Plum Pudding Races 2017

[Pillock]

A bit late on this, trying to get rid of all the gin in the house. But as per tradition, Boxing Day saw me put my warmest t-shirt on and we headed out to Mallory Park for the racing.

As usual, it was a bit of everything although with only two sidecar entries they cancelled those the week before (sadly one sidecar entrant didn't get the message and turned up anyway). But they ran all bikes together, then sports cars and saloon cars separately (not entirely sure how they decided, MR2s went in the Sportscar class with the Caterhams but there were was a race prepped TT in the Saloons....)

 

Anyway, here's some pictures. The full album is here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/XKRygfK7SMIhDwdp1

 

Audi TT was spaceframed and on TINY wheels.... also running a Vauxhall 2.0 16v?

 

Which meant it was putting in a similar pace to this GTE, which sadly got a minor biff to the side early on

 

This car has been a few years, although it's wearing a rookie cross so might have changed hands.

 

Whereas these Rovers were new to the game and looking sweet, although the V6 45 did manage a very dramatic de-turfing after a spin and he spent lunch trying to get rid of soil out of the wheel, brakes, suspension....

 

These blokes had come up from somewhere Oxford-ish, had a chat to them in the lunch break and they were just out having fun but promised a bit more "racing" in the second race. A lot of people seem to give it more beans after lunch, I guess to save breaking something early on.

 

Got camber yo? They managed to break this during practise, never saw it on the track as I was too busy getting my car stuck in the carpark. They tried to drive it back into the trailer but just seemed to be making an expensive metal on metal noise.

 

 

[Pillock]

Puma had a MSD V6 out of a Vectra GSI in it!

 

Delta was sweet.....

But if you invite a rally car to a tarmac event, it's going to lust after the soft stuff

 

Sportscars were quite a mixed bag, the Caterham drivers were constantly being blue-flagged for getting in the way but there were some quick cars - the red and white thing and the Lotus were both battling constantly.

 

 

 

 

 

[Pillock]

There were bikes. Excuse the ignorance, I don't know what sort of bikes they were so I'll just dump photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Pillock]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Spottedlaurel]

Looks like a good mix of stuff.

 

The Audi TT appears to be an ex-short circuit National Hot Rod.

[Pillock]

It's always a decent mix, basically just turn up in pretty much anything ready to race. In the bikes a few years back there was a KTM scrambler on knobblies, I think he bankrupted himself wheelying out of the chicane every lap (the rules are, any indiscretions are dealt with by a charity donation).

 

The SD1 and Toledo are regulars, past few years have had a mental Cosworth as well as a Renault 5 that was doing good times. Looking back through other years, the Mk1 MR2 has been before. There's also been a full BTCC-lookalike Mondeo, some Fiestas and Novas battling it out like it's Maccies Carpark on a Friday Night etc...

 

It's a tough one, I'd love to suggest it as a meet venue but it's only about 4 hours of racing and it's in the middle of flippin' nowhere - there's a couple of burger vans on site but countryside for miles and miles so you can't go elsewhere after. Plus that's it for 348 days now.

[Bucketeer]

Brilliant. Thanks for all that. Quality pics too, I've found it really hard to capture this sort of thing.

Just of of curiosity, you know, for no reason at all, was that the 2.5v6 (like the one in my SAAB) fitted into a Puma (like the one my impressionable friend The Moog owns)?

[chaseracer]

Essentially, Alex, yes - yes, it was... 

[Ghosty]

Red and white thing is a Radical SR3.

 

There's a Marcos somewhere in the full album too.

[Pillock]

Thanks Bucketeer, yes it was the 2.5V6.

Not sure how much Puma was left though.

 

I was a bit disappointed with the pictures TBH, it was a bit cloudy and I thought I'd got my camera set up well but there's quite a lot of blur on some pics. I think I grabbed the essence of the day though

[DSdriver]

I love the fact that the Scooby doesn't know if its sponsored by SCR or CRS

 

[MagicRacer]

Ok so I joined the party a bit late but id like to introduce myself as the driver of the turf cutting river 45 mentioned above.  Hi all

[hairnet]

meaning to go to this for at least 10 years

closest got was this year but the weather put paid to that