FEATURE : PARTING SHOT
We remember …
Since the last issue of Historic Racing we have lost a number of people from the sport . We pay our respects to all of them and send our condolences to those they have left behind .
HSCC member Jon Miles was a true enthusiast who lost his brave battle with cancer at 58 , too young an age . He developed a great collection of classic cars and loved racing them and having them raced by others as his health deteriorated in recent times .
Jon was a great supporter of Tour Britannia and competed in a range of cars . Later he was best known for racing a Ford Mustang and the glorious ex-Alan Mann Racing Lotus Cortina Mk2 that adorns our front cover this time . His son Adrian also raced the cars and the hard-charging Dave Coyne was a regular in their Ford Mustang . John was still out and about at race meetings in the spring and remained as enthusiastic as ever about the sport .
The late Ray Allen earned his place in history by winning the first ever Formula Ford race in 1967 . Half a century later , he was more than happy to play a part in our 50th birthday celebrations for the category . Ray was a humble character who made a rapid transition from soldier to racing driver and went on to star , notably , in Formula 5000 . His tales and good humour were a great element of the 50th anniversary event at Brands Hatch in 2017 .
Max Mosley was , of course , very well known across the sport and was a leading light at the FIA as he helped guide the sport through some turbulent times . He was also one of the founding members of the March team , giving the M from his surname to help form the name of the fledging manufacturer in 1969 . Part of his legacy is a countless number of Marches in historic racing , while his contribution to road safety was considerable .
Though not usually an HSCC official , many marshals and organisers will have known and respected Dave Pierre , who died recently aged 76 . As a leading UK clerk of the course , Dave mixed professionalism and great good humour in equal part .
Vince Woodman and Martin Thomas have sadly both passed away in recent times and came from the same era of UK saloon car racing . Woodman was a Bristol-based Ford dealer who really
Vince Woodman racing in 1966
made his name in 3-litre Capris in the British Saloon Car Championship , while Thomas was both a racer and a preparer , notably in Chevrolet Camaros and Rovers under his SRG ( Saffron Road Garage ) brand .
From other branches of the sport we lost race and rally driver and MG expert John Sprinzel and pioneering motor sport film maker Barrie Hinchcliffe . We salute all of them for the part they played in our sport .
Jon Miles competing on Tour Britannia in his Porsche 356
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