CLUBMANS RACING
“ I first met Richard in 1978 when I was thinking of buying one of their cars. I went down to the factory and he spent lots of time explaining what to look for and even pointed out one or two he knew were for sale. He has always been someone that bubbles with enthusiasm. He cannot get enough of it.
“ There have always been plenty of Mallocks around and with Arthur, then Richard, running the show over the years, there was always someone at the circuits giving support, which made everybody feel comfortable and secure. Equally, though, Richard would be the first to congratulate somebody who won in a car that was not a Mallock.”
Like the success of the Mallock cars, the success of the entire Clubmans Formula has been down to its origins of simplicity and its speed, and Richings concludes:“ Ultimately, that is the whole reason it was formed in the first place, because the early Mallock U2s were getting out onto the circuits, and they were so fast.
“ They were running in Sports and GT races and beating people with very expensive cars – Ferraris, Cobras and so on. The owners of those cars were getting a bit fed up because they did not like being slower than these little cheaper cars, so The British Racing and Sports Car Club( BRSCC) moved them into a separate category and called it Clubmans. The rest, as they say, is history …”
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Andy Priaulx: A Clubmans hill climbing hero
Multiple World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx cut his racing teeth driving a Mallock Clubman in British Hill Climbing. Revolution asked him to relieve those early days …
“ I had two Mallocks – a MK14 and a MK20 – and I was about 20 when I got my first one. I did not have the budget to go circuit racing, so I had to find sponsors and I did that through Hill Climbing. The Mallocks were always quite quick on the hills, especially the Guernsey Hill, and there was a MK14 for sale in Guernsey that was affordable, so I got it.
“ I knew I could be fairly competitive in class with that car, and it was a really good way for me to learn my trade. I raced it in on hills in both Guernsey and Jersey then we got the MK20 and took it to the UK to drive at Prescott and Shelsley Walsh, before eventually switching to the single seater the year after.
“ It was a tremendous car to drive and a great feeder into motorsport. As a driver, you are sat over the rear axle, so you feel everything. It was light, had a good power-to-weight ratio, good neutral balance, and it did everything right – it understeered nicely, it was progressive to drive, it had lots of downforce and it was quick. It gave you so much confidence.
“ I did all my own prep in Hill Climbing and it was such a straightforward car to work on. That really helped me with my technical feedback when I got to a professional level, because I knew the cars, I was a fully qualified mechanic and engineer, and I was able to adapt in that professional environment. I learned all of that from the Mallock days.
“ I dealt with Richard Mallock a lot and I spoke to Arthur once as well. He gave me some information on Ackermann geometry, ant-dives and all that sort of stuff. Switching from the Mallock to the rear engine single-seater was a bit of a transition, there was a little bit more oversteer and it was a bit more precise, but it had set me up well.“ I kept in touch with Richard throughout my career and it was nice to see him become a member of the British Racing Drivers Club. I also had a good relationship with Ray during my Touring Car days. He always wanted to try and give me a chance in the Nissans, so I had lots of dialogue with him about possibly joining and he followed my career closely.
“ Unfortunately, I never did race for Ray, but we were very good friends, and I am close to all the Mallock family. They are really all about grassroots Club racing, and that was great because it just gave you an affordable feeder into motor racing: fast cars, really agile and very safe. A real part of the motor racing fabric.”
Andy Priaulx gives Sue Mallock a passenger ride in the Mallock Mk34
Revolution- April 2025
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