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Post by baldeagle1932 on Aug 4, 2013 10:27:35 GMT 1
From what I understand there is only one non-British driver starting in this year's GP Midget Car World Championship at Hednesford on Monday, August 26. He is Richie Scheepens of Holland. On that basis, I do tend to wonder at the credibility of the championship - are there not more non-British drivers? And if there are not, is it credible for the formula to stage a world championship? There have been 36 world championships since Mick Bonner (England) won the first one in 1977. How many of them since then have been made up of British-driver only fields and when was the last time the world championship was contest outside the UK?
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Post by ovaltrack on Aug 6, 2013 14:18:44 GMT 1
I tend to agree on the validity of titles but it's a well known oval racing trait (more's the pity). I don't suppose that we'd have any overseas visitors if the fixture was not given a date and all the time there are cars over in Europe then I am happy to think there might be a chance that we can again welcome a number of Dutch and German visitors. Of course that would only equate to a European Championship... Actually the problem goes to other titles as well. Spedeworth ran the British for the first time in 1968 - mainly I would guess as something that would look good to a casual passer by on a poster? It had much more relevance when the MARC were invited along as well although they tended to come to the National rather than the British! There never have been any set criteria.
Several years ago when I made the point about a lack of overseas competitors, one of the drivers said to me that the promoters like to stage the "World Championship" but I cannot see that it adds value - if an advertising poster pulled in extra spectators then they would feel a little cheated at what they ultimately saw.
For my part I like to celebrate the fact that the current formula has been going since 1967 and that I have followed it since 1972 and been actively involved since 1994.
The drivers themselves, even the new ones, appreciate the history of what they are racing for. The Graham Hill Trophy is a particular one that has a resonance - a trophy donated by Graham's widow Bette and initially presented by her and Damon at Bovingdon in the late 70s. It was a trophy that Graham had won in an F2 race abroad.
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Post by administrator on Aug 7, 2013 9:17:16 GMT 1
An important factor in regard to the world championship is the cost of getting drivers from further afield to take part. In the early 1980s on my own initiative I asked a West Australian driver whose name I will not reveal if he would fly over for the championship. The proposed deal fell though because he wanted return air fares, £750 to take part, a car and mechanic, hotel for three days and the use of a car during his stay. That was also obviously out so far as the GP Midget Club financing the venture was concerned, while to have asked the meeting promoter would have been out of the question. Another try a couple of years later involved an American TQ midget car driver - a woman who had an exceptionally good run of form in Australia in the 1980s - if she would drive in the championship. She was but wanted a similar deal to that asked by the Australian, with her guarantee £1,000. Of course I advised the GP Midget Club of both the initiatives I had taken but there was no way they could consider either of them.
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Post by ovaltrack on Aug 14, 2013 9:59:35 GMT 1
Just case anyone is planning to go to Hednesford specifically to watch the Midgets on Bank Holiday Monday... Please don't. They've brought the meeting forward one day to Sunday 25th. Not sure how this affects our Dutch entrant who has presumably booked ferries, etc but I have to say I think that's a poor move by the "promoter".
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Post by tobyhalter on Aug 14, 2013 13:52:02 GMT 1
It will be interesting to see/hear how Holland's Richie Scheepens reacts to this news. As one could say (delete part of footballs) - "What a footballs up!"
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Post by jaykay on Aug 14, 2013 16:44:25 GMT 1
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Post by ovaltrack on Aug 14, 2013 19:04:06 GMT 1
According to the GP Midget group on Facebook Richie Scheepens is still coming over which is great news. Quite how they can change a date with just over a week to go is beyond me. My own Bank Holiday weekend was mapped out a good while back. I've been messed around by short oval people quite a good deal this year and consequently walked away from some of the things I was working on.
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Post by dirtracer on Aug 23, 2013 9:25:28 GMT 1
This Link on the GP Midget Car Club website gives the latest details in regard to this Sunday's (August 25) World championship. Richie Steepens (Holland) is the only non-British driver in the race. Go to - www.gpmidgets.co.uk/
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Post by onthethirdturn on Aug 25, 2013 17:01:01 GMT 1
This Link on the GP Midget Car Club website gives the latest details in regard to this Sunday's (August 25) World championship. Richie Steepens (Holland) is the only non-British driver in the race. Go to - www.gpmidgets.co.uk/ When will the Grand Prix midget world championship result be known? Will it be up on Spedeworth's website that details Hednesford meetings?
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Post by jaykay on Aug 26, 2013 13:11:45 GMT 1
This Link on the GP Midget Car Club website gives the latest details in regard to this Sunday's (August 25) World championship. Richie Steepens (Holland) is the only non-British driver in the race. Go to - www.gpmidgets.co.uk/ When will the Grand Prix midget world championship result be known? Will it be up on Spedeworth's website that details Hednesford meetings?
I cannot find anything on the Incarace website for the world championship yesterday afternoon at Hednesford. I assume that it did take place?
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Post by tobyhalter on Aug 26, 2013 15:53:26 GMT 1
Still no World Championship results to be found anywhere. Perhaps a more important event has taken place?
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Post by jaykay on Aug 27, 2013 9:12:46 GMT 1
Still no World Championship results to be found anywhere. Perhaps a more important event has taken place?
I don't know about 'more important event.' Nearly two days after the formula's main event of the season and nothing seems to have been released in regard to Grand Prix Midget Car's world championship one must wonder if it did in fact take place?
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Post by administrator on Aug 27, 2013 19:20:47 GMT 1
Still no World Championship results to be found anywhere. Perhaps a more important event has taken place?
I don't know about 'more important event.' Nearly two days after the formula's main event of the season and nothing seems to have been released in regard to Grand Prix Midget Car's world championship one must wonder if it did in fact take place? We seem to be getting there - at least we have the car numbers. Now we just need the names. All thanks to the sponsors superslicks. Forwarded message::: ::::: From: "sales@superslicks.co.uk" <sales@superslicks.co.uk> To: John Hyam <speedstox12@yahoo.com> Sent: Tuesday, 27 August 2013, 16:40 Subject: Re: GP Midget Car World Championship
Hi yes results are:
GP Midget Car World Championship, Hednesford Hills Raceway, Sunday, August 25, 2013
WF 31. 33. 10. 32. 59. 46. 23. 83
Heat1. 32. 31. 8. 33. 83. 59. 23. 16. Heat2. 32. 10. 31. 8. 59. 77. 5. 83.
What we need now is names to the car numbers please.
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Post by jaykay on Aug 27, 2013 19:53:51 GMT 1
Here's some driver numbers 31 Jonathan POOLEY 33 Gordon POOLEY 32 Daniel POOLEY It looks like the meeting according to these numbers was dominated by the Pooley clan?
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Post by dirtracer on Aug 28, 2013 7:52:42 GMT 1
So at last we know Jonathan Pooley is the new GP world champion. Gordon Pooley was runner-up and Daniel Pooley just outside the rostrum in fourth place. The driver who spoilt a Pooley 1, 2, 3 in third place was David Bonser. I think we have had enough chat about this championship now. The organisers don't seem to want the event publicised so let's find more interesting topics to debate.
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