T Register News
T Register email newsletter for September – and Captain Castor issue 5
The September T Register email Newsletter has now been sent out and the latest edition of Captain Castor has been published. For the latter, see the post below.
If you are an UK MG Car Club member and wish to receive the Newsletter, got to http://www.mgcc.co.uk/t-register/newsletter/ and fill the form in at the bottom of the page.
You can see the latest issue of Captain Castor at http://www.mgcc.co.uk/t-register/captain-castor-issue-no5/. He’s been giving definitive answers on that knotty problem of just what was the origin …
In memory of Bill Weston
There is an obituary of Bill Weston published in the September issue of the T Register’s email Newsletter, and in the T Register’s news pages in September’s Safety Fast, written by Ron Gammons. James Thacker saw Ron’s article and wrote of his memory of Bill and the influence he had on him whilst he was a teenager. So here’s his memories.
I was very sorry to read in the T Type newsletter pages in this month’s Safety Fast! about the sad passing of Bill Weston.
I remember attending my very first MG Silverstone on 29th May 1965 in my TC HAB 397, chassis no 7124, together with my sister Gill with whom I shared the car. There was a 5 lap scratch race for TC, TD and HRG cars. W.J. (Bill Weston) won that T Type event having a close race just ahead of P. (Pete) Ross and I.D. (Ian) Matheson, all in TCs. These were very impressive full race TCs with cycle wings and unsilenced side exhausts. Others in the race included Paddy Willmer, Ron Gammons, Jim Pielow, Alan Scott, Roy Brading, Ken Cheeseman, P. Hollick, Roy Brading, Harry Whitehouse and others. They really captured my imagination, especially the really quick cars drifting round the old club circuit Woodcote corner with a suitably controlled application of opposite lock balancing the car on the throttle, and with the exhaust noise reverberating off the grandstands. A wonderful spectacle …
As the obituary stated, Bill competed in many other races at MG meetings, and on that day in 1965 he drove with equal enthusiasm and skill in two further 5 lap scratch races (placed 1st in the T Types, and 2nd in T Types and MGA 1500s with drum brakes and other cars); in a 10 lap handicap race (placed 5th); and a 30 minute high speed trial. In my mind he was clearly the driver of the day at the peak of his game and these short races on the old club circuit (lap times about 79 seconds for a T type) were enjoyed by a considerable crowd of spectators in the grandstands and elsewhere aided by an informative and enthusiastic commentator. A long way removed from today’s often long distance events on the GP circuit (lap times around two and a half to three minutes) some of which are just another round of a national championship for MGs and other makes, watched by only a mere small handful of spectators.
Bill Weston’s driving on that day clearly made a great impression on me as an 18 year old and within two years I had bought my cousin’s TF (my sister had since married and moved to Belfast) and I had begun competing in speed events in the first year of the T Register championship in 1967 for two years and then with various Sprites and Midgets from 1969 onwards in circuit racing – and I am now my 50th season of motorsport!
There was photo in Motor Sport Magazine of Bill Weston’ s TC while in the Shelsley paddock at around that time showing two different stick-on registration numbers on each of the TC rear wings. He wrote in to the magazine to say that one number was the TC number and the second one was the tow car number. A perfectly reasonable explanation. He added that the TC
had embarrassed quite a few more modern cars with its speed. I am not surprised.
As far as I can make out, 1965 looks as if it could have been Bill Weston’s last MG Silverstone as his name is missing from the following years together with quite a few of that era including Mattheson, Ross (appeared once more in 1967) etc, as many of this first generation of T racers were perhaps on the cusp of retiring just as the incoming post war baby boomers including Dave Clewley, Gerry Brown, Pete Cresswell, Paul Langdell, Glyn Giusti, Chris Jones, Nick Taylor, Neil Hoskison Keith Beningfield, David Spencer-Sline etc were just starting. Even though I had changed to Sprites/Midgets I always watched the T racing and it peaked in that fantastic race at Silverstone in the mid 70s which was likened in the Autosport report to a Formula Ford championship race with half a dozen cars driven by most of the above people, fighting for the lead for the entire race. I was watching on the inside of Woodcote just feet away from the apex and it is arguably the best motor race I have ever seen especially as I knew all the drivers well.
I attach a photo of our TF at Turnastone garage while my wife, Matty and I were in the Golden Valley in Herefordshire on Saturday evening 27th August 2016; (it is a long story but I sold the car in 1972 and bought it back in bits in 2005). It had been raining hard so it is a very rare photo of the hood being up. The forecourt pumps look as old as the car which was made in 1953. Note the ‘works’ JB number as the car was owned by the MG Car Company from Nov 1953 to July 1954 being a Police Demonstrator car. The Turnastone fuel pumps are still calibrated in gallons so perhaps now we are coming out of the EU the garage may possibly l be permitted to sell fuel in imperial measurements again …
James Thacker
Spam filters and Virgin Media
This is a notice for MGCC UK members who have subscribed to the T Register’s email newsletter AND whose internet provider is Virgin Media. There are about 20 of you.
We think that Virgin Media have introduced a spam filter which is blocking the delivery of the T Register’s Newsletter, possibly without your even realising it. We think this occurred sometime during July.
If you know how to unblock the spam filter, can you do so for the Newsletter, or get in touch with us using the contact details on previous Newsletters.
T Register email Newsletter for August – and Captain Castor issue 4
The August T Register email Newsletter has now been sent out and the latest edition of Captain Castor has been published. If you are an UK MG Car Club member and wish to receive the Newsletter, got to http://www.mgcc.co.uk/t-register/newsletter/ and fill the form in at the bottom of the page.
You can see the latest issue of Captain Castor at http://www.mgcc.co.uk/t-register/captain-castor-issue-no4/. He’s been eavesdropping at the T Register T Party …
Round Britain in a TA – the story of ‘Numbum’
You may have been reading about the exploits of Owen and Pam Frankland on the T Register’s Facebook Page. They and their blue 1937 MG TA (nicknamed Numbum!) are driving the 4000 miles round the coast of mainland UK. They are doing it for fun, but also to help raise money for the Harrison’s Fund, which is raising funds for research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
They started at the Transporter Bridge in Middlesbrough on 22 July, and are travelling clockwise round the coast.
They have a blog tell their story, and have also set up a Just Giving page if you want to contribute. They also have a Twitter account(@jg9052) which appears to be gaining traction in the classic car world.
Planning is rudimentary: they have a vague idea of what roads they will be traveling, but as for accommodation …
But there’s more. They broke down with a broken half shaft! At Brightlingsea, which is actually quite close to the T Register’s TRN Editor John Ward’s home. So they got the TA transported to John’s house, and instead of the planned few beers, Owen and John set-to mending half shafts. Luckily NTG Services pulled out the stops to supply the parts and they were on their way a day later.
You can see all the photos of the repair on the T Register’s Facebook Page.
Non-destructive testing for T Type owners
We have received an offer from a company called NFW Inspection that does non-destructive testing. They’ve offered to ‘inspect and report on components at significantly reduced prices’ for members of the T Register: ‘significantly reduced’ prices are Magnetic Particle Inspection or Dye Penetrant Testing for up to 10 components for £99 or up to 5 for £75 (plus VAT, and carriage if required).
There is also a discount of up to 20% for other services including radiography, liquid penetrant dye testing (dye pen) and ultrasonic testing. They are UKAS accredited, and we have checked that their certificate is current and covers all the tests they offer – it is and it does.
They also offer the facility of going to their premises in Stokenchurch (by appointment) to watch the testing of your components taking place.
You can access this offer by requesting a voucher from Sally Silcock and quoting your membership number.
More details of the company are available on their website.
T Register News No 23 July 2016
The July edition of the T Register News has now been published.
It contains reports on the T Type which won the concours competition at MG Live, on our winning the Nuffield Gold Cup, on MG Live and the T Register’s T Party at Bicester Heritage.
T Types to the Ardennes 12th – 16th May 2017
Following on from the successful Spring 2016 foray to Normandy, Bill and Sally Silcock are arranging a Spring tour to the Ardennes at the Castel les Sorbiers 10 miles south of Dinant in the Belgian Ardennes for four nights from 12 – 16 May 2017. This is the hotel used for the T Register’s 2008 trip to the area, and the feedback then was very positive. The absolute maximum is 30 cars including the organisers.
There are a number of scenic routes in the area, including some recommended by the Michelin guide to the region. There are also lots of places worth visiting, including particularly good caves at Han sur Lesse, a micro-brewery near the hotel and a castle at Bouillon.
As has recently become the tradition on our continental tours, there won’t be any set routes or timetables, but lots of information will be provided about the area.
There are full details and instructions on the 2017 Events page.
FAK 57 at Le Mans Classic
Colin Murrell has sent us a report and photos of Simon Evans’ replica of the George Phillips Le Mans TC Special racing at this year’s Le Mans Classic.
The report also includes the successes of other MGs there including a great result from the K3 competing in the pre-war class.
The report and pictures are on the T Register’s Facebook Page.
T Register racing 2016
Reports are now available for all four of the race meetings where T Types and XPAG Specials took part.