Round 1 of the Nitto 3K Retro Series was held at the Bira Circuit on Highway 36, just outside Pattaya last weekend, and our last minute entry in the Securitas Mk 1 Escort was not without dramas. The Retro Series is for pre 1978 cars, and to find 40 year old cars in Thailand that are not rust-buckets is difficult. However, we did find one, but the Securitas team only took possession of the 1973 Mk 1 eight days before the meeting.
The car was basically an unfinished project of the previous owner, with much of the modifications done, but the whole package was still not in race trim.
In the eight days, the mechanic Simon managed to bend up a roll cage and weld it in place, find a race seat and fit it complete with three inch race harness, machine the wheels for better location on the hubs, while the car was in at the paint shop being transformed into the Securitas corporate white.
With assistance and advice from one of the other competitors, Gavin Charlesworth (E30 BMW), we completed all the formalities of registering the race car for the Nitto/3K Series and managed to get out on the Bira circuit for a shake-down on the Friday afternoon. Nothing fell off so that was considered an auspicious start to the weekend’s racing.
What it did show was that without the wider 15 inch wheels and the Nitto NT 01 compound tyres, we were really up against it. However, we consoled ourselves that if nothing else we were setting our benchmark and we will be able to see how we can improve during the 2011 Retro season.
After qualifying, we found ourselves in 17th position (out of 24 starters) and that was better than we had hoped. In the race on the Sunday we had some spirited dices and finished 14th, beating a much younger and heavily modified BMW to the line, much to the delight of our fans.
The car certainly did look the part and generated much interest and nostalgia in the spectators and I must thank our main sponsors Securitas, ESC, CEA Projects, AA Insurance Brokers and Cromwell Tools.
