The very healthy ‘Retro’ category is racing at the local Bira circuit this weekend. This group is for vehicles built before 1985, so there are all the cars you remember and grew up with.
Henk Kiks Porsche 944 (B-Quik Racing) is one of the top runners in the Retro class, but is being challenged by Gavin Charlesworth in his BMW E30 (EBC Brakes) which has been fitted with a BMW 4.4 liter V8 and extra-wide mudguards to get enough rubber on the road to handle the V8 power.
VW Retro racer.
Other BMWs racing include another wide-bodied E30 driven by Frank Teeuwen (B-Quik Racing / EBC Brakes) fitted with a 3 liter six cylinder M3 engine.
The BMW list continues with Peter Good E30 – 2.7 6 cyl M50 (EBC Brakes), Vinay E30 – 2.5 4 cyl M10 (Team EBC Brakes), Kaz E30 – 2.0 4 cyl M44 (B-Quik Racing) and hopefully K. Pong with his Gulf liveried E30 – 2.0 4 cyl M44 (Team Grilliku Gulf / EBC Brakes).
There are always plenty of Toyota DX models with Mark Titterington (Team Bungy Jump) fitted with a 2.4 liter Toyota delivering 250 BHP, and is another top of the field entry. New driver Richard with a red DX fitted with a supercharged Toyota 4AG ZE engine will be having his second meeting, but impressed last time out.
Cars of that era always include the Mk1 Ford Escorts, and currently top of that sub-group is my Securitas Mk 1 (with Nissan SR20 Turbo), closely followed by Ricardo Neri in another Nissan SR20 turbo engined Mk 1 and Malcolm Campbell in the Beams engined Mk 1.
First lap traffic jam at Bira.
The Team Waxy VW Beetle should also be running. This car has a 2.2 liter Porsche engine, a lightweight body and capable of humbling many of the cars running in the category.
There are races for other categories as well as everyone mixed in, and the BMW E36’s of Urs Schonenberger and Bobby Brooks are always threats to the other cars at the pointed end of the field.
These are always fun meetings, though the competition can be very fierce. Practice is on Friday June 1, Qualifying Saturday June 2 and Racing Sunday June 3. Racing generally starts around 10 a.m. though I do not have the timetable when writing this. The first events in the Sunday morning are car clubs, with the slightly more serious Retro cars from around noon.
And if you want to really make a picnic of it, join us in the AA Insurance Brokers / Sausage King hospitality tent on Sunday where we offer cold drinks, some shade, seats and a sausage sizzle courtesy of Barry Main, the Sausage King. The tent is on the outside of the hairpin at the end of the straight and has good views of the cars going through that corner and up the hill, then down the back through the difficult and dangerous sweeping right hander. To find us, come into the circuit via the back gate leading to the pits, about 200 meters on the left before approaching the main entrance off Highway 36 coming from the Sattahip end. Go through the tunnel under the track and then turn immediately hard right and follow the dirt road around the outside of the corner and up the incline and look for the red AA hospitality tent. Say the magic words “Securitas Mk1 Escort” and you’re in!
