Phelps throws the car at Paddock
Hill Bend re-shelled in 2009 because with the other shell every time he hit a kerb it split somewhere and needed welding it up . But Neil has been racing his current car since 1989 .
“ In my first race Snetterton in October 1989 the front row consisted of George Polley , Gerry Marshall in the blue Anglia owned by Steve Warrior and Bob Sherring in his Galaxie . I had a slipping clutch and was on the back row for my very first race but within two laps I think I was running 10th until the propshaft snapped just behind me and that could have been very , very painful .”
“ We did half the 1990 season up against Rod Birley who is a fair driver and he was beating me . But we were getting closer and then I ran out of money as the recession started . A few years later we started a family .”
When not racing , Neil even tried his hand at rallying in an unlikely Daihatsu Avanzato . “ I did a bit of rallying when the garage we were working at started a Daihatsu franchise and did three years in the Avanzato . They did fall over but we had a lot of fun with it . We got the Anglia back out in 2000 . We did good seasons in 2008 and in 2009 but we decided that we needed a bit more grunt because Dan Cox was beating us in his Cortina . I think finally now we ’ ve got the car we want .
“ I like being the underdog . I saw the crowd at Oulton Park and how they were willing me on to catch that Mustang and get by him . There was no one more disappointed than me when that chequered flag came out . but then again , it became relief that I ’ d finished the race after the season we ’ d had . It ’ s got a 1600cc pre-crossflow engine and doesn ’ t give you a lot of power compared to the Mustang !”
While Wood has been racing for more than 30 years , Harry Phelps had his first race at Silverstone in May and then did most of the remaining races in his Anglia , quickly grabbing attention for his tail-out racing style . “ I did a bit of karting when I was a lot younger ,” said Harry of his spectacular approach .
“ My dad Mark built Bob Bullen ’ s Anglia back in the day . So I ’ ve been involved with that since I was born . It ’ s all to do with Bob ’ s racing and my dad still looks after Bob ’ s Lotus Cortina . Bob had the Anglia that I ’ m now racing as a road car . I bought it from Bob when I was 17 and then my dad stripped it and we rebuilt it as a road car . Then last year , I decided I wanted to race it so we had to rebuild it again .”
“ It ’ s now got a 1600cc downdraught pre-crossflow Ford engine . My dad ’ s done most of the work on it and I ’ ve done all the engine work . I ’ m a machinist and fabricator at Swiftune Engineering , so it would probably have been easier to build a Mini .”
“ It ’ s been going well and I ’ m told my style is spectacular . In some places I probably need to calm down a bit and I ’ ve got quite a bit of work to do on consistency . It ’ s exciting to watch and
Neil chases Mike Gardiner at Mallory Park
I enjoy driving so I ’ m pushing . I was a bit more careful at Oulton Park during the Gold Cup because it ’ s a bit more of a technical circuit and a bit unforgiving . Every circuit I go to I ’ m having to learn .”
“ The races at Oulton Park were only my fourth and fifth ever races and I finished seventh and eighth overall and second in class to Neil Wood ’ s Anglia . I really love it . We run the car alongside Bob ’ s Cortina so dad ’ s even busier on the pit wall now . Obviously he looks after Bob ’ s car first and I ’ ll sort my own car out unless there is a big issue . I got rid of my novice cross at the Silverstone Finals and next year the plan is to do a full season .”
Neil takes on a Mustang
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