Ganley Festival - Hampton Downs January 2015

[Steve Holmes]

For a man that has probably done more laps of HD than everyone else put together, I was distressed to see Tony Roberts still struggling at the hairpin and eventually spinning up. Tears welled in my eyes and I tried to suppress a sad smile when my 7 year old son then said...."Dad.....maybe that big chev has just got too much power for an old man to handle"

Don't worry Tony! I suitably disciplined him by buying him a 2 scoop ice-cream!

Ha ha ha, brilliant!

[RacerT]

For a man that has probably done more laps of HD than everyone else put together, I was distressed to see Tony Roberts still struggling at the hairpin and eventually spinning up. Tears welled in my eyes and I tried to suppress a sad smile when my 7 year old son then said...."Dad.....maybe that big chev has just got too much power for an old man to handle"

Don't worry Tony! I suitably disciplined him by buying him a 2 scoop ice-cream!

[B]Hi Crunch. Better to be an old racer, than a middle aged spectator![/B]

[ERC]

Touché...

[timbo61]

The entire production run of Lola T430's was at Hampton Downs.

[timbo61]

And a few tasty powerplants.

[crunch]

[B]Hi Crunch. Better to be an old racer, than a middle aged spectator![/B]

At least you said middle-aged!
Lets change the venue to a back country road, the deep resonance of a turbo 2 litre 4WD and the sharp cackle of the anti-lag shattering the early morning silence. Sheep casually glancing towards the approaching dust cloud with a blue blur at the apex of this example of high technology battling the non-sanitised venue of the real world...scattering gravel like autumn leaves.....suddenly the middle-aged competitor relaxes for a brief second to wave to the old aged spectator, before continuing to master the laws of physics at 200kph with the skill of a matador.

He stands there agog, stunned by the bravery... in a cloud of dust with the morning sunlight piercing through like the three pronged spear of Maserati, reaches for his phone...waits for the connection and slowly smiles...
"Chris, Tony here...do you want to buy my McLaren? Yeah; I need to sell it so I can buy a rally car...it's real motorsport "

[crunch]

The entire production run of Lola T430's was at Hampton Downs.

I understand Dave Abbott owns the two red ones, who owns the white one?

[timbo61]

I'm not sure, but the on-track commentators said that all 3 cars reside in Christchurch.

[timbo61]

[B]Hi Crunch. Better to be an old racer, than a middle aged spectator![/B]

Being a middle aged spectator, I can still work my way up to being an old racer. God knows, the amount of money I've spent attending motor racing events on both sides of the ditch, even as a spectator, I could probably afford an almost half decent MGB to go racing in.

[Bailey]

At least you said middle-aged!
Lets change the venue to a back country road, the deep resonance of a turbo 2 litre 4WD and the sharp cackle of the anti-lag shattering the early morning silence. Sheep casually glancing towards the approaching dust cloud with a blue blur at the apex of this example of high technology battling the non-sanitised venue of the real world...scattering gravel like autumn leaves.....suddenly the middle-aged competitor relaxes for a brief second to wave to the old aged spectator, before continuing to master the laws of physics at 200kph with the skill of a matador.

He stands there agog, stunned by the bravery... in a cloud of dust with the morning sunlight piercing through like the three pronged spear of Maserati, reaches for his phone...waits for the connection and slowly smiles...
"Chris, Tony here...do you want to buy my McLaren? Yeah; I need to sell it so I can buy a rally car...it's real motorsport "

hmmm.. Maybe you should set your alarm to go off a little earlier than it did today

[Rod Grimwood]

All this from the Navi seat, that's why 'the middle aged man' can wave.

Well written though.

[Binzy1]

I understand Dave Abbott owns the two red ones, who owns the white one?

Believe it's THE Stewart family of Chch.....

[George Sheweiry]

At least you said middle-aged!
Lets change the venue to a back country road, the deep resonance of a turbo 2 litre 4WD and the sharp cackle of the anti-lag shattering the early morning silence. Sheep casually glancing towards the approaching dust cloud with a blue blur at the apex of this example of high technology battling the non-sanitised venue of the real world...scattering gravel like autumn leaves.....suddenly the middle-aged competitor relaxes for a brief second to wave to the old aged spectator, before continuing to master the laws of physics at 200kph with the skill of a matador.

He stands there agog, stunned by the bravery... in a cloud of dust with the morning sunlight piercing through like the three pronged spear of Maserati, reaches for his phone...waits for the connection and slowly smiles...
"Chris, Tony here...do you want to buy my McLaren? Yeah; I need to sell it so I can buy a rally car...it's real motorsport "

Bloody Gravel Munchers!!!!

[timbo61]

For a man that has probably done more laps of HD than everyone else put together, I was distressed to see Tony Roberts still struggling at the hairpin and eventually spinning up. Tears welled in my eyes and I tried to suppress a sad smile when my 7 year old son then said...."Dad.....maybe that big chev has just got too much power for an old man to handle"

Don't worry Tony! I suitably disciplined him by buying him a 2 scoop ice-cream!

[ERC]

Racer T Bone? (Nearly)

[timbo61]

Nearly. U.S. visitor Travis Engen in his Lotus 23 was able to take avoiding action and duck inside the Corvette.

[Jaydee]

Biggest buzz, ever, sitting in the middle of a rolling start for Group C Cars. When those lights go out, the adrenaline, the sound and vibrations are something I'll never forget.

These cars were and are a very special part of 'modern' motorsport history. Great to see one here and hats off to Warwick for taking it on. I guess you all know its sister car won Le Mans in 1991 and here is Jonny Herbert doing a lap of honour in it at Le Sarthe in 2011. I was there and you have to imagine the sound. Great car, great driver, great team.

JD

[Shoreboy57]

Biggest buzz, ever, sitting in the middle of a rolling start for Group C Cars. When those lights go out, the adrenaline, the sound and vibrations are something I'll never forget.

These cars were and are a very special part of 'modern' motorsport history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81zh...yt-cl=84924572

Would be great to see a Group C Porsche at next year's festival

[ERC]

Would be even greater to see an Aston Martin... (Winks at Jaydee...)

[Jaydee]

Am working on it!

In the meantime for Shoreboy 57, here's a photo of yours truly giving Ziggi ('they don't like it up them Mr Mannering") Brun in his 962 a hurry up at Brands some years ago. It was about as close as I ever got to the back of a Group C Porsche (I got him at Clearways on this lap and then the engine let go pretty spectacularly at Paddock Hill bend - "Ron" wasn't happy with me).

The other one are the two Aston Group C cars at Snetterton. I think Ray Mallock is in the Nimrod so I must have been in the EMKA. Fabulous bloody things but how someone drove them for 24 hours, I have no idea. The understeer on the EMKA in particular on tight tracks was totally knackering.