EARLY DAYS IN MONOPOSTO by Alan Putt

My association with the Monoposto Racing Club began with a telephone call from the then Chairman Barry Smithard. I had known Barry some years before, when we worked together. Barry told me that the secretary had suddenly resigned, and asked me if I was interested in doing the job. I had no experience of administering motor clubs, but said that I would be interested. In the event, they found Tony Parsfield, a long standing scrutineer, who had been around motor sport for some time, and I became Assistant Secretary.

The club at that time was still orientated around home built specials, but the increasing availability of obsolescent, commercially built chassis was challenging this philosophy. By the early seventies there were many Brabham, Cooper, and Lola chassis from Formula 3 available, which satisfied the Mono rule of being five years old or more.

The Monoposto Racing Club at that time held their committee meetings in the now defunct Steering Wheel Club in Mayfair. This was a club that was devoted to motoring with collections of motor club badges, Brooklands passes, and steering wheels from many famous cars on display. The committee at that time was chaired by Barry Smithard, who had in the early sixties built his own car. The search of parts entailed flying to Ireland to buy a Volkswagen gearbox – he had to strip three before he found a good one. Barry had stopped racing by then and edited “Startline”.

One of the founders of the Club, Frank Tiedeman, was vice President, he had a long history of racing before Mono. Frank had begun in the 750MC racing an Austin Seven based special in the 750 formula. Frank still has, and still races occasionally, an Austin Ulster. He later moved on to another 750MC formula; the 1172 formula using the Ford Ten side valve engine.It was from the latter that Mono came about, at the end of 1957 an article appeared in ”Autosport” which made a case for a single seater class in the 1172 formula, this had resulted from a meeting hosted by the Special builders club, now defunct, at which no less a figure than the late John Bolster voiced support for a single seater formula for the impecunious. Around this time Formula Junior was being introduced in Italy, but as history showed it quickly ceased to be a formula for the impecunious.

The Monoposto Register (to become the Monoposto Racing Club in 1968) was formed in 1958. The 750MC continued with their 1172 formula and did not introduce a single seater formula, a revamped Formula 4, until 1970.

From his 1172 experience Frank built a car for Mono called Millicent which consisted of an adapted Cooper 500 chassis with an 1172cc engine installed. He progressed to a Deep Sanderson, an old Formula Junior chassis, with a Ford engine and Volkswagen gearbox installed.

Also on the committee was Gerry Meharey. Gerry was a civil servant, ostensibly from some harmless minor ministry, but he used to appear in a trench coat and we were convinced that he was really MI5! Gerry had built a Cooper T56 by buying the parts from Cooper as he could afford them. The car served him well, being used in Formula Junior in period, and later, by fitting a 1500cc engine, in the Monoposto Formula. Gerry was a regular racer and only retired when he felt in danger of being lapped, he had raced for many years, and regarded this as the ultimate dishonour. Gerry had owned Bugattis before the war and had had a long association with motor sport.

Another member of the committee was Bob Mitchell who was the technical man. Bob had built a car for Monoposto in the 'sixties (which I believe he still has!), and had raced it with some success.

Mike Irons was on the committee and was an inveterate car builder. He built a special from a Cooper chassis, but favoured a Brabham BT15 fitted with a downdraught Ford 1000cc engine. Mike was to have a serious accident in this car at Crystal Palace.

Another active committee member was Trevor Scarratt who raced a very well prepared Brabham BT18. Trevor was to win the Championship in 1973. It was Trevor who got the Monoposto Racing Club its first sponsorship from Varley Batteries.

The Monoposto Formula progressed from cars powered by 1172cc engines; through 1000cc ohv and 1500 sv engines, to 1000cc ohv and 1500cc ohv, to the '70s formula which increased the larger class to 1600cc ohv engines; primarily to allow in the Ford crossflow engine. There were some exceptions; there was a brilliant car called the Manta which used the Renault 16TS engine.

It was this formula and the events for them that the committee administered. In the '70s events were not that plentiful and the Secretary had to fight tooth and nail for invitations to race meetings. 1973 was the last year that the Monoposto Racing Club held its own race meeting at Thruxton. Whilst an interesting exercise it always put the club's finances at risk. It was only later, in about 1975 that Suzy Livingstone was appointed as Competition Secretary. The club effectively got a professional Competition Secretary for free and in the fifteen years that Suzy did the job the Club's quality and quantity of events improved drastically. Suzy's efforts raised the status of the club in motor racing so that the Club became known far wider.

A picture from the Rockingham Golden Jubilee. From left, Alan Putt, Brian Jordan, Suzy Livingstone, Barry Smithard, Frank Tiedeman, Bob Mitchell, Julian Pratt and Peter Healey

The Club did get invited to one prestigious meeting, in 1973 Crystal Palace was to close down, and the Aston Martin Owner's club, who organised the

last race meeting, invited the Monoposto Racing Club. This was quite remarkable as the rest of the meeting was for historic cars. There were various celebrities at the meeting, for example Raymond Mays having a last drive in an ERA. There were many exotic cars there, some not racing, and it was the forerunner of today's prestigious historic meetings.

This then was the Club in the '70s. It comprised a membership who had either built their own car or adapted an obsolete commercially built chassis. With no individual sponsorship (it was not allowed), they showed their enthusiasm for racing single seater racing cars at a comparatively low cost. It is from these beginnings that the current thriving Club owes its success, helped on over the years by a varying group of dedicated committee members.

Alan Putt

Trevor Scarrett's Brabham BT18 at the last Crystal Palace Race

The unique, March-like Manta, driven by David Coombs. Ironically, it could run in 2010 but not 2009 as it had an aluminium Renault 16 engine.

A current (Mallory, 2009) picture of a Cooper T56 driven by Crispian Besley

Peter Williams BT15 at the same Mallory meeting

Lotus 18 ran in Mono

Formula Junior start in 2009 could well be a mono start in the late 1960's

Pictures: Alan Putt, FJHRA, Nigel Bland