The 500 Owners Association Circuit Championship Trophies are awarded for the overall winner, the best performance by a pre-1952 car (Colin Strang Trophy) and best non production car (Trevellick Trophy). Also for 2006, we have the Gentleman Driver's award, see below.

Points: 1st 10, 2nd 7, 3rd 6, 4th 5, 5th 4, 6th 3, 7th 2, 8th 1. All cars taking the start receive 1 point. Best 5 results to count.

2006 Season Review by Richard Hodges

Twelve months ago, I began the 2005 Review by saying “With a little luck, and a lot of commitment, 2005 may well be seen as a significant moment in the history of the 500 Owners Association – the year when we got serious.” When superficially looking at the facts and figures of 2006, this might appear to have been rather optimistic; but look a bit deeper, and there are many reasons to believe this may have been accurate. Step by step, changes in attitudes and actions are building stronger foundations for the series. If we support those who are working to improve the series, and offer help where we can, I am confident that 2007 will take us another step forward to providing a better season of racing, without losing the features that have made the 500 Paddock the friendliest and best that I have seen.

Goodwood & Angoulême

It was disappointing not be invited to the Revival Meeting this year, given what a superb show we had put on in 2005 and it inevitably impacted on the regular season as some occasional drivers did not have the incentive of bringing their cars out for a test run. However, when Gordon Russell took over the reins of Competition Secretary, we gained the leverage of someone with significant experience throughout the historic world , both on two wheels and four. Hopefully we'll be back at Goodwood for 2007.

Angoulême, on the other hand, was a great success with a significant turnout, in spite of being far from home and some extreme weather. A big thank you should go to Humphrey Collis, Nicky Jones and Shirley Monro for their part in the organisation of this wonderful event.

Welcoming New Drivers

Very positively, we had four new drivers in 2006. Mike Gilbert arrived at the season’s opener at Brands Hatch in a Cooper Mk IX. JAP prepared by Simon Frost. His first season was supposed to be about learning the car, and he made a positive start at Brands, but a hefty shunt at Lydden Hill put quite a dent into his programme (and wallet!). He was back for the finale at Mallory Park. Malcolm Bell came in as a complete motor racing rookie with a Cooper Mk X JAP. His drive in the atrocious conditions at the Mallory finale was most impressive for just his second outing, until a misfire intervened. He was more than happy to reach the flag, and on that form may well surprise a few midfield runners next year. Tony Steele had been commissioned by Duncan Rabagliati to complete the restoration of the Comet, and brought the car out for a couple of runs to sort the handling. He then brought Merrick Taylor’s Kieft car to Mallory for its first non-Revival race in many years. Tony of course has much experience and is not strictly a 500 rookie, so it was no surprise that he was immediately competitive. But he was impressed by the welcome he received, and is looking to buy his own car and join us more permanently. Finally, VSCC man Tim Llewellyn was due to join us at Cadwell with his Cooper Mk VI. He did appear at the VSCC Mallory meeting, and we hope to see more of him in 2007.

The Leading Group

We had something of a shortage of the fastest drivers this year. David Lecoq made only a couple of appearances, and Rodney Delves was unable to race because of a shoulder operation. John Turner finally solved a fuelling problem that had been causing regular piston failures, only to run into a series of magneto-related problems. A full strip-down is probably in order, John. So it was really no surprise to see James Culver take the Championship again. But although he took a maximum 50 points from his five starts, he was pushed hard, most notably by Roy Hunt at Snetterton, and by Mike Fowler at the Mallory Park finale. His best drive was at Silverstone in August where he recovered from a very slow start to not only overtake all 500s, but to take the lead from his old 750 Trophy rival Dave Brand, only to spin at Brooklands on the final lap.

James leads Roy at Snetterton

The Battle For Second

It was slightly behind these fastest that most interest lay. Mike Fowler thoroughly earned his runner-up position in the Championship, and the award for the Gentleman Driver handicap. But he had Club Secretary Roy Hunt’s Martin to contend with – particularly at Mallory Park in July, when Roy won by 0.046 seconds. Joining this group were Neil Hodges and Nigel Ashman. Both took big steps forward, the highlight here was Neil’s taking race-long duel with Mike and Nigel at Silverstone. Neil nearly got the class victory he has been chasing for so long in this race when James almost threw it away on the last lap, and also at the season opener at Brands Hatch when a fuel pump failure put him out. Gordon Russell was also impressive on occasion, but was caught between strong engines that tended to detonate, or the reliable but asthmatic old motor. Once power and reliability meet, Gordon will surely return to this group. Richard Utley made only one appearance, having spent most of the year in America, and Simon Frost made a couple of guest appearances courtesy of Mike Gilbert and Mark Palmer and was immediately with this group as well – perhaps someone could convince him to buy a late-model Cooper?

True Gentlemen; Mike Fowler relaxes at Cadwell and Gordon Russell seems to be trying through Woodcote (photo- Glen Coombs).

In The Midfield

A second group formed slightly behind these, including Bob Culver, Geoff Gartside and Nigel Challis. All three might have been expected to be a bit quicker, but each had their own problems at various stages, which perhaps unsettled their season. Geoff though had a good drive at VSCC Cadwell Park, and when James borrowed Bob’s car at the final race he spotted a brake bias problem that has probably been hampering the car for some time. James Holland continued to be hampered by minor problems, not least an off at the Cooper 60^th Anniversary event at Prescott, and was only able to make three race appearances, two in tricky wet conditions. If he and John Furlong can get that JAP motor settled, he should be consistently with this group. Special mention should be made for the lovely restoration he has done on the ex-Bob Gerard car.

Paul Hewes made three appearances, but suffered several maladies, including a broken driveshaft that caused quite a scare. Mark Palmer was only able to attend the VSCC Cadwell meeting, but showed promise. Graham Murdock made a welcome return with the FMS, but only attended two events. Häkan Sandberg also made two appearances with the Norwegian RJ500 instead of his usual JBS. A wonderfully odd contraption (but at least it isn’t another Cooper!) and somewhat contrary after a long lay up, it did show signs of actually being a capable mid-runner once the engine runs cleanly and consistently. And finally, Martin Sheppard. As I reported last year, Martin had a miserable time with bent valves and other Norton problems. Despite a smart ‘works’ colour scheme for 2006, it looked like more of the same in 2006. But finally it all came together at the final race. And having fitted narrower rear tyres on general advice, he found the car transformed, posting a very respectable time for the conditions. Hopefully Martin’s persistence will be rewarded in 2007, at least joining the midfield battle on a regular basis. To everyone who competed in 2006, thank you for all your effort, and we hope to see a lot more of you in 2007.

Nigel Ashman in the wet at Cadwell (photo - Dan Edge) and Häkan at Silverstone in the RJ500 (photo - Glen Coombs).

Where Were You?

As ever, there was a case of one step forward, one back with a few drivers disappearing. The turnout for Angouleme was excellent and the final round at Mallory was extremely good considering the lateness in the season and weather. Yet other races were simply not that well supported.

This isn’t to say that the racing was dull, in fact it was probably even more competitive than previous years. But if we can achieve a critical mass of about 20 entries for each race, every driver, fast or slow, can be confident of finding they have someone on track to actually race, which is rather more fun than driving around alone. It would also make us considerably more popular with the organising clubs and maintain the possibility of running stand alone races. This issue became a significant topic of discussion, and then action. Chairman Nigel Challis, plus Gordon and others and others have started looking at a strategy to increase entries. The most important issue is that we simply don’t know why some people are not turning out, or only making infrequent appearances. This is probably the most important issue facing the circuit racing side of the Association, so we need to understand what is happening before we start implementing solutions. Expect this to be the major topic over the off-season, and if you don’t find yourself being interrogated by Nigel or Gordon, get in contact with your views. We know the cars are out there, but we need you to tell us how we can entice you further to join in the racing.

Other Issues

Beyond the issues already described, there were many subtle revisions and issues being worked upon to improve the racing and Association activities. Chairman Nigel Challis and Competition Secretary Gordon Russell have been working hard in many areas, and have proven very willing to consider new ideas. If you have an idea or view on a particular subject, please drop them a call or an email, as they need your help. Expect announcements at the AGM and in the following months, but I would like to highlight some examples that you may not have appreciated:

Start Procedure: The Silverstone race highlighted some holes that need to be filled. A subtly revised procedure has already been drafted.
Race Day Lunch: Building on the barbecue hosted by Richard Fry in 2005, Nigel and Martin Sheppard hosted a lunch at the Mallory Park finale. This was a great idea, and hopefully we will be able to run a few more in 2007. It requires some preparation, but please think about how you can help it.
Showpiece Race: Both Angoulême and the Prescott celebration proved popular, and highlighted the need for one premier event each year, especially if we are not at Goodwood. Several options are under discussion, and if it comes off next year, this is likely to be something you absolutely must attend.
Series Promotion: A strategy is being worked on to raise the profile of the series. This will help us secure new drivers and get us better races. If you have an idea, feed it into Nigel, who will make sure it is considered. If you have a story make sure it is reported to the website and magazine teams (for which, by the way, we should again thank Neil, Ruth and Susan for their great work).
 

With these and many other small steps forward, the series can and will improve next year, without sacrificing the fun and friendliness that makes the 500 Paddock so special. And to everyone who participated this year, whether as driver or helper, a big thank you. Even if you only got a brief mention in the race reports, we did notice you, and look forward to seeing you all again in 2007.

For once, your web editor leads Mike Fowler and Nigel Ashman through Woodcote at Silverstone in August. Photo - Glen Coombs.