What a soggy weekend we had at Brands! I knew it was likely as soon as the weather forecasters predicted dry weather, but I certainly didn’t expect the monsoon that deluged the track throughout the day.

May I begin by thanking you for all your e-mails reminding me that I didn’t get round to writing a race report on Bank Holiday Monday.

I was recovering from both the shock and exertions of the Sunday at Brands and it seems to take longer after each race! But it is nice to know at least some of you are still reading this stuff!

Anyhow, back to business:

Practice.

It was good to see the return of some familiar faces in the shape of Pete Bramble in his newly returned and recently emulsioned car. Surprisingly weather proof that paint, he must have used the washable version.

He also had a very nice gazebo which soon filled up with bedraggled drivers seeking shelter from the elements.

Also back was occasional racer Simon Hutchinson with Tripod…still trotting out the old stories of how he hadn’t started the car until the day before and as it was running he decided to race….yes Simon we’ve heard it all before!

His Lordship Frank Thomson was back with high hopes as he had returned his electrical system to clockwork as he discovered the 38 degrees advance he was running was eating his pistons….he IS a mechanic by trade isn’t he… or did I get that wrong???

Piggott had his head examined, not before time if you ask me, and found that it was surprisingly within tolerance and his maladies last time out were due to distributor problems…sounds similar to Mr Thomson…

So 29 hardy souls set out into the murk to qualify despite the worst that Brands could throw at us….yes 29 as we also had the Icons with us.

Pete Bramble’s run of bad luck shows no sign of abating as he did qualify but I hear  his engine failed him soon after and he was not to join us for the rest of the day.

Pole went to Andrew (I don’t think I’ll do Brands) Ashton…no doubt glad that he did as his Metro went round the track like it was on rails.

Dave Brown was 2nd; it really was front wheel drive weather after all and then Frank Thomson 3rd….WHAT??!!

His Lordship had summoned up Supernatural powers and was walking on water!!

That put me in 5th place behind Darby, Arden and Tinkler.

But….ahead of Walpole who was ready with his list of Race Drivers Excuses….two year old tyres, wrong type of water, bad back??? In fairness the Old Carrot Cruncher was hobbling around and really looked to be very under the (wet) weather it has to be said.

Race 1

I agonised whether to use my wet tyres or dries, and in the end thought it would be ok to go with the dries…not necessarily my best decision but anyway…as the rain poured down, the start lights shone through the gloom and we were off before you could blink an eye.

I dumped the clutch, nearly stalled and the car bogged down, then it caught and spun the wheels in first and second and I saw the pack stream past while I floundered around.

“Oh dear”, I said to myself….nothing to lose now so I floored it and started to make inroads into the T Types as they slid around in front of me.

I got past a few of those and then Kev Hewer in Black Bess as he got to grips with his first outing to Brands.

I went past Walpole on his two year old tyres then I closed down Alistair Bell and had a right ding-dong with him (I waited ages to use that line) as his V8 squirmed round the track fighting for grip.

Bell was going like the clappers and held me off for one more lap, but then left me room, and I closed down on Tinkler.

Darby had completed his first trademark spin at Graham Hill bend and was waiting to rejoin as we hurtled down the Cooper Straight.

I was quicker onto the Brabham Straight as we approached Paddock Hill and went to pass Tinkler. We closed on Paddock Hill bend and then CONTACT!!!!

I don’t know if Simon hadn’t seen me or maybe didn’t realise how close we were, but he clipped the nose of my car as we went round the bend and I saw his withering stare as he slid backwards towards the gravel. This was a real shame and I am sure it was just an oversight as Simon is not the sort of driver to “shut the door” on you. I have to say it did take the enjoyment out of the final result for me but that’s racing I guess.

So out came the safety car as Simon was recovered although he did win many plaudits for his 20 yard sprint across the gravel trap.

We continued on and the safety car meant I was right on Lord Thomson’s tail.

Battle recommenced and I saw he was struggling for grip - as we all were - with him fighting his car all the way as it fishtailed along.

I managed to overtake him at the hairpin and closed up on Affable Arden (does that guy ever stop smiling?).

Closer and closer we got and as we entered the hairpin next time round, Arden took the inside line, I had no option but to go round the outside. To both our surprise I managed to hang on as my rear wheel slipped on the painty bits…and surged ahead by Graham Hill bend (Arden later told me he lost sight of me altogether and thought I’d stuffed it).

The rest of the race was then hanging on for grim death as Arden hounded me all the way round.

I desperately looked to feed him back markers to keep him at bay and fortunately this tactic worked well enough as the laps counted down.

It was a most surreal feeling to see the chequered flag wave and to realise after all these years of trying somehow I had actually won!!!!

Ashton was invincible and took first on the track and Class D honours, closely followed by Tripod  for 2nd and Class C with Dave Brown in 3rd and class B honours…. And then this Jones bloke for Class A…..weird!

Race 2

I have to thank  the stalwarts in the Jonesey Racing Supporters Club, Kent Division, for their hard work in the p****g rain to restore electrickery to my car  following the in-built fault from it’s previous owner….if ever I needed a full battery - this meeting was it!

Nursing their wounds from race 1 Darby patched up the Blue Streak and promised not to mess about show boating in Race Two, although a boat was probably the best option it has to be said.

Tinkler was dusting off his wrap and trying to retain his waterless cool, although clearly boiling inside.

So once more onto the grid dear friends we headed out again for race 2….just the PBIC this time out as the Icons had gone away…although they did make life interesting and were good to race with. I must say.

Walpole had been assisted into his car by some well meaning passer by, unaware that he was trying to get out…..so he decided to race anyway, bad back permitting.

Darby was sporting a new rear lamp cluster courtesy of Jonesey Racing.

Alistair Bell was trying out his dries to make use of the dry line left by the previous race…which sadly vanished as the rain returned in earnest while we were in the collecting area.

We sloshed around the green flag lap and made a bedraggled group as we lined up on the grid.

Lights out and this time no messing for me…I got the clutch right and made up five places by the first corner, ending up 3rd much to the amazement of Tripod as I sailed past.

Once more it was pedal to the metal as I looked to build on my previous race  success…but Arden was having none of it and was really in the groove this time out.

At the hairpin I was a little quick on the gas and kissed his bumper as we exited, but Arden simply went quicker still  with none of the tail happy driving from race 1.

As hard as I tried I just couldn’t make ground on him all the while with Dave Brown bearing down on me…at least I think it was him but he was in stealth mode deciding to run without his rain lights….slippery fellow that Brown.

It was only a matter of time  before Brown was past, the 3rd place hat in his sights…I got the place back but only fleetingly and then it was all over position wise.

Arden managed 2nd on the track, a remarkable achievement for a class A car, pipped by Ashton who was invincible in these conditions., with Brown taking the last podium place.

I managed 4th on the track, no hat - but consoled myself that I was the 1st rear wheel drive car home, and the last car to complete full race distance.

Simon Tinkler took third for class A and sadly Walpole limped his car home but was clearly barely able to drive having let many cars past.

Thomson’s earlier success went to his head and he decided to do a bit of off-roading and slipped down the grid this time out.

Darby took a more cautious approach and came in 5th just behind Wilson who had done a quadruple-header combined with a quick refuel from the BCV8 race he had finished seconds earlier!

So despite the elements an eventful, but enjoyable meeting ensued.

Some surprise results for sure, but it all makes for an interesting championship and at this early stage it’s anyone’s guess as to how it will unfold.

We have a little gap now to prepare for Silverstone which being the MGB’s 50th year will no doubt attract the one-race wonders and make life interesting for the rest of us.

I would like to thank Kev Hewer and James Walpole for the donation of tickets to the Jonesey Racing Supporters Club…and yes that photo was the young Carrot Cruncher to clarify for all of you who asked me.

Again I am looking for extra tickets for Silverstone and am ready to trawl through my archives if need be….let’s hope I don’t need to get those naked photos out!!

Any spares please let me know.

Thanks for a great weekend, looking forward to Silverstone already!

Jonesey

PS.

Congrats to Ashton - Driver of the Day Race 1 and Arden for Race 2

Well off we go for rounds 3 & 4.

This time we look to be joining the BCV8’s to make up the numbers on the grid, which means instead of the trophy Boys to worry about we have the Wheelers!

Also some guy called Cripps and another one called Spencer…never heard of ‘em! (or Frank & Betty as they are better known)

Class A goes from strength to strength and it looks as though all those first race problems have been rectified.

I wish I could say the same for my clutch as it seems to be a bit touchy, although hopefully the new brake master cylinder has sorted out that side of things.

We’ve got both Maestros out and his Lordship F Thomson Esq is out mainly because he can fit in the races in between doing a few MOT’s in his nearby garage.

Bramble has had ample time to get his car sorted  and should have no excuses left for not turning up this time.

Tripod is out as Hutch is only doing a selection of races with us this year. There’s the return of Mr Ashton in Class D, who seems to have changed his mind about racing at Brands.

In a desperate attempt to wheedle a few free tickets out of my fellow drivers, I have had to trawl the JR Photo archives and resort to blackmail.

If you don’t want to see any photos of yourself - start thinking about giving me your spare Silverstone Tickets now!

In the meantime as this hapless driver has found to his cost, he should have offered me some tickets for Brands, but as he didn’t it’s time to play “Name that Driver”

So folks see if you can recognise this handsome chap, when he was just a whipper snapper!

Look forward to seeing you all on Sunday!

Jonesey

Well after what seemed like an eternity the wait was finally over and the first race of the year was upon us.

The weather at Donington could best be described as changeable and being first out the track was truly like driving on an ice rink.

Practice.

This was a really scary time and my first proper outing in my new roadster. I immediately bonded with this car and by turn 3 I had spun off ploughing a nice furrow through the Donington turf.

Undeterred I rejoined in typical Wreghitt fashion, spin spin and spin again..(Where were you Mr W?) and managed to slip my way into 3rd on the grid…astonishing I must be honest.

Before we set out to race we had to endure the mandatory words of wisdom from Lord Gammons who as usual despaired of us all, telling us how bad our driving was, coupled with the usual threats of what he would inflict upon us etc. etc. if we didn’t improve.

Clearly from the warm dry race control box he really was in a perfect position to make a decision on the track conditions….unlike us who were actually driving on it…..

Also there was an element of arse covering taking place as it was obvious even to Lord G that it was madness to combine our race with the Trophy Boys who are much quicker and ahem, have been known to adopt a slightly different driving style to us.

If ever there was a need to encourage drivers back to the PBIC now is the time.

Race 1

Unfortunately in my efforts to qualify I broke off my water pump and alternator, most likely because the securing bolt had either dropped out…or was it ever there….who knows?

A frantic attempt to locate a bolt ended up with a bodge it and fixit repair skilfully provided by the Team Neaves Racing principle and their crew, with just seconds to spare I whizzed round to line up with the rest of the grid.

Most of the usual suspects were there, albeit that Pete Bramble failed to appear as his strategy of leaving car prep to the last minute went a bit too far this time.

Mr Piggott was there with the Grey Porker sporting a new engine, but even the sausage related links to Donington would not be enough to keep him going for a full day. Wilson his sidekick was also out with a new engine.

Sprinkler Tinkler (class A pole) with a new sponsor Evans Waterless Coolants and wrap which I was soon to scuff.

Darby in his car that he never works on….yawn yawn.

Walpole in his trusty roadster who no one knows what he does with it over winter.

Hewer in Black Bess - worthy winner of the caption competition cup-

John Bussey was back with us and in good spirits as were affable Arden in his Maestro (another new engine) and Mr Stibbards as the lone F, following the oil pump failure suffered by Mr Rigg earlier in the week.

Pole for PBIC went to Andrew Ashton, with David Smith 2nd on the grid and Tinkler 3rd. (pole for Class A)

Being so far back on the grid behind the Trophy Boys I was unable to see the lights so missed the start but dumped the clutch too hard anyway and spun the wheels merrily as I watched the rest of the grid go past.

A few thrills and spills here and there but fortunately a relatively uneventful race as we had expected more contact with the Trophy Cars then actually materialised.. although Mr Bell may take a different view.

A Trophy spinner brought out the safety car just as the front runner had passed me which meant I was stuck doing  30 whilst the rest of the field zoomed round and caught up, effectively putting me a lap behind them all…my race was well and truly cattled…

On the restart having been hounded by the front running Trophy cars I duly moved over so they could crack on when the Safety Car moved in, but of course they couldn’t wait to the start line to overtake me and booted it past as we left the chicane, which I understand caused some chaos as they were all spotted by the eagle eyed officials and put back a few places….ho hum.

The final result was Alex Smith 1^st, with demon Darby 2^nd and Class A winner followed by Tinkler and Walpole.

It was good to see the return of Dallas as he rode in from the West and dusted off the trackside scales.

Just the 30kgs OVER for me then…time to get the hacksaw out.

I understand that our Class Champ had gone a bit too far on the Ryvita diet…or so we thought but in Race 2 we found where the missing weight had gone as he was missing 3 gears from his gearbox!

Race 2

A little better prepared this time out, having made full use of my Waterless Wash & Wax we headed for the grid - a bit odd, there were no marshals directing us to the correct grid positions and I ended up doing a quick reverse as I thought I had overshot my correct position.

Then it was even more confusing as we got a second green flag lap as I believe former PBIC racer Dan Neaves conked out on the start line….was that in tandem with The Grey Pig, as he also failed to get started?

Fortunately I could just see the lights this time out and managed to make a reasonable start and slotted in to second place behind Affable Arden who was really cracking on in his Maestro.

By lap two I had managed to pass him ( he later mentioned how much cleaner PBIC driving is compared to the MGOC- which was nice) and settled down to make as much ground as I could on the following pack.

After 4 laps I started to notice my brakes were fading away despite vigorous pumping of the pedal.

This meant my unpredictable lines were even more unpredictable as I tried my hand at drifting…not too successfully it has to be said.

I tried to use the gears to brake but then lost pressure there too…clearly the race was proving quite stressful for both the car and driver!

Before I knew it Darby had steamed passed, he told me later he would have done it sooner but was too busy showboating at Craner Curves.

It was only a matter of time before Sprinkler (he will never get rid of that nickname) was past too, putting me into third place.

I expected to see Walpole next but as he only had one gear to play with (unbeknown to me) he wasn’t able to mount a serious challenge although he did remarkably well with just 4th for most of the race.

I could also see the clockwork meringue of Wilson filling my mirrors and it was only my lack of brakes which meant I took the corners faster than him!

I was thinking to myself on lap 11 I may have to call it a day when for once events helped me out as car 98 Paul Wybrow managed to beach itself right across the exit to the hairpin, resulting in the race being stopped.

So the weekend as a  whole provided a thorough shakedown for my new car with plenty of repairs to be done before Brands.

Nevertheless other than a gentle kiss as my straight-line braking slewed me into contact with Tinkler’s nice new Evans wrap no real damage done.

Sprinkler conducted a microscopic examination of his new wrap which proved much more resilient then he expected….and remained totally unmarked following our rubbing!

It was nice to see the timesheets being handed out after the race even though they were somewhat delayed by the protests flying about from the Trophy Guys.

The post race presentation was a rather drawn out affair and I was amazed at how many pots are awarded to the Trophy guys…Trophy by name Trophy Hunters by nature you might say.

I was also very impressed by their good manners and sporting nature when they all b*** **d off after we had politely sat through their 20 minute presentation.

If we get lumped together again I suggest we use that time to load up and come back later for our own awards.

In fact it was the same problem during the race as the Commentator was completely oblivious that there were two series racing….my spies in the crowd tell me we hardly got a mention….I understand the co-ordinator has raised this issue, as let us not forget we did not ask to be put with the Trophy’s (nor they us) so we deserve to be treated better than this.

Perhaps we need to establish a closer connection with a certain MG Dealer in Baldock…..

But overall a pretty good weekend with the main damage being mechanical rather than due to the contact we were expecting.

On a final note former PBIC Racer Dan Neaves has kindly offered to compile our end of year DVD for us…see you never truly leave us!!!

He has asked if we could drip feed him the video footage throughout the year rather than deluge him at the end of the year.

May I suggest that at each race you bring a copy of your footage in its raw unedited state - as this is easier to process- and hand it to me or the co-ordinator or Alan Jones as he circulates during the day.

Copies of files on CD/ SD cards etc are all acceptable. If you need the storage device back that can take place at the following race.

Thanks for a good first Race & see you all at Brands

Jonesey

PS. If anyone is likely to have any spare tickets for Brands please could you let me know? I am after 4 if possible. Cheers

Greetings Race Fans!

At last the product you have all been waiting for brought to you by Jonesey Racing!

First may I clarify this is not an April Fool’s Joke but is actually a genuine quality product.

I often wonder what to do with those hours of sitting around in between races and many of you have suggested that I actually get off my a***e and clean my car.

But of course the facilities at the tracks are not always ideal and it means loading up with more kit etc…until now.

In conjunction with a major supplier I can bring to you the solution…

Jonesey Racing’s Waterless Wash and Wax!

All you need to do is to spray onto your car and then buff to a Showroom Shine.

But wait I hear you ask, do I really want to subsidise Jonesey’s race season?

Well you won’t be because I will be donating any profits to the Motorsport Safety Fund,( Regd Charity 296802) which as you know I make considerable use of when I have my regular chats with Mr Armco!!

So for the bargain price of just 7 of your Earth pounds you will get 500ml of Waterless Wash & Wax and for the first 10 sold I will throw in 2 free microfibre cloths too.

If you want to increase your donation to the Safety Fund that would be most welcome too.

I will bring along a case of Wash & Wax to Donington for you to while away those happy hours after sign on.

Orders can be placed in advance by email!

Don’t miss out!

Jonesey

Not long to go now I hear you say as the first race of the season draws ever closer.

We are now up to 19 on the grid which for the first race is looking pretty good and a lot more than was expected of us by the MGCC.

So much so they are now looking to move our shared race around again! This should at least mean that the reserves are out on the grid with us.

Who will it be with this time? Trophy Boys, Cockshooters?

Will they split up the PBIC grid and divide us with the various other races…your guess is as good as mine!

Suffice to say Paul Rigg has decided to cover all bases by entering himself in nearly every race on the card. This should prove interesting.

The Grey Pig in the shape of Michael Piggott Esquire has finally decided he will bring out his trusty warhorse to play this season…which makes sense as of course he has done his bit to reduce the National Debt by splashing out on a fully re-worked race engine for the 2012 season.

The Cat is out of the bag regarding Primrose who has managed to secure a deal with the Welshies to supply water…well we could use some here in the South I can tell you….perhaps on race day even?

This means the Yellow Peril has been given a make-over and is now running  a high tech Welsh Water additive to help cool her uprated engine for this season….how many more upgrades can the Church Lane Racing Team come up with I wonder?

Returning to the fold is former PBIC Racer Tom Halliwell in his ZR…not sure if this is a 160 or 190, but expect it to be the latter.

Joining him in Class D is Andrew Ashton in  his Metro…this car is well known in  Metro circles and has joined us in order to stretch its legs with a pepped up 1.8 k series lump.

Class A forms the bulk of the field, but enough about Mr Piggott… the ranks are swelled with the F’s of Mr Stibbards and that Rigg bloke again.

Ashdon’s back in his Maestro which we hear has been well and truly tuned over the winter to help wean it off its 40 a day smoking habit and is now expected to have a lot more poke and a lot less smoke!

Class B sees the return of Slap My Topper Pete Bramble with 4 other challengers to take him on. I also hear that quite a bit of interest has been expressed by other drivers towards Class B and it remains to be seen how best to encourage more of these guys out onto the grid.

Rob Spencer needs to change his aftershave it seems as his former pals have deserted him and he is all on his lonesome in Class C…………..again I am sure the tech bods are on the case to try and improve numbers as the year goes on.

So folks, there you have it…all the hard work over the winter months will soon be there for all to see, so get ready with your excuses when you fail to deliver… I have already got a good stock of these and am sure to make use of them you can be sure of that!

Eyes down look in, we’re off for another nail-biting year!!

See you there!

Jonesey.

Yes, that’s right….I am back!

 And so as the dark winter months draw to a close, the sounds of whizzing rollers fills the air coupled with the flutter of crisp tenners as the Rolling Road owners gleefully relieve the hard pressed PBIC drivers of their hard earned cash once again.

 Yes my friends the New Race Season is nearly upon us as again we hunker down to do battle once more.

 It has been a tough winter for the series as behind the scenes gargantuan efforts have been made to bring the PBIC series out of it’s previously disorganised state and with the determination of all the committee members we continue to hone a series that is fit for it’s time.

 It is still a work in progress and as the saying goes “Rome was not built in a day” but we have gone some way towards becoming a fairer, more open series designed to appeal to the true sporting driver which the series has always been known for.

 We have a new website which really does have all the bells and whistles on it, I am still trying to find my way around it but this becomes easier every day.

 You will notice dear reader that I have resisted the urge to change my own site too much, or at all in fact! I have been very busy not just with getting my engine back together but also with getting to grips with managing our funds following the departure of our previous treasurer.

 Our Technical Officers Vic and Bob ( I mean Blaine) have literally spent days sorting out the tangled web which used to be our rules, often burning the midnight oil on several occasions which has resulted in us being granted a licence to race and I for one am truly grateful for their hard work.

 I should also extend thanks to our new co-ordinator Richard Tinkler, who only attended the AGM to take the minutes but ended up running the series!

 The classes have changed a little but I am glad to see most of our regulars are still here with us and also some have returned to the fold, welcome back it is nice to see class B is reforming.

 There is still some work to be done to get classes C and D off the starting blocks and we will be looking at ways to increase the competitors where possible.

 It cannot be ignored that as the UK drifts slowly along the bottom economy-wise people will have to make cutbacks, and racing is clearly going to be one of the first casualties here.

 I am pleased to see that at last the MGCC are making a bit more of an effort to encourage drivers out onto the track with their incentives, as we are the life blood of the Club it has to be said.

 We already have 14 confirmed on the grid for the first race and with about a month still to go I am hopeful that this will grow slightly as those last minute preparations are completed to the cars just in the nick of time.

 I can see that the progress of the PBIC has even reached the ears of Lord Gammons himself with no less than 10 whole words of editorial in Safety Farce!!! Praise indeed.

 I am hearing that of the cars that are ready many have undergone a facelift in either the engine or bodywork department…I look forward to seeing how they look on their first outing.

The long range weather forecast is snow / hail for Donington so it is likely to be an interesting start to the season especially as we are expecting to be sharing the grid with the Trophy Series.

 I have invested in a new set of brake pads and a large rear view mirror just in case!

 I am now able to take any gossip and snippets of information that you feel needs to be shared with your fellow drivers, grossly exaggerated BHP claims and new mods are always welcome at this time.

It has been suggested that we set up a ticket swap facility to make use of any unwanted tickets for any of the race meetings. If you need tickets or have some going spare drop me a line to arrange to swap them with your fellow competitor. I am likely to have a couple spare for Donington if anyone wants them?

If possible I will try and get another few lines out (who said don’t bother?) before the race if I get time, but I am currently looking to put in place a new tyre sponsor to help with the old funds otherwise I will have to come out on those old flat spotted ones yet again!

 Keep fettling and see you all soon.

 Jonsesey

I am sure most of you have been busy working away getting ready for the new season and I can tell you that behind the scenes your new co-ordinator and committee have been beavering away too.

Without stealing the thunder from the impending news update I can say that unravelling some of the complexities of the rules and how the PBIC Series is run has proved quite time consuming and I can say that this will definitely be a work in progress as we take the series forward over the next few years.

We are all feeling the pinch financially and our primary efforts are concentrated on keeping grid levels up and getting the best value possible for our drivers.

Can I also say on a personal  level, that the committee members and drivers reps, (well most of them anyway), put in a lot of their personal time and effort into running the series for the benefit of us all and it does prove difficult when little or no feedback is received.

Whilst  it will not be possible to please every individual driver if you don’t attend the drivers meeting or do not comment on how the series is shaping up then you cannot really complain if things are not to your liking when they are put in place.

To this end the new website which is nearly ready will hopefully put in place an easy way for you all to make your feelings known.

My own website has done what it could in the past but it does have its limitations, bit like my driving really!

The results of the Caption Competition were very easy as only one driver bothered to enter it, so I will be presenting Driver Hewer with his illustrious Official Jonesey-Racing Memorabilia at the 1^st Race of the Season. Well done Kev!

This is a good example of the silent majority come to think of it, and as the lack of interest speaks volumes I will not run the competition next year as it no longer seems that popular.

The next update will appear shortly before the first race unless some really juicy scandal emerges in between times.

Now get back to your garages and get fettling!

Jonesey

A packed AGM with loads of thrills and spills was followed by a packed Xmas Do with loads of thrills and spills, mainly of beer on this occasion it has to be said.

Ok then, the AGM.  I list the edited highlights with a more detailed version of events to follow shortly…..the shock news  of the day was that Long Haired Dave decided to stand down as co-ordinator to spend more time with his hair.

Dave of course stood in following the abrupt departure of Maggie Yeadon nearly two years ago now and as a result has been unable to race ever since.

The future for the PBIC is now by way of a workers type co-operative, or “committee” which were duly elected in.

The idea being that the workload of the co-ordinator which is a thankless task, let’s be honest, would be shared out by the committee to make life a bit easier for all concerned.

Richard Tinkler has agreed to continue as Club Secretary / Administrative Officer and also will perform the official co-ordinator function of signing off the various forms and documents that the MSA require each year.

Alan Jones of Miss Daisy fame and former co-ordinator of the BRSCC Fiat Challenge will act as Communications Officer and deal with many of the functions of running the series such as publicity - promoting the series etc.

Pete Burchill will continue to keep a tight hold on the purse strings and will continue as Club Treasurer added to this will be a new role of Commercial Officer, working with the committee to utilise his well known blagging skills to raise the profile of the series and obtain any concessions, sponsorship deals and the like to help us all during these hard times moneywise.

The Technical Officer in the shape of Vic Young was re-elected and some whipper snapper called Blaine Neaves has agreed to share the role which should prove interesting to say the least!

Drivers Reps are:

Class A James Darby

Class B to be agreed at later date

Class C Simon Hutchinson

Class D Pete Burchill

You will notice that there are only four classes here, that is because it was agreed by most present that the ridiculously vast number of classes needed to be combined in order to provide proper racing as opposed to trophy collection opportunities.

This format will no doubt need tweaking as the year goes on but at least it goes some way to getting class sizes up and hopes to group cars on their relative performance and lap times - as I understand it - rather than some of the arbitrary ways that classes were allocated in the past. But as I say this will need to be viewed as a work in progress and you can’t please all of the people all of the time as they say.

The main changes are the inclusion of the 3 F’s in class A with class F being abolished unless of course we get another 20 or so cars joining us!

Class D is for K engined cars and I think Pete Burchill offered to be the rep here too.

I am to continue as social secretary (more about the Xmas Do later) and I have been asked to take over the running of the official website!!!!! Fear not however as the vast majority of this will be done by the Comms Officer and that means I will still run the JR Website for the time being at least!

But you can look forward to a brand new Official Website in the very near future with some nice tricks to it and even better than this…..it WILL be regularly updated….interesting weather or not!

There were a few rule changes but in the main they relate to minimum numbers of cars on the grid to allow for trophies to be given out and also no more 3.9 V8’s in class B….yes really!

The Xmas Do

Although we were a little short on numbers which I put down to some drivers being unhappy at the way the series was progressing and also of course cash is getting harder for us all to find, but despite this I have to say the atmosphere was excellent and this was one of the most enjoyable Do’s I can remember.

We were treated to a brilliant DVD roundup of the year provided by Dan Neaves, the sales of which added over £100 to the club coffers. (copies still available and highly recommended for those of you who could not make the Do - just £5 each  featuring 2010 & 2011 seasons )

Long Haired Dave was suffering from man-flu and passed the baton to brother Alan to conduct the presentations, which were very well done even though we only heard half of what he was saying…so not all bad then!

Peter Best sent two representatives to present the trophies too and they seemed to enjoy their evening.

But the true highlight had to be Disco Dancing Champion “Strictly” Rob Spencer. He tripped the light fantastic with those twinkle toes of his from the moment the music started until he was politely asked to leave the dance floor by security.

I half expected Bruce Forsyth to turn up so professional were his moves!

The food was good and the wine was flowing, arggh my poor head the following morning.

Which of course brings me to the now traditional Christmas Caption Competition.

That’s right folks the chance to win some highly coveted Official Jonesey-Racing Merchandise. This year I have been spoilt for choice for suitable photos so I have given you a choice of two;

Have a great Christmas one and all and here’s to an exciting 2012 (can’t wait for Thruxton)

Jonesey

PS Unless I receive those bribes I will publish the others in a new album on the site later this week!

CAPTION COMPETITION: GET ‘EM IN!

Ooher Mrs

What can I say???

Greetings Race Fans!

Read this report as it could affect you!!!

That’s right folks it is once again that time of year when we are supposed to be planning our next season at the AGM.

I will preface this report with a form of disclaimer if you like, and I will start by saying that I am not having a personal “pop” at anyone as we all have to shoulder some responsibility for how the series progresses.

I would also say that sometimes the written word may appear to be harsh but that is not how I intend it and again I am not trying/ intending to offend anyone which of course is why you are all free to comment as I readily admit my opinion may not be the views of you all.

All I am hoping to do is to galvanise a few of us to get our heads together to get things moving.

Here we go then.

Firstly may I put on record that I really appreciated it when Dave stepped in last season as co-ordinator sacrificing his own option to race.

I must admit I did think that this would be a temporary measure and that Dave would return to racing once a new co-ordinator had been appointed.

I now understand Dave is actually happy to continue in his role as co-ordinator / chairman, if Dave is willing to continue then that is fine with me but I do feel that we must share out some of the responsibility for the running of the series and Dave you must allow us to do this……as there is a lot of room for improvement!!!

I know having spoken to many of you that there is a general concern that the series is not particularly well organised, we are losing drivers (for several reasons) and there seems to be no sense of direction.

We also seem to have lost a bit of our friendly atmosphere too…there are several reasons for this and I hope to make some suggestions in order to improve matters.

Dave is the current co-ordinator but it has to be said that :

1.      The official website is poorly run and any new / potential driver looking at it would think the series had folded, and I believe unless we make some positive changes NOW that is exactly what will happen.

2.      We also get very little communication from Dave as to what is going on with the MGCC, where we are heading and the series itself is not promoted in any way.

3.      The rules are in parts overly complicated and not enforced.

4.      The Technical Rep is like the will o’ the wisp, and despite his pledge to attend more often has only been seen at one race this year.

5.      We do not have any scrutineer…as I understand it because the MGCC won’t pay for him.

6.      The MGCC do not appear to offer any support to our race series.

7.      We have too many race classes which often have few or no cars in them, which results in drivers having no one to actually compete against, or alternatively picking up a cup, for simply showing up.

8.      We do not react quickly enough to keep classes competitive.

9.      We do little to retain / encourage new drivers to the series.

We all need to step up a bit to save our series and to this end I would like to put forward the following proposals to allow time for reflection/discussion and then I will put them forward for official discussion at the AGM.

I am sure not everyone will like everything about them, but then of course we would like the classes to make us all individual winners I am sure!

In my view the series needs to address the following:

1)      Rules.  These need to be revised to ensure that as many competitors as possible can participate on a level playing field within their respective class, whilst at the same time ensuring there are as few classes as possible.  I think 4 classes are more than adequate.  If we cannot fit a car into one of those 4 classes than in all probability, we simply have to concede that we cannot assist everyone.  At present the sheer number of classes is confusing, the rules are weak and as a result, the series is too complicated, so it puts off newcomers or there is no incentive for some existing competitors to remain. There is little point in having loads of classes with just one or two cars in them, this is not racing.

2)      Identity of the series:  We need to establish what we are trying to offer and encourage our drivers to feel part of our own club; i.e. that we exist for the benefit of the drivers and there are real benefits from being a member of this group.  We also need to establish an identity that does not rely on our sponsor’s name.

3)      Structure of the committee.   I think the current structure is not working in that few people know what they are supposed to be doing and others have too much to address.  I propose a structure as follows:

CHAIRMAN / CO-ORDINATOR/ ADMINISTRATOR: this person is the figure head of the series and is responsible for ensuring that his committee members understand and carry out their roles; he would also be our representative with the MGCC, fighting our corner pursuant to the instructions of the drivers.

TREASURER:  Responsible for finances, ensuring subs are paid, processing all sponsorship money etc.

TECHNICAL  OFFICER:  Advises on all technical issues and assists in ensuring that the rules are fair and understood, that the scrutineers understand and enforces rules, available to provide technical support to driver’s enquiries, guidance on all technical issues to include monitoring success of rules and ongoing revisions as may be required.

COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER: Deals with all publicity and communications for the series, to include complete responsibility for website, race reports, commentators notes, programme notes, press releases, publicity, newsletters etc.

COMMERCIAL OFFICER: Responsible for introducing and obtaining as many benefits as possible for the drivers, to include sponsorship, discounts, finding commercial partners.

DRIVERS REP:  Not convinced we need one per class, but if sufficient volunteers then so be it. Duties include getting drivers to enter on time, filtering all driver enquires, assisting novice drivers; probably sensible to nominate one person to have overall responsibility for assisting new drivers, 

SOCIAL SECRETARY; organises and encourages social events, ideally far beyond annual d&d.

I am happy to continue as social secretary and to take on a wider remit if required.

Alan Jones of Miss Daisy fame has offered to take on the role of Communications Officer.

Pete Burchill is happy to continue as treasurer.

Richard Tinkler is currently Club Secretary and although I have not specified this as a role I would see him continuing with his activities in the series but many of his duties currently overlap with those of the treasurer.

Dave Brooke has indicated he wishes to continue as chairman / co-ordinator.

So to close then, the future of our series rests in our own hands and while it would be nice for us to just turn up and race, in the current climate we all need to help in some way to ensure the series goes forward and grows in these hard times.

It was not that long ago when the PBIC was regularly turning out the biggest grids each race meeting and although we never got the recognition by the MGCC we were the strongest series in town.

Times have changed and we need to change with them to get ourselves back from the brink to become bigger and better than before.

We were originally the Phoenix Challenge….maybe there was a good reason for that name, let us rise to that Challenge again!!!!

Jonesey

I have discovered, sadly via an alternative source what co-ordinators actually get up to!

So in the interest of openess, freedom of the press and my general view that WE SHOULD BE TOLD WHAT’S GOING ON!!!

Please see below a copy of the latest co-ordinators meeting. The highlights are areas of general interest.

I am surprised that the general view is that TV coverage is boring, when I thought that TV was of great interest to sponsors, but hey what do I know?

I am also in the process of writing my pre-AGM / Driver’s Meeting Report which may prove a little controversial, but nothing new there ayy?

Minutes of MG Car Club Coordinators Meeting 30^th Oct. 2011

Sywell Aerodrome

Attendees:

Ron Gammons (Chairman MS Committee) Steve Carr (Competitions Secretary)

Piers Hubbard (MGCC Motorsport Committee) Paul Goodman (Cockshoot Cup)

Geoff StJohn Mitchell (Club Steward) Larry Quinn (MG Midget Challenge)

Mark Bellamy (MG Metro Cup) David Brook (P B Insurance Challenge)

Amy Bray (MG Trophy Championship) Jonathan Harmer (Iconic 50’s)

John Pearson (Ecurie GTS) Bob Cull (Ecurie GTS)

Graham Bates (Ecurie GTS)

Apologies for absence:

Dave Saunders (MGCC Motorsport Director) on holiday

Geoff Strong (MGCC Chief Clerk of Course) on holiday

Pam McCarthy (BCV8 & TSCC Coordinator) sick.

Paul Stilling (Chief Marshal) on holiday.

1. Welcome: Ron Gammons, as acting chairman, welcomed everybody and introduced the three representatives from the old Equipe GTS series, who along with a number of the drivers have approached the MG Car Club with a view to it running a newly formed ‘Ecurie GTS’ on their behalf in 2012. RG went on to summarise the 2011 season, noting that it was on the whole considered a success and that even with some reduced grid numbers brought about by the economic climate it finished “in the black” financially.

2. Matters arising from 2011:

1. Driving Standards: It was felt that some had improved whilst some had worsened. The Metro’s in particular went through a bad patch and the Trophy did not shine, finishing their two races at MG Live behind the safety car and with a red flag! MB stated that the Metros were considering not accepting the championship registrations of some drivers due to persistent poor driving standards. It was noted that it was down to the championship stewards to make that decision. (RG Noted that at present championship coordinators were not (yet) licenced by the MSA who hence had no redress over them). PG said he included a declaration in his registration form, which drivers signed, regarding recourse if they were deemed to have brought the championship in disrepute. He was asked for a copy to be passed to GS with the suggestion that the Club should perhaps adopt a standard form for all the championships.

2. Late Entries: This subject has appeared on most previous agendas! LQ thought the drivers were getting wary as they had less money. RG commented that at MG Live we only had 50% of ALL the final entries 3 weeks before the event!! This puts an unnecessary burden on the administration. SC said that given that the Club was unique in that it did not bank or process any race entry payment until closing date he did not comprehend the reluctance to send in entries earlier, so that they could at least be put on the system and entered in the program. It was pointed out to those present that the Club has to pay a substantial deposit for each race circuit on signature of the contract, normally early in the year – even for a meeting taking part in October! Plus there are further stage payments. It was agreed that in future each competitor would be let off ONE late race entry and henceforth would be charged the appropriate late fee for all & any subsequent one. Coordinators were asked to put this in their newsletters. (In BOLD please – SC). As an aside, coordinators were told to ask Andy Knott if they wanted space in Safety Fast to publicise their race(s) – he would help where and when space was available).

3. Two driver entries: SC said that it should be noted that the Club is obliged to pay a ‘per capita’ fee to the MSA for EVERY driver that is signed on. This currently varies between £20.40 and £23.30 depending on the grade of race. Thus when two drivers are entered to drive the same car, either in a 2 driver race or sharing races in a double header, we are paying money to the MSA and not recouping it from the driver! Usually the second driver also has to be given track time to in another practice session in order to qualify for the race. It was noted that in a double header spread over two days the second driver is often not there on the first day! In future the race entry forms will be amended and ALL second drivers will be required to pay a contribution of £25 towards the additional costs incurred by the Club.

4. MGCC Membership: Those present were reminded that ALL competitors registered to compete in one of the Clubs Championships MUST be MGCC members. ( And to compete in a championship race they MUST be registered for that championship) This includes a one off guest drive, with or without a registration fee. With regard to a Race Series, from 2012 these must now be registered with the MSA by a recognised club, hence all competitors in series registered by the MGCC must be MGCC members, and as with a Race Championship, if a series is registered by another club then competitors must either be a member of that club (who will become an invited club) or of the MGCC.

5. Accounts and Annual Meetings: Coordinators were reminded that they should all hold at least one drivers meeting a year which is designated as the AGM and a basic set of annual accounts should be produced and submitted to the club. JP asked if there was a job specification available for coordinators. SC said it had been suggested but not implemented. RG agreed that it should be. As an aside it was noted that a championship steward was not required to be present at a race meeting, as their job did not relate to dealing with events at the circuit. RG reminded everybody that there was a 30 minute window following the publication of each set of results at a meeting, during which a protest could be lodged. After that time has lapsed, assuming there is no protest, or any other matter under investigation, the results ARE FINAL and regardless cannot subsequently be altered! Coordinators are requested to ensure that the driver and entrants were reminded of this. SC agreed that he would raise the question with TSL Timing about the possibility of separating the results for races with combined grids.

6. Standard gridding for the second race of a double header: It was requested by the Club that the gridding procedure for second races should be consistent throughout all championships & series. MB thought that a series was different to a championship in this case, but this was not agreed. Currently the Club grids the majority of its second races based upon the second fastest practice time, however, as RG pointed out, this often led to gaps on the grid and some confusion when forming up! A vote was taken and it was overwhelmingly agreed to change to using the finishing order of the first race to grid a second race.

7. Green flag lap and gridding: RG expressed concern that drivers were slowing meetings down by wasting time locating their position on the grid, seemingly not having noted which row number and side they should be on! Coordinators were urged to make sure their drivers had checked and if necessary be prepared to tell them! It was noted that some circuits had multiple grid markings, in varying colours, which added to the confusion. (Especially Silverstone!).

8. Novice Drivers: Coordinators were reminded that as one of their tasks they should be prepared to look after novice drivers and make sure that they understood the system and attended all the relevant briefings. Also make the feel welcome! PG commented that the Clubs paddock plans were very good and helpful to novices. He also suggested that the number of support vehicles allowed into the paddock should be reduced by issuing two different passes, one for the race car and one for a support vehicle – which should park in a dedicated area. This was noted but called for extra bodies to police the paddock. This at Silverstone was a very difficult task.

1. MSA Regulation Changes: This subject has been coved under a previous item. It was noted that the Club has already registered the following series with the MSA: Iconic 50’s Sports Cars, MGB50 and Ecurie GTS. The meeting was informed that there were 22 cars in the inaugural Iconic 50’s race at Donington and JH said he was aiming at grids of 30+. Rather than complex technical regulations, eligible cars are expected to lap the Silverstone National Circuit in a time of 1 min. 15 Secs. or more. Conversions to other circuit times are available. MGB50 is a series of 3 - 4 races to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the MGB, ideally of 50 mins length. Ecurie GTS is covered in (1) above.

1. Championship Regulations presentation conformity: In his absence, GS has requested copies of all the Club’s championship regulations prior to publication, in order that he can assist and advise in their conformity to a standard configuration.

1. 2012 Programme, Acceptance and Championships and Series commitment to programme: RG ran through the proposed race program for 2012. He commented upon the ever rising costs of circuit hire despite the economic climate and noted that we currently have some race entry fees set at £195 and £295, these represented a barrier above which competitors were perceived as reluctant to enter. DB commented that many drivers currently were out of work. RG pointed out that the club also strived to plan it’s season with at least a month between meetings, to make payment easier. When asked for any opinions, JP said that he thought it would be beneficial to explain to drivers if prices were rising, why that was. The club also asked that coordinators let them know as early as possible if they wanted to run less races in a season. All coordinators were asked to let SC know ASAP (preferably in the next 24 hours!) which of the provisional race dates they will be supporting.

Trophy said all except Mallory. EGTS - not Mallory & can’t say yet about others.

PBIC will support all. Cockshoot – Oulton, MG Live, Mallory & Donington.

Note: PBIC & CS combined DH at MGL. Midgets – All meetings with DH at 2 Day.

Metros: All. (Love Mallory), with DH at Brands and MGL – pref one each day.

In her absence Pam had indicated preferences for the BCV8 and TSCC.

1. When is a competitor a starter? RG said “Q.12.7” – End of subject! The Blue Book overrides any championship regulations unless it includes the wording “unless championship regulations say otherwise”. Note: in most MGCC races the countdown begins in the assembly area with the showing of the 1 minute board.

1. Championships registered contenders to compete in other championships for up to four rounds without registration. Communications between groups. The agreement was that competitors could do so without paying a second registration fee – NOT without registering for any Championship. Furthermore they should register for the second (or third!) championship AT LEAST 2 weeks prior to the race. A discussion followed regarding methods of communication used by the coordinators to keep competitors informed. This varied from sending newsletters, posting on the championship web site, and sending ‘push’ emails to notify of updates. SC confirmed there was an experimental test Race Zone web page which he hoped to develop as a “Home Page” for all competitors.

1. Other Circuit possibilities, Brands GP, Croft, Snetterton 300 [PmacW]. Brands GP – No Chance! It does not have enough available dates. Croft – considered to be too far North. Snetterton 300 – Two problems, one it is too expensive for the use we could put it to, and two, the relay entry is limited by the number of available garages, 26. If there were more garages, given the relay was oversubscribed this year, we might consider it! It was noted that Ecurie GTS wanted a foreign race, maybe Zolder. This would be a bought grid, but SC said the Club would assist in organisation as much as it could.

1. Title “Qualifying” rather than ”practice” [ PmacW ] Unanimous vote to call it Qualifying!

1. Discuss format of qualifying, proposal of continuous sequencing as per Relay race [RG] It was explained the following on from the successful operation of continuous qualifying for the Snetterton Relay Race – where letter ‘A’ cars were sent out for 15 minutes, then shown the chequered flag, after which letter ‘B’ care were released via the pit lane as the letter ‘A’ cars were coming in, and so on to letter ‘F’, it was proposed to trial operating the same system for individual races from Oulton Park onwards. The Safety Car will now be on standby throughout qualifying and will be deployed in the event of an incident. A full ‘clear up’ break will be given after every 3 or 4 sessions. The prime reason for this is to free up valuable time and allow the marshals to have a longer lunch break. It was agreed that the trial would be worthwhile. PG raised the question of mixing qualifying sessions, however this was not considered viable, partly due to the MSA requirements.

1. Radio broadcasts at circuits [PmacW] It was noted that this facility was currently only believed to be available at Silverstone. SC agreed to check the position with MSV.

1. AOB. DB- coordinators do not receive information, bulletins, Info sheets, news sheets or a Bluebook etc. from the MSA. SC to discuss with Cheryl Lynch. We could also copy some of the literature to a PDF file and put in the Coordinator’s Dropbox. (NOT the Blue Book!!).

RG noted that it was possible to have a race shown on Motors TV, however it was expensive if one went for a standalone screening, but there were races available at Motors TV events where the enhanced entry fee paid for the TV exposure. JP thought it was rather dull to watch and there seemed little interest in the opportunity.

PG asked if the Club was doing Race Retry again and RG said we would be there, in our usual spot just inside the main doors and alongside the MSA stand.

RG thanked everybody for their attendance and wished everybody another successful year of motor racing in 2012.

The meeting finished at 13.00 Hrs.

Steve Carr

Competition Secretary