Saturday 10th March 1973 - Wimbledon
from London Diary by Youth on the Terrace, Spedeweek no 4
In the Midget racing the three heats were won by John Hawkins,
Malcolm Brockhurst and Mick Bonner. Keith Fransella gained
a second, a third and a fourth on his first meeting at Wimbledon
in a Midget. Frank Boyles had two second places whilst Rod
Tanswell had a fourth place and a broken valve spring! With
the silencers fitted the Midgets still made about. the same
amount of noise as they as they always have done. This means
that they now make nearly as much noise as the Hot Rods which
should help them since the quietness of them has been their
biggest drawback as far as the crowds are concerned.
The Informer, Spedeweek no 4
With two Midget meetings now behind us I think it's time
perhaps for a quick look at the drivers who are doing well
on the points chart to date. Frank Boyles still leads the
points chart closely followed by Mick Bonner who has been
going extremely well of late and looks like being an early
challenger for top of the points when the first gradings come
out. Biggest surprise of all in my opinion is ex-Superstox
star Keith Fransella who is running- according to my calculations
in third place, well done Keith, keep up the good work. Rod
Tanswell has had some awful luck so far this season what with
hitting the fence at Aldershot first meeting and only one
race at Wimbledon when he had to retire with a broken valve
spring. To cap it all testing- Bob Elson's car at Aldershot
last week he hit the fence again when the throttle jammed.
I am pleased to say Rod escaped with only bruising and a good
shake up.
However Rod is fourth at the moment followed by Malcolm Brockhurst
who has made great strides in his new Dastle Mk7. You will
remember that Malcolm was a star man in Midgets the year before
last. Another surprise is that John Hawkins has come up to
sixth place in his ex-Bill Boarer car. Make no mistake about
it John has always been a 100% trier but in my opinion has
never really had the right car. One other point Bill Boarer
and Roland Parker are going places this year both have yet
only one meeting to their credit but they are in seventh and
eighth place.
On the 5th April we have the Southern Championship for Midgets
at Aldershot. This event is an open meeting with the MARC
having been invited to race. Whatever you do don't miss this
fantastic evening of Midget racing. All the stars of both
sides will be there, all wanting the trophy. Rod Tanswell
the current holder of the title will have his work cut out
and to retain it.
However, whoever wins the title this year will have had to
work hard what with all the new machinery this year. One other
thing while talking about this particular meeting. I am told
that we will have a couple, if not more, V8 Midgets racing.
These cars are basically the same as the normal Midgets but
powered by a much larger V8 engine, be interesting to see
how they go.
Congratulations to Shirley and Neil Thomas on the birth of
their second child, a daughter. It just goes to show that
these lads do manage to find time for other matters.
The Anglian Speed Scene by Harry Barnes from Spedeweek
no 4
Two East Anglian Midget drivers will be setting off for
Holland and Germany to race at Easter meetings at Tilburg
and Kaldenkirchen. Barry Martin and Mick Bonner are the two
men concerned, and they will have a preview of the raceways
where two big, Championships are being decided in June. They
will be accompanied by Superstox men Mike Read and Skid Parrish.
We wish them well.
The most popular Midget racing ever seen at this stadium
(Ipswich) probably came from two meetings. One of these was
the Spede Prix 500 race which bought the Superstox, Hot Rods
and Midgets to the track over one hundred laps. This must
have been a king size nightmare to the Midget boys, for with
torrential rain falling almost through the race, it is a wonder
that any of them survived to tell the tale. The other popular
outing as far as the spectators were concerned was the day
when some forty-six Midgets were included in one race. Believe
it or not, although it seemed more than usually hairy, there
was proportionately less damage during this affair than we
have seen in many races with fields only half the size. Let's
hope that today we will strike a happy medium, with enough
cars to provide good racing.
