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Howard Jones won his class overall in 2003 in the 750 Motor Club Roadsports in his 1964 Ginetta G4. This is the second time he has achieved this, beating far more modern machinery. Good show old chap!
With the weather so disgusting here at the moment it is good to reflect back on sunnier times. Not as much racing this year as we'd have liked but we are fully committed to making up for it next year with a variety of Ginetta G4s and G12s and maybe a Ginetta G10. This picture was found lurking on Spadge's desk recently. It shows him, rather than Mark we think, obviously having just overtaken the Marcos. Now someone inexperienced, untrained or just plain cynical may look at it and proclaim that the Marcos looks as if it is "right up the chuff" of the pretty little G12. This is of course, entirely understandable but also incorrect. Spadge assures us that having pulled off a manoeuvre of high skill and daring to get by the Marcos, he took a call on his mobile phone and momentarily eased off the gas. This will not be happening again as he has promised to leave the phone in the pits next year and the engine has been rebuilt and run on the dyno with a huge improvement in performance.
14th November 2003 Don Francis's Ginetta G4 won the last event that he competed in in Europe. Well it must be a good time to pull it all to pieces then! We have made and fitted a roll hoop and roof. We are upgrading the fuel tank, suspension, cooling system and various other bits and bobs.
31 October 2003 We hear that our pal David Baker in Scotland recently won his class at a hillclimb in his new Dare G4. His car is one of the long cockpit versions which are unofficially designated as G4 L.A. (Lard Arse!). These have been developed with the larger customer in mind and we have it on good authority from Dave himself that he was instrumental in nagging Ivor Walklett over a number of years to make this development. There were other pie fiends involved too, we think! Anyway, well done David.
Steve Smith in Florida, regularly beats Camaros and Corvettes in his G15! Ginetta News as at 22nd October 2003
Howard enjoyed numerous spins on his first outing but Mark was going well. The suspension changes had made a big difference. Once Howard had learnt that the great big red button with a shield round it was the extinguisher and not the starter button, and once Mark and Spadge had mopped up all the foam from the engine bay and cockpit and borrowed another extinguisher; Howard went a bit quicker – or was he just recovering from the spins more effectively?! The engine then began to pressurize the sump so we called it a day. Subsequent investigations have led to new pistons and valves and a very healthy dyno sheet. This coupled with work pressures effectively ended our season but we have high hopes for next year. Spadge is also scheming a drive or two in several G4s – hopefully some of which may actually come off! News from Spadge as at 5th June 2003 Mark and Spadge headed off to Donnington Park. We had made new drive shafts but had not quite got around to fitting them. Practice was careful and the engine was pulling like a train. The times were not great but they were getting better. By this time we were going quick enough to realise that we had not got the handling that the Ginetta G12 is renowned for. But we have a plan! The race itself saw an improvement in times generally as we got the corners better but also a high rev misfire developed which limited further progress. But we have a plan! The only other minor point worthy of note was that the steering wheel came away in Spadges hands as he was accelerating hard out of Godards, the S bend before the pit straight! Now don't think that this represents bad preparation. The offending item is a removable one and it had just not engaged properly after the driver change. Spadge has never liked it, even when he was selling the car he whinged about it. So there he was, heading for the bank holding on for dear life to a steering wheel that was in mid air. Luckily the liberated steering wheel afforded a good view of the feet and pedals, thus reminding our startled pilot that gentle application of the two left pedals was required. The car slid to a halt and the engine died. The wheel was replaced. It was replaced again so that it locked on. The engine fired up and he pulled away, back onto the track, just in time to let the marshal Spadge had not seen, who was about to push the car, fall flat on his face. Comedy; it's all about the timing! Howard Jones won his class and got fastest lap in his G4. Patrick span on his own water at Redgate and retired with a deficiency of core-plugs.
Spadge has been down at Goodwood on a couple of occasions recently. This was to scrutineer the devices in the Soapbox Challenge, which is one of the events at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, held on July 11th and 12th. With teams from Lotus and Prodrive and similar professional outfits alongside individual and school entries there is an excellent array of machinery, soon to be seen hurtling down the hill at up to 70 mph. 30 years ago he was playing with home made gravity powered go - carts on the drive at home; he is still doing the same thing, just on a posher drive! Fos was out in the new MG Midget at Silverstone on 18th May. All was going well as he led the class in the 70s Roadsports race and then fell off the track. Patrick was back in his Ginetta G4 in the Historic Roadsports race with all his waterways correctly bunged up. However it was the turn of the oil to make a bid for freedom! Better luck next time we hope. News as at 30th April 2003 Mark and Spadge had a relatively successful and hugely fun day's racing at Donington on April 12th with Julius Thurgood's Cloth Cap Racing. Mark qualified well but spadge limped round for the minimum three laps as he appeared to struggle with a slipping clutch. After an hour of clutch work the sheared driveshaft was spotted, by ace spanner - man - Nick. Nick and Spadge headed off to town and borrowed a dodgy welding set from a garage recommended by Mike Eagles, Milano pilot, as he and his man had been there earlier. By this late stage we had to do the welding ourselves, which saved some dough. Anyway it worked! We were not fast. But we'll be back! May 5th In fact! Donington again. Also there should be Howard Jones with new improved driveshafts from us and Patrick Ward - Booth in his debut race with the Absolom G4. Should be great. News as at 2nd April 2003 Mark and Spadge enjoyed a successful test day at Goodwood recently. It was a beautiful day and the car went well. The gear changes are getting easier and the car went even quicker once the full weight saving benefits of the starter motor falling off, manifested themselves. Look out for us in Classic and Sports Car magazine in the June or July issue (out a month earlier than the title usually). It is looking likely that Spadge will drive Mark Faulkner's superb Ginetta G12, chassis number 1, the ex John Burton Car in the Cloth Cap two driver races this year. Not content with that, he also hopes to share Chris Stapleton's Ginetta G4 at the same meetings and possibly some others.
One of the very few Ginetta G12P cars produced from the moulds in the USA before they returned to the UK has recently changed hands over there. It is fairly complete except for trim and paint and seems very similar to the original. You too, could own on of the beauties!
News as at 11th March 2003 News from Howard Jones: "Spadge, Roadsports in 750MC is getting really fast. Rick Lloyd managed 51.31 in the race in his +8 against my 56.97. So some way to go before I get into the 55's. It was a bit cool and windy. The grid was thinned in practice when the owner of Cliff's Dare Ginetta G4, Geoff Gibson, managed to bend a wheel and wishbone first time out within 6 laps, after an earlier spin, and a Clan Crusader ran its bearings (too fast with a wet sump?). In the race Pete Richards' Clan Crusader crashed quite heavily on lap 3 on the exit to Gerards, though I was well in front after a demon start. So I ran out a class winner with fastest lap. Not a bad start to the season. Next out Donnington on 30 March, hopefully with more competitors. I am considering the Top Hat meeting at Donnington on 4-5 May for the Best of British race. It is only one week after a 750MC race but if I can, I will. Regards, Howard." Well done old chap!! ******************************************************************* |
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December 2003
Nina Baker in her Ginetta G32, recently collected the
award for third placed modified production car in the Guyson Scottish Sprint
Championship – not bad for a car that was not back on track until June this
year after its Zetec ‘heart transplant’. Nina posted new personal best times
everywhere, and the Zetec engine has transformed the car.
26th November 2003
The last fun we had with the Ginetta G12 was at a test
day at Snetterton. Mark shared the car with Howard Jones (He of the successful
Ginetta G4 in 750 Roadsports). The idea was to give Howard a taste of G12
motoring and to see if Mark (and therefore Spadge) were significantly slower
than Howard, since he had been teasing us for going too slow!
