Tricks that old racers get up to after retirement

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One of my great friends for many years was a guy called Dave Minty----he was an art director at Pinewood studios most of his life and a wonderful artist he did a series of paintings of Campbell's Bluebird-----for christmas'96 this is the card he sent to a few friends, me included.
I think it was in the late eighties, Anthony Hopkins did a film called "ACROSS THE LAKE" depicting the life of Donald Campbell-----Hodges did the boat part and my son Mark did the actual driving and advising-----Anthony Hopkins later did
"THE WORLDS FASTEST INDIAN" Some of you out there may remember it!

Three o'clock and the friggin useless apology for a plumber still hasn't put in an appearance ----just can't get the staff!!

Loved "The World's fastest Indian"....
Regarding your license--- Count your blessings---in the states you can't drive for at least a year after a stroke or a seizure.... Also count your blessings that the effects seem to be waining and you will be back to your normal, abnormal self straightaway.

Miss you bud.....

Jackie - "The Worlds Fastest Indian" was one of my all time favorite movies.

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Originally Posted by Rotary John

Jackie: Jack Leek and Clarence Blanchard made all the decisions when it came to OMC racing. I only was involved with the rotary engine and they only put up with me because nobody else knew anything about the engine. Hell Damn, I had to design and modify the 14/23 gear case to fit the rotary as Leek and the boys had no interest. Why set up testing wasn't done more I can't answer. There was plenty of money for the race group. Charlie Strang ran the company. Hendrix was OMC's prop man, but he was more interested in selling his props to people outside of the company than doing development testing. The only 2l engines I remember were the 2 hand built cross flows that won Paris in 1974. By the spring of 1975, the rotary had run for the last time and OMC was running their 150ci cross in OZ.When the 2l looper came in I don't recall as I left OMC in the summer of '76.

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Hi John OMC ran 4 V6 crossflow engines at Bristol in 1974 at the end of 1975 Brugge had 5 2.0litre crossflow engines and we had 4 UK drivers and 1 Dutchman that drove them .The 2.5 crossflow engines first ran at the Bristol race in 1976 and the 2 litre Loopers were all made for the Paris 6 hr race in OCT 1976 I think about 6 or 7 in all ran`i do know a Dutchman blew one motor in practice because someone fitted the wrong prop and it went past 9000rpm.Jackie what year did you say you saw all those OMC engines at Cees place?

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Originally Posted by powerabout

It wouldnt be hard to make a custom 2.0 ltr race block beat the merc quasi production based engine.
That would still be true today.
I guess they packed it up when someone decided crossflows for production will be the way forward.
They did make a great workhorse though.
PS Hendrich, unless a famous guitar player could hammer a tune on a prop as well?

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Boy oh Boy you have got me thinking long and hard about this one i would think that the amount of money that would cost would never get a return.Lets think about the long term development of that 2.0 engine nearly every year they got it to go faster and faster Then they changed it to 2.5litres my opinion only` is like someone saying it wouldn't be hard to make a custom 2.5 litre race block to beat the current engine which i know at this stage has a lot of issues because its so over stressed.I am not saying its not possible i think just not affordable.

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Originally Posted by jackiewilson

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One of my great friends for many years was a guy called Dave Minty----he was an art director at Pinewood studios most of his life and a wonderful artist he did a series of paintings of Campbell's Bluebird-----for christmas'96 this is the card he sent to a few friends, me included.
I think it was in the late eighties, Anthony Hopkins did a film called "ACROSS THE LAKE" depicting the life of Donald Campbell-----Hodges did the boat part and my son Mark did the actual driving and advising-----Anthony Hopkins later did
"THE WORLDS FASTEST INDIAN" Some of you out there may remember it!

Three o'clock and the friggin useless apology for a plumber still hasn't put in an appearance ----just can't get the staff!!

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Jackie. That K7 rep is in the Lakeland Motor Museum, I saw it a couple of years ago but could not get close enough to figure out the power unit...
was it inboard/outboard under the cowling??? I recall in some scenes it had gas jetting out the back.. Calor bottles??? Com'on tell the
world, well me anyway!! Glad you are on the mend by the way lots more fun to come.........Phill.

My memory says the 2..5l (150ci) cross ran for the first time at Pewaukee, Wis. in the spring od 1975. Last time the rotaries ran and Leek insisted they run the 15/17 gearcase even though the V-6's ran the 14/23 (short course). The rotaries were 10 MPH faster but were out accelerated for that reason. Strang wanted to showcase the V-6 and what better way than fix it so they outperformed the rotary. One of the reasons I left OMC; politics.

Jackie: Hope you don't freeze your arsse off with no heat. If your repairman doesn't show up, take Jilly and find a hotel with heat. Or at least take her out for dinner (with Heat) and have a couple extra CC's so when you get home you won't care in the heater is fixed or not. Sleep tight.

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Originally Posted by T2x

Loved "The World's fastest Indian"....
Regarding your license--- Count your blessings---in the states you can't drive for at least a year after a stroke or a seizure.... Also count your blessings that the effects seem to be waining and you will be back to your normal, abnormal self straightaway.

Miss you bud.....

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And there's me thinking I was hard done----after all they were only little ones!!
Have to say, I'm well pleased with the recovery 99% is pretty impressive----all down to Jill and her quick thinking Rich----I am indeed blessed-----I got her.

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Originally Posted by ron54

Jackie. That K7 rep is in the Lakeland Motor Museum, I saw it a couple of years ago but could not get close enough to figure out the power unit...
was it inboard/outboard under the cowling??? I recall in some scenes it had gas jetting out the back.. Calor bottles??? Com'on tell the
world, well me anyway!! Glad you are on the mend by the way lots more fun to come.........Phill.

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Yeah, I know where it's at Phill, but if I tell you-----I'd have to kill you----and where's the sense in that?

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Originally Posted by Rotary John

Jackie: Hope you don't freeze your arsse off with no heat. If your repairman doesn't show up, take Jilly and find a hotel with heat. Or at least take her out for dinner (with Heat) and have a couple extra CC's so when you get home you won't care in the heater is fixed or not. Sleep tight.

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There's a happy end to this little narration Johnno and I didn't have to buy Jilly dinner either.
Posh Mercedes F-ck truck arrived at 6:05pm, plumber with a PHD in quantum physics informs me --
Get this------"THE HEATING UNIT SATELLITE IS DOWN" that's why he couldn't fix it with his IPhone.

I knew the world was coming to an end when they did away with carburettors, condensers, and points----nothing will ever be the same again.

Wiped the smile off his face( after he fixed it) I SHOT HIM,!!
Only with my grandsons water pistol, but somehow I felt like I won.
Fell asleep in the chair Johno , Jilly and her daughter are driving down to Bristol tomorrow 5 am, to see Matt, he's mending but very slowly---starts radiotherapy Friday----can't drive for two years. Tell you about it in time----lids are tight shut----God bless each and every one of you,MYGGWY.J

Jackie: You may have known him.
I just got the sad news from Italy that the great Angelo Vassena past away.

Angelo was part of an Italian institution that consisted of all things MOTONAUTIQUE .
He had been a paratrooper of some fame before I knew him in the early '60's.
He seemed to be all over the world at once.
A friend of Jeremiah Cetti of Torriggia boats, Angelo and Renato Molinari, The Rassini family, Rolla,
The Wilson family. The Carniti family, Bootsie, Sonny Levi and thousands more.
He was one of the only honest men on the UIM------member of the Italian federation------boat racer "Extraordinaire " wonderful man.
I worked with him at Carnitis-----raced with him and against him all over the world------if you ever had him as a friend-------you were fortunate indeed-----
A true legend in Boat Racing History------R.i.P Angelo Vassena

Be glad to get back to normal----beginning to think even up is down, if you know what I mean----reason I was on the dot dot so early this morning 4am, was Jilly departed the matrimonial bed chamber and after that it all turned to worms-----Murphy was like a bloody caged tiger, charging round the bedroom, making it into a high speed obstacle course, knocking over table lamps and my half empty cup of tea------let her out of the balcony door, then got stuck into the iPad.
Best part of 150 miles to Bristol I suppose-----they should be there by now-------5 hours with Matt. Then home again. She's just going to be a bag of laughs when she gets home. A large glass or two of BERGUNDY will no doubt settle her nerves.
Me myself have been barred from the shop, need a bit of tranquility between now and Thursday, when I get fitted up with a monitor for a couple of weeks it's all happening in this neck of the woods I tell you!
Jills brother David is coming to take me out to lunch in Arundel, Chinese I think? Tell you later what it was like?
Done the stove (wood burner), loaded the log basket----set the fire, ready for lift off!! That's me done for the day----I'm certain I used to be a hell of a lot busier than that in a previous life.
If all else fails I can tell you the old tale of a Welshman and a sheep that got washed up on a desert island------doubt if you've heard it, I was still in the cradle, so it dates from the early thirties and has only recently come to light. Coffee and pills time!

Well, the food was good at the Chinese Palace in Arundel today, but it was like sitting in the deep freeze compartment of a fridge truck, my crab and sweet corn soup starter was clap cold long before I finished it------suschwan spring rolls piping hot -------crispy duck pancakes were cold within minutes of being served-----sweet an sour pork was struggling for a blanket, for$120 for three I expected better comfort. I kept my anorak and fleece on the whole meal, may try the place again in July/August.

7:30pm, Jilly just called from the M3, been on the road since 3:00-----traffic pretty intense------be at least another ---1:30 before she's home.
They sent Matt home today----he starts radiotherapy Thursday ------case of sit back and see----we're a little off normal at the minute so I can't afford another "whoopsee".
Not a lot happening, may have to fill in with the Welsh sheepdog joke after all.