Le Mans Classic

[Andy Green]

Any news from our pilotes

[Chris Acklam]

Results are up at http://www.lemansclassic.com/2008/UK/su ... ltats.html but, if previous years are anything to go by, they are probably travelling back today.

[Mark Shears]

Looks like the boys done good! I know they are travelling back today - with trophies?

Expect a full debrief on their return!

Very well done to you all.

Cheers

Mark

[John Emberson]

All I can say is "wow" & can the Challenge series incorporate some running Le Mans starts & night races! Highlights for me were:

~ Somehow the Techniques team kept the Series 1 running so that it could complete round 3 & therefore, along with Keith & TOK, win the team prize on a handicap basis. I'm sure John Clarke will provide an update but Brian completed the car with about 5 minutes to go.
~ Keith going super fast in our grid (4) and getting in front of many Ferrari's & Porsches that I'm sure in theory he shouldn't have. C'est magnifique! Keith therefore won grid 4 on a handicap basis.
~ Unbelievably & beyond any of my expectations RU came away with 3rd place in grid 4 on a handicap basis. Almost entirely due to Bill Wykeham's driving skills, the Techniques team of Trevor & James, and my "family team" of Catherine, Rob & Charles. The trophy now has pride of place at home!

The support from all the Morgan owners was tremendous & I can't wait to go back in two years time!

[Mark Hoble]

Looks like the boys done good! I know they are travelling back today - with trophies?

Expect a full debrief on their return!

Very well done to you all.

Cheers

Mark

Mark

What a fantastic event. Sorry for members of this forum that I was out in the TR2 rather than the Morgan but I had an absolute ball and won Grid 2 on compensated time. The trophy is ridiculous but beautiful - so big it has to go on the dining room table rather than the mantlepiece !

I'll give you the blow by blow account at Silverstone but needless to say I have a big grin !

Cheers

Mark

[RICHARD PLANT]

Mark,

That’s fantastic news and my apologies for not congratulating you in person just before you all went off for lunch as I didn’t know, your to modest but bring some photos of the trophy . Look forward to seeing you at Silverstone at the classic, I will be watching as I am still reserve number 9 in the 70’s Road Sports so I don’t think I will have a cat in hells chance of a race so may be next year.

Once again congratulations on winning in your first year of getting the car up and running (all the way from Australia) does this mean that the Morgan will take a back seat?

I will let John Clarke make a posting on the epic battle of the little 4/4.

Regards

Richard.

[Mark Shears]

Superb result Mark - you should be very proud.I have also spoken to Richard Plant who told me of their success winning a team prize - against the odds. Hopefully John will explain.

Congratulations too to Keith in TOK - the most successful Plus 4 ever?! And special congrats. to John and Bill. I think the saying is 'beyond wildest dreams...'!

Well done of course to Adrian and to Chris who I think overcame tribulations of their own - but nothing compared to those of the Series One crew which necessitated Brian Gateson working through the night.

I am sure we will hear all about it....!

Cheers to you all,

Mark

[John Clarke]

Another epic at Le Mans for the Series 1 - the little car has now completed close to 200 laps of the famous circuit.

All the rain we were expecting never materialised and our speeedy pilotes, Tony, Richard and Leigh put in blistering laps for qualifying. Can't say who was quickest but they're a competitive lot vintage drivers!! Tony's Vauxhall 30/98 made a brilliant team car, and ferried us around the paddocks in style.

The first race all went to plan with Tony doing the famous start for the cameras with Leigh stepping in to complete the cars 6 laps. Tony managed 6,000 rpm down the Mulsanne at some stage, a speed well in excess of 100mph....well, it's certainly over the magic ton and I'll be getting my slide rule out later to work it out exactly. The boys put the car 6th on the index of performance - wow!

The night race was started by Tony just after midnight, which despite having been given the instruction 'give it death' brought it in a lap early as she just didn't seem right. The wheels were still pointing in the right direction so Richard went out to nurse the car round.....another 6 laps.

The car sounded awful so we made the decision to pull off the head. An exhaust valve guide had disintegrated (well it was 70 years old) and chucked bits of metal all round the engine and closing one of the spark plug gap to nothing. Well, we emptied the head, fitted another exhaust guide (our spares chest was quite comprehensive!!) and Richard and I toured the paddocks at 3.00am looking for sufficient heat to anneal the solid copper head gasket.

Some anebriated Healey boys took us into their motor home and despite refusing their beers, they offered their motorhome to us to grill the head gasket. Can't say it did the cooker much good and to be honest, didn't get the gasket nearly hot enough. Anyway, leaving a blackened motor home behind we scarpered back to the paddock for Brian to complete the repair.

With time rapidly running out, I fired up the engine and drove it bonnet less down the pit lane to the refueling station. With minutes to spare, we had fuel, put back the bonnets and rushed to the assembly area.

Leigh and Richard did the last stint - the car completing another 6 laps. OK, it wasn't performing as well as the first race, but we still did all the laps the car could ever do.

Well that was that we thought, I headed for the hotel for a much needed beer while Leigh thought he might attend the awards presentation. Now asleep after a few beers, Leigh text me to say we had won the team prize!! Along with Keith, A DB4GT, Jag 120, Corvette and Capri we had won the team prize on the performance index. We now have the biggest, heaviest cup I've ever seen. Quite appropriately, it is adorned with balls.......quite appropriate!!!!

Other highlights were a near as dammit 70mph lap of Le Mans and one of the best team spirits in the whole event.

The cars has since returned to Brian's workshop in preparation for the Silverstone classic............

[Leigh Sebba]

Yes I had intended to report but John has pipped me. So thanks John for agreeing to enter the car and that’s all four LMCs entered and all four finished.

I went back to hotel for 4 hours sleep on Sat night and ambled into paddock at 6.00am raring to go – to see everyone looking shattered and the car spread all over the garage.

So I thought I’d make the effort to go to and sit through the prizegiving – and take some photos – and there was Keith, and John & Bill, and Mark Hoble ….and then just when I was dozing off – there was me !! Reminded me a bit of time I won a h’cap race at BDC and only discovered I’d won when I was back in the paddock.

The event was bigger than ever and in some ways better organised (signing on etc seemed better) but in some ways even more chaotic – getting into circuit on Saturday was chaos with the 100s of spectator car clubs / displays. At lunchtime one could hardly move in the centre.

Tony’s Vauxhall was great fun but not the most nimble for nipping around the paddock – but one highlight was a back seat track ride while he drove ‘celebrities’ around. The fellow French passenger (who had a Porsche GT2 for track days) also looked very pale.

A new item for 2008 was Little Big ManS – a ‘race’ for 6-12 year olds in miniature cars – mostly engine driven, a few elec. ‘We’ had Jonno Clarke in a rented drive Ferrari while the Mog club was gunning for 6 year old JJ (grand daughter of Vic Champness of Black Phey Morgans) in her red Morgan. There were all manner of model cars entered – some no doubt costing more than John’s full size 4-4 racer, and the Le Mans start was pandemonium – with one petulant driver abandoning his car on the grid.

2010 ?

[TonyLees]

Leigh "enjoying" his trip in the paddock car here: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=q_pu9ZY7jlw
Cheers, Tony