Spec-R BARN FIND!Rare Geoff Woods Mk1 Hart Escort Special Saloon

[morninggents]

Originally Posted by celes1

Who would have rebuilt the Hart engine to 1975cc spec.

Possibly Brian Hart - that would make sense. Geoff Richardson is another possibility. He built our FVC to 1970cc.

[celes1]

Originally Posted by morninggents

Possibly Brian Hart - that would make sense. Geoff Richardson is another possibility. He built our FVC to 1970cc.

Good engine builders, both of them. Pete would be advised to contact Hart who would verify if they rebuilt their original 1840cc engine to the 1975cc spec for Phil Winters in 1977.

[celes1]

Originally Posted by Everilda

I have the program and results sheets for Thruxton 19.6.1977.

Phil is entered in the Century Oils SS championship, car is recorded as a Ford Escort BDA 1998cc. The practice sheet records him as a Non-starter.

The engine size put in the entry list looks as though it may have been wrong, as 1998cc engines are usually the 2litre Ford units and the Hart 1975cc units usually are adapted from the 1840 unit. 1998cc units are mostly developed to 2.1+cc, rarely going down below 2litres. Correct me if I am wrong.

[SPECR]

Please can the Forum members tell me exactly what month/year the exhaust regs change from unsilenced to silenced?? Thank you

[SPECR]

Originally Posted by davedarave

photo kindly sent to me by Geoff Werran ,who was a fan of Jim Crawford and got the chance to take this as Jim tried out the Wood Escort at the British GP weekend in July 1975. That's Geoff Wood crouched by the open door . On this occasion Geoff wasnt feeling well enough to race so friend Geoff Friswell took the start only to spin on a wet piece of track on the warm up lap and ripped off the bodywork on one side as reported in Autosport which was a real shame to say the least. Apologies to Geoff Werran for misspelling his name in the photo credit.

Hi Dave,ref your e-mail dated 7th Aug to myself you mentioned there was x10 races found with Geoff Wood in 74/75.Can you please confirm here Dave which these were?? much appreciated.
Cheers Pete

[andy97]

Originally Posted by celes1

Good engine builders, both of them. Pete would be advised to contact Hart who would verify if they rebuilt their original 1840cc engine to the 1975cc spec for Phil Winters in 1977.

Pretty sure that Hart havent existed as a company for many years. I have a feeling they were bought by TWR fortheir F1 v10 technology and then closed down?

[Mike Harte]

Brian Hart passed away at the beginning of 2014, and Hart Racing Engines was taken over by TWR in 1997 and subsumed into the Arrows team.

[GregUK]

Originally Posted by SPECR

Please can the Forum members tell me exactly what month/year the exhaust regs change from unsilenced to silenced?? Thank you

I'll start the bidding at 1980.....

[morninggents]

Originally Posted by GregUK

I'll start the bidding at 1980.....

Could be around then. I'm pretty certain that in 1977 we were unsilenced and certain that in 1989 we had to use silencers (didn't race between those years).

[celes1]

Originally Posted by SPECR

Please can the Forum members tell me exactly what month/year the exhaust regs change from unsilenced to silenced?? Thank you

We started to use silenced systems to reduce the decibels around the 1974 to 1977 era as did many of the Special Saloons and Modsports. It was quite loose on the regs, but some of the National boys were looking ahead and not taking any risks with strict MSA scrutineers.
This Hart Escort was barn found with a full system on it, so the last time it raced was in 1979, driven by Andrew Grover, proving the system was pre 1979/80.
If there are images of the Hart Escort when raced with Geoff Woods, Phil Winter and Andrew Grover, you could identify a time bracket. I do know that the early days of this Hart Escort had the header coming out of the top of the n/s wing, it was very loud, hot and prone to flaming the hair of kiddies heads.

[Dan Rear]

From reading some late 1978 MNs, the RACMSA apparently had plans to introduce silencers from 1979. Categories affected included Spec. Saloons, Modsports, Donny GTs etc

[morninggents]

Originally Posted by SPECR

Hi Dave,ref your e-mail dated 7th Aug to myself you mentioned there was x10 races found with Geoff Wood in 74/75.Can you please confirm here Dave which these were?? much appreciated.
Cheers Pete

I have results sheets showing 5 races:

5.10.74 Silverstone GP circuit - qualified 17th out of 18 1-52.2 (pole 1-35.4) - Race retired after 10 laps out of 12.
4.5.75 (Driver Jim Crawford) Silverstone club circuit. Q 12th/20 1-02.8 (pole 58.6). Non starter for race.
28.6.75 Oulton Park -Q 12th/18 1-10.4 (pole 1-04.6). Finished 8th in race.
19.7.75 Silverstone (GP meeting) Q 26th/32 2-19.9 (wet) (pole 1-51.5). Non starter for race.
24.8.75 Mallory Park Q 12th/15 52.8 (pole 47.6). Race shown as retired with no laps completed so could possibly have been a non starter.

So on this evidence not too successful but I do know having raced against it that it was a quick car.
Did it race in 1976?

[Everilda]

I have two more for Geoff Wood in 1975

8.6.75 Silverstone Club - Qualified 7th out of 20, 1-4.0 (pole 1-1.2) - do not have race result.
27.7.75 Mallory Park - Qualified 3rd out of 15, 52.0 (Pole 50.6) - do not have race result

Both meetings car is recorded as Ford Escort 1850cc

[Dan Rear]

27.7.75, Geoff finished second to Strawson's big Capri. I don't have times, but from memory he was well behind. Only 2 other, and v slow, over 1300s raced.

24.8.75, as Peter says. Or is it Chris?

[morninggents]

Originally Posted by Dan Rear

27.7.75, Geoff finished second to Strawson's big Capri. I don't have times, but from memory he was well behind. Only 2 other, and v slow, over 1300s raced.

24.8.75, as Peter says. Or is it Chris?

Peter, though Chris was usually a little bit quicker back in the day. I remember meeting up with you at Cadwell a few years back, Dan, when I was racing the Cortina (or it might have been my son, also Dan, who was driving).

[celes1]

Originally Posted by Everilda

I have two more for Geoff Wood in 1975

8.6.75 Silverstone Club - Qualified 7th out of 20, 1-4.0 (pole 1-1.2) - do not have race result.
27.7.75 Mallory Park - Qualified 3rd out of 15, 52.0 (Pole 50.6) - do not have race result

Both meetings car is recorded as Ford Escort 1850cc

I do remember Geoff Woods being very quick in his Mini's but when he raced the RWD Hart Escort he found the induction was so noisy, with the engine at the side of him, and with the powerful Hart engine chucking out a lot more power it disorientated him and made him feel unbalanced and physically sick. He did say it was more like racing a bloody big Go Kart and that wearing glasses did not help, no wonder his lap times were a bit slower.

This is more common than some drivers think, you get use to a particular car and its handling year after year as he had in the Mini's, that other cars can seem so alien, especially such a modified car as this mid engine, space framed monster, which needs hours of practice lap times.

[GregUK]

Originally Posted by Dan Rear

From reading some late 1978 MNs, the RACMSA apparently had plans to introduce silencers from 1979. Categories affected included Spec. Saloons, Modsports, Donny GTs etc

I started racing in 1978 in the Rivet Supply Special Saloon Championship. Certainly '78 was unsilenced, maybe '79 too.

[celes1]

Originally Posted by GregUK

I started racing in 1978 in the Rivet Supply Special Saloon Championship. Certainly '78 was unsilenced, maybe '79 too.

It certainly makes this Hart Escort ahead of it's time, as the silenced unit may have been put on some time before, either by Geoff Woods or Phil Winter 1974-77. Unless Andrew Grover the last owner/driver who did his last circuit race in 1979 had it fabricated and then the car was stored for nearly 40 years in a barn.

[chunterer]

This is turning into a brilliant discussion! Thanks all 😊

[SPECR]

Originally Posted by chunterer

This is turning into a brilliant discussion! Thanks all 😊

😉👍 More coming tomorrow plus pics thank you all also couldn't do it without you, will only get better 👍

[morninggents]

Did the car race in 1976? Can't find any results for it.

[Everilda]

Originally Posted by morninggents

Did the car race in 1976? Can't find any results for it.

I have looked through my 1976 results and can find nothing for Geoff Wood.

Phil Winter raced his Mini throughout the year.

Found your name (Peter Wray, Ford Escort) mentioned several times.

[SPECR]

Found some more history on the Escort when Andrew Grover raced her at Castle Combe.I have the programs for all of 79.Heres a picture of Andrew coming round Quarry at the May Bank Holiday meeting. And also a copy of the e-mail Pete Stowe sent me(Historian and Archives @Castle Combe).

Hi Peter

As discussed, I’ve attached the information I have on Andrew racing the Escort at Combe in 1979.
He was entered in the Special Saloon championship races at each of the five meetings that year, winning the final race on 27 August outright, and becoming Class B (1300 to 2500cc) Champion.
1979 was the only time he was entered in the Escort at Combe. His only other race entry at Combe was on 30 August 1976 in a 1293cc Mini in Special saloons.
Geoff Wood does not appear to have entered any races at Combe.

1979 entries
Castle Combe Special Saloons
Andrew Grover, Ford Escort, 1975cc

16-Apr-79, Special Saloon cars, #9, 2nd in class
7-May-79, Special Saloon cars over 1000cc, #14, 1st in class
28-May-79, Special Saloon cars, #7, DNS or retired
7-Jul-79, Special Saloon cars over 1000cc, #15, DNS or retired
27-Aug-79, Special Saloon cars over 1000cc, #8, 1st overall, 1st in class

1979 Special Saloon Championship Class B – 1st


We don’t have any photos of the Escort in the Circuit Archive.
The photo by John Gaisford that appeared in the 7th July programme was from the 7th May meeting.

Hope that helps.

Regards
Pete

Pete Stowe
Archivist & Historian to Castle Combe Circuit

[SPECR]

This is bringing up History of the Escort as i find it as i thought you would all like to know and the cars on the Grid of that era

[GWOOD1170]

just looking through some of my fathers old files and found his race licence and his explanation of the event's of the dreaded wet Silverstone F1 meeting where the escort was driven by Geoff Friswell and ended up in the banking in the rain GW