WINDSCREEN The Magazine of Swansea Motor Club Celebrating the crowning of SMC’s Huw Turner as Welsh Sprint and Hillclimb Champion Photo courtesy of Drew Buckley (drewbuckleyphotography.com) December 2014 CLUB OFFICIALS President Ken Davies 33, Pennard Road, Kittle, SA3 3JY 01792 232069 Chairman Huw Richards 446, Hendrefoilan Road, Killay, SA2 7NU 01792 527978 Vice Chairman Christine Gibbon 51, Pennard Road, Pennard, SA3 2AA 01792 232644 Secretary Julie Samuel 4 Highpool Lane, Newton, SA3 4TT 01792 360887 Treasurer Neil Watkins 24, Carnglas Ave, Sketty, SA2 9JQ 01792 422589 Membership Sec. Stephen Lloyd 16, Southward Lane, Langland, SA3 4QE 01792 368684 Chief Marshal Huw Richards 446, Hendrefoilan Road, Killay, SA2 7NU 01792 527978 Newsletter Editor Neil Samuel 4, Highpool Lane, Newton, SA3 4TT 01792 360887 Editors Intro Well, another year has come and gone for SMC and, thanks to our competitors, it has been a successful one again. As you can see from our front cover we have another Welsh Sprint and Hillclimb Champion. Congratulations to Huw Turner who stole the title at the last round of the season from fellow SMC member Tony Barber by less than half a point, with Elen Worthington of BARC Wales just 0.3 of a point further back. What a tremendous end to a very competitive season. As well as our champion and runner-up SMC were represented by a further 14 drivers in the Trident Welsh Championship – more than half of all registered contenders. So thanks also to Andrew Meek (8 th ), Martin Ferris (10 th ), Adam Phelps (11 th ), Jeremy Davies (12 th ), John Phelps (13 th ), Daniel Owen (14 th ), Charlotte Phelps (16 th ), David Campion (18 th ), Liam Morris (19 th ), Kevin Cole (20 th ), Geraint Meek (22 nd ), Nick Walker (23 rd ), David Boneham (24 th ) and Leighton Hughes (28 th ). As the year drew to a close we continued our social gatherings, October being a motorsport quiz compiled by Rob Allender. Modesty forbids me from saying who one of the winning duo were but Stephen Lloyd was the other half of the team. Our November meet clashed with Bonfire night so we didn’t have a social but a number of members headed for Taff’s Well two weeks later for another round of the inter-club quiz, hosted by Ystrad Mynach MC. A good night but the team were slightly disappointed to end up in 5 th place – must try harder. We finished the year with our Christmas party with a festive quiz provided by my good lady Julie, then a filling buffet before the joys (or rigors) of Santa’s sack. In two weeks time it will be our first event of the New Year, the annual darts competition, so get practicing over the break. So in closing may I wish all members and their families a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2015. To all our competitors congratulations again and a reminder that you are allowed to let me know how 2014 went for you and what your plans are for 2015 (hint, hint). Neil Good Day for Geraint The 2014 Welsh Sports & Saloon Car Championship Round 5 Sunday 3 nd August – Pembrey Former Swansea Motor Club member Geraint Rees, who started racing in a Ford Sierra after rallying had been banned during the 2001 Foot & Mouth outbreak, has been enjoying some success in the Welsh Sports & Saloon Car Championship with a Westfield SEi running in Class AS (S for Slicks). Geraint, who is always the most jovial of people, has won his class on numerous occasions, racing side by side with Westfield mounted sparring partners Jeff Davies & Neil Watts. This requires an ultimate ability in car control and a high degree of mutual respect! Having won the Class Championship on several occasions, the only thing missing from his CV was an outright race win. After morning practice Championship points leader Keith White (from Bridgewater) took pole again in his Class D BMW Z4 look alike, with a time of 60.407 seconds. Chris Everill (also from Somerset) was 2 nd in his Class D Ginetta G50 with 62.034 sec. Geraint was on row 3 with a time of 64.216sec. Round 5 - The race – Rolling Start 15 minutes plus 1 lap It was another brisk August day with some cloudy sunshine as the grid came up to the rolling start, and it was Keith who took the lead closely followed by Chris Everill, Neil Watts, Geraint Rees, and Mike Cond. Initially Keith White held the lead which he began to extend over Chris Everill who was starting to struggle, having flat spotted his tyres early on! Mike Cond, driving a bike engine Sylva Riot, had the bit between his teeth and overtook Geraint and then Neil on successive laps, and then began to haul in Chris as his lap times began to suffer, eventually overtaking Chris for 2nd place on lap 8! However almost immediately and un-noticed, Mike retired to the pits without crossing the finish line! ‘My mudguard mount broke and I was worried that it would fly off and hit someone!’ This put Chris Everill back into 2nd place, which then became the lead, as Keith White slowed to a stop, and pulled onto the grass. Up to now the commentator had been enthusiastic about the variety of cars, and the close racing in the Welsh Sports & Saloon Car Championship, but now as the race unfolded he was starting to go ballistic! Chris, who had missed Mike going to the pits, saw Keith at the side of the road, and assumed he was back in 2nd place, when in fact he was the leader. However Chris had his hands full defending his place from the Westies of Neil Watts and Geraint Rees. Meanwhile Keith began to get going again, and began to lap slowly but surely. Something was wrong and after the race Keith revealed the bizarre reason behind it all ‘My gear-lever snapped-off as I was changing gear. This left me without a gear, but then I could see there was a stump left poking out of the gearbox. I couldn’t reach it with my hand, but I managed to kick it into a gear, which turned out to be 3 rd . That was enough to get me going again so I carried on.’ Keith was managing to run quickly enough to finish a lap down in 6th place, ostensibly to score some Class points! However there were still a few more twists to come in the race as it drew to a close with Chris Everill in the lead. He was now followed by Geraint, who had nipped by into 2nd place as Neil Watts went wide. Chris by now was really beginning to suffer from the lack of grip from his flat spotted tyres and, as his lap times began to lengthen, so Geraint’s more consistent pace began to reel him in. Going into the penultimate lap Chris tried to respond, but it was too much for his tortured front tyre which exploded with a bang and pitched him off the track just before the last corner at Honda! So, on the final corner on the final lap, Geraint swept by to his maiden race win in the Welsh Sports & Saloon Championship! By then the Commentator was now almost in orbit! Neil Watts was 2nd and Andy Williams was 3rd for a Class CS 1-2-3. Almost un-noticed Keith White trundled around to take 6th place, and the Class D win, to put him into the lead of championship. As the extremely happy race winner, Geraint commented ‘What a cracking race! I’ll be on pole for race 2 so I don’t know how to cope with that’. Later he & Neil Watts were considering if they could race side by side for the whole race and keep everyone behind for the entire race. Sadly it didn’t work out like that as Keith White re-asserted himself, but Geraint finished in a fine 2nd place overall, winning his class again! In the final Championship standings Geraint took the Class AS winners trophy and was also in 3 rd place in the Overall points. Geraint harrying Chris Everill The unfortunate Chris revolves in front of Geraint Geraint with his winners trophy Rob Allender Brian Kean Brian Kean, who died in August had been an active member of Swansea Motor Club in the 70’s when he was the proprietor of Swansea Car Sales based in Carmarthen Road, Fforestfach. During this time he competed in a number of sprints and speed hill climbs, principally at Prescott and also Penrice, using a Ford Escort Mexico and later a Mk 11 Mallock clubman’s car which had been fitted with a Ford twin cam engine by the renowned Pembrokeshire hill climber Billy Morris at his Dale workshop. In the earley seventies the sales of second hand cars was booming and Brian acquired a coach-built Ford Transit box van to use as his car transporter, suitably sign-written with the legend ‘Deals on Wheels’ to promote his business. As his road car he used a distinctive new Volvo 144 in bright yellow. I remember making several high speed journeys with him in the automatic vehicle to various race meetings and also coming to grief on the Mumbles Road early one winter’s morning when we connected with some lethal black-ice swiftly followed by a lamp standard! Along with Brian and Alun Morgan I stood at Silverstone’s Woodcote corner watching the 1973 British Grand Prix and saw Jody Scheckter spin his McLaren and eliminate half the field right in front of us! Brian’s other main interest was sailing and he owned a number of interesting boats during his life.