A NEW CAR AT ANGLESEY

Although the debut of the TFR09 was somewhat traumatic for Geoff Fern, we thought that the car should not go unrecorded.

It was built by former sidecar hillclimber Bill Chaplin who developed the very successful Force series of speed event cars, a business now in the safe hands of the Dayson family near Burton on Trent. It is also known as the Empire, thus continuing the Star Wars connection in motorcycle powered cars (Jedi, Force, Empire?). An objective in building it seems to have been to produce something the size of the JKS/Speads and VDFX whilst getting closer to the weight of a Jedi. I didn't see any weighbridge figures but word in the paddock was that the car was light.

It is powered by a Suzuki GSXR1000 K8 engine and the chassis construction is tube spaceframe with an outer carbon skin acting as the bodywork. Suspension at the front is a pushrod monoshock using a tiny spring and damper, and at the rear is pullrod. Geoff pointed out that the pullrod layout at the back is also adopted by Red Bull in their latest F1 car.

An unusual and distinctive feature of the car is its length – there's a lot of it. For example, the rear wing is carried on a lengthy subframe. Despite this, to get a long wheelbase the rear wishbones are swept back. Somebody who, in a previous life, had a close involvement with a leading driveshaft manufacturer did wonder whether the driveshaft angle was getting close to its design limits, resulting in the creation of some instability and causing the breakages which Geoff apparently suffered.

Whilst the car showed some promise, it was clearly in the early stages of development, with cooling, driveshafts and suspension fine tuning being 3 areas. Unfortunately, the car did not finish the race, ending it ignominiously off at Rocket accompanied by Stuart Digby. Best of luck to all concerned with this very brave attempt at a different concept of bike powered single seater. Hopefully we will soon see it developed and challenging the front runners

AN OLD FRIEND VISITS

It was good to meet Paul Beech who called in to the paddock on both days. Sadly, Paul has now (with the aid of Dermot) sold his car and, to ensure a clean break, also disposed of the pit and safety equipment. He told Startline that he didn't want to be tempted back into a single seater because he knew it would almost certainly upset his back again – after his Mallory bump he was out of action with severe back problems when an old climbing injury returned as a result of the jolt he received.

Despite being seriously ill during 2008, Paul was now looking very well and was his usual smiling self. He told an interesting tale of one of our fellow competitors from the Jaguar races who was staying at his caravan park. The chap apparently drove his race car from home with a caravan behind it, raced the car, and planned to tow the 'van back after the race. The spirit of the '50's lives, and that's a good thing.

Paul's one of those people who always seems to crop up in Monoposto anecdotes and reminiscences, and he's always a delight to see.

THE TREASURER RANTS

With a new Chairman and a new Administrator we needed to make a few changes to the Club's banking arrangements. A couple of weeks ago I received a letter saying that the details were fine, the account could be opened, but following checks with credit rating company Experian, Mr Anthony Cotton was not considered suitable to be a signatory on the account. Naturally, as a Chartered Accountant, somebody who has never defaulted on a debt, and a day job of finance director where I am a cheque signatory, I was “slightly peeved”. It got worse when the letter said I could ask Experian why they thought I was a bad risk, but I had to pay them £2 for the privilege.

Therefore imagine my joy when a lady rang me at work from Experian to ask if we used credit references. Yes, we did, from another credit rating company. Could they quote at renewal? Yes, certainly, but would she like to know the chance of our company using them? I'll allow you to guess the next bit....but it involved the phrase "precisely nil" and I enjoyed it. She didn't.

Incidentally, if Experian Ltd would like to know why I would strongly recommend all fellow members to avoid them if they want a reliable credit reference, I will be delighted to explain to them for a fee of £10.

ANGLESEY DETAILS

With every visit to Anglesey it seems to get better. It's good to see track owners having such a positive attitude. There were 2 details which I thought worthy of praise. One is their website http://www.angleseycircuit.com, which not only looks great, but also contains the sort of information you might want, like maps, grid size limits and fixtures, all easily found. A spectator guide explains what to look for, what the flags mean, and why motor racing is good for the economy and not too bad for the environment.

At the meeting, praise must be heaped on the commentator, one B Evans according to the programme. He had done his homework very thoroughly, and was able to explain what Monoposto was about, and a bit about the cars and drivers. He also gave coverage to our sponsors, which is always welcome, so once again, thanks to Anglesey for a very well done job. It made the club and its members feel welcome. If that seems a fairly obvious objective for circuits whose livelihood depends on competitors' entries, I think we can all name circuits where the message hasn't reached them yet.

Congratulations, Anglesey.

STARTING YOUNG

We are indebted (as we often are) to the Formula Junior Historic Racing Association and Duncan Rabagliati for the following YouTube of an ante-natal Mono driver.