NORTH WESTERN CENTRE
Ian Smith Page
Updated 10th March

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North West Formula Ford Race Centre
Your meeting point in the paddock for all NW FF1600 teams to use. Get yourself a brew and this is where the practice and race sheets will be. It will also be where you can usually find me.

IN MEMORY OFOUR FRIEND“MOOSE

After much discussion, the original idea to have a “Moose Memorial Trophy” for the person, be it driver, mechanic, marshal, or organiser who did something special that Moose would have appreciated got amended to the “Moose Race Centre”. A trophy would have been very difficult to award year on year, as in 2002 no worthy recipients sprang to mind and this would have become an annual problem. However, due to much appreciated free assistance from some drivers, we now have a meeting point in the paddock for all NW FF1600 teams to use and still have sufficient funds left over to buy a very nice trophy and some replicas, which will be run at one Oulton race per year. Admittedly this will limit the potential winner to the few top guys, but the Race Centre is there for one and all. Those of you who knew Moose [Colin Benn] will be familiar with the comment he always uttered whenever he saw a team with the kettle on “no sugar in mine” The Race Centre will have an urn on the go, brewing up kit, bikkies and the practice and race sheets. It will also be where you can usually find me.

Having plumped for the race centre idea, I started scouting around trying to find a mini exhibition type trailer. These side access, car size box trailer affairs proved,

1. Rather more expensive than the £962 in the kitty and
2. Like rocking horse doo-doos to find anyway.

Then Steve Jones happened upon a funny little 7’ x 5’ trailer with awning and saw potential. I went to have a look and as I first clapped eyes on it, thought “what the *#y% could we do with that. Steve opened it up and I was hooked. Next, I took Malcolm Barfoot along to have a look and he thought exactly the same. Again, Steve explained and five weeks ago, the massed forces of the FF drivers sprang into action.

1. The way the awning was held up needed modifying. Thanks to Steve Jones
2. The awning was in separate pieces of incorrect dimensions. Thanks to Martin Hibbert
3. The trailer needed a paint job. Thanks to Paul Higgs
4. The inside wanted changing and kitting out for brewing up. Steve Jones had already supplied an electric urn and off it went to Steve St Clair. Don’t ask him about the Fork Lift Truck Episode, unless you want to. Thanks to Steve St Clair
5. Although the unit already had mains hook up, 4 power sockets and two fluorescent lights, it would be difficult to get hook up at Oulton, so enter the Colonel. Stuart Sanders supplied a generator. Thanks Stuart
6. Ray Grimes did all the graphics. Thanks Ray.
7. Next problem was how to get it from point A to Oulton, or Anglesey. I’ll come back to point A shortly. Enter Aintree RDS. The Picasso is now in possession of a tow bar [although I still can’t reverse trailers]. Thanks to Malcolm Barfoot and John Hammersley.

After testing on Friday, I picked it up and Saturday morning saw it’s inaugural erection [I had one of those once] and the weekend was treated as a Race Centre Test Session. Like any testing, niggly problems happened. Firstly, the urn uses more power than the generator can supply, so an extension lead came into play – which also proved handy to power Sarah Minshaw’s hair dryer. A gas powered urn needs to be acquired. Next there is a ventilation problem as urns of hot water produce steam and steam causes condensation and the awning got very sauna like. The awning – as became apparent when Sunday got a bit windy – also needs a “bit of a frame affair for the bottom.  These - plus a couple of minor amendments - will be done before Oulton. Steve Jones again.

All in all, the Race Centre seemed to go down well and the fact that it is “unusual” and was acquired very cheaply £300 and has had all the above “favours” done to it would have gone down very well with Moose, who probably would have hated us spending thousands on a ready built unit. If we had raised thousands, he would have wanted it invested wisely. Probably in Pod.

Any suggestions, or offers of further “equipment” etc., will be received very kindly. One plea though. Come along for a brew whenever, but an urn takes some heating up and only holds a certain amount of water, so no more flask filling please.

Thanks to Nick Jardine, we now have secure storage space, for the trailer, not too far from me. The Colonel has supplied another water heater that uses less power than the urn, so no need to find a gas one. Thanks goes to everyone involved.

National Championship Co-ordinator
Club Formula Ford
Ian Smith
70 Cotton Lane
Runcorn
WA7 5NE

Mobile no +44 (0) 7939 107888
e mail ff1600.nw@btinternet.com

Club Formula Ford
North West Championship Co-ordinator - Matthew Hawkins
Tel Mobile 07970 524394

2008 CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER: For all Regional Formula Ford Registrations, Number Allocation etc

Mr Kevin Shortis
BRSCC
Homesdale Business Centre
Platt Industrial Estate
Maidstone Road
Borough Green
Kent
TN15 8JL

Tel : 01323 423767
Mobile 07801 594022
e mail formulaford@brscc.co.uk