Formula Junior Racing

Formula Junior was introduced in 1959 as a class of racing where younger drivers could be introduced to single-seater racing. It ended when Formula 2 and Formula 3 were re-introduced to the racing scene for the 1964 season. Formula Junior has continued to be featured at historic racing events and here are some of the cars which contested the Lenham Storage Formula Junior Championship race at the Historic Sports Car Club's Spring Historic Race Meeting at Oulton Park in May 1986.

The 1960 Elva FJ of David Jordan

Mike Murphy's car, shown in the programme of the event as a 1961 Lotus 20/22

Josie Tolhurst's 1960 Lola FJ Mk2

The 1959 Lola FJ Mk2 of Tony Steele

David Grant's 1959 Elva FJ

The British Women Racing Drivers' Club's 1960 Gemini Mk2, driven by Viv Ayres

The 1961 Gemini Mk3A of Bill Burrows

The 1961 Lotus 22 of Fred Edwards

Friday's Ferrari

This was one of the cars featured in a display of cars as a Tribute to Juan Manuel Fangio by the British Racing Drivers' Club at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994.

It's a 1949 Ferrari 166, serial number 011F, which was raced by Fangio and José Froilán Gonzáles in its early years. The programme of the event said this about the display:

'The display will also include a superb 1948 1.5 litre  Formula 1 Ferrari 166, thought to have been raced by Fangio in Argentina, and which has just been restored by Tony Merrick.'

Bugatti Type 37

This is a photograph taken at the Exchange Station car park in Manchester before the Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run in June 1986.

It's a 1926 Bugatti Type 37, and the programme of the event had this to say about it:

84          1926 Bugatti Type 37

               Reg: DS 6894  4 cylinder  1496cc

               (Barry Parkinson, Ribchester)

Always nice to see a Bugatti on the Run. This one was imported from America in dismantled condition and has been rebuilt.

The Car That Jeremy Clarkson Named

I had to make a car trip of about 3 miles to Ashton to do some shopping a couple of weeks ago (to get my favourite Flahavan's Irish Porridge Oats that I can't get anywhere in Hyde) and saw this car in the supermarket car park - it was the colour really that drew my attention to it, then the number plate, then the name badge.

It's a Ford Focus ST, or as Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson said after taking it round a wet test track, 'they should have called it..........

..........the ASBO!'

It apparently has a 2½ litre turbocharged engine which produces 225hp and you can obtain gel ASBO badges to fit over the existing Ford ones.

Cars in Guernsey

Every time we go to Guernsey I always manage to take photographs of one or two cars, and here are some that I photographed on our recent visit.

Triumph TR4A

Renault 4 GTL

Jaguar XJS

Lamborghini Diablo VT

All these photographs were taken round the quayside area of St Peter Port

Porsche 906 Carrera

This car was in the paddock at the Donington International Historic Grand Prix meeting organised by the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association at Donington Park in May 2004.

It's a 1966 Porsche 906 Carrera 6, and as far as I know it didn't take part in any of the races at the meeting. On 24 February 2015 I featured one of these cars that took part in the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1999.

Lotus 40

I photographed this car at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It's a 1965 Lotus 40, a development of the Lotus 30, one of three cars built and not one of Colin Chapman's most successful models as this article by ultimatecarpage.com relates.

Albion Merryweather Fire Engine

This is another of the vehicles at the Pallot Steam. Motor & General Museum in Jersey that I photographed when we visited in 2013.

It's a 1934 Albion Merryweather fire engine which entered service in St Helier in January 1935 as the board in front of the vehicle tells you:

Friday's Ferrari

Here's a Ferrari I spotted amongst the spectators' cars at Knickerbrook at the Aston Martin Owners Club meeting at Oulton Park in May this year.

It's a Ferrari Dino 246 GT, and it looks a completely different car with the non-standard wheels.

Alfa Romeo SZ

The two cars pictured below took part in the 2¼ hour 'Race of The Historic Motor Racing News Gentlemen Drivers for Pre 1966 GT Cars and Pre 1963 Sports Cars' at the VSCC Richard Seaman Memorial Trophy meeting at Donington Park in May 2001.

They're Alfa Romeo SZs, number 23 was driven in the race by Oliver Crosthwaite and Brian Horwood, and number 24 by Nick Savage and Paul Gregory. The yellow car was the subject of a Bonhams auction in December 2013.

ERA R4A & R4D

The Raymond Mays Trophy race for Pre 1961 Grand Prix Cars at the Silverstone Historic Festival meeting in August 2001 included four ERA cars, and two of them are shown in the photograph below.

The one on the left is Jost Wildbolz's R4A and on the right is Mac Hulbert's R4D. You can read about the two cars, and all the other ERAs on this website.

Lancia D50

When Lancia pulled out of racing in the middle of the 1955 racing season due to financial pressures the team of D50 Formula 1 cars was passed over to Ferrari. At the time their appearance at the Gold Cup race at Oulton Park in September 1955 they were still badged as Lancias and it seemed that Ferrari had not yet carried out any modifications to the cars. This photograph, taken with a Kodak Brownie 127 camera by my brother, shows the two cars returning to the paddock at the end of the race.

This is Eugenio Castellotti's car, which finished in 7th place, and behind it is Mike Hawthorn's car which finished second in the race to the Maserati 250F of Stirling Moss.

Lapwings

The RSPB has this to say about the lapwing:

Where to see them

Lapwings are found on farmland throughout the UK particularly in lowland areas of northern England, the Borders and eastern Scotland. In the breeding season prefer spring sown cereals, root crops, permanent unimproved pasture, meadows and fallow fields. They can also be found on wetlands with short vegetation. In winter they flock on pasture and ploughed fields. The highest known winter concentrations of lapwings are found at the Somerset Levels, Humber and Ribble estuaries, Breydon Water/Berney Marshes, the Wash, and Morecambe Bay.

When to see them

All year round. Leaves upland areas after the breeding season and moves to lowland fields for the winter. Large numbers of N European birds arrive in autumn for the winter.

The fact that large numbers of lapwings arrive in Britain in autumn for the winter probably accounts for this flock I saw wheeling over Hyde town centre on the last day of September.

Lamborghini Gallardo

I've just come across this photograph I took in August 2012 at The Lowry in Salford Quays.

All I remember about it at the time was that it looked like a Lamborghini, but I'd not gone so far as trying to identify the actual model. It looks as if it's a Lamborghini Gallardo with possibly a Prior-Design PD-L800 Widebody Aerodynamic kit fitted.

Guernsey, October 2015

Another short visit to Guernsey last week to see our grandchildren.....

.....Edward.....

.....and Eliza.

One of the highlights of our stay was a trip on the ferry to the island of Herm, about three miles to the east of Guernsey.

We had a walk round the island.....

.....and a look round the souvenir shop.....

.....Edward threw lots of pebbles (and bigger rocks) into the sea.....

.....and Eliza had a walk on the beach.

The lower deck of the ferry was almost deserted on the return trip to St Peter Port.

Guernsey is a popular stopping-off point for cruise liners and that day saw the last visitor of the 2015 season - the P&O Cruises liner 'Arcadia'.

On the Sunday we had a meal at Le Friquet Garden Centre and afterwards Edward had a great time in the outdoor play area.

And Eliza joined him later on the slide.

When we got back home Edward had to show us their sandpit.

Eliza now takes great delight now in feeding herself.

Friday's Ferrari

This is one of two Ferrari 750 Monzas that competed in the Historic Car Championship Race at the Aston Martin Owners Club Autumn Historic Car Races at Oulton Park in September 1992.

This car is serial number 0440MD and is the first Ferrari 750 Monza to be built. It was raced by Scuderia Ferrari in 1954 and is the car with which Mike Hawthorn and Maurice Trintignant won the 1954 Tourist Trophy race at Dundrod in Northern Ireland.

It was entered in the Oulton Park race by Robert Brooks and driven by Tony Dron.

I showed some photographs of the other Ferrari 750 Monza that took part in this race on 20 March 2015.

Airbus Aircraft

Within the space of less than 25 minutes on 11th April 2015 three different types of Airbus aircraft landed at Manchester Airport and they are pictured below as they passed over Hyde just prior to landing.

At 11.10am this was the Germania flight ST8719 from Tarbes to London which was diverted to Manchester. It's an Airbus A319-112, registration number D-ASTA.

At 11.19am this Airbus A320-214, registration number EC-MCUG, on Vueling Airlines flight VY4511 from Perpignan passed overhead.

At 11.33am this was the Airbus A321-211 of Thomas Cook Airline on flight TCX2035 from Grenoble. The registration number of this aircraft is G-TCDZ.

Shadow DN1

This car took part in the Grand Prix Masters F1 Cars 1966-1985 race at the Silverstone Classic meeting in July 2010.

It's the 1973 Shadow DN1 campaigned by Graham Hill for the Embassy Hill team in 1973.