73 RAC Rally - 240Zs

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
I have a couple of pics that nobody will have seen before. They were taken by my mate and have been converted from slides, quality is poor but worth a look. I'm sure Alan and Guus will find these interesting.

First one, the late Harry Källström and Claes Billstam

Where the hell is he going to end up?

Second car Kevin Videan/Peter Valentine?

DATSUN240Z.jpg


DATSON240Z2.jpg
 
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camerashy

Well-Known Forum User
Nice! Are they using that square post as a pivot point, or is they just epic captures of some opposite lock 'in progress' pictures, heh.
 

rallymanDP

Well-Known Forum User
Looks like a classic call of "90 Right through Gates" on the Maps, which both of them are making a complete mess of !

Any idea which Stage, Rob - looks a bit like a Stately Home somewhere.
 

Legendary5

Well-Known Forum User
Nice pics Rob, it looks Harry is hard on the brakes, not clear what to do. The "KEU" could be indeed of Kevin Videan/Peter Valentine. They finisht 21st.
 

Legendary5

Well-Known Forum User
I don’t think the speed is that ‘high’ at this point if what to go through the port. But anything can happen..always.
 

Cooperman

Forum User
The 2nd picture is indeed Kevin Videan, but co-driven by Peter Rushforth as it's 1973.
The 1st picture is TKS33SU4079 which Kevin and I used in 1974 and 1975 on the Welsh, RAC and many, many other events. In 1975 it was UK registered as LPE66P and, as far as I know, it still has that number.
 

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
The 2nd picture is indeed Kevin Videan, but co-driven by Peter Rushforth as it's 1973.
The 1st picture is TKS33SU4079 which Kevin and I used in 1974 and 1975 on the Welsh, RAC and many, many other events. In 1975 it was UK registered as LPE66P and, as far as I know, it still has that number.

Hello Peter, so you did rallies in that car in 73 then? I've just been looking at my copy of Memory Lanes (70 - 73) Motoring News Road Rally Championship. Have you seen that book - it brings back many fine memories of those wonderful rallies as the title suggests?

I notice Kevin finished 3rd on the Plains Rally in '73 in that car with Peter Valentine. The results on page 317 show the reg as KEV 824K not KEU. I navigated in a 998 Imp on that rally and finished 35th but again a typo shows me as P Gaskin not R Gaskin.

I remember your name for some reason - did you ever rally in an MGB?
 

Cooperman

Forum User
TKS33SU4079 was re-registered LPE66P in 1975 after I was arrested by HM Customs & Excise when taking the car to Datsun in Belgium to exchange it for another car. It turned out that the car had been in the UK for longer than permitted and Datsun/Old Woking were fined and had to pay the duty to get the car released, after which it had to have UK plates.The customs guys at Dover cut up the Jap plates before releasing the car!
I must say that I was a bit concerned at the time, although after 36 years it all seems quite amusing now!
 

260ZG

Club Member
I have the mag Rob and it does indeed cover TKS33SU 4079/LPE 66P as well as TKS33, SA 696 SA 4150 & SA 4151

IIRC it is quite a substantial article running to 16 pages with 20 colour and 3 B & W pictures.
 

Legendary5

Well-Known Forum User
Hello Peter, so you did rallies in that car in 73 then? I've just been looking at my copy of Memory Lanes (70 - 73) Motoring News Road Rally Championship. Have you seen that book - it brings back many fine memories of those wonderful rallies as the title suggests??

Rob, Pete has his own written stories somewhere on the 3rd page..

Don't have access to the link..:unsure: are there more copies for sale?
 

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
Rob, Pete has his own written stories somewhere on the 3rd page..

Don't have access to the link..:unsure: are there more copies for sale?

Guus I have sent you a PM.

Peter, sorry I was having a 'senior moment' and got confused. :eek:

I thought you were Peter Rushforth correcting my caption for the original Sutton Park photo. I wish people would use their 'real' names on Forums. Of course I remember your exploits at that time and have read your 'Introduction' in Memory Lanes - happy days!
 

Legendary5

Well-Known Forum User
Hello Pete,

Al these rallies, described in the book, during the ’73 Motoring news Championship did Kevin do this the same car the “KEU”.?

Nutcracker Rally Motoring July News Champ. Car #18 place 6th overall

Stocktonian Rally Motoring News Champ Sept 1 5th overall

Cilwendeg Rally Motoring News Champ. Sept 25 car #8 place 4th overall

Rally of the Vales Motoring News Champ Sept 29 1st overall

Guus
 

Cooperman

Forum User
Hello Peter, so you did rallies in that car in 73 then? I've just been looking at my copy of Memory Lanes (70 - 73) Motoring News Road Rally Championship. Have you seen that book - it brings back many fine memories of those wonderful rallies as the title suggests?

I notice Kevin finished 3rd on the Plains Rally in '73 in that car with Peter Valentine. The results on page 317 show the reg as KEV 824K not KEU. I navigated in a 998 Imp on that rally and finished 35th but again a typo shows me as P Gaskin not R Gaskin.

I remember your name for some reason - did you ever rally in an MGB?


Yes, I have 'Memory Lanes' - in fact I wrote the Introduction.
Ah, those were the days. The 240Z in the forests and in the Welsh, and other areas, lanes with Mr. Videan.
There were some strange things that went on with registration numbers/cars and all is not what it may appear. it was not unusual for a RH drive car to be a LH drive one and a completely different colour without going into either the workshop or the paint shop!
 

Cooperman

Forum User
Hello Pete,

Al these rallies, described in the book, during the ’73 Motoring news Championship did Kevin do this the same car the “KEU”.?

Nutcracker Rally Motoring July News Champ. Car #18 place 6th overall

Stocktonian Rally Motoring News Champ Sept 1 5th overall

Cilwendeg Rally Motoring News Champ. Sept 25 car #8 place 4th overall

Rally of the Vales Motoring News Champ Sept 29 1st overall

Guus

What happened was that we had a huge 'shunt' on the Gremlin when the Trelleborg tyres melted when braking for a T-junction on the Eppynt army ranges and we went head on into a big bank, destroying the bodyshell.
Back at old Woking there was a 'works' car and the UK registration was transferred to that for the next event. So thereafter KEU824K was on a 'works' car and the works car was technically broken up.
KEU 824K was originally RH drive, but had full works parts before we crashed it. After that it was LH drive. Check the photos.
There was a lot of 'plate swapping' in those days and not only on 'Big Z's'. The 'works' Minis were similarly treated in the 60's as were Fords back then.
That's why I'm always sceptical when someone tells me that he "has a genuine 'works' car" of any make or type.
Of course, no-one back then gave a thought to how motoring history would want to catalogue and get the actual history of each and every rally car and how perceived values would be affected by this history. If we had known we might have kept better records at the time.

Peter
 

STEVE BURNS

Club Member
What happened was that we had a huge 'shunt' on the Gremlin when the Trelleborg tyres melted when braking for a T-junction on the Eppynt army ranges and we went head on into a big bank, destroying the bodyshell.
Back at old Woking there was a 'works' car and the UK registration was transferred to that for the next event. So thereafter KEU824K was on a 'works' car and the works car was technically broken up.
KEU 824K was originally RH drive, but had full works parts before we crashed it. After that it was LH drive. Check the photos.
There was a lot of 'plate swapping' in those days and not only on 'Big Z's'. The 'works' Minis were similarly treated in the 60's as were Fords back then.
That's why I'm always sceptical when someone tells me that he "has a genuine 'works' car" of any make or type.
Of course, no-one back then gave a thought to how motoring history would want to catalogue and get the actual history of each and every rally car and how perceived values would be affected by this history. If we had known we might have kept better records at the time.

Peter

Hi Peter
Nice insight in to things that happened reminds of when I was talking to John Morton in the States and asked him if they broke any rules when they were winning over there and he replied
"Of course not Steve they never managed to catch us out"

Also just read that article that you did for the club magazine many years back
 

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
Peter, I'm trying to obtain a copy of the full results for the 73 Cilwendeg. I only did one Cilwendeg but I'm sure it was 73. I remember even now that it was a very wet and windy night! Do you have a copy, I'm happy to pay expenses, Teifi Valley MC don't seem to be able to help.

By 'full' I mean those showing time lost at each control. I was navigating for a mate of mine in an Avenger GT and we were having a good run until the throttle pedal linkage (broken weld) forcing us to retire. Avengers used to have a problem with bulkheads splitting where the throttle cable 'butted up' but this was the actual metal linkage that broke. We ended up getting home (150 miles) with some fishing line from the carbs around the wing mirror and in through my window :eek:

He was a talented driver and I know we were well up (6th O/A?) when it happened. Like Datsun I didn't keep any records (I was only 21 at the time). This photo was taken on the event: A Evans/R Gaskin 1500 (4 door) Avenger GT. (with Tiger mods).
 

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