Safety Fast September 2019

WELCOME TO THE MGB REGISTER NEWSLETTER 

PUBLISHED IN THE September 2019 SAFETY FAST

Further to my missive last month about the nearside quarterlight bracket breaking, I have had a devil of a time finding a replacement as, apparently, they have not been seen since 2014. I spent a while trawling through various companies in search of this part and, eventually found a used one with Andy Jennings (01489 790611) in Southampton. However, serviceable as this one is, I continued looking. Mike Rolls in Dorset put me onto the prize. EB Engineering in Malvern, Worcestershire (01684 577564) supply fully renovated quarterlights, windscreens and SU Carburettors. Eddie Biddle has sent two of the brackets direct to Tim Kelly so this fiddly repair can be done.
“ Boys Day Out” at Shelsley Walsh
The Classic Nostalgia event was held over a June weekend with the Register organised meet on the Saturday. The Register has previously visited Shelsley for MGB 50 in 2012 when we drove the hill and for MGB GT 50 in 2015. For those who have not visited Shelsley, obviously it is set on a hill surrounded by stunning countryside and first opened in 1905.
I was joined on the day by fellow committee members Andrew, who had organised things, and Chris together with his son James. As we all live a good drive from Shelsley we stopped in a local hotel on the Friday night, and got there early to set up the Register parking. The day started dry with blue sky but there was the threat of heavy rain.
First job on arrival, park the Bs then put up the Register Banners and plan the parking. Second job, and possibly the most important of the day, breakfast. In fact, full English in the excellent restaurant.
What immediately hits you is how relaxed everything is, but there is a great atmosphere and a very British feel to things. It feels like nothing has changed there for years. All the competitors are very friendly and most are happy to talk about their cars, so you don’t get the feeling you are intruding. The smell of the place is wonderful with the racing fuels and the smell of the cars. You can walk around the paddock getting right up to the cars and stand right with the cars as they form up to drive the hill.
The format of the day is practice runs in the morning with two competition runs in the afternoon after the lunch break – all very civilised. Being the Classic Nostalgia Event the range of cars was fantastic, from Austin 7s to Formula 2 cars with everything imaginable in between, including a nice mix of MG types.
Once the action starts things move quickly with a car driving the hill about every 90 seconds, so there is little time to get bored. There is excellent viewing for the majority of the hill with a footpath following the line of the track with seating areas along its length. The seating areas are great for viewing and resting the legs whilst
enjoying the mandatory afternoon Ice Cream!
The track is 1,000 yards and the hill record is 22.58 seconds. The times we saw were in the 30 to 40 seconds range but still very enjoyable to watch. It’s amazing how quick the times are when you consider how narrow the hill is and the tightness of some bends.
So, if you want a great day out and enjoy competitive non-commercial motorsport with a great relaxed atmosphere then Shelsley is well worth a visit, and with the discounted Register ticket price great value.
Thanks, Andrew, for organising a great day.
Neil Hyett

DAVID BROADHURST
newsletter-editor@mgb-register.org