Back to Newsletters

AUSTRALIAN FORMULA JUNIOR ASSOCIATION Email: afja@iprimus.com.au www.australianformulajunior.com Executive Committee Chairman Ian Bailey 02 9411 4251 Secretary Kelvin Prior 03 9707 1652 Vic. Rep. Nick McDonald 0414 569 506 NSW Rep. Peter Johnson 02 9211 2854 SA Rep. Mike Shearer 08 8556 8242 Q Rep. Don Thallon 07 3356 1700

Since the Autumn Edition of this newsletter there have been some changes affecting the Association, most of which were implemented at the May 27^th Annual Meeting at Winton Raceway. You will recall that Gary Ryan appointed Rob Hands and Kelvin Prior to "fill in" during his absence, but two weeks before the Annual Meeting Rob resigned his position for personal reasons, which left the responsibility of running the Association with Brian Pymble and Kelvin.

The Annual Meeting in its wisdom decided to appoint a Chairman to the Executive Committee, and we were pleased to gain the services of Ian Bailey, an inaugural member of the Association who, with his legal background and driving ability (in his Lynx of course) will be the new figurehead of the Association with emphasis on public relations amongst other things.

The Annual Meeting also decided to appoint an Executive Committee with State Representatives, two of which were elected at the meeting, and two further members have now been appointed by the Executive. Namely, Mike Shearer representing the state of South Australia. Mike owns the ex Tim Mayer T59 Cooper BM previously owned by the late Andrew Osman. We are also pleased to appoint Don Thallon representing the state of Queensland. Don has considerable experience in Australian Historic Racing and currently owns the earlier Tim Mayer T56 Cooper BMC which we hope to see in competition soon.

The Executive Committee of six will meet on a regular basis to discuss advancing the Association and the interests of its members, and just in case you were wondering who would represent W.A. and Tas. We have one car in each state and both owners are therefore unofficial State Representatives.

In this issue of our regular Publication you will find.

• Address from the Chairman Ian Bailey
• Race Reports from Winton and Eastern Creek
• Current score for AFJA Perpetual Trophy
• Overseas news from Europe, USA and NZ
• Technical talk – 105E engine problems
• Movement at the station – cars and their owners
• For sale column – cars and bits
• 3^rd AGM Draft Minutes
• CAMS Report – FIA Appendix K-V-CAMS 5^th Category
• Membership Subscription Form
• 2001 AFJA Trophy Brochure

Much has been said, and is yet to be said, concerning the proposal to register our cars with FIA Papers and self regulate for the purpose of competition. At the recent 3^rd AGM the matter was discussed, and it was decided the matter deserved to be considered by all members, also the Committee should seek the view of the majority before proceeding any further, it was also agreed that a copy of the CAMS Report would be sent to each member for their response.

The next meeting of the AFJA will be the weekend of November 25^th and 26^th at Wakefield Park near Goulburn NSW where the 4^th and final round of our Annual Perpetual Trophy Events will be conducted.

An early indication would suggest that we could see some new cars competing against the 10 who have recorded points so far this year.

For the record "Wakefield Park" is probably the most central circuit to our membership, and should you be considering the possibility of attending a meeting of the Association, this weekend will offer most members the chance to check it out.

The AFJA currently support a 4 race series 2 in Victoria and 2 in NSW for the Leo Geoghan Perpetual Trophy, what if we expand the competition to include an event in SA and Queensland totaling 6 with an individuals best results from say 4 events counting towards the competition? Your views would be appreciated

I am grateful to take on the opportunity to do a bit for the Association in the next year. I have to say that for my part the most important task for me is to encourage a sense of celebration in our members in being able to own the beautiful little giggers which we do. It is amazing that there are so many of them still about, even if most are a little inactive!

I want to emphasise the positive aspects of ownership of a Formula Junior and hope to develop a level of social contact amongst our members which we have not had before. The first phase of this will be to organise some evening events in NSW and Victoria at least where we can meet and tell lies to each other about how good we used to be. How does it go " the older I get the faster I used to be".

Whilst I recognise the need for "administration" I don’t want to forget the importance of having those members who may want to compete feeling that they can, without the pressure of confining regulation or overly aggressive competition. I hope that we all can have a safe, exciting and successful year.

Winton Raceway near the rural town of Benalla some 200 km north of Melbourne has a 2.03 km very tight circuit which tends to suit low HP well balanced racing cars like FJ. Unfortunately there was an added leveler in the form of rain and lots of it and of course it was cold making it uninteresting competition with most drivers trying desperately to stay on the track.

The first event on Saturday afternoon saw a procession of cars in Group M & O (1960 – 69) in which there were 6 FJ’s with 22 year old Glen Hastings son of Ken driving Kelvin Prior’s BT2 Brabham into overall 2nd place, John Harvey drove the very attractive ex Midland Lola MK5A of Rob Hands into 2nd FJ closely following by Murray Bryden in the Lotus MRC. Grant Patullo the new owner of the 998cc Goldford drove very well to achieve 4th junior in his first historic event (what an initiation). Peter Cooper from Albury came next in the BMC engined Schazum (welcome Peter) and Geoff Fry from Bathhurst drove a very consistent race in one of his two Jolus cars to complete the Formula Junior field.

Sunday morning 8 lap Scratch Race was virtually a repeat of the Saturday event and even the results were similar. The good news being that all AFJA cars finished without damage which considering the conditions was no mean feat.

Historic Winton organisers continue to support Formula Junior and our cars took home a swag of trophy’s from the weekend. Geoff Fry won the "Phil Iriving trophy" Handicap Event, Rob Hands won "Best Presented Car" trophy for the MK5A Lola and Glen Hastings received Driver of the Meeting, Youngest Driver and Formula Junior trophies, as well as the individual race trophies for both events. So with the exception of the weather most had a great weekend.

The weather was prefect and things looked promising with four Juniors entered in the combined Group M and O events and three in the Groups J, K, L and M races. If you count Grant Patullo in his 998cc Golford Special and Geoff Varey in the Gryphon II as part of us, and why not, we had as many entries as the most plentiful of the other classes in Groups M & O.

To digress, the M & O field was fantastic. With eight Brabhams including Brian Wilson’s 1967 BT 24 Formula 1 feeling his way, and the flying Mike Ryves in his BT 11A, even if spraying a little oil over those that got close enough, showing how much fun you can have with a 2.5 Climax behind you and special Avons on the corners. That is so long as you stay on the black bit!

Our Victorian entries did not fare so well. John Harvey in Rob Hands beautiful Lola Mk 5 and Murray Bryden in his Lotus MRC 22 were not able to make Saturdays practice. Graham Brown was down from Qld with his re-bodied Lynx and having his usual quietly spoken but quick and reliable run, that is at least on Sunday after his crew found the reason for Saturdays miss. Simon Pymble in the BT 6 was, as usual, very fast. For myself I think it is unfair that whilst I think I still have a sort of youthful abandon and a vestige of skill these young blokes (sorry John) make you feel like you are in charge of a walking frame. The four lapper on Sunday brought out the best in Simon who had an extraordinary dice with, and beat the Dalro. He was not in such a frenzy in the Jack Brabham Trophy race however and Graham Brown kept him at least in sight.

Of the really old blokes the Old Dog didn’t consummate his entry in the Lotus 20 and was rumoured to be off shooting pigs, or at least that what I thought someone said! For myself I was frustrated and looking forward to Wakefield Park in November when the new engine will be in the Lynx (What new engine, she says from the kitchen!). With Gary back in the country and a little bit of luck we might even have ten of us running. Wakefield is a great meeting and it doesn’t snow in Goulburn in November.

In Europe last year the FIA Lurani Trophy for Formula Junior Cars was won by Tony Steele in a Lola MK2, closely followed by David Pratley in a similar car over six events. In England the Formula Junior HRA Championship over 8 events was won by Neil Daws in a Lotus 18 which all goes to show the fastest cars don’t always finish and consistency will always prevail.

The Lurani Series for the Year 2000 includes the following events:

May 13 – 14 Monza (1)	August 18 – 20 Zolder (B)
June 2 – 4 Knutstorp (S)	Sept. 2 – 3 Donington Park (GB)
August 4 – 6 Nurburgring (D)	Sept. 22 – 24 Dijon (RF)

With the advent of the above competitions it would appear Formula Junior has become very popular overseas with keen competition to acquire the best cars for use in both series. In the FJ HRA Newsletters early this year from England there were 6 Lotus cars advertised for sale 1 x 18, 3 x 20 and 1 x 22 with the average price of $56,500 Aus. The highest individual price being $70,000 for a 20 series. These prices are much higher than Formula 3 or Formula Ford so it must be the events organised that make the difference.

To enhance the newsletter and increase its international news content, we are endeavoring to forge links with FJ owners in the USA. We understand there is a revival of FJ only events in that country and we hope to keep you informed in the future, so watch this space.

We are in contact with John Holmes from New Zealand and received a copy of a magazine "Be Spoke" which he edits for the TACCOC North Island Historic Club. This issue included a comprehensive report on our March Phillip Island event amongst other things. John, by the way, owns a Lotus 18 FJ, but like most juniors in NZ it currently sports a 1500 cc engine.

Irrespective of the non compliance issue there exists a desire by the Kiwis to improved their limited competition by crossing the Tasman with their Group M cars and Phillip Island appear to be their objective. Although, the new date could conflict with their main calendar event 17 – 18 February 2001 at Whenuapai, but this is yet to be discussed.

---

MONARCO 2000……….Imagine it! By Ian Bailey

The Junior Race at the 2nd Grande Prix Historique de Monaco is a good example of what racing in our category is about. You don’t need a BT 6 or a Lotus 27 to enjoy yourself, though they help if you want to win. Unless of course you have a Merlyn. You can see some pictures on the Internet under photo galleries at //www.racecar.co.uk

The results also show how racing in the four class system works. The classes are approximately Class 1 (pre ‘61 front engine) 7 entries, Class 2 (pre ’61 rear engine) 6 entries, Class 3 (‘61-’62 rear engine) 8 entries,, Class 4 ( ‘63-’64 rear engine) 11 entries. Total 32

What is interesting is the great range of lap times and overall speeds of the competitors. Apart from the very front runners there was a very wide range of lap times.

The winner, Denis Welch, in his 1963 Merlyn, had a lap time of 1.58.237, OA speed 100.441 k. The slowest was Armand Giglio in a 1959 Dagrada-Lancia in 28th place with a lap time of 2.36.222, OA speed 74.434 k.

The race over ten laps, finished with the first seven places in Class 4, including the Merlyn, 2 x 27s, 2 x 22s, a BT6 and a Lola Mk 5A. The lap time difference between first and seventh was about seven seconds.

The winner of Class 3 was Marcus Mussa in a Lotus 18, in eight place overall, with a lap of 2.06.808 ahead of a Lola Mk 3 with 2.08.688 the last car to finish ten laps. The winner in Class 2 was Daan de Smedt in a Gemini Mk 2 which finished twentieth overall with a lap time of 2.20.454 which probably should have put him in about sixteenth place.

The Class 1, front engine cars, produced some good results. The winner in Class 1 was Irvine Laidlaw in a 1960 Oscar and finished fifteenth overall with a lap time of 2.16.541.

There were a reasonable number of cars running around close to 2.30.00, including cars in Classes 3 and 4, but they probably had plenty of excuses.

What the results show is that Formula Junior Racing involves a substantial range of designs and performance and should not be seen as merely comprising Lotus 22s, BT 6s and the products of 1962-1964. It is important to recognise these differences and allow for them in the points system applying to any points score competition.

It is disappointing that Gary Ryan, having traveled so far was not able to get a start in his Lola Mk 3. We trust that he has had more success with the other races he hoped to get a run in.

---

TECHNICAL TALK

The Ford Anglia 105E engine which powers many FJ cars was quite radical in its bore/stroke ration for 1959 and when overbored to 85 mm to achieve 1098 cc the 48.4 mm stoke created an engine lacking in torque.

To help offset this deficiency the engine builder would machine heaps from the cylinder head face, fit pistons with knobs on them or weld the combustion chamber to reduce its area, and give the engine sufficient compression to make it competitive.

The current FIA approved recast Richardson cylinder head which overcomes the compression ratio problem is banned by CAMS in Australia, so don’t waste your money purchasing one, and accept the fact that overseas cars are different, even though we all submit to the same FIA governing body.

To add further fuel to this fire the Historic Eligibility Committee recently tried to change the CAMS Manual and prohibit the addition of metal to cylinder heads on Group M cars which includes Formula Junior. Makes you wonder what they will dream up next?

It is common knowledge that both ford and BMC produced special castings for competition engines in the period, and as any engine builder will attest it is very difficult to achieve 85 mm bores in a standard 105E block, the 109E later casting is slightly better (probably less corrosion time) however, the wall thickness on most available castings is still suspect and many are not producing engines with more than 83 mm bores.

An engine builder in Victoria is currently experimenting with a vacuum brazing process whereby new cast liners are installed in old blocks giving in excess of 5 mm wall thickness with 85 mm bores, so don’t throw that thin block away just yet.

---

MOVEMENT AT THE STATION

Word has it Bruce Mansell may have sold the ex Jo Siffert Lotus 22 overseas where cars previously owned by this world famous driver are highly sought after, Bruce has imported a Brabham BT21 from the States and hopes to be a front runner in Groups M & O Racing when the car has been restored.

Peter Johnson (AFJA Committee Member) photographer extraordinary has during the last year completely massaged his of fleet of cars to the extent he now owns a BT6 Brabham FJ currently under restoration and the famous ex Stillwell Brabham BT14 twin cam having sold both his Elfin cars in recent times.

Brabham MRD owner John Best and son Roy are visiting Europe where Roy will sing with an Australian choir whilst John informs us that his new engine will be all the better for the extra luggage on the return trip.

As previously advised Gary Ryan and wife Jan have been travelling throughout Europe since March, and whilst Gary missed out on competing with his MK3 Lola at Monaco he has competed at other circuits in the Laurini Series. We understand he really enjoyed the very fast Monza circuit where he was dicing wheel to wheel with other Juniors. We look forward to receiving a more detailed report on his return to Australia which could be mid August for guess "who is about to become a grandfather."

For the record Kelvin Prior (editor) has acquired the ex Laurie Tindall Lynx BMC from Geoff Wade and hopes to restore the car when its history can be proven. It would appear the care, which was sold in kit form, was an early frame with transverse rear leaf spring and subsequently modified by Laurie to coil over shocks arrangement. Unfortunately the Brabham will be sold to facilitate this project.

Grant Patullo informs us that the Golford is undergoing continual restoration, and his lap times confirm that either he or the car are improving. Unfortunately he experienced some mechanical difficulties at Eastern Creek raceway, but knowing Grant the car will be sorted next time out.

---

THE NOTICE BOARD

FOR SALE

Brabham 1962 BT2 FJ-6-62 Formula Junior Historic Racing Car with fully documented International History. Initially in Europe with Bob Olthoff, thereafter in the Far East until 1981 when the car was shipped to Australia. The car is very original with proven provenance. Restored 1990 – 1993. 1094 cc Ford Engine by Peter Backhouse, Hewland Trans., race ready. Holder of 3 Australian lap records $60,000.

Phone Kelvin Prior (03) 9707 1652

 

OFFER TO ALL MEMBERS

Do you have a car for sale or parts suitable to various Formula Junior cars? If you do we can assist by including your advertisement in this regular publication, which has an Australian circulation to committed FJ owners, and we also submit this publication into UK, Europe, USA and NZ.

 

____________________________________________________________
Send comments to: secretary@australianformulajunior.com
Website enquiries: webmaster@australianformulajunior.com
Last updated: 3 July 2001 - Today is:
Copyright © 2000 - 2002 AFJA