I have stumbled upon a select group of men and women who are having entirely too much fun, and almost in secret. They are MG enthusiasts who have formed themselves into an eclectic club to enjoy themselves by indulging their classic cars in racing competitions.
Of course, I am utterly fascinated by Formula One racing. I am always awed by the presence of that much money, but I just can’t get my head around such an elite class, being as it is so far removed from my own reality. I drive a Volvo and have a mortgage, for goodness sake!
But the MG is another matter. It is a thing of my past, something that I grew up with in my midst. I never actually owned one myself, but a very good friend did and I have fond memories of cruising with the top down. On one such (rare) sunny day we drove out to a small airfield just north of London to where June had her Aeronca two-seater plane located. She had invited me to lunch at a French restaurant, but she didn’t tell me that it would be in Paris. But, I digress.
Of course, the Holland MG competitions take place mainly in Holland, but also in Belgium, Germany, and Luxembourg. England has the largest MG centres, and the greatest concentration of MG owners and members with thousands racing on the great circuits at Brands Hatch, Oulton Park, Mallory Park, and Silverstone, to name but a few. Included among the notables are Rown Atkinson, (Mr. Bean) who races his Aston Martin.
Races might include in the line-up any or all of the following: MGA, MGB, MGB GT, MGB GT V8, or the odd MGC. Most of the cars entered into competition were manufactured many years ago, some going back to the sixties, so, in every sense of the word these are classics that are lovingly restored and maintained. So the one thing you will likely not see much of is the NASCAR-type pile-ups that make for so much excitement. These will be gentlemen racers who want to win, but who try not to get too chummy on the track
Jan de Jonge is from Holland, and he competes in both Holland and England. Driver’s Seat caught up with Jan at his family’s home in Valencia to seek a first-hand view of this sport from a driver’s / owner’s viewpoint.
“ Racing of this type is non-professional, but is done by serious hobbyists. I have two cars, an MGA Coupe that I use for European competitions, and an MGB GTV8 that I use for racing in England.
“Speaking now about the competitions held in England, there are different classes as follows: A-class is standard; B-class are those roadsters that have been modified for racing; C-class are specifically designed for racing with V8, 3.9 litre controlled engines; and the class in which I race, D-class, that use Rover engines of a maximum 4.0 litres that are highly tuned. I have had my engine at 7,200 rpm producing 324 bhp.
“I have been racing since 1981 and I usually finish in the top three places. I have had my share of first-place finishes, but my pride and joy is having finished in the 1999 season, second overall. That involved a lot of hard work and a great deal of good luck to finish in that position after fourteen races. Weekends are taken up with practice on Saturdays and races on Sundays. A full race programme will consist of about nine races during the afternoon, usually by make of car, involving about 30-35 cars at the start of each race. So you get the MGs, the Porsches, the Ferraris, etc. in their individual team races. Very occasionally we get to race in a mixed card where all the different classes and marques compete, but this is just for fun.
“I consider Brands Hatch my home track, but it does involve moving by road my car with trailer from my home in Holland, which is just about my greatest recurring expense. Otherwise, the car is so well made that generally, maintenance is minimal and do-able between my colleague and myself.
Some quick FAQs:
- Top speed attained by Jan on the track in Holland was 260 km/h.
- C and D-class racers use slick-type (without grooves) tyres that need to be carefully assessed after four races. Where money is no object these would be changed at a cost of about 2,000 euros a set. However, with reasonably careful handling, these can be made to last the season. Jan uses eleven-inch surface tyres. Classes A and B are not allowed to use this type, instead they are restricted to commercially normal tyres.
- Attention to detail is important. Tyre inflation could be the difference between winning and second place. To do this even the temperature of the track must be measured. A hotter surface and you need to add air. A cooler track and you need to reduce air pressure. Getting it right is all down to skill and judgement.
- Safety standards are very high, and include a padded cockpit; a roll-cage; special six-point safety belt; and sophisticated fire control system to particularly protect the driver.
“I did crash once while racing at Croft, Scotland. At the time I was driving a C-class when a fellow driver and I got ourselves entangled and I went to the wall. That resulted in the write-off of the car, although much was salvageable, but that’s an experience I would not like to repeat, ever. As testimony to the safety of the car I walked away uninjured, but a little sore.
“Racing is an activity that demands your absolute concentration. There are so many things to be aware of all at once that your every nerve is engaged and your adrenaline is pumping at maximum level. With experience, and knowledge of your car much of what you are engaged in seems like second nature, but all it would take is a lapse of concentration for just a nano-second and things could go horribly wrong. Much like driving in Valencia, you might say.
“My sport, racing the MGB GTV8 is second to none, however, even professional commentators seem to believe that names like Ferrari and Porsche are ahead of us in prestige, when in many cases our cars are actually faster. We will just have to continue to do what we do best. In the meanwhile, we do have fun!
Driver’s Seat wishes Jan all the best in his endeavours!
Copyright (c) 2007 Eugene Carmichael
Of course, I am utterly fascinated by Formula One racing. I am always awed by the presence of that much money, but I just can’t get my head around such an elite class, being as it is so far removed from my own reality. I drive a Volvo and have a mortgage, for goodness sake!
But the MG is another matter. It is a thing of my past, something that I grew up with in my midst. I never actually owned one myself, but a very good friend did and I have fond memories of cruising with the top down. On one such (rare) sunny day we drove out to a small airfield just north of London to where June had her Aeronca two-seater plane located. She had invited me to lunch at a French restaurant, but she didn’t tell me that it would be in Paris. But, I digress.
Of course, the Holland MG competitions take place mainly in Holland, but also in Belgium, Germany, and Luxembourg. England has the largest MG centres, and the greatest concentration of MG owners and members with thousands racing on the great circuits at Brands Hatch, Oulton Park, Mallory Park, and Silverstone, to name but a few. Included among the notables are Rown Atkinson, (Mr. Bean) who races his Aston Martin.
Races might include in the line-up any or all of the following: MGA, MGB, MGB GT, MGB GT V8, or the odd MGC. Most of the cars entered into competition were manufactured many years ago, some going back to the sixties, so, in every sense of the word these are classics that are lovingly restored and maintained. So the one thing you will likely not see much of is the NASCAR-type pile-ups that make for so much excitement. These will be gentlemen racers who want to win, but who try not to get too chummy on the track
Jan de Jonge is from Holland, and he competes in both Holland and England. Driver’s Seat caught up with Jan at his family’s home in Valencia to seek a first-hand view of this sport from a driver’s / owner’s viewpoint.
“ Racing of this type is non-professional, but is done by serious hobbyists. I have two cars, an MGA Coupe that I use for European competitions, and an MGB GTV8 that I use for racing in England.
“Speaking now about the competitions held in England, there are different classes as follows: A-class is standard; B-class are those roadsters that have been modified for racing; C-class are specifically designed for racing with V8, 3.9 litre controlled engines; and the class in which I race, D-class, that use Rover engines of a maximum 4.0 litres that are highly tuned. I have had my engine at 7,200 rpm producing 324 bhp.
“I have been racing since 1981 and I usually finish in the top three places. I have had my share of first-place finishes, but my pride and joy is having finished in the 1999 season, second overall. That involved a lot of hard work and a great deal of good luck to finish in that position after fourteen races. Weekends are taken up with practice on Saturdays and races on Sundays. A full race programme will consist of about nine races during the afternoon, usually by make of car, involving about 30-35 cars at the start of each race. So you get the MGs, the Porsches, the Ferraris, etc. in their individual team races. Very occasionally we get to race in a mixed card where all the different classes and marques compete, but this is just for fun.
“I consider Brands Hatch my home track, but it does involve moving by road my car with trailer from my home in Holland, which is just about my greatest recurring expense. Otherwise, the car is so well made that generally, maintenance is minimal and do-able between my colleague and myself.
Some quick FAQs:
- Top speed attained by Jan on the track in Holland was 260 km/h.
- C and D-class racers use slick-type (without grooves) tyres that need to be carefully assessed after four races. Where money is no object these would be changed at a cost of about 2,000 euros a set. However, with reasonably careful handling, these can be made to last the season. Jan uses eleven-inch surface tyres. Classes A and B are not allowed to use this type, instead they are restricted to commercially normal tyres.
- Attention to detail is important. Tyre inflation could be the difference between winning and second place. To do this even the temperature of the track must be measured. A hotter surface and you need to add air. A cooler track and you need to reduce air pressure. Getting it right is all down to skill and judgement.
- Safety standards are very high, and include a padded cockpit; a roll-cage; special six-point safety belt; and sophisticated fire control system to particularly protect the driver.
“I did crash once while racing at Croft, Scotland. At the time I was driving a C-class when a fellow driver and I got ourselves entangled and I went to the wall. That resulted in the write-off of the car, although much was salvageable, but that’s an experience I would not like to repeat, ever. As testimony to the safety of the car I walked away uninjured, but a little sore.
“Racing is an activity that demands your absolute concentration. There are so many things to be aware of all at once that your every nerve is engaged and your adrenaline is pumping at maximum level. With experience, and knowledge of your car much of what you are engaged in seems like second nature, but all it would take is a lapse of concentration for just a nano-second and things could go horribly wrong. Much like driving in Valencia, you might say.
“My sport, racing the MGB GTV8 is second to none, however, even professional commentators seem to believe that names like Ferrari and Porsche are ahead of us in prestige, when in many cases our cars are actually faster. We will just have to continue to do what we do best. In the meanwhile, we do have fun!
Driver’s Seat wishes Jan all the best in his endeavours!
Copyright (c) 2007 Eugene Carmichael
1 comment:
I can confirm, that MG Competitions Holland mainly focusses on BeNeLux and Germany, or best said the Nurburgring GP circuit. Under circumstances MG Competitors visiting mainland Europe are missing out on a lot of breathtaking opportunities.
Alternatively, they could be using the services of MG Competitions Europe (www.mg-competitions.eu), which is now filling up the gap by taking MG Competitors to the most legendary circuits you could wish for, such as Le Mans, Clermont Ferrand (Charade), Dijon Prenois, Nordschleife, Monza and others.
Enjoy your racing,
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