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Buckminster Tethered Car Track
The clouds were diesel smoke, not rain, luckily. SAM Spring Gala
The SAM Spring Gala was the first chance this season to run tethered cars, yet the whole event was in the balance due to the horrendous weather that had affected the area. The entire field was waterlogged and the caravan site almost a lake so that all caravans and motor homes had to use the competitors car park and hard standings. The tethered car infield resembled a hydro pool, and as to what might happen when 300 + cars needed to be parked, concentrated the mind of Manny and his volunteers somewhat. Luckily there was no further rain so that the area used for parking although soft, was useable without getting stuck, phew.
For reasons as yet unknown the Redfin trophy and Roberts Trophy were not going to be run leaving just the Speed trophy competition for wheel driven 2.5cc cars. For the aircar runners it was a chance to get as much track time as fuel supplies would allow. Many new cars on parade, variations on the Redfin theme and more 'lateral thinking' inspired creations including a full electric and an EDF model of Thrust. Most gratifying was the number of newcomers joining, some with their own builds and others with Redfins. Also on hand were half a dozen or so spectators with cars of various sorts 'in the pipeline'. The 'lads' have been hard at it over the winter with new chassis designs, refined versions of previous cars and some new bits and pieces. The lever 'knock off' that Mike Francies has produced is the answer to a lot of problems, very positive in action and easy to make. His new car with a fully suspended motor and bevel drive was another interesting concept that dating back many years in concept, brought right up to date with damped suspension but without the need for an expensive, and currently unobtainable, gearbox.
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Nigel's electric car | Mike's engine/gear unit | Roger Gedge's RC cut out |
Star turn for me was John Goodall's recreation of the 1950s Oliver twin car, using the original 5cc Oliver twin motor that was amongst the auction lots after the death of John Oliver. Not a slavish copy as the motor had gone through several modifications in its time, but very much 'in period'. Considering that it had not run in a car for nearly seventy years it cracked off first push and completed a run, well into the 70s. John had also produced an Oliver Ferrari in the Harry Howlett mould that looked superb and ran equally well.
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The recreated Oliver twin | Oliver Ferrari with scale touches | Original 1950s ED spur car |
Technology was well to the fore as we have seen an electric RC car on the track before, but this time it was a purpose built and superbly engineered job that is still in need of a bit of sorting, but could be a serious bit of kit. Simon's EDF Thrust sounded like a jet, performing well on every run. Roger Gedge has joined us from the CL circle, using a JG Aries aircar but with interchangeable pylons that have different motors. He has also come up with a micro RC system that operates a TR type cut off that he can trigger to stop the car, a most useful idea given that a smother blanket is hardly an option at 80mph? In the pits were no less than three rolling roads, one very hi-tec with digital readout, one medium tech that we saw last season and a distinctly low tech eco version that pre-dates them both by many years. The purpose built starter box was an impressive alternative to the more normal hand starter that most use, but something seldom seen were a couple of clockwork starters, most ingenious, as long as the motor starts first time that is?
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Starter box with Mike's new KMD car | HiTec rolling road with readout | Eco friendly rolling road |
Sunday is predominantly about the swapmeet, engines galore, plenty of interest for tethered car enthusiasts with complete cars, car kits, tyres, motors and more. Paul Goodall has a large stock of tethered car castings and parts so well worth investigating what he has available. Some traders reckoned that it was probably their best ever at Buckminster, but inevitably, others had 'not sold a thing', yet when you are asking double for an engine what anyone else in the hall is, then that is hardly surprising. With the plethora of engines for sale currently, the pricing structure has to recognise this. Kevin Richards had an interesting display of engines that had come from Alexander Matusha, rescued from his factory after the Mig 29 went through the roof. These are going to be sold off in a 'silent auction' to aid the rebuilding of the factory, more details to follow, but they include two YJs, two MVVS 10s and a Holt four stroke.
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Cars and more from the Goodalls | Steve's EDs & Kevin with Matusha motors | Tyres galore and a tasty RYTM |
Plenty of track action for the rest of the day with the bulk of runs well into the 80s and the mid 90s showing at times, although several cars went home in need of some attention or alteration in the light of experience gained during the weekend. Thanks to Nigel and Steve for organising the event, along with Ian, Jan and Hugh for horsing duties. Next meeting is May 6th/7th, wheel driven cars only.
For a video of the event, go to OTWs youtube channel www.youtube.com
SAM 35 Spring Gala Tether car meeting
Nigel Bathe. nigel.bathe(at)gmail.com
The weather in the week leading up to the weekend had left the main camping area some what soggy, and the grass area inside the tether circle was something of a bog. The good news was that in its construction someone had the foresight to include slabs to act as stepping stones!
Saturday early morning was a little chilly and the wind was a little strong, but as the morning wore on the temperature rose and the wind dropped. The tether track is blessed with being situated in a sheltered area and the conditions were good for the weekend. The turnout was good with the usual suspects with the addition of several new attendees. Quite a few new or modified models were running with the addition of some new ideas, in particular a ducted fan electric car.
Simon Hughes has produced this ‘land speed record’ looking car that is controlled by RC. It is stable and has the potential, with some finessing, to run at high speed. This could quite easily start a trend, and it will be interesting to see how this type of model develops, and I would not be surprised to see this becoming a class next year. It will need to have some rules around it regarding fan size and cell numbers etc. and the usual safety requirements. Another development area was a RC cutoff for Aircars. Roger Gedge uses a micro servo to activate a team-race style shut-off. This was activated by a park-fly style transmitter. It worked really well. Mike Francies/Nigel Bathe/Gerry Best ‘camp’ have continued to develop their cars and Mike in particular has done a great job in designing and building a bevel gearbox car. It is expected to run during May.
Mike has also produced a really nice starter that uses a hinged top plate that incorporates a rolling road roller setup that when depressed, makes a limit switch and starts the car. (photos above ). Nigel has acquired a 4 port TEMP engine from his friend in Ukraine and this showed promise in getting to the elusive 100MPH with a Twinshaft engine. There was also a fully electric car that is ready to run. Again, there are pictures above.
On the Sunday there many visitors to the track as a result of the swap meet. Some were aware of what we did but for many it was new. Many were asking how to get started, many pictures taken to get the basic principles of the cars. So many said they had a PAW in the workshop, and surprisingly, a few mentioned they had a Redfin and some chassis parts from Alex but had not quite got round to building a car. Several thought that some component availability had been disrupted by the Ukraine situation. Although this was initially true, they were pleased to learn that there is a healthy UK based cottage industry producing parts to support Redfin engines, and tether car racing in general
So, to the Running and results….
Aircars were running as a testing /shake down event rather than an official ‘Dick Roberts’ Trophy event, but speeds were being recorded for those who wished to add them to the sheet. There was actually a lot more running than the table below suggests!
Redfin Twinshaft Event.
This was also run as a testing /shake down event rather than an official ‘Redfin Trophy’ event as no scale judging took place. There were plenty of cars running, and good speeds attained. The new purple head Redfin Twinshaft shows an increase in RPM over the Green head version, but no times were recorded as these were being run in.
SAM 35 RedFin Twin Shaft Results 2023 |
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Competitor |
Model |
Engine |
Recorded speed MPH |
Nigel Bathe |
Bentley |
RedFin (Green) |
85.040 |
Ian Wingfield |
BRM |
RedFin (Green) |
82.703 |
Jan Huning |
Yellow ? |
Oliver - Home made |
81.356 |
Chris Roberts |
Ferrari Dino |
RedFin (Green) |
80.100 |
John Goodall |
Ferrari |
Oliver |
Non Recorded |
All wheel driven car results.
Below are the recorded speeds of all the cars run over the weekend. There were other cars running throughout the weekend with potential, but not recorded here.
SAM 35 Results - All Cars |
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Competitor |
Model / Chassis |
Engine |
Recorded speed MPH |
Nigel Bathe |
Blue Streamline |
TEMP (4 Port) |
94.915 |
Nigel Bathe |
Russian School Car |
TEMP (2 Port) |
89.637 |
Jan Huning |
Russian School Car |
TEMP (2 Port) |
89.179 |
Nigel Bathe |
MF Green |
KMD 2.5 (Spur Drive) |
86.126 |
Mike Francies |
MF Yellow/Black |
KMD 2.5 (Spur Drive) |
85.165 |
Nigel Bathe |
Bentley |
RedFin (Green) |
85.040 |
Ian Wingfield |
BRM |
RedFin (Green) |
82.703 |
Jan Huning |
Yellow |
Oliver - Home made |
81.356 |
Chris Roberts |
Ferrari Dino |
RedFin (Green) |
80.100 |
Nigel Bathe |
Bottoms up |
TEMP (2 Port) |
80.005 |
Gerry Best |
Russian School Car |
TEMP (2 Port) |
Non Recorded |
Mike Francies |
Bentley |
RedFin (Green) |
Non Recorded |
John Goodall |
Ferrari |
Oliver |
Non Recorded |
Buckminster Tether Car Group. May meeting
When the calendar was agreed last year, the Coronation was due to be held in June as in 1953, so we were clear of any conflicting event or bank holiday with the usually attendant poor weather. Charles changed the date without consulting us, and just like in 1953, it tipped it down for a significant portion of the Saturday. The format for BTCG meeting is open practice all day Saturday with a short practice on Sunday followed by two rounds of competition. With the poor forecast for the weekend, street parties and other conflicting events, it resulted in a select group that enjoyed a couple of hours of non stop track action before it started to rain. Luckily, it had been relatively dry for a while since the Spring Gala so the site was not too soft and the car circle infield dry. The volunteers have done a super job getting the kickboards in place, now a third of the way round the track and protecting the public and pit area. Most of the cars on the track had been seen before some with minor modifications and most with needles and compression screws twiddled, sometimes in the right direction, others not. The relationship between these adjustments on a diesel engine remain a mystery to me, and others it appears?
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Mike with his KMD spur car | Oh, it was wet | Nigel and Jan with TMP twinshaft cars |
The newest car on the track was Nigel Bathe's experimental electric car with a 'twinshaft' inrunner motor obviating the need for any sort of gearing. Nigel intended to have a gently 'shakedown' run, which he did, with the car running perfectly in the mid 70s, but then he could not resist the calls to 'give it some welly', which he did until it was up to 95mph when the highly engineered LiPo retaining matrix proved insufficient to the task. The battery exited stage right, taking a considerable amount of important electrical gubbins with it. The performance proved the viability of the concept, leading to a conversation around possible configurations, cell and motor specs to establish a class for electric cars. These could well use existing RC components and technology making the class and tethered cars available to an even larger cohort of enthusiasts. Little noise and no smelly diesel, which might appeal to some?
Nigel was on horsing duties when a few spots of rain turned into a deluge and the car on the track resembled a hydro with spray coming off the tyres. After several hours of chat and lunch in the dryness of the hangar the rain stopped sufficiently for everyone to get back to running. The track was still wet, yet the 2.5cc diesels managed, with wheel spin only evident on the launch. By 4.30pm the track was dry enough for full action, but this lasted just a few minutes before the rain set in again, bringing action to an end for the day.
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Late afternoon running | Hugh starting Chris' TMP car | Filming by drone |
Sunday, by comparison, was dry all day, becoming sunny and very warm, messing up carefully arrived at settings after the morning's first run. Lyndon Bedford had arrived with a selection of exceedingly rare ETA prototype engines, possibly unknown to most? He had effected repairs to his vintage 2.5 ETA 15 car but is still struggling with the fuel feed on the ETA 29 powered version. His first round speed missed his nomination by 3mph below and his second round speed improved by 6mph to miss the nominated by 2.3mph the other way, such is life. Star performance from the 2.5s was Ian Wingfield with his BRM that sounded spot on, recording the fastest run in the class and winning the nomination in to the bargain just 0.468mph adrift. We were delighted to be visited by a young Polish couple, now based in the UK. He used to race as a Junior in the late 1980s until the tracks in Poland closed and his grandfather was a regular competitor previously. Currently he is very much into aerial videoing, filming much of the action on the track from his drone, seen above in a wonderful, blue sky. It was also a pleasure to welcome two more potential newcomers looking to move into tethered cars.
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ETA 5 glow conversion | Unique ETA GP line up 29. 19. 15. | Ultimate ETA accessory |
Nigel Bathe's 2.1 was really singing to top out at 98.683mph, whilst Hugh's similar car did not lean out until the last few laps and then promptly blew his nomination somewhat. David Giles had brought his superbly engineered 1066 Conquest with a Nordec 60 that is extremely loud. After coming close to his nomination to place second, he gave the needle a little twiddle to record the best ever speed for this car. David has designed and geared it so that it will run happily at around 80mph, with due deference to its age.
For the first time, all runs were recorded on a laptop in the timing hut, and as soon as power is connected to the hut then printouts should be available after each run. Other cars were running but not entered so do not appear in the results. Thanks to all those who ignored the attractions of the coronation and the street parties, especially Ian Wingfield for the technical and physical help over the weekend, setting up, horsing and clearing up afterwards.
Competitor | Car | Round 1 | Round 2 | Nom Error | Posn |
Lyndon Bedford | ETA 15 Vintage | 65.885mph | 71.322mph | 2.322 | 4th |
Chris Maggs | TEMP HB | 38.664mph | DNS | ||
Ian Wingfield | BRM Redfin | 81.468mph | 79.732mph | 0.468 | 1st |
Nigel Bathe | 2.1cc LS Nova | 96.097mph | 98.663mph | 3.397 | 5th |
Hugh Blowers | 2.1cc LS Nova | 75.202mph | DNF | 1.702 | 3rd |
David Giles | 10cc Nordec Conquest | 75.788mph | 77.543mph | .788 | 2nd |
Lyndon Bedford | ETA 29 Vintage | DNS | DNS | ||
Mike Francies | KMD spur | DNS | |||
Nigel Bathe | TEMP streamliner | DNS |
For video of the event go to www.youtube.com
Buckminster Tether Car
Group June meeting Given
that we have had solid cloud and temperatures no higher than 15C for three
weeks, the prospect of a 'plume' from Spain in the high 20s made for an
interesting weekend. We are often derided for preferring the cool of the
hangar to the sun trap that is the pit area, yet by Sunday there was quite a
crowd in there? One of the best supported meetings so far with
almost 30 widely differing cars, vying for track time. A journalist and
photographer from Autocar were on hand during the Saturday, preparing an
article on tethered car racing for the magazine. To say he was impressed
with the sight of a piped car at 120+mph might be something of an
understatement?
Thanks to all the hard work from the volunteers at
Buckminster, the kickboards surrounding the track are now in place (see
photo above) so that
the faster cars can now run on official track days. It is hoped that a work
party one Saturday morning can complete the safety fence with plastic
sheeting to meet all requirements? Currently, the format is to have open practice
all day Saturday for testing purposes or setting up cars for the Sunday.
Aaron Monk had his E1 1.5cc car that we have seen before, and a current FEMA Class 1 model that sounded absolutely fantastic. Steve
Turley had his venerable Stelling Class 4 car that unfortunately refused to
run cleanly, possibly due to having spent the last six years in stately
repose in a cupboard? Not a new car, but the Bertold Kastle 3.5cc car
has changed hands again, and after a bit of needle twiddling was well over 100mph.
This car was the catalyst for a long discussion about paint as most of the
eco friendly paints seem to have zero resistance to methanol and certainly
not ether. We have used Holts 'rattle cans' forever on boats and cars
without any trouble, but a change in formulation leaves very sticky and
coloured hands. Strange really as full sized cars now run on 10% ethanol.
Lacquer is the answer as enamel has almost vanished and epoxy paint is a
whole different ball game. Ian Wingfield has built an Oliver Ferrari to go
with his similar BRM, again Redfin powered and with front and rear
suspension and he was also bemoaning the paint problem. The 'lads' continue to come up with innovative
and interesting cars, Nigel Bathe having fitted a somewhat over engineered
battery retainer on his electric car. Very effective though as it topped
105mph with still more to come. Mike Francies is getting to grips with his
KMD engined streamliner with another, even more potent, version in
development. This has an exceedingly powerful and high revving glow motor,
needing some sums to be done with gear ratios, tyre sizes etc to realise its
true potential. Another streamliner made its debut, but this
time very different inside. The beam chassis from a previous project had been
liberated, and after a chance conversation with ace engine man Taff Bolen, a
Eureka twinshaft, converted to glow to provide the urge. Very much last
minute getting it all together and not even a chance to see if the motor
would run, but it started first go, and responded happily to a push stick. A
bit of needle twiddling next time should see how effective this conversion
might be? New recruit, Andy Soars, appeared with the
normally super reliable Eureka, AC Cobra to get a first taste of tethered
car racing. He was soon in conversation with Alex Phin regarding the
availability of new twinshaft motors. Six hours of running cars in that heat
was enough, so a few cold beers were sought out to prepare for the morrow. Given the prospect of a thunderstorm on Sunday,
practice was restricted to 90 minute before the first round of competition.
For a variety of reasons some of the cars from Saturday were unable to run
with 13 cars being entered, each with a nominated speed. Interestingly, the
heat did affect performances for the 2.5 cars, with only Jan Huning and Pete
Hughes exceeding their nominations, the others were below. Several runs in the high
80s, not far off what the best 2.5s were doing in their day. It should not
be long before the diesel record is exceeded? The TEMP engined cars are
already well over what they were recording in their heyday. Lyndon Bedford discovered the
hard way why we do not recommend using older tyres, as his vintage ETA came
to a juddering standstill with half a front tyre. There are a lot of
polyurethane tyres on the market as well, but these are for display only and
must never be run. It is also worth noting that tethered cars take a great
deal of hammering on any track where the forces and stresses are exceedingly
high. For this reason, cars must be built to high standards of engineering
with appropriate material and fixings. Remember the old axiom 'if it can
break it will and if it can come off, then it certainly will, and probably
at the most embarrassing moment'. Fastest speed of the day was down to Lynn
Blowers at 107mph, way over her nomination, leaving her bottom of the
results list. David Giles' Conquest should get a prize for being the loudest
and is usually very close to the nomination, but an error of 1.5mph left him
in 7th place. People are getting very good at this now with the
first three being within 0.06mph of each other, how close is that? Even 4th
place was only 0.1mph out The heat was getting a bit oppressive so no one
wanted to hang around outside too long and with long trips home for most we
were able to get packed away and on the road at a reasonable time. As we
headed south, the temperature went up from the 27 at Buckminster to a heady
34, what a wonderful invention A/C in cars is? Thanks to everyone who helped prepare the
track, horse (a seriously hot occupation) and most of all, clearing up at
the end, thank you. Next meeting is July when we should be welcoming some
more visitors from overseas. For a video of the event
www.youtube.com
'seeking the
shade'
Oliver and Aaron on a photo
shoot
Jan being photographed
Ian Wingfield's brace of
Oliver Redfin cars
Oliver pushing off Aaron's E1
Horsing the 1.5 up to speed
Nigel's electric car
Steve pushing off his 5cc FEMA
car
Venerable Cobra back in action
Eureka twinshaft power
Aaron's Prijbo E1 1.5cc
2.1cc supplies now a casualty
of the political situation
Beautiful scale Hunter in the
hangar all weekend
Chris Maggs' new TMP car
→
Competitor
Car
Round 1
Round 2
Nom
Error
Posn
Lyndon Bedford
ETA 15 Vintage
67.244mph
73.681mph
-0.22
3rd
Chris Maggs
TEMP HB
62.956mph
64.510mph
-0.044
2nd
Gerry Best
Redfin streamliner
82.544mph
80.512mph
-0.956
6th
Nigel Bathe
Schools car
73.778mph
DNF
-11.222
10th
Nigel Bathe
TEMP streamliner
DNF
WD
David Giles
10cc Nordec Conquest
76.650mph
74.855mph
-1.45
7th
Jan Huning
Schools car TEMP
87.972mph
88.937mph
-0.028
1st
Jan Huning
Oliver HB
82.187mph
80.547mph
+0.187
4th
Mike Francies
KMD spur
67.484mph
73.681mph
-2.469
8th
Pete Hughes
TEMP
DNF
52.422mph
-11.222
11th
Pete Hughes
Redfin
60.331mph
57.997mph
+0.331
5th
Lynn Blowers
Nova 3b
107.298mph
WD
+7.298
9th
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