Big Sam returns to the track!

Rob Gaskin

Rob Gaskin

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Micky Collins of JD Classics (Maldon Essex) has contacted me recently with news about Big Sam.

JD Classics now have the car and have been ‘fettling’ it and returning it to it’s appearance as raced in the ‘Blue Circle’ championship back in ’74.

At the end of this month it will be raced again by Derek Hood & Wil Arif at the Donington Historic Festival.


http://www.doningtonhistoric.com/

http://www.classicdriver.com/uk/magazine/3200.asp?id=11205

http://www.wilarif.co.uk/

This is Micky’s email to me/us:

Hi Rob, we spoke briefly last week about ‘BIG SAM’.

Well SAM is coming on fine & we are getting him ready for his first outing of the year which will be the Donington Park Festival the weekend 29th April/1st May.

Now we here at JD’s have Breakfast at JD’s which are open mornings on a Sunday which start at 8.30 & finish around mid-day, there are caterers on-site hence the ‘Breakfast’ part, all our showrooms, the workshop, racing shop, engine shop & bodyshop are open to view & there is a good number of us in as well. Also we have time from time Guest Speakers come along & on Sunday 22nd May subject to confirmation you should find ‘Winston Percy’ here, do you know of him !!!.

As for the article on Sam as I now understand that this is all on line if there is anybody within Z Club that would like to visit & see/photograph Sam being readied for competition & see it thro’ racing at Donington Park (Our founder Derek Hood is driving there ) then see Win at the open morning that might make quite a good article.
Please let me know your comments on the above.

Kind regards, Micky Collins.


I’m very keen on seeing Big Sam at Donington and will do my best to be there (although my wife is trying to fit a holiday into the Easter Break). I’m also keen to be at JD’s when Win Percy is there but with Mallory the day before and off to Spa the following Thursday that might be too much!
Donington, I see that Clubs are invited to the Donington Festival – I’ll contact them and find out about the situation in case we decide to go along.
This is all very interesting, updates to follow!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Update:

Big Sam is in the JD Classics Challenge which is listed as for Gp A Touring Cars :unsure:

Clubs are invited for a weekend pass at £30 for 2 (i.e. 2 for the price of 1).

However Big Sam is only in action on the one day - Sunday. Qualifying is at 9.40 on the Sunday and the race is 5.15 (last race).

I'll try to find out more about entries for the 'Challenge' etc.



Email from Donington:

Hi Rob

Thanks for getting in touch. We are running a special club offer for
those that register with us to attend the festival. All you have to do
is complete the attached form (it's free to register) and we'll
provide discounted entry tickets (two £30 weekend tickets for the
price of one) to your members when they book in advance and quote the
special code given in the attached Word document (please note, that
code will be live on our systems in 24 hours time). I have also
attached our web banner (to link to http://www.doningtonhistoric.com) in case
you can use it for your website or to send in an e-newsletter.

Any club members that book will also be sent car passes giving entry
to the clubs parking area in the infield - and if you want us to mark
out an area of the car park and dedicate it to your club we'd be
delighted to do so. Clubs that know they're going to have 10+ cars
there have already asked for this, and with others we're keeping an
eye on the ticket bookings, so they can confirm in the week before the
event if they want a dedicated area or not. Some clubs are bringing
gazebos, selling merchandise etc - we're happy for them to have as big
or small a display as they like.

We do ask that club members parking in the car clubs' area arrive in a
suitable car!

With best wishes

Karen
 
Rob, do you think Sam will be on show on the Saturday?

I can't make Sunday the 1st, prior arrangements, so won't get to see the race but would like to see the car in the flesh.
 
If it's allowed ,can a member video the car on the track and stick a link on here for the people who can't get there?
 
Folks, I can't make Donington next weekend I'm in Madeira. Will anybody from here be attending?

Is so please share pics, vid clips. :bow:

The race is the very last of the weekend, 'JD Classics Challenge'.

Entry:

Race 12 JD Classics Challenge​
2 Alex Buncombe/Gary Pearson Jaguar TWR XJS
3 Alex Elliott BMW 3.0 CSL
4 Martin Overington Rover SD1
5 Allen Tice/Chris Conoley BMW 3.0 CSL
8 Richard Meins BMW CSL
16 Derek Hood/Wil Arif Datsun 240Z
18 Chris Clarkson BMW 2002
21 Ian Giles Rover P6B
41 Tom Pochciol Ford Capri
42 Paul Pochciol/Mike Wrigley Ford Capri
68 Mark Wright Ford RS 1800
93 John Young/Andrew Smith BMW 3.0 CSL​
 
I went, had a good look around Big Sam, chatted to the guy from JD Classics who built the engine for it and spoke briefly to Micky Collins who confirmed that Win is attending the "Breakfast at JD's" on May 22nd.

The car looked and sounded great out on track too.
 
zbloke said:
......chatted to the guy from JD Classics who built the engine for it.......
Click to expand...

Tim Riley is working for JD Classics, then?

I'll eat my hairpiece if the guy from JD Classics has had much more than a bit of a fiddle with it......
 
Albrecht said:
Tim Riley is working for JD Classics, then?

I'll eat my hairpiece if the guy from JD Classics has had much more than a bit of a fiddle with it......
Click to expand...

I can only report what I was told.......JD Classics have rebuilt the engine and the guy I was chatting to said he had done it......

How long have you worn a hairpiece Count?
 
Albrecht said:
Tim Riley is working for JD Classics, then?

I'll eat my hairpiece if the guy from JD Classics has had much more than a bit of a fiddle with it......
Click to expand...

Are you having your hairpiece fried or grilled then????

Just to confirm.the facts.

JD Classics engine builder has built an entire new engine for Big Sam.
The new engine was partially supplied in kit form to them.
JD Classics did the build "in house" themselves.
:cool:
 
Golly. 'Albrecht Is Wrong' shock. It's a collector's item...... :p

Is this new engine part of the process of "....returning it to it’s appearance as raced in the ‘Blue Circle’ championship back in ’74." ( the well known Group A Touring Car series )...?




It'll be Toupee Tempura by the way. Turning a slight embarrassment into a delicious feast :)
 
Don't know what was wrong with the engine that was in it when they bought it.

Not big enough, I should imagine...... ?
 
Big Sam was in action today as promised in a somewhat depleted JD Classics Challenge race, coming fourth overall. First stint was done by Wil Arif who qualified the car mid field in the morning with a 1minute 24 second lap. Not too bad considering that this weekend was the first time the car had been used on track after the extensive refurbishment. Derek Hood also drove the latter part of qualifying, but was off pace and found the car tiring to drive. The second race stint was covered by Alex Buncombe who was freed from his drive in the TWR Jaguar XJS due a non-repairable failure. Alex quickly got to grips with the car and posted a 1 minute 23 and had the car briefly up to third place.
Towards the end of the 45 minute race we saw the spoiler hitting the ground under braking for the new chicane - quickly diagnosed as a punctured NSF tyre, Alex dived into the pits where the JD Classics team fitted a fresh, but unmatched tyre. This obviously suited the car better than what it had just trashed and in the last couple of laps he set a best of the weekend time of 1 minute 19.887 (88.30 mph). This was also the second best lap time of the race, only bettered by race winner Mark Wright in a Ford RS1800.
Big Sam still came home fourth due to the fast response of the JD Classics Team. However, viewing the mis-match of wheels on the car at the end of the race, one can only assume that there is plenty more to come from future developments.
I can confirm that the engine is fresh and MJP (Eastern Auto) is proud to have supplied many parts for both the engine and the rest of the rebuild.

More Nissan action in Group C with a stunning drive from Katsu Kubota in his RC90 from the back of the field after a first lap off at Redgate. He finished third and set several fastest laps, seeing off two of the three Silk Cut Jaguars. Best race lap in the 1 minute 01 second bracket. The winning Mercedes C11 (?) set a sub one minute lapp in qualifying!

I'd post you some pictures but my ability to post attachment seems to have gone AWOL...
 
pmac said:
Just to confirm.the facts.

The new engine was partially supplied in kit form to them.
Click to expand...

Mr.F said:
I can confirm that the engine is fresh and MJP (Eastern Auto) is proud to have supplied many parts for both the engine and the rest of the rebuild.
Click to expand...


Anybody got any more facts?

I'm interested to know more about the spec of the engine ( particularly block casting type, crank type, cyl head casting type and swept volume ), and whether they are using the transmission and diff that came with the car when they purchased it.

Pretty please?
 
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