Monoposto Racing 1960

Dr Tony Goodwin competed in his first Monoposto race in 1960 and won the Championship! He writes regularly in the Formula Junior Historic Racing Association journal, and he has kindly agreed to write about early days in Mono.

The Formula was just one year old when I entered my first Monoposto race at the BARC Mallory Park meeting on 21st May 1960, a race combined with the Formula Juniors (FJs). I was driving my second 1172 Formula (side-valve Ford) Special, which had already finished second in a sports car handicap that day, beaten by 0.06 second by Richard Attwood in a Triumph TR3. With mudguards removed for the single-seater race I finished behind six FJ cars and well ahead of the motley collection of Mono Specials. My best lap time was 64.4 seconds compared to the fastest FJ lap by Brian Hart in the front-engined Terrier at 59.2 seconds. As Mallory is one of the few tracks unchanged to this day it is interesting to compare this with the 2008 time of 55 seconds dead by Derek Walker in his FJ Terrier. Such is the progress of historic racing!

The next event was on 26th June at the Trio Brands Hatch meeting. By this time the Mono entries had increased to nine compared to the seven at the inaugural Mono race at this meeting the previous year, for which the results appear below. Four FJ cars made up the grid. I missed most of this eventful race as I suffered a junior moment and went straight on at Bottom bend until I reached the back of the pits. John Harwood in his FJ U2 led until Clearways on the last lap when he ran wide onto the grass and spun. Mike Woodley went through to win in a FJ Cooper-BMC with Alan Wershat six seconds behind in the original ex-Broadley 1172 Lola. John Harwood recovered to finish third, Clive Puzey 4th in his Yimkin-BMC, Frank Tiedeman (Founder of Monoposto) next in his rear-engined 1172 Mille-Cent and Dave Taylor last in his Evad. The Cooper was only one second a lap faster than the 1172 Lola at 62.4 seconds.

The only other Mono race I did that year was at the 750 MC Snetterton meeting on 31st July. I see that there were only three other entries, Frank, Alan Wershat and the front-engined FJ Lola BMC of Martin Wills. I came second in what must have been a very boring race and had apparently scored enough points to win that year’s Monoposto Championship and the F.C. Mathews Trophy (Freddie Mathews was Chief Scrutineer at that time and a man all special builders were anxious to please) presented by Motor Sport’s correspondent Dennis Jenkinson.

By 1964 I had bought that Wills’ Lola (£260 from the late Rodney Bloor), converted it to the new Formula 3 and ran it in the first few races, including Monaco, before being posted in the RAF to Singapore. On my last weekend in the UK I drove the Lola in a 750MC Silverstone meeting on 16th May, when just six Formula 3 cars joined in a race with 18 Monopostos. I see I finished 4th.

From these modest beginnings the Monoposto movement gradually gained momentum despite strong competition from the plethora of one-make or one-engine formulae that followed, to become the refuge of the true amateur single-seater enthusiast. Along the way it also played a significant part in the revival of Formula Junior, now the best supported form of historic racing worldwide (and probably the best historic racing to watch - TC).

p.s. In March 1985, twenty five years after my ‘championship year’ I found myself once again in a Monoposto race, this time on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit, driving a ‘Chamox’, built I believe in 1971 by the Chambers brothers. Don’t ask me how or why! It overheated and I finished 6th; no cup this time!

RESULTS OF INAUGURAL MONOPOSTO RACE AT TRIO RACE MEETING BRANDS HATCH: 28 JUNE 1959.

1st 121 C. Scott MacArthur Time: 5m. 48.2 s. Speed 64.10 m.p.h.
2nd 118 F. J. Tiedeman
3rd 153 S. R. Waine
4th 122 D. R. Taylor
Fastest lap: No. 121 Time: 66.6 secs. Speed: 67.03 m.p.h.

Dr Tony Goodwin's 1172 Special - convertible to a road car - note reg.

John Harwood's U2, seen here at the 1960 Eifelrennen. The Mallock marque is the same age as the Mono club......

....as is the Lola marque. Here is the Wills Lola after acquisition by Dr Goodwin. In 1960, this was the equivalent of a Dallara 308 today.

All photos by courtesy of Dr Tony Goodwin