What a weekend! I spent it competing at the historic races at Lakeside
Raceway, north of Brisbane, Australia. From my point of view, this
year’s Historic Lakeside must have been the most thrilling yet.
Aside from my Sunbeam Imp Sport, the Rootes Group was represented by the
roadgoing rotary-powered Alpine of Barry Walker, the full race Alpine of
Reg Darwell, full race Sunbeam Imp of Andrew Fletcher, roadgoing Imp
Sport of Darcy Maddock and the roadgoing Hillman Hunters of Peter Staude
and Chris Parmenter.
Each year I enter the regularity trials at this event. The trials are
intended for people like me who don't want to seriously race their cars.
The object is to nominate a lap time you are comfortable with and then
try to keep as close to it as possible.
I got off to a good start in Saturday morning practice by shattering my
personal best lap time, set in 1993, by 3 seconds. As it was I was
struggling with the car. My tired transaxle kept jumping out of third
gear on a trailing throttle and the Imp wasn’t handling as well as it
should. I can’t help wondering how quick the car would have been with
these problems sorted.
At one point I was roaring down the straight three abreast with a Ford
Galaxie and an Austin A35. The Austin made it to the corner first. For
an amateur like me, seemed like pretty amazing stuff.
In my first event, the third gear problem was growing progressively
worse. I would suddenly find myself freewheeling mid corner and, upon
re-engaging third gear, the rear wheels would break traction, hanging
the tail out. Rounding the last corner for the last time it jumped out
and snicking the gear lever back in resulted in a sickening KER-UNCH.
The internals of the transaxle had let go and I coasted across the line
and off the circuit.
After the Imp had been towed back to the pits we resolved to get it
running again for Sunday. We pulled out the engine and transaxle there
in the paddock. At something after 8:00 that night it was running again
under its own steam. For service beyond the call of duty, my heartfelt
thanks go to: Mike & Geoffrey Marsh, who slaved away throughout the day
and night on the car, and - as if that wasn’t enough - drove to my home
to collect a spare transaxle and returned it to the circuit; Clyde
Northcott, who hadn’t been planning to attend on the Saturday, but drove
to the circuit to help when he heard I was having problems, and brought
all sorts of useful tools; Darcy Maddock, who also slaved away until
after eight; Barry, Jan and Morris Walker for their help, moral support
and for lending me the tools that I foolishly neglected to bring myself;
Brian Mallon, for also offering help, tools and moral support; Andrew
Fletcher for loaning his doughnut compressor; "the Datsun guys" - Bruce
Forsyth and Colin Loney for loaning their trolley jack; and to all of
the above for their wisecracks and "razor sharp wit"!
Apologies too to Tich Marsh, Miranda Northcott and Lyn Maddock for
keeping their husbands from home.
All that effort paid off on Sunday morning when I finished in second
place in my first event - in the wet too. In fact it was a Rootes
whitewash, with Darcy winning in his Imp, and the Hillman Hunters taking
fourth and fifth. The wet conditions were not so kind for Joe Wilson who
rolled his three wheeler Morgan. Fortunately he suffered no serious
injury.
It turned out a very satisfying weekend. I can assure you I slept well
Sunday night.
Russell Maddock
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