[ClubSpecial]

May I ask if anyone has any memories and especially photos of the above?

It's going back a bit, I know, but it would be wonderful to hear of the old club where I spent so many great nights as a youngster learning from the likes of Barrie Wade, Ken Holmes, Ian and Keith Wells, Barry Foley and oh I wish I was better with names. The club was run by Roger Penwill and his Dad, whose St, Bruno mixed with the Valor oil heater was the prevailing fragrance of those nights in the garage. Half way through Roger's Mum always provided refreshments.

I remember taking part in an overnight Mini race where the cars had to have lights switchable without removing the car from the track and a 12 hour race at Roneo Vickers on borrowed proprietary track. Our team's bog standard green Revell GTO came second and Ken Holmes 330LMB won.

We used to regularly go to and welcome to us Estuary Equipe, where the famous Ron Penn and Rag Chapman were leading lights as well as the aforementioned Barrie Wade and was it Laurie Cranshaw and Gerry Lambourn (memory stretch, sorry!)

All recollections would be gratefully received.
Cheers,
Martin

 

[ralph]

This rings a bell, Model Cars ...64/ 65 ish had a report on a 12 hours at Hornchurch, with a photo, Wasn,t it Airfix track? . Perhaps one of us, less technophobic than me, can assist with a scan if pointed in the right direction.
Gerry Lamborn sometimes posts on Slotforum and now races at his local club in Bordeaux.

 

[ralph]

I doubt it was Laurie Cranshaw, perhaps Laurie SIMMONDS, who later established a,raceway in the converted Essoldo cinema in Clacton.

 

[ClubSpecial]

I remember it being a fairly well known chum of Barrie Wade's who usually came with him from Estuary Equipe.

Roger and his mate who put it all together were at the Romford Royal Liberty School together at the time.

I heard a year or so ago that Ken Holmes was running a Slotstox club in White Hart Lane, Nth. Romford.!!

Martin

 

[GeraldL]

Actually I have only been reading the forum again this week, you need to add mention of Ray Hutton who became a famous motoring journalist and President of the Guild of Motoring writers, and Chaz Bayley fast man with a Mini-Cooper, full size that is. Gerald.

 

[ClubSpecial]

Hi Gerry, I don't recall those names, but as I said my memory for names is terrible.
Barry Foley was, of course, Autosport's "Catchpole" cartoonist. He was in our team for the 12 hour at Roneo's place.
What became of Barrie?

And yes, Ralph, the press were very interested and did a good write-up in the Romford Recorder!

Martin

 

[GeraldL]

I can only add that I met Barrie in Paris in 1976, he gave some Team Russkit armatures that will soon be in some Vintage cars, he flew over in his jointly owned Emeraude light plane, pressure of family and work meant we lost touch after that. Women network so much better.

 

[ClubSpecial]

76? A long time ago. I had no idea he had an interest in aircraft.
Thanks, Gerry.

Martin

 

[gasowder]

QUOTE (ClubSpecial @ 7 Jan 2012, 10:26) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>We used to regularly go to and welcome to us Estuary Equipe, where the famous Ron Penn and Rag Chapman were leading lights as well as the aforementioned Barrie Wade and was it Laurie Cranshaw and Gerry Lambourn (memory stretch, sorry!)
Martin, May 64 Model Cars gives a Mr.R.J.Penwill, 140 Suttons Lane, Hornchurch as a contact. Would that be father or son?
October 64 edition contains a note to the effect they can't accept any new members until they find larger premises.
Regarding Laurie Cranshaw, my recolection is that he was a member of the Aintree club.
Eddie

 

[montoya1]

I know Catchpole died about 10 years ago. I still have many of cartoons, faded now. I really must snap up the F words book on Amazon.

To me his real claim to fame was coming up with the JPS Lotus colour scheme.

 

[Neil_S]

Hi Guys

I'm the son of Laurie Simmons. I have been going through dads old photographs and found several which I have not been able to figure out where they were from.
I remember most of our race centers, Hamlet court Road, Wonderland, Clacton Essoldo, Clacton 101.
I guess I was about 8 then, but I don't know about any of his earlier racing. I have an old racing box in my loft which is from Estuary Equipe.
I have put these photographs on photobucket - http://s282.photobucket.com/albums/kk269/H...439/slot%20car/

It might be Hornchurch, can anybody identify them?

I have also 4 pictures from 1965 which was something to do with dad but I'm not sure what.

Neil

 

[ClubSpecial]

Neil,thanks for posting.
That isn't Hornchurch, but I wonder if it is Estuary Equipe? I never went there, so it's only a guess. It's a nice track, but a bit cramped looking at the drivers! the one on the left is almost definitely Barrie Wade who was a leading Estuary man.
Note the hair and the pipe!
Hornchurch's track came down from the roof of Roger's dad's garage in which he kept his Mk3 Zephyr!

Fascinating stuff, though.

If you ever want to give that race box a new home, PLEASE PM me. It will go no further and I will get anything in it running.

Failing that, it would be wonderful to see pics of it and its contents.

Cheers,
Martin

 

[ralph]

the pictures are of Estuary Equipe.

 

[ClubSpecial]

Thanks, Ralph.

Eddie, R.J.Penwill was the son, Roger. His dad just supplied it all! And was Honorary Scrutineer.

Cheers,
Martin

 

[WELLSEY]

Hi, Ian Wells here, my brother Keith told me about this web site so I had a look. Many years have passed since those enjoyable days and I will gladly share any memories with anyone. cheers Ian.

 

[Mikewall]

Hello Ian, your brother Keith phoned me the other evening for a nostalgic chat, I was running the West Ham club in the 60s when Hornchurch were going strong, I remember racing against the Wells brothers and Barrie Wade. After a long absence from slot racing I got back into it around 4 years ago and have met up with quite a few friends from that period.
Have a look at the Yorkley club site on the forum club section to see my current track.
A lot has changed over the years but a lot has also stayd the same, especially the friendly rivalry at slot meetings.
Best wishes
Mike Wall

 

[PETER GUNN]

OK HERE WE GO NAMES KEITH WELLS HORNCHURCH RACER 1963 TO 1969 I WELL REMEMBER JACKS PIPE AND OIL HEATER IT TOOK DAYS TO GET RID OF THE SMELL FROM YOUR CLOTHES BUT IT WAS A VERY FRIENDLY CLUB WITH A GOOD MIX OF YOUNG AND OLD MY FIRST CAR WAS A LOTUS 18 V.I.P CLUB SPECIAL WHICH DID NOT LAST LONG AS IT SEEMED TO LEAP OF THE TRACK ONTO THE FLOOR AT REGULAR INTERVALS , KEN HOLMES BARRIE WADE AND MY BROTHER WERE SOME OF THE FASTEST IN THE EARLY DAYS THEY ALWAYS SEEMED TO KEEP ME COMPANY IN THE FINALS SINCE I FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS SITE I HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH SOME OF THE OLD AND VERY OLD GUYS AND HAVE CONTACTED CLUB RACER WITH SOME INFO.
THIS WEEKEND I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH KEN HOLMES, JOHN ENGLISH & MIKE WALL ABOUT THE OLD DAYS AND I HAVE TRACKED DOWN BARRIE WADE AND HAD A LONG CHAT WITH HIM, IF I CAN BE OF ANY HELP WITH ANY INFO FROM THOSE DAYS PUT A LINE DOWN AND I WILL SEE WHAT I CAN DO.
KEITH.

 

[PETER GUNN]

Ralph, you are dead right the first track i raced on was a Airfix track with all the problems of having little metal contacts, i remember someone brave loop wiring all the joints, it was soon replaced with a 4 lane track which we all spent many enjoyable? evenings building at least till the pub opened, the track was suspended in the roof over jack's car on a pully system and it never fell down which surprised me.
Laurie Simmonds did visit us on one or two occasions in the early days and Barrie Wade used to bring some odd ( not that odd ) people with him from Estuary Equipe, Barrie being a local lad decided to make us his home for a while and we had many trips together to other clubs where you used to meet all the old faces, i can remember Gordon Tapsell and his band of merry men in our garage and in the add on shed would be everyone else such was there a limit on space .
KEITH.

 

[WELLSEY]

Hi Mike nice to hear from you and that all is well with you. Jeez its hard to remember things from so long ago, can't remember when I stopped racing, in fact I had a clear out in 2005 and sold all my old cars, spares and mags on ebay. Then Keith picked up on this site and started things jangling so I bought a couple of old Scalextric cars on ebay today, just to tinker with.

I can just about recall your place in West Ham when we messed about with VIP and Airfix cars and kits. Wasn't life so much better in those days. Anyway all best wishes to you and your family and if you ever visit Essex give me a shout. Kind regards Ian.

 

[slotjohn 515]

Hi to everyone who has raced at Hornchurch MRRC. I first met Ian, Keith ,Barrie, Mike etc at of all things a Model railway exhibition in Ilford Town hall in the mid 60/s i think. Hornchurch had ther fairly new track at that time and were holding a club meet , but also allowing new hopefuls to have a go.
As i had a scalestric at home I was hooked, and becasme a member.
As in other messages the atmosphere of pipe tobacco/oil heater in the winter has never been forgotten with the rivalry everone had as well.

My first car I ever built was a GT40 with a Cox body kit, MRRC 3 pole motor,steering unit ,vip guide, MRRC air rubber tyres. This was a fair success, my racing gradually improved

Hornchurch were part of the ecra and were part of area nine i think, we raced at Mike walls west ham, Sidcup, Sydenham and many others , names elude me.
However I remember going to a either an open meeting or area nine and Reed Paper Mills in Kent ? The 4 lane track had a tunnel midway thro the lap making for some interesting racing. During the proceedings a lunch break was called. On the restart the heat got underway , the cars entered the tunnel but not one came out! During the break a CAT had gone into the tunnel and fell asleep, only to wake up and knock all the cars off.

This period was great for slot racing , i went to Tottenham model raceway seeing for the first time a KING Track,fantastic. This track if im right Mike Wall then had in his shop in Manor Park, then went to Wonderland in Southend , what happened to it ? anybody know.

From these beginnings I and later my son Paul have raced with Ken Holmes at Wellgate with 1/32nd scale slotstox, Scalextric type cars at Fords, HO racing at Derby with 24hr Lemans for three years plus other 1/24th in between

I hope this gives some more info about Hornchurch and that slotracing never really goes away.

slotjohn 515 John English