1980 Willhire 24 hours - Snetterton

[Kelvin]

maybe the start finish straight was just called the 'Home Straight' ?

Kelvin

[johngee]

Originally Posted by Kelvin

maybe the start finish straight was just called the 'Home Straight' ?

Kelvin

None of my old maps of the circuit dignify that piece of the track with a name.
I think it was just called the Start/Finish straight.

[Terry Scannell]

Originally Posted by Kelvin

maybe the start finish straight was just called the 'Home Straight' ?

Kelvin

Kelvin,

Home Straight was on the old 2.71 mile circuit and was the section between the Hairpin at the end of the Norwich Straight and the left hand turn into the Esses.

Currently the entrance road into the circuit runs parallel with the old Home Straight which is now part of the Snetterton market site.

Terry

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by Kelvin

maybe the start finish straight was just called the 'Home Straight' ?

Kelvin

My very dim memory of the name of the startline straight was that it was referred to as the Pit Straight. No romantics in them days

[Kelvin]

thanks guys for feedback, will help me in adding an accurate description/title to some of my pics..

[GBRM]

The startline at the Willhire was always great, very relaxed and a part atmosphere - I have some great pictures and also memories of my Dad falling asleep in his car wear a cowboy hat with a cigar hanging out of his mouth!!

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by Kelvin

thanks guys for feedback, will help me in adding an accurate description/title to some of my pics..

And here is a picture of part of the start/finish area from 1968, a picture that I discovered only last night on another forum. It shows me in my Anglia, on my way I believe, to an overall win in that day's round of the Redex Special Saloon Championship.

[BChild]

I hope Gypsywilson doesn't mind but by way of an update I thought these pictures might be appreciated

[gypseywilson]

I don't mind at all.......shame they're upside down though!!

[BChild]

Originally Posted by gypseywilson

I don't mind at all.......shame they're upside down though!!

Weird they are right way up for me???

Or did it go to Oz and you are making a joke??

[BChild]

Spotted racing in the Gerry Marshall Trophy at the Members Meeting at Goodwood at the weekend.



Some more nice pictures of it in the pits, and on track here

"Here" by DBizzle

[gypseywilson]

Originally Posted by BChild

Weird they are right way up for me???

Or did it go to Oz and you are making a joke??

No mate, I'm not joking they're upside down!!

[BChild]

Originally Posted by gypseywilson

No mate, I'm not joking they're upside down!!

How weird they are right way up for me...... I'll reload them!!

Another pics of it in the paddock Here care of retroscene mag

[VIVA GT]

OK, so I've finally got around to finding & scanning my pictures from (what I think is) the 1981 Willhire.
There's not as many as I thought (and they're not as sharp as I'd hoped!) but I'll share them anyway.
http://s250.photobucket.com/user/VIV...Start.png.html
http://s250.photobucket.com/user/VIV...pel01.png.html
http://s250.photobucket.com/user/VIV...pel02.png.html
http://s250.photobucket.com/user/VIV...pri03.png.html
http://s250.photobucket.com/user/VIV...Mazda.png.html
http://s250.photobucket.com/user/VIV...ght02.png.html

[BChild]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

OK, so I've finally got around to finding & scanning my pictures from (what I think is) the 1981 Willhire.
There's not as many as I thought (and they're not as sharp as I'd hoped!) but I'll share them anyway.
http://s250.photobucket.com/user/VIV...Start.png.html
http://s250.photobucket.com/user/VIV...pel01.png.html
http://s250.photobucket.com/user/VIV...pel02.png.html
http://s250.photobucket.com/user/VIV...pri03.png.html
http://s250.photobucket.com/user/VIV...Mazda.png.html
http://s250.photobucket.com/user/VIV...ght02.png.html

Oooh a few pictures of commodores never seen before

I really Like this one - actually thought it was an error until I looked at the background - that's a cracking shot

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by BChild

Oooh a few pictures of commodores never seen before

I really Like this one - actually thought it was an error until I looked at the background - that's a cracking shot

Thank you (I wasn't sure if I should post that 'artistic shot' or not, but spotted the bridge clearly in the background).
*Man in red cap on the left* is my mate Nick who attended many race meetings with me back in the day, sadly, I think he still has that anorak!

[chrisdawkins]

Hi Guys,

I know this thread has stopped some time ago, but thought you would like to know the Brundle Celica is coming along, and we are hoping to have the shell back early January. Some photos to follow of the engine done, and the shell after soda blasting.

[andy97]

Looking forward to the updates, for no other reason than I went to the same school as the Brundles!

[stevew62]

Guys,

I know this is a very old thread, but I thought I'd try my Luck. Does anyone have any photos or Info about the TVR Tasmin that Colin Blower drove in the 1982 race ?

I see from an earlier Post that he ran with the number 5. Does anyone have the results list ?

Thanks in Advance
Steve

[seascape]

Originally Posted by phoenix

If anyone has an entry list, results, race report or pictures from the 1983 race, I would be pleased if they got in touch with me.

I raced in a very second hand Honda Civic which was in the same class as the Skoda - in fact the only other car in the small class, I believe - and we shared a garage. Our car was driven to the circuit from West Kingsdown, where it was prepared. The preparation was mainly a hand paint job in dulux and ensuring all the birds and mice nests had been removed, as the car had been stored in a barn for over a year! I'm pretty sure the car was also driven home after the event. We never changed the brake pads during the event and used just the one set of tyres for the whole event (and the drive home!)

I remember very clearly the Skoda actually spent quite a while in the pits in 1983 while the Czech mechanics re-built the gearbox. On track I remember closing in on the Skoda at the rate of about 1 yard per lap! It took me a whole stint to catch it, more or less, and an attempt to dive inside at the esses ended up with me spinning out to prevent contact, so all the effort was wasted.

In theory, we should have won the class with the Skoda being in the pits for so long, but we had our own dramas. At the end of the first stint the driver managed to crash into the armco coming into the pits as he was trying to undo his belts at the same time. This accident destroyed the auxilliary lights that had been fitted for the night driving, broke one headlamp and also damaged the alternator mounting bracket.

We managed to get some lighting sorted out at the various pitstops before darkness fell, but early the next morning the alternator mounting broke completely and we didn't have a spare. We had to make our own shortened fan belt fitting round just the crank and the fan/water pump pulley. I had read that tights could be used for this, so my wife of the time removed hers and we twisted a belt up from them. They were obviously good quality as the 'belt' held for quite a while. As my wife had no other tights with her, she was despatched to the 'sunday market' near the entrance to the circuit to buy some more pairs. I can't remember how many pairs she bought but the quality was certainly inferior as we got through the belts made from them much quicker than we had imagined. Some time in the afternoon a plea for tights was put out over the public address system, and we were delighted to receive a number of pairs - some still warm! - from willing volunteers, including one of the St John's Ambulance ladies. Thanks to them we finished the race somehow, obviously losing out to the Skoda in class and I can't remember if we were dead last or not - but we probably were!

The reason I would like to see the entry list is that I can't remember who my team mates were, as the team was put together in a rather ad-hoc way. I believe one of them was Anthony Reid, who was the mate of one of my friends (Grubby) who was mechanicing for us, but I'd like to be able to confirm that.

Thanks

I know this is a very old post but I was one of the other drivers of that infamous Honda Civic. Not the one who stuffed it in the pit lane Is Phoenix still around here?

[tonywebb]

I competed in some of the Wihire events but noticed people reminising about various issues. We ran an Escort RS Turbo when they first came out, one of its Achilles heels were the brakes which were not up to 24 hour racing. So Norman ?(the commentator) put out an appeal for any XR3i owners to come to the box and many were happy to allow our mechanics to remove their front brakes to complete the race and our mechanics replaced the parts after the event. Does anyone else remember this?