The First 25 Years CELEBRATING 25 SUCCESSFUL YEARS of ACESPEED HISTORIC MOTORSPORT Contents
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ISSUE 01 | £5 acespeed.co.uk The First 25 Years CELEBRATING 25 SUCCESSFUL YEARS OF ACESPEED HISTORIC MOTORSPORT Contents 4 30 66 Forward The Cars of Acespeed From Hillclimb Marshal to Brand Ambassador 6 40 Introduction Team Drivers 67 Andy Harrison and the 9 42 Mini Cooper Register The Story of Acespeed Acespeed at Goodwood Historic Motorsport 68 50 25 Glorious Years in 14 The Story of Whiz Ownership and Business The Idle Racer 54 72 22 Mad for a MIDAS Sponsors The Acespeed R 56 28 Our Favourite Cars Meet the Team ACESPEED: THE FIRST 25 YEARS 2 ACESPEED: THE FIRST 25 YEARS 3 Forward SAM I first met Andy through my father TORDOFF John, who purchased a classic Alfa, restored and used regularly by Andy over previous years. It was the start of a friendship I was most impressed by the that resulted in many trips standard of preparation of the to Andy’s garage for regular cars which were purpose built maintenance, improvements by the team at Acespeed. Their and passionate debates professionalism extended to the regarding all things cars and track where a team of people motorsport. look after the cars and the drivers often going above and Both my father and I have gone beyond the norm. But Andy is on to use his services for our more than just a team manager, continued love affair with classic he genuinely cares about his cars of all ages. colleagues and has supported me through some challenging As a professional driver I was times. offered opportunities to drive in historic motorsport and Lots of people dream about this opened up a new area of racing cars and Andy has been interest for me. Historic racing making those dreams come offered great excitement true for 25 years. Companies and interest without the like his are the backbone of typical pressures of being a motor racing and without them professional driver notably the historic scene would not commitments to sponsors and be the industry it is today. I the media. Andy has offered on congratulate Andy on his 25 many occasions for me to drive years at the helm of Acespeed in his Pre 66 Mini’s over the years Historic Motorsport and I look (‘72 ACE’ and more recently forward to joining him and the ‘Whizz’) and we’ve had lots of team on the track for many success but more importantly a years to come. thoroughly good time. ACESPEED: THE FIRST 25 YEARS 4 ACESPEED: THE FIRST 25 YEARS 5 Introduction ANDY HARRISON The 25th anniversary of Acespeed fell in September 2020 and we planned a series of events to celebrate and thank our sponsors, supporters and followers. The year started with a visit to Goodwood for the HRDC practice day. Goodwood is my favourite place to go racing, We were unsure if the event parts suppliers and fabricators, our community about staying as the track and facilities provide a would go ahead as the the list goes on. There was safe and looking after our mental government were raising (and still is) a danger that health. Our most successful perfect background for period racing concerns about major events some businesses in the historic promotion was to give away a spreading Co-Vid 19. We had a motorsport industry might not template to make a model of cars. It is also a place where only the small team of support staff plus survive. our race car Whizz which with two drivers, myself and Sam the support of Mike Brewer was best historic racers get to perform Tordoff. The event went ahead All thoughts of the anniversary viewed over 60 000 times. but with some caution as people celebrations left our minds and it is a sign of acceptance for our fist bumped or tapped elbows as we entered survival mode. The first six months of our in place of the traditional hand We initially furloughed staff anniversary passed in a blur small racing preparation company shake. The members meeting and shifted our emphasis to as we adopted safe ways of at Goodwood was a week away working on cars for key workers collecting and delivering cars, from Yorkshire. and preparations were being and succeeded in keeping the finding new customers and made as we tested. business ticking over. Within a developing new products. It few weeks we were able to bring was July before we could start As we tested the rumour mill was back our furloughed employees to think about our anniversary working overtime and by the end and get back to work. With sheer celebrations. With hotels and of the day the Members Meeting determination we adapted and restaurants closed, or at least had been cancelled along with successfully endured the crisis. reopening very slowly our options a host of other events due to were limited. But we thought take place in the next few weeks. The time off meant that we were that one thing we could do for Before long the country entered able to do some development our extended team was to tell lockdown and that was the last work and we quickly established the story of Acespeed Historic time we raced in the summer of a new web site which we Motorsport – The first 25 Years. 2020. This was a challenge for developed into a retail operation everyone in the racing business selling parts for Mini’s, team I hope you enjoy it. who like us prepare and build clothing, gifts and second hand ANDY HARRISON racing cars for a living. Not parts. We also used the website, forgetting event organisers, hire along with other social media companies, venues, paint shops, to put out positive messages to ACESPEED: THE FIRST 25 YEARS 6 ACESPEED: THE FIRST 25 YEARS 7 — The Story of Acespeed Historic Motorsport Andy’s interest in cars developed as a schoolboy and it seemed inevitable that he would end up in the motor trade. By the time he was sixteen he already knew his way around a mini and while he trained as an engineer Andy used to repair cars or bought cars and fixed them up before selling them on. Whilst working at Hepworth and Grandage he worked a three- shift system giving him plenty of time to fix up old motors. ACESPEED: THE FIRST 25 YEARS 8 ACESPEED: THE FIRST 25 YEARS 9 ANDY RECALLS “ I enjoyed making my own money and I could already see that I wasn’t really suited to working for someone else. But working at Hepworth and Grandage was great experience, and of course it was where my dad worked too. He was non too pleased when I announced I was leaving Hepworths to pursue a career in the motor trade. In fact, he would often ask when I was going to get a proper job. Fortunately, I never had to.” Whilst working at Hepworth and years at Hepworth’s he moved on Grandage, Andy found time to to work at Mooeview Mini Centre work at a local Mini Specialist SPS in Keighley which specialised (Self Preservation Society) Mini’s in Mini’s and Mini Metro’s. This in Great Horton. It was a casual was the start of his commercial arrangement but Andy was soon garage experience and where he working there whenever he wasn’t gained an insight into the motor at his proper job. The garage trade. It was all good background was a popular hangout for Mini for his next step when in 1990 he enthusiasts and Andy was able to and a colleague Bryn acquired develop his skills at making a mini a derelict commercial garage in go as fast as it could. Shipley and purchased a wooden hut that became the HQ of their The money he made on the side business empire. Andy bought ANDY RECALLS The next step was to become paid for his car and a few other out the garage in 1995 to become an MoT centre as this brought in things that a young man about the sole owner. “It’s funny but 30 years on I still have business for the repairs side as well town needed. In 1986 after four the hut and even though it is falling as bringing people to the garage where they could see cars for sale. apart I can’t bring myself to get rid of Following a major investment, they became Shipley MoT centre, a one it. We sold Mini’s and family cars that stop shop for all your motoring we bought from auctions or through needs. As the business grew, the adjacent premises were acquired contacts in the trade. Business was and new staff recruited. good and after Bryn left, I invested In those days Andy had a number in the workshop so that we could of company cars but he always favoured Mini Coopers. Because do repairs for customers as well as he had a Mini as a daily driver prepare our own cars for sale.” people used to bring their Mini’s to the garage as they knew he had experience of them. There was also a popular kit car called a MIDAS which they also got a bit of a name for. Even though it is a quirky car Andy loves them and he has got a bit carried away with Midas ownership. He currently owns three including the preproduction car and chassis number 001. In fact, he brought his new born daughter home in a Midas. ACESPEED: THE FIRST 25 YEARS 10 ACESPEED: THE FIRST 25 YEARS 11 While he was setting up the This part of the business took and of course the classic road business Andy took a break from on a life of its own and Andy going Mini.