[merkit the grof]

Why do I collect???? Because I like it!

Now, enough hiss taking, on to our subject.

Last week was the fabulous Dunes des Flandres vintage race meeting, and I bought this from Phil Smith.

I particularly like the paint job, all foot and paw prints.

Underneath is this chassis (motor solder needs tidying up)

Signed by Ant Hawkes, no less!

The questions are: Who were Ward Racing, who is Ant Hawkes and what about CN paint?
Any help would be much appreciated (Tony, where are you?).

Joel

 

[loosesalute]

Great model Joel.
It`s nice to see something a bit different on SF!
Do you have any photos of the event?
Cheers,
Kev.
PS. I collect cos I`m sad....

 

[superhornets]

Hi Joel
Interesting find and very typical of the cars that folks like me were building up to about 1978
ant hawkes is an interesting character and was I beilieve a member of the presto park club near norwich during the 1970s and 80s
He was in the catering business and at one time was manager of the castle hotel in norwich ,seem to remember he did cheap packages for slot racers at presto open meets
slipped off the radar during the 90s but popped up about 1997 when he was managing pontins holiday camp at southport and gave all the competittors cheap accomodation and entertainment in the holiday camp
again seemed to disappear again after that but I have a feeling he may still be doing a bit of slot racing ,in production car events or even BSL possibly in the lancashire area
If no one comes forward joel I,ll make a few enquiries
no idea who the hell larry ward was

Cheers tony

 

[dgersh]

Nice find Joel - you beat me to it!

I see that Tony is on the case...

And I resemble your remark about pointless discussions - everything we do is pointless!

Also, it's not the Dunes de Flandres, but the "Tour des Flandres", and there are photos under that very topic, thanks to Anthony (Abie) and Vincent.

Don

PS: a lot of money to pay just to get a set of Taylormade gears, eh?

 

[TSRF]

QUOTE Why do I collect???? Because I like it!
Joel,
Bravo and nice find!
Wolf F1 I assume?

 

[Yazoo]

Ant Hawkes was a fabulous chassis and car builder in the late 1970's, his cars were sought after by racers in East Anglia. I saw Ant last year when he paid me a visit at my club in Norfolk and is racing BSCRA cars now, he is currently living and working in Sussex. He races at a club down there somewhere and also takes part in Open BSCRA meetings. Perhaps Chris Frost from BSCRA could help you locate him. I believe he may be on this forum sometimes. Mike.. Presto Park. Norwich

 

[gasowder]

He was at the recent BSCRA Club Team Championship & Production Challenge Meeting at Gaydon.
Pictures of him presenting prizes here http://www.bscra.org.uk/nats/2011/teamindex.htm
Eddie

 

[scaleslotcars]

Funnily enough I got the car at Gaydon! It was part of some stuff from the late Nick Cherril's collection that I bought there.

Don I think you need some new specs! the car was on my table at Bordeaux and Joel did not buy it until Sunday at Flanders, it was on my table all day Saturday!!
Would have charged more for it if I knew Ant Hawkes was famous

 

[dgersh]

Friday night I got about 3 hours of sleep Phil (big match, we lost!), but no excuse for Bordo! Guess that color scheme looks better in the photo than on the table...

Don

 

[lowrider]

I'm curious about the elusive Larry Ward too.
I have a Team Palmer F32 chassis engraved 'built for Larry Ward' for which Phil Smith was also the source. Thanks again, Phil!

Regards,
L.

 

[merkit the grof]

Thanks all for the info, small world isn't it?

Don, the body needed a clean up and I intended to bin it; it was the in line chassis that caught my eye.
As it is about 1971 vintage, I will obviously use it in Bordeaux, can someone confirm the Mura is pre 72??

Low, I too want to know about Larry Ward, someone must remember him.

What about CN paint? At a guess it must have been his initials, so who was he?

Joel

 

[Dick Smith]

Ant races with us at Netley and I should see him tonight. I will print this thread and see what info he can add.

 

[gasowder]

QUOTE (merkit the grof @ 3 Oct 2011, 12:33) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>small world isn't it?
Hi Joel,
When it comes to playing with toy cars, yes

Eddie

 

[TSRF]

QUOTE can someone confirm the Mura is pre 72??
Hi Joel,
While the can design did not change from 1971 when it was introduced, to 1977 when a new hole pattern was available for open-class racing (while the standard 2-hole survived through 1990 for lesser racing classes), this is likely a 1977-1978 production Group-15 motor, possibly with a faster armature. The endbell design with the larger bearing and notch for sidewinder main rails did not appear until 1972. A sure sign would be the use of "short" magnets in the can: Mura began producing their own shorter magnets to fit the shorter armature stacks of the X12 and GP15 arms at about that time. 1976-1977. The can color also looks like that period for the many production short-stack motors they manufactured for Parma for their angle-winder steel-wire and brass RTR cars. Also the body is of the Hesketh-Wolf 1975 F1 car, so I would think that the whole car was built in 1976.
Of course Ant would be the one to verify my guesses.

 

[merkit the grof]

I love these threads, where the history of a car unravels slowly.

Dick, I look forward to hearing from Ant. Philippe thanks for the Mura info (Mura is the most confusing subject ever)

Joel

 

[superhornets]

Hi Joel
Just in case phillippes indentification of the shell is taken as correct ,I would like to suggest that it is not a wolf but a hesketh 308 E a not too succesful car that raced during the 1978 season ,which might help pin point the cars age

Cheers Tony

 

[anthawkes]

Ant Hawkes here! Looks like a forgery to me!! Seriously though, I did build dozens of chassis (mostly called Wildcat Chassis)and RTRs in the 70s and 80s when racing mainly in Area 10 at Presto Park but in the mid 70s Nick Thrower and I were racing at Enfield (NorthMet Club, Hatfield and occasionally N London) - then I went back to Presto until a couple of years before it folded in the mid nineties. I now race at Netley, Bournemouth, Roedale, Coulsdon and anywhere else I can get to!

Chassis building for other people has virtually stopped because time is short and I maintain around 30 of my own cars - amazing how many variations on the classes and motor restrictions are in force all over the place, meaning different cars for every club. In any case current chassis are less fun to build than the old hand-cut spring steel and hand-filed brass sheet varieties. Thanks to John Goldsmith, my old chassis are known as ANTiques.

Larry Ward, incidentally, was a racer at the Heron Club (Russell Ward's Dad?) and Chuck Palmer was an American guy who built the Palmer Formula 32 chassis which was probably the best of the bunch, certainly the straightest and strongest, unlike the one I wrote an infamous review about in that era! JG (John Goldsmith) will remember both Larry and the review!

Am still in the holiday business running a holiday village near Chichester for a Norfolk Broads -based family business.

Any chassis you'd like identifying, era, purpose, design, why did I bother, etc., just ask!

ATB, Ant

 

[Yazoo]

It would be nice to see you at our new track Ant when it's completed. Will keep you informed. Mike (Presto)

 

[ArJayAytch]

There have been a few ex-Presto Park cars on e-bay recently, I've picked up three. Judging by the chassis design and hardware they're from around 1969/70. The motors are cheapish Rikoflash and Rikowhip but with rewound and epoxied armatures and endbell heat sinks. They're notable for old spongies used on the front rather than hard rubber like SCDs or Delrins.

When I get around to paying for full forum membership I can post pics of them!

Richard

 

[Coopdevil]

Bodyshell is Charlie Fitz's '77 Wolf WR-1

Coop