CEO ' s MESSAGE
decided to take up the challenge of trials, some from other disciplines or brand new to the sport. We deliberated a multiplicity of subjects, and I always find that standing on a windy hillside allows for the true feelings of our members to be voiced. Among the discussions of tyres, classes, committees, and the general promotion of the sport, we discussed the role of StreetCar. I am sympathetic to the view that the more we can encourage local clubs to pick up the baton of StreetCar the more successful it will become.
All too soon I had to leave that eclectic mix of vehicles that were heading up to start their first tests as I had an appointment at the Curborough Sprint circuit. The President of the Shenstone and District Car Club( SDCC), Jeremy Bouckley, is a massively energetic and enthusiastic champion of his club as well as the venue itself. Jeremy wrote to me earlier in the year to encourage me to visit Curborough and experience what he describes as the most important and versatile venue in the country. On the surface this does seem an ambitious
The energy centre at Curborough could become a prototype for other temporary motorsport venues
statement, but after an extensive tour of the site and a detailed explanation of the extraordinary variety of activities that take place at Curborough, I can see where he is coming from. One aspect that I admire is that the club takes the view that it will maximise the commercial utilisation of the track so that revenue can subsidise the traditional use of the circuit, not only by SDCC, but also a wide number of UK clubs. With entry for the day set at £ 95, with three or four timed runs, that seemed good value for money indeed. The facility itself is compact but beautifully maintained with a clear focus on quality and long-term viability. The most obvious manifestation of this is a clever bespoke energy centre that combines solar panels with lithium-ion batteries in a customised container, with only minimal backup from an LPG field generator, shrinking the carbon footprint and energy bills at the same time. The unit( pictured) could be a prototype for use across a huge number of our temporary venues, given we have over 900 used every year.
Walking around the paddock it was a great pleasure to talk to the owners of so many interesting vehicles ranging from standard production cars( the ubiquitous Clio’ s and Fiesta’ s) all the way through to Hayabusa-engined single seaters. Chatting to the owner of a particularly immaculate Mini that retained a BMC A-series engine but sported a purpose-built fuel injection system delivering some 120bhp from a 1380cc engine, all presented to the same standard as I was used to in my days a Prodrive. I was also amused to reminisce with the owner about my own the days of modifying Minis as a teenager, and we agreed that we owed a lot to Janspeed as that was the key source of‘ go faster’ parts. Further round the paddock I met a gentleman called Jan Nycz, who not
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Revolution- September 2025
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