locally sourced food, a relaxed atmosphere and friendly service.

Menus change seasonally, created by respected Executive Head Chef Harry Bailie, with inspired dishes

and hearty classics.

Bailey’s bar offers a more relaxed dining option, where dishes such as the popular Homemade classic

steak burger; fish and chips served, along with an extensive selection of beers, wines, spirits. Speciality

teas and coffees are available throughout the day, along with a lite-bite lunch menu.

We look forward to seeing you!

CLASSICS at The CASTLE 2018

I am pleased to announce that ENTRIES OPEN on 1st of February for this Years CLASSICS at the CASTLE.

ENTRIES CLOSE SATURDAY 30th

JUNE NO LATE ENTRIES

WILL BE ACCEPTED

( Or sooner if we reach our MAXIMUM of 300 vehicles)

!!!!! DISCOUNTS FOR EARLY ENTRIES !!!!!!

Again we will availability for Autojumble stands. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have

any questions or to request a copy of Regulations and Entry Form.

****DINNER DANCE & AWARDS****

**LAST FEW TICKETS REMAINING**

ACT QUICKLY...as I write this on Sunday 14th January we have only 25 tickets

left for our DINNER DANCE & AWARDS NIGHT. In previous years we have had a great response to this

evening with around 100 people attending.

The date for your diary is SATURDAY 10th FEBRUARY and the Venue is PARK HEAD Hotel, Bishop Auckland.

!!!! The cost is JUST £20 per head.!!!!

Due to some internal changes at the Park Head we will have to restrict numbers to just

90 people max for 2018 ( 65 already booked)

There will be a three course meal, music and awards from our Club Championship as per the results of

which have been appearing in the Club Magazine. Also a raffle.

After the meal awards will be presented followed by music for dancing and or listening for those who do

not want to ‘make shapes’ on the dance floor!

With the new layout at the Park Head the music will not inhibit the ability to hold a conversation!

We need to know who would like to attend ASAP so please book your space by dropping me an email,

pam.broom@btinternet.com or call text me on 07733 243842.

PAYMENT can be made by

Bank Transfer BACS/faster payment to Santander

ACCOUNT DETAILS: Sort Code : 090666 Account Number: 42772324 Reference: your name & DD

PAYPAL to : duhamautomobileclub@gmail.com

OR Cheques ( Payable to Durham Automobile Club) can be posted to DAC Ltd at

4 WOODSIDE, WITTON PARK, BISHOP AUCKLAND, CO. DURHAM DL14 0DS

ONCE I HAVE RECEIVED your booking a menu choice will be sent to you, which will then need returning.

Tickets will be emailed nearer the time.

Hope to hear from you soon and look forward to seeing you on 10th February

BOOK YOUR SPACE NOW .. Spaces already going fast!

INTER CLUB KARTING NIGHT 21st FEBRUARY

INVITATION

PLEASE SEE DETAILS BELOW FROM WHICKHAM MOTOR CLUB WHO AS YOU KNOW JOINED DURHAM

TO HAVE A GREAT KARTING NIGHT BACK IN NOVEMBER....I HOPE DURHAM MEMBERS WILL JOIN IN

AND HAVE ANOTHER GREAT NIGHT OF SPORTING RIVALRY!

Hi everyone,

We'd love to invite all of your members to a karting event, full details in the Facebook event.

SIGN UP LINK - https://goo.gl/2ZY11K

After the success of the karting event held at TeamSport Karting in November, kindly organised by

Durham Automobile Club, we at Whickham & District Motor Club would like to repay the favour by

organising an interclub karting night to be held on Wednesday 21st February at 6.45pm.

We have secured the venue on an exclusive basis for the night which has allowed us to use the full

international track, which combines the track we used last time with the downstairs track to create a lap

of over 950m, taking over 60 seconds to complete. This track is not normally available to the general

public so it should be a unique experience for us.

The format will be the Super GP8 format, which guarantees that each driver will complete a minimum

of 50 laps on the night. It starts off with a 5 lap practice to get accustomed with the track and then in

to the heats where every driver races every other driver. Each driver will take part in at least 4 heats.

The results of the heats will put you in to a 12 lap semi final, and the top drivers from the semi finals

will progress to a 15 lap grand final where the overall winner will be decided and trophies will be

presented.

The cost is capped at £45 per driver, although if we reach the required 40 drivers, there may be a

discount to this price. Entries are based on a first come first served basis, once we reach 40 a reserve

list will be started. Payment will be collected once drivers are confirmed.

PLEASE SIGN UP AT THE FOLLOWING LINK - https://goo.gl/2ZY11K

https://www.facebook.com/events/733949990144794/

Thanks, Gary.

NESCRO Historic Motorsport In The North Of England & Scotland

The popular NESCRO Challenge Series, dominated in 2107 by the Sunbeam Rapier of Andy

Beaumont/ Andrew Fish, will return with a slightly revised scoring format aimed at giving the older

and less powerful cars a better opportunity to score points. There will also be a Challenge Series

for Targa spec cars, enabling those whose vehicles don’t comply with Historic Regulations to have

something to aim for. The series will again be co-ordinated by the affable Bob Hargreaves.

The 2018 NESCRO season will start on 24th February with the Hexham Historic, now the only

night navigation event in the series, which will give crews the opportunity to sample the fabulous

roads that abound in Northumberland. Then it’s a trek up to Pitlochry and the ever popular Saltire

Rally which promises some new test venues while retaining old favourites such as the famous

Ardgulich caravan site tests.

April sees a gap in the calendar before the first weekend in May brings the Berwick Classic, this

year with a brand new organising team after long time organiser, Stuart Bankier, standing down.

The new team have the vastly experienced John Bertram on board so the event is in good hands.

A week later comes the South of Scotland Car Club’s Targa event and then there is a rush of

events in June as the Ilkley Historic, Stocktonian, Shaw Trophy and Lake District Classic all

compete to attract competitors, common sense would suggest that one or more of these events

would seek an alternative date.

The Northern Dales Classic Trophy runs on July 15th, this proved an extremely popular addition to

the programme in 2017 with the huge Weardale cement works providing a unique venue, then in

August comes the Spadeadam Motor Club’s Blue Streak, a multi venue event based near Carlisle

were the local airport provides the venue for several tests. The following weekend it is followed by

the hugely popular Cumbria Classic Weekend which commences with the Rose & Thistle Classic

Tour, oversubscribed in 2017, then the following day features the Cumbria Classic Motorsport

Show in the scenic surroundings of the historic Dalmain House near Penrith. This attracted a

massive 750 entrants last year and is well worth a visit for anyone with an interest in classic cars.

The giant Nissan manufacturing plant near Sunderland will again host Durham AC’s Wearside

Classic, the hard working Gordon Dundee and his team always come up with some interesting

and challenging tests over the car giant’s test track and surrounding roads. A return to Dumfries

sees the South of Scotland Car Club’s Doonhamer Historic Rally, an event which suffered from a

lot of organisational problems in 2017, it is hoped that the organisers have them sorted out now as

the event features some excellent test venues.

October brings the Devils Own, the only HRCR Clubmans event to be included in the Challenge

Series and it will be interesting to see how the NESCRO regulars cope with the complex

regularities and speed changes that this event poses. The season finishes with the ever popular

Solway Historic, always a great way to end the season and the Wigton Motor Club can be relied

upon to make sure the season finishes in style.

On the NESCRO administration front, Graeme Forrester has taken on the Secretary’s role in

addition to his duties as Treasurer, Ed Graham continues as Chairman and will also be doing his

usual stint as “Roving Reporter” while Bob Hargreaves will again look after the points tables for the

NESCRO Challenge. There is the possibility of a new format website which will offer more up to

date information with Ilkley’s Joe Mallinson currently looking into this venture.

2018 NESCRO CALENDAR

Feb. 24/25th. Hexham Historic Rally

March 4th Saltire Classic Rally

May 5th/6th Berwick Classic Rally

May 13th Dumfries Targa

June 3rd. Ilkley Historic

June 9th Stocktonian Historic

June 10th Shaw Trophy

June 24th Lake District Classic

July 15th Northern Dales Classic Trophy

August 12th Blue Streak Classic & Targa

August 18th Rose & Thistle Classic Tour

August 19th Cumbria Classic Motorsport Show

Sept. 9th Wearside Classic Rally

Sept. 30th Doonhamer Historic Raly

October 6th Devils Own Rally

October 14th Solway Historic Rally

Christmas Autotest – 29th

December 2017 Durham held their annual Christmas Autotest at Ebac, Newton Aycliffe on the 29th December, when the tests were being set up there was a light dusting of snow. The snow continued all morning until at lunch time it was 4 inches deep. This resulted in a lack of grip which resulted in some of the slowest testing ever seen, for some competitors the lack of grip reached the point of “not moving at all”. After 8 test the event was won by Tom Hall with Richard Pinkney 2nd in has KA which was kept cool by snow being filled around the engine. (Full Results are available elsewhere in this magazine). 1st Overall – Tom Hall 1st Class A – Graham Nicolson 1st Class B – Steve Brown 1st Class C – Richard Pinkney 1st Class D – Chris Willgress Thanks to Ben, Pam, Alistair and Lindsay for marshalling, to Lewis Thirling for the sponsorship of the awards from LGT Plumbing and Property Services, and to Tom Coverdale and Ebac for the use of the facilities.

NESCRO Historic Motorsport In The North Of England And Scotland

BUSTLING BEAUMONT IS COCK ‘O’ THE NORTH

Dominating the series from the word “Go”, Andy Beaumont/ Andrew Fish and their flying Sunbeam

Rapier dominated the NSCRO Challenge Series, winning 6 of the 9 events they entered and

finished top of the points table, relegating 2015 & 2016 leader John Bertram to the runners up

spot, Bertram suffered from two unfortunate retirements but held on to 2nd spot ahead of the very

quick RS200 of Dave Short with Short’s usual navigator, Roy Heath, taking the runners up place

in that category and Marion Sloan who enthusiastically guided Husband John’s MG MG Midget

around the cones, finishing 3rd. The series was enthusiastically supported throughout the year with

no fewer than 103 drivers and 119 navigators scoring points.

The NESCRO series covers a wide geographical area and the opening event saw crews heading

up the A9 for the ever popular Saltire Rally, a tour round a very picturesque Perthshire with the

snow capped mountains bringing an Alpine feel to the event. Beaumont / Fish started the series in

style with a dominant victory on an event which featured several regularities with deviously located

code boards which caught out even the most experienced of navigators. There was a bit of gap to

the Berwick Classic which again retained its two day format and with Beaumont/ Fish retiring with

head gasket problems and Bertram with a blown diff, victory went to the fast Escort of John

Ruddock/ Roger Burkill from the Avenger of Ben Blanchard/ Bob Hargreaves with up and coming

youngsters Luke Tait/ Josh Davison bringing their Escort home a very creditable 3rd overall.

The Whickham & District Motor Clubs Shaw Trophy made a welcome return to the calendar with a

raft of new test venues, some of which were on the rather bumpy side, this didn’t deter Beaumont /

Fish who scored another fine win with second spot going to the virtually standard Mini of Peter

Metcalfe / Guy Wickham. Next up was another perennial favourite, the Penrith based Lake District

Classic which again some new test venues plus a host of the old favourites which make this such

a popular event. The event turned out to be a close fought encounter, Beaumont/ Fish chalked up

another win but were pushed hard all day by the Escorts of Short/ Heath and Bertram/ Whitelaw.

The Lake District was followed by two single venue events with the Hexham & DMC’s Northern

Dales making a first appearance in the series, run around a huge former cement works in

Weardale, the event saw a welcome return of the “Auld Maestro”, Archie Simmonds, who

wheeled out his MG Midget and promptly left the rest the field trailing in his wake, the runner up

spot went to the little Riley Elf of Tom Hall with a strangely muted Beaumont back in third place.

Next up was the Wearside Classic, the NESCRO series paying it’s annual visit to the giant Nissan

manufacturing plant where the test track provides a great variety of tests,Simmonds put in a late

entry for this one, stuck Hall in the left hand seat and chalked up his second success in the series .

Spadeadam Motor Club’s Blue Streak Rally turned out to be quite a compact event, never

venturing far from it’s Carlisle base with the bulk of the tests located on the local airport. Some of

these were quite tight, especially for older cars, but they proved no problem for Bertram/ Fish who

scored a fine win with Bertram/ Whitelaw the best of the rest and the well used Porsche of David

Agnew/ Alan Jackson making it on to the podium. Beaumont/ Fish continued their domination of

the series, winning the South of Scotland Car Clubs Doonhamer Rally, an event which suffered

from a dire lack of manpower and several organisational problems which hopefully can be rectified

as the event also boasts some excellent test venues.

The curtain came down on a very successful year when Wigton Motor Club rolled out their Solway

Classic, a truly innovative event which utilised a redundant aluminium works on the outskirts of

Workington with several tests held inside the huge buildings on the site. These unique venues

created some interesting problems as rivers struggled to get accustomed to the gloom but they

epitomised the huge variety that confronts competitors throughout the NESCRO series. Denied

Andrew Fish’s services, Beaumont was unable to round off the year in style, victory going to Dave

Short/ Roy Heath with the Sloans MG Midget taking a fine second place from the Austin Healey

Sprite of Stephen & David Byrne. A slick, well run event, the Solway was a fine way to round off

the NESCRO year.

Despite his final last gap blip, Beaumont’s 702 points saw him miles ahead in the standings, with

Bertram some way behind on 489, Short 0n 398 then Metcalfe with 330 and the series oldest

regular car, Jim Hendry’s 1957 Triumph TR3, taking an excellent 5th place with 325. Navigators

positions were likewise dominated by Fish’s 702, Roy Heath was the best of the rest on 398 then

Marion Sloan with 285 and Alan Jackson scoring 268. A feature of the 2017 NESCRO series was

the high level of entries, even the final round attracting an excellent 52 crews, and with this

continued enthusiasm plus the emergence of several new competitors the series looks likely to

thrive once again in the coming year.

2018 - Plum Pudding Hartlepool District Motor Club 7th January 2018 Driver Car CLUB CLASS Final O/A Class A Class B Class C AutoTest Dave Mosey 3 A 330.64 1 Willie Keaning 5 A 340.12 2

Waren Gillespie 11 B 342.82 3

Chris Chapman

7 A 348.76 4 1

Ian Chapman 6 A 349.94 5 2

Mark Thornton 17 C 400.75 6 1 Richard Pinkney

1 B 404.28 7 1

Phil Mayne 2 A 410.15 8 3

Jorden Pinkney

9 A 414.08 9 4

Harry Raylor 4 A 430.74 10 5

Pete Masters 12 B 432.18 11 2

Sean Young 22 C 433.89 12 2 Helen Blake 25 C 437.86 13 3 Tom Coverdale

21 C 438.53 14 4

Alan Wheatley 26 b 441.58 15 3 Tom Hall 8 B 448.87 16 4 Lee Moody 20 C 450.34 17 5 Phil Allen 10 B 451.22 18 5 Loius Allen 16 B 451.64 19 6

Graham Nicholson

28 b 452.68 20 7

Chris Wilgress 27 C 452.90 21 6 Steve Bea 13 B 462.82 22 8 Luke Saddington

24 C 483.44 23 7

Malcolm Selby 18 C 514.94 24 8

My thanks go to Peter Masters for providing the information above

Marty

Blast from the Past this month is the 1994 Durham Dales Stages Rally

Durham Automobile Club

Christmas Autotest - 29th December 2017

Unoffical Results with no test maximums

No Name Class Total Overall Class

1 Tom Hall A 823 1st

2 Richard Pinkney C 876 2nd 1st

3 Robin Hunter C 1124 13th 8th

4 Peter Masters C 989 5th 4th

5 Graham Nicolson A 1045 9th 1st

6 Stephen Brown B 994 6th 1st

7 Nick Brown C 1057 10th 7th

8 Lee Valintine C 919 3rd 2nd

9 Will

Makepeace C 4641 21st 11th

10 Mark Thornton D 6275 23rd 3rd

11 Tom

Coverdale B 4677 22nd 5th

12 Amy Brown B 1097 12th 2nd

13 Stuart

Leighton A 1071 11th 2nd

14 Nicky Porter C 1260 17th 10th

15 Harry Raylor A 1272 18th 3rd

16 Chris

Willgress D 1236 14th 1st

17 Carl Sams C 1006 8th 6th

18 Kim Gardner B 1254 16th 3rd

19 Louis Allen D 1374 20th 2nd

20 Peter Gardner B 1279 19th 4th

21 Richard Young C 1252 15th 9th

22 Alan Hawdon C 995 7th 5th

23 Paul Hawdon C 984 4th 3rd

LGT Plumbing

and Property Services

Durham Automobile Club – Club Championships – 2017 Stage Rally Championship 1st Driver – Stephen Petch 1st Co-driver – Michael Wilkinson Clubman Rally Championship 1st Driver – Simon Jennings 1st Navigator – Andrew Fish Navigational Rally Championship 1st Driver – Roger Broom 1st Navigator – Andy Brown Marshals Championship. TBC Clubman Rally Results from 1st August to 10th December 2017

Counting events are those listed in the NESCO calendar, and the points calculation is those used in the

NESCRO Challenge

If you have results that are missed please contact Gordon Dundee gandjdundee@gmail.com (note new e-

mail address)

Events run

1 – Saltire Classic

2 – Berwick Classic

3 – South of Scotland Targa Rally

4 – Ilkley Classic rally

5 – Shaw Trophy Targa Rally

6 – Lake District Classic

7 – Northern Dales Classic

8 - Blue Streak Targa Rally

9 - Wearside Classic

10 - Doonhamer Classic Rally

11 - Solway Classic

Points Standings (number in bracket is number of events competitor has scored points in)

Drivers Navigators

Simon Jennings (7) – 597.1 pts Andrew Fish (7) – 702.2 pts

Mark Thornton (2) – 131.9 pts Clive White (7) – 591.1 pts

Tom Coverdale (2) – 127.1 pts Tony Coates (4) – 163.9 pts

Gordon Dundee (3) – 102.6 pts Alistair Dundee (3) – 102.6 pts

Mark Burton (1) – 100.3 pts Tom Hall (1) – 101.7 pts

Ian Bell (1) – 95.7 pts Zoe Wright (1) – 100.3 pts

Richard Pinkney (1) – 93.9 pts Steve Brown (1) – 95.7 pts

Tom Hall (1) – 93.3 pts Jordan Pinkney (1) - 93.9 pts

Andy Drake (1) – 84.2 pts Ross Drake (1) – 84.2 pts

Stuart Layton (3) – 83.1 pts Kev Luxmore (1) – 77.7 pts

Alistair McIntyre (1) 77.7 pts Mick Stead (1) – 72.9 pts

Peter Masters (1) – 72.9 pts Ben Wilkinson (1) – 38.6 pts

Mick Stead (1) – 38.6 pts Stephen Beattie (1) – 29.4 pts

Mark Nicolson (1) – 29.4 pts Helena Teadale (1) – 16.5 pts

Roger Broom (2) – 26.5 pts Pam Broom (1) – 10.0 pts

An indication how popular NESCRO events are a total of 255 drivers and 283 navigators scored points in

the NESCRO Challenge.

From 1st August to 10th December 2017

Points awarded here are those that Gordon Dundee is aware of, if anyone has not been credited days

when they marshalled please contact Gordon Dundee asap.

gandjdundee@gmail.com (note new e-mail address)

5 Points for each marshalling on the Wearside Classic, Classic Show, DAC Autotest etc

3 Points for organizing or marshaling on a club night Treasure Hunt, Scatter etc.

1 Point for each day marshalling on any other event

Wearside Classic

Pam Broom, Wendy Porter, Nicky Porter, Andy Brown, Peter Sewell, Sue Sewell, Peter Masters, Gordon

Dundee, Andy Egner, Mark Whittaker Smith, Lindsay Burnip, Joan Wood, Vince Moore, Lee McGinn, John

Ward, Dennis Hope, Alistair Dundee

October Autotest

Gordon Dundee, Alistair Dundee, Pam Broom, John Ward, Tony Coats, Trish Colligan.

October Scatter

Peter Masters

Trackrod Rally and Malton Forest Rally

Peter Masters

Cheviot Stages

Lindsay Burnip, Gordon Dundee

RAC Rally

Lindsay Burnip (2 days), Peter Masters, Mick Stead, Alistair and Gordon Dundee

Tyneside Stages, Grampian Stages, Ulster Rally (2 days), Galloway Hills Rally

Lindsay Burnip

Points Standings

Gordon Dundee – 25 pts

Lindsay Burnip – 19 pts

Pam Broom – 18 pts

Peter Masters – 18 pts

Andy Brown – 13 pts

Alistair Dundee – 12 pts

Wendy Porter – 10 pts

Nicky Porter – 10 pts

Sue Sewell – 10 pts

Peter Sewell – 10 pts

Andy Egnar – 10 pts

Mark Smith – 10 pts

John Ward - 10 pts

Navigational Rally results

Position Driver

Org

inis

ors

Po

ints

Ap

ril T

rea

sure

Hu

nt

Ma

y S

catt

er

Ju

ly T

rea

sure

Hunt

Octo

ber

Scatte

r

TB

C

Tota

l

1st Roger Broom 6 8 6 10 30

2nd Mick Stead 2 9 6 4 21

3rd

Gordon

Dundee 10 10 20

=4th Kim Richmond 10 9 19

=4th Andy Brown 10 9 19

=4th Peter Masters 10 9 19

7th

Janelle

Dundee 10 6 16

=8th Joan Wood 7 5 12

=8th Ian Burrows 3 6 3 12

=10th John Ward 8 8

=10th Chris Thirling 8 8

=10th

Owen

Frankland 8 8

=13th Pam Broom 7 7

=13th

Simon

Jennings 7 7

15th Mike Hudson 6 6

=16th Nicky Porter 5 5

=16th Lewis Thirling 5 5

=18th Peter Sewell 4 4

=18th Sue Sewell 4 4

20th

Stuart

Anderson 2 2

Navigator

1st Andy Brown 10 8 10 28

2nd Gordon

10 10 6 26

Dundee

3rd Ben Wilkinson 2 9 6 4 21

4th Peter Gardiner 10 9 19

5th Lindsay Burnip 6 7 5 18

=6th Steve Stockell 9 7 16

=6th Pam Broom 10 6 16

8th Tom Burrows 6 6 3 15

9th

Janelle

Dundee 10 10

10th Amy Brown 9 9

=11th

Simon

Jennings 8 8

=11th

Stuart

Anderson 8 8

=11th

Pam

Frankland 8 8

=14th Chris Thirling 5 2 7

=14th Clive White 7 7

=16th Wendy Porter 5 5

=16th Kim Richmond 5 5

=18th Sue Sewell 4 4

=18th Peter Sewell 4 4

20th Nicky Halliwell 3 3

Stage Rally Results from 1st August to 10th December 2017

If you have results that are missed please contact Gordon Dundee gandjdundee@gmail.com (note new e-

mail address)

Tyneside Stages

Stephen Petch – 3rd class 5 – 8 pts Michael Wilkinson – 3rd class 5 – 8 pts

John Nicholson – 1st class 6 – 10 pts Andy Brown – 3rd class 4 – 8 pts

Mike Farmer – 3rd class 2 – 8 pts

Pendragon Stages

John Nicholson – 6th class 3 – 5 pts Andy Brown – 4th class 4 – 7 pts

Colin Tombs – 7th class 3 – 4 pts

Andrew Hutchinson – 6th class 5 – 5 pts

Trackrod Rally

Stephen Petch – 2nd class B14 – 9 pts Michael Wilkinson – 2nd class B14 – 9 pts

Cheviot Stages

Andy Brown – 2nd class 4 – 9 pts

Malton Forest Rally

Stephen Petch – 2nd class 5 – 9 pts Michael Wilkinson – 2nd class 5 – 9 pts

Ben Cree – 2nd class 2 – 9 pts Andy Brown – 2nd class 2 – 9 pts

Poker Stars Rally

Mike Farmer – 5th class B – 6 pts

Cadwell Park Stages

Andrew Hutchinson – 17th class 4 – 1 pt

Grizedale Stages

Stephen Petch – 3rd class 5 – 8 pts Michael Wilkinson – 3rd class 5 – 8 pts

Ben Cree – 5th class 2 – 6 pts Andy Brown – 5th class 2 – 6 pts

Points Standings

Drivers Co-Drivers

Stephen Petch – 59 (101) pts Michael Wilkinson – 59 (110) pts

John Nicholson – 35 pts Andy Brown – 50 (70) pts

Ben Cree – 34 pts Andrew Hutchinson – 16 pts

Paul Swift – 27 pts Colin Tombs – 4 pts

Steve Petch – 19 pts

Mike Farmer – 14 pts

Ed Todd – 4 pts

Wearside Classic and Targa Rallies Final Results Number Driver Navigator Car Class Total

32 Sean Young Chris Cuthbertson Mazda MX5 8 1317

35 Chris Hunter Fiona Tyson Mazda MX5 8 1351

4 Archie Simmons Tom Hall MG Midget 2 1357

38 Mark Burton Zoe Wright Mazda MX5 8 1365

29 Tom Coverdale Chris Coverdale Mazda MX5 8 1383

9 Richard Pinkney Jordan Pinkney Ford KA 7 1390

13 Kevin Savage Phillip Savage Suzuki Ignis 7 1413

21 Richard Crozier Jamie Mactavish Ford Puma 7 1423

3 John Bertram Andrew Fish Ford Escort 2 1425

17 Andy Drake Ross Drake Nissan Juke 7 1457

22 Craig Stamper Geoff Rae Citroen Saxo 7 1458

36 Alistair McIntyre Kevin Luxmore Mazda RX8 8 1463

25 Simon Jennings Clive White Peugeot 106 7 1471

31 Lee Moody Peter Bradburn Mazda MX5 8 1485

23 Stephen Palmer Jack Palmer Rover 25 7 1488

14 Geoff Bateman Maggy Bateman Peugeot 205 7 1521

6 Tom Leeming Clive Escreet Talbot Sunbeam 3 1523

24 Alan Hawdon Lynn Hawdon Peugeot 205 7 1526

5 Chris Myers Luke Myers Ford Escort 3 1547

12 Jordan English Alistair Hutchinson Renault Clio 7 1550

10 Liam Charlton Geoff Fletcher Ford Puma 7 1555

11 Jack Palmer Tony Hampson Mini 7 1562

27 David Winter Keith Winter Ford Fiesta 7 1570

18 Chris Thompson Josh Tompson Honda Civic 7 1583

16 Stuart Leighton Tony Coates Nissan Micra 7 1585

30 Mark Thornton Lisa Thornton Vauxhall Chevette 8 1588

26 Jon Hill Michael Pears Vauxhall Corsa 7 1628

34 Joe Harwood David Lumsden Reliant Scimitar 8 1680

39 Mark Nicholson Stephen Beattie Mazda MX5 8 1684

33 Philip Hodgson Ian Giles Mazda MX5 8 1691

1 Michael Stead Ben Wilkinson Buckler 1 1725

7 Ray Jude Ben Jude TR7 V8 3 1734

15 Harry Raylor Mark Raylor Peugeot 106 7 1745

37 Chris Wright Ben Wright Mazda MX5 8 1754

28 Roger Broom Helena Teasdale Ford Puma 7 1768

2 Robert McClean Susan McClean Ford Anglia 1 1780

20 Joe Hutchinson Emma Hutchinson Renault Clio 7 1879

19 Jack Hall James Warton Proton GTI 7 1997

Durham Automobile Club Forthcoming Event Calendar

January 24th AGM Honest Lawyer 7.30 for 8pm Start ALL WECOME followed by Buffet.

February 14th Committee Meeting – Honest Lawyer (date TBC)

February 24th Karting night organised by Whickam See article in magazine, on website and

Facebook for more information

March 14th Committee Meeting – Honest Lawyer

March 21st ‘OLD’ COMERS NIGHT!! (ALL welcome, members, non-members &

EX members!!) Social get together and buffet night. **Come along! Its FREE**

March 28th Club Navigational Series Briefing and Help night See Social Sec report in magazine for more

details ALL WELCOME

April 11th Committee Meeting – Honest Lawyer

18th Navigational SCATTER (Peter Masters) More details to follow

May 2nd TREASURE HUNT (Nikki Halliwell or Pam Broom) More details to follow

9th Committee Meeting – Honest Lawyer

30th SCATTER (Gordon Dundee) More Details to follow

June 13th Committee Meeting – Honest Lawyer

July 11th Committee Meeting – Honest Lawyer

July 15th CLASSICS at the CASTLE

August 8th Committee Meeting – Honest Lawyer

September 9th WEARSIDE TARGA at Nissan (more details to follow)

September 11th Committee Meeting – Honest Lawyer

Between June and September we will be having a few more Navigational Events including

Regularities/Jogularities and probably another Scatter and Treasure Hunt. We are also hoping to soon secure

dates for a Social Night at Fury Events and a Gymkhana. There will also be dates appearing for Auto Tests so

please look out for additional Emails and information appearing in magazines, on the website and our facebook

pages.

Officers and Committee Members 2017

Please do not pass on these details to any third party without the persons’ permission

This list will be updated as and when necessary

Nicky Porter nickyporter@btinternet.com President

Steve Petch. Stevepetch@sgpetch.com; Vice President

Andy Brown. aslscrat@gmail.com Chairman

Chris Thirling. Chris.thirling@gmail.com Vice Chairman

Vacant Secretary

Lindsay Burnip. Poshbirdincontrol@btinternet.com Treasurer

Peter Masters Peter.masters@live.com Membership Secretary

Peter Sewell ssewell15@hotmail.com Chief Marshal

Pam Broom. Pam.broom@btinternet.com Social Secretary

Marty Hall. martinhall49@gmail.com Magazine Editor

Stuart Anderson. stuart@wilkinsonmaintenance.co.uk Press Officer

Gordon Dundee Gandjdundee@Gmail.com Competition Secretary

Sammie Halliwell Junior Representative

Edward Todd. eddietodd70@hotmail.com General

Fred Henderson. Fred@fredhenderson.com General

Alistair Dundee ali-d-1991@hotmail.co.uk General

John Nicolson. john@johnnicholsonfineart.co.uk General

Michael Farmer. mlp_farmer@yahoo.co.uk General

Michael Stead. mgstead@live.co.uk General

Simon Jennings simon@directcarparts.co.uk; General

Tom Hall. group2fps@btconnect.com General

Roger Broom. Roggybroom@gmail.com General

Torque Talk will be distributed the third week of each month

Disclaimer: Articles and reports supplied for the DAC Newsletter are the views of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the Committee or other club members.

Copyright Durham Automobile Club.

No part of this magazine/newsletter may be copied or reproduced without

written permission from the Editor or the Committee of

Durham Automobile Club.