Minty - 1964 Aurora Gears Racing /Newtune 1071 Cooper S

[Pete]

Yes Grant is a regular at CarFest. Goes through some tyres!

[Pete]

Had a look on the BP video archive site myself Stu and the other video from the 64 GP is much better resolution as you said and a new angle on the start!

https://www.bpvideolibrary.com/record/449

It’s a good watch anyway!

Anita Taylor, Rob Slotemaker (Downton), Phil Middlehurst and Peter Clarke (Don Moore) with Fitz and Paddy in front. Funny to think that 57 years later the latter two would be passengers in 110 NNM at Shelsley!

[surfblue63]

Yes that archive has got all sorts of great footage on it. I have been viewing it for the last couple of days and posted a couple more onto the forum, one includes footage shot inside Abingdon whilst the cars are being prepped for the '63 Coupes Des Alps.

[mab01uk]

Pete....some information and photos below which may be of interest to you in your research.

At the recent Brands Hatch Mini Festival I met up with some old friends from the days of 1960/70's Mini racing including a good friend of 1960's Mini racer Martin Davidson/Harry Martin. I suggested it would be worth setting up an interview article for Miniworld magazine similar to the one we did in 2019 for Simon Ridge on his Mini racing career. Martin agreed and is now scanning his old race photo album/scrap book for an article, although some photos were damaged some time ago in a flood.

Below are a couple of photos and race reports from the 'Brands Hatch Jaguar Race Day on 15th October 1967'. It turns out Martin Davidson and Simon Ridge were both competing in Minis in this race. Martin was in Gerry Marshall's Newtune Cooper S. Martin can't remember why he was driving Gerry's car but probably because he hadn't got a Mini by then and was competing in long distance racing in a Sprite and Ginetta G12.

Autosport: - “The one litre Saloon race provided Terry Harmer with an easy victory over his closest pursuer, Simon Ridge, both driving Minis.
Martin Davidson’s ex - Gerry Marshall Newtune Mini Cooper S came through from the back of the grid to third position, with Jon Mowatt in another Mini Cooper S a fairly close fourth".

Motoring News: - “There was no catching Terry Harmer’s swift Mini Cooper S in the 1 litre saloon race, although Simon Ridge [ Mini Cooper ] tried his best to keep him in sight.
From the back of the grid Martin Davidson fought through to third position in his Mini Cooper S, although Jon Mowatt was a tough nut to crack, and was not far back in fourth”.

Simon Ridge also kept a log of every race he was in....see extract below.

Brands Hatch Jaguar Race Day on 15th October 1967.
1-litre Saloon Car Race:-
Practice - “ Really flies with the Downton head. Tyres heat up, so I set them to 50 - 45 hot - much better. 63.2, Mowatt 63, Terry 60.8 !!. Still, on the front row”.
Race - “Dry. Leave Mowatt, and take Paddock alongside Terry. he gets the inside line for Druids. Have a big dust up with Mowatt for 2nd. Going into Kidney I shut the door.
Then we drop him on the straight. Car really flies. Water 80c all the time, Oil Pressure 60 - 70. Catch Terry a bit but gap is 5 secs, about all the time.
Put headlights on, and lapped 8 cars !! Going into Paddock with two laps to go, some idiot in an 850 loses it, and sends me off the track onto the grass.
There is one a hell of a bang, and the revs soar as the car gets airborne over the bumps. I can hear the stones banging on the floor. Its very rough.
After about 100 yards, I get it back onto the tarmac with 8,000 in third.
Finish second, get a Trophy, and 3 Quid entry fee back. Feel a bit angry that I didn’t win, but enjoyed the race anyway."
(Simon still has that Trophy…. a Silver Ashtray. As he does not smoke, it looks like new!)

Martin Davidson was 8.2 seconds off Simon Ridge's tail, and Simon was 5.6 off Terry Harmer, with Jon Mowatt 4 seconds off Martin across the line.

[Pete]

Great info thanks Martin. I haven’t even started on 1965 onwards Motoring News and Autosports yet, I fall asleep every time I pick one up.

Just to clarify to those reading this, Martin Davidson and Harry Martin were the same person! Quite a few young racers (including Niki Lauda !) got into trouble with their employers or families when they started racing in the 60s so Martin decided to enter races under his ‘nom de plume’ of Harry Martin. He was a good mate of Gerry Marshall from the early 60s and didn’t he also put Anita in that car once?

Gerry proving his point at Crystal Palace in that 970 in 1965…

[Pete]

110 NNM back in the Oulton Park paddock at weekend for the first time since the 60s, unless it went there in the 70s as a special saloon. I’ve still to identify the driver of my car in the 70s (painted orange with white door squares).

[mab01uk]

He was a good mate of Gerry Marshall from the early 60s and didn’t he also put Anita in that car once?

Photo and clips below are from Martin Davidson's early days, circa 1962 following Martin's big accident at Paddock Hill Bend, Brands Hatch when he
went headlong into the barrier in his 850 Mini. You can just make out Gerry Marshall in the car 'looking' for his mate Martin who was on the back seat!!





Note: Martin Davidson/Harry Martin in one of the race report clips is 'Harry Davidson'...

[Pete]

I hope he does do an article with Mini World, I’ve just helped put one together for them about Harry Ratcliffe.

[mab01uk]

I hope he does do an article with Mini World, I’ve just helped put one together for them about Harry Ratcliffe.

Karen the Mini World editor is keen for an article on Martin Davidson's Mini racing days, so I am helping get together some of his photos and memories she can edit into hopefully an interesting account that MW will eventually publish. None of the drivers from that era are getting any younger so I feel we need to record their memories, stories and old photo collections wherever possible.
(I have a pdf copy of the 2-part MiniWorld article we did on Simon Ridge's Mini racing career if anyone missed it back in 2019 - pm me).

[Pete]

Davidson bought that car off Doc Shepherd, pictured here outside Gerry Marshall’s house!

[mab01uk]

Martin Davidson is leading Frank Williams in the A40 and Robs Lamplough in the other Mini.
(Mallory or Oulton Park circa 1962 or into the hairpin at Snetterton, the old layout used until '74)??


WER 113 on the front cover of Autosport, Feb 1965 on the front row at Brands Hatch.

[Pete]

After he crashed it im sure he cut it in half and welded the back end to the front end of another rear ended Mini.

[mab01uk]

After he crashed it im sure he cut it in half and welded the back end to the front end of another rear ended Mini.

Chris Tyrrell used to do the same with his Mini Sevens, he had a selection of old Minis and shells (including Mk1 Cooper S!) sat outside his workshop in Leatherhead, Surrey with various parts cut out. Once when I visited to pick up one of his superb cylinder heads he had machined for me, he had just finished welding a good front half/bulkhead from one of the scrap shells onto his Mini Seven which had been badly damaged in a race the previous weekend. The welded joints were half up the front windscreen pillars and across the toe board. Plywood patterns were used to jig the door apertures, after some grinding of the welds and a quick paint job he won his next race in the championship the following weekend!

[roger mcnab]

hi
it is amazing what can be done by an experenced welder a friend had a valiant charger that was cut and shut and the only original part of the car was the rear left quarter panel because the first shunt was front on next was drivers side rear which was repaired with a damaged rear half with damaged left rear which was cut from the damaged rear confusing well it all should have been scrap but chargers were big sellers at the time and it handled very well considering all the welding
cheers roger mcnab

[mab01uk]

A couple more photos from Martin Davidson's album of the ex-Gerry Marshall Newtune prepared and entered 970 Cooper S with downdraught carburation.

[Pete]

Great stuff Martin, thanks.

[Toby]

Not yet Dave but Nev gave me the tip off for the rear view mirror, which is an Eversure M353. There was an unchromed one sold on EBay recently! If anyone spots another I’d really appreciate a private message!

Late to the party, sorry about that Pete. Per chance yesterday I was discussing mirrors with Andrew, here is the one I have for my racer, The stem isn't the one that ought to go with it but the shape of the mirror itself is very close. This came from a production car but can't remember what it was.

[Pete]

Yeah I’ve got one just like it but still not found a chrome one.

I had a great chat with Robbie Gordon today who lives in Somerset. He bought the car off the Taylor’s in late 1964, he doesn’t recall Trevor’s being for sale but does remember seeing the ad in Autosport and travelled up to buy 110 NNM and drive it back to Cambridge. BUT it broke down after 20 miles! Seems to think he couldn’t get gears, possibly the remote had come adrift but can’t remember. What he can remember is that he got it trailered straight to Alexander Engineering who went through the car and rebuilt the engine. Robbie was a bit of a wheeler dealer, bought quite a few competition cars and sold them from Newtune’s forecourt. He didn’t plan to race 110 NNM particularly, though he did do a few club races and his wife Hillclimbed it at Prescott (which is all news to me, so more research needed now) but he did ask Newtune to run the car in the British Saloon Car Championship for his good Cambridge Uni pal David Wansborough for whom they also ran the ex Dick Prothero E Type ‘CUT 7’. So both cars were painted the same Newtune colours.

Their first race was at Goodwood in April 1965 where Robbie spent some time on track before the race running the engine in, abit too slowly for the other competitors so earned a telling off from several. David finished 6th in class in the race. I also spoke to David today who said that he had owned the Almond Green S that Don Moore ran occasionally for the likes of Rauno Aaltonen etc during 1965. He used it as a road car and it was stolen in 1966. David and Robbie concentrated more on racing the E Type and squeezed in races in 110 NNM when they could, he thinks maybe six races during 1965 including the Snetterton win with Gerry Marshall. Both also said how much more competitive Gerry’s 970 was due to the amount of development by Newtune.

Neither could remember anything too specific about 110 NNM, understandable after 56 years, but both Nick named the car “Supermin”. Robbie couldn’t remember who he sold it to but wasn’t surprised when I told him it was John Aley.

I’ve finally got LAT to do a search on most of the oodles of races 110 did in 64/65 (more to add now though) so I’m looking forward to seeing what they find!

[mk1]

Well done Pete!

You missed your role in life, you should have been a detective!

[Pete]

Well done Pete!

You missed your role in life, you should have been a detective!

There’s still loads to come on the early life of this car, and I’ve not started on the post ‘66 period yet! Just not enough time in the day! It’s been good to touch base with Wilson Douglas Spratt’s son, the Taylors of course, Robbie Gordon, David Wansborough, Gerry Marshall’s son and very briefly John Aley. Like the Unipower I’ve been amazed how much stuff is out there.

First race of the 1965 season for Wansborough at Brands Hatch, Ken Costello alongside and Boley Pittard in the Don Moore entry in front. New paint but same mirror, same seats, rebuilt engine of course. I’m not surprised Alexander had to rebuild it after the number of races it did the previous year!