Blast from my past!!

[grahamS53]

Just came across this old picture from Mallory park. My friends Bill and Dans family owned the local Fiat dealership in Southend and they both ran an Abarth a piece, very sucessfully as it happens . The cars were built in house by Dan, from two new cars and did very well in the Italian Intermarqe cup. Dont think anyone would be striping a new one to race today! G

PS Apologies if this post apears twice but it kept saying "already posted" while not showing up so tried again.G

[FIATLANCIATWINCAM.CO.UK]

Wonderful photo great to see the 130 Abarth ready for battle so to speak..

More photos of the IIC and perhaps the very car you show here - in the link below:


http://www.131mirafiori.com/smf/index.php?topic=1426.0


I used to spectate this event with my father and brothers and have many great memories of the late great Barry Waterhouse in his (barely) legal Uno Turbo and John Days Lancia Beta battling it out on track - Barry always in some sort of dispute with the scrutineers about the spec of his UNO which was heavily breathed on. . .

Barry once said to me one evening at a pub in Camberwell (near his last garage EVOLUTION ENGINEERING) that "they were all (IIC DRIVERS) feasting on Italys finest."

And he was right - a lot of the cars racing in the IIC are now much sought after for example (and not limited to)  S1 Alfa33 / Lancia BMC + BC / 131 Sport / 130TC STRADA etc etc.

For me the halcyon days of Italian saloon car racing and -  sadly - never likely to be repeated. . .

[grahamS53]

Correct me if i am wrong but i think it was at this meeting that a certain Mr Waterhouses Uno Turbo never actually crossed the start line as from his grid slot at the start it spat itself sideways into the pit wall!! This was the last meeting i spectated at prior to finishing my own Beta Coupe that i raced originally in the "Budget Rent a car" Modified saloon car championship. Would think you would of seen that to? G

[jasonh131]

I remmember the southend boys , who then went on to a tipo 16v . Belle vue garage long gone as is the other fiat dealer ship HWS in southend .

[grahamS53]

Bill and Dan now own Belle Vue which is a Honda bike main dealer and used cars. Yes the "Tipo" i knew it well, the most top heavy race car built Bill had a few wins in it, famously in the snow at Brands but gave up with it in the end. G

[jasonh131]

yes he said it was a heavy ole beast ,the shocks went off after only a couple of laps.....

[grahamS53]

I crewed on it a few times. From memory it was Avons the series ran on, which the old Tipo chewed up and spat out, so couple of laps in and it was "getting frisky!" put it on Yoko's and it was a different animal. Still it never slowed Bill down G