Two More Meet Their End...

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David Swain
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Re: Two More Meet Their End...

Post by David Swain »

Begs the question really...... Which is better taking a scrap car prepping it for a race (Adding cage and enough metal so the occupant has a chance of walking away etc.) and then destroying it, or taking a concourse example car, prepping it for a race (Removing interior, changing bonnet, boot and wings for fibreglass etc.) And risking the possibility of total destruction on a track.......
These people destroy cars for a living, I don't think they have too many qualms about how they go about it.
Don't get me wrong though, I used to love watching the banger racing as a child, and was upset when they widened the road and closed our local track down, but then there were plenty of these cars filling the scrap yards locally. It upsets me now seeing old cars used, and would prefer that they used scrap modern cars, but I also see every now and then on Facebook, eBay, gumtree etc. old Austins trying to be given away by their owners, or owners trying to save them from scrap by selling them cheaply (I know as I have taken on two such cars myself and question my sanity for doing so daily) But no one is interested in these wrecks as the cost of a rebuild in time and money is too daunting for most people. What happens to these cars that nobody has time for? They probably either get crushed, cut up, or end up on the banger circuit. :(
David Swain. Member No. A1743
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A30 van 55 'R.G. Swain', A35 4 Door 59 'Little Gem', A35 2 Door 59 'The Rev' '+1'
Big Daddy
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Re: Two More Meet Their End...

Post by Big Daddy »

David Swain wrote:And risking the possibility of total destruction on a track.......
I've suffered pangs of conscience about exposing Evo2 to risks of circuit racing but compared to this bunch, I'm an angel... :wink:
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Neil Evans
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Re: Two More Meet Their End...

Post by Neil Evans »

I used to be a regular at Banger Racing meetings in the 1970 when most of these types of vehicle were being raced regularly but even the racing was different then. The aim then was to win the race and do a parade lap with the dolly birds and chequered flag. Watching these videos you can soon see that the point of the exercise is not to win the race, but to entertain the crowd in the most dramatic way... Though I think it's twofold...

Firstly, the one upmanship of turning out to race in the most outrageous vehicle...

But more, from the way the drivers sit on the dash of their cars as the wrecks are unceremoniously dragged back to the pits, strikes me that they are craving the attention of surviving the meeting in the most absurdly battered vehicle. These guys want to be worshipped as heros... :thumbs:
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Big Daddy
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Re: Two More Meet Their End...

Post by Big Daddy »

Neil Evans wrote:The aim then was to win the race and do a parade lap with the dolly birds and chequered flag.
Sounds great... :thumbs:

Neil Evans wrote:These guys want to be worshipped as heros... :thumbs:
They are sick and need help... :evil:
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Neil Evans
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Re: Two More Meet Their End...

Post by Neil Evans »

Another big difference I've noticed is that the drivers remain in the cars till the end of the race or 'racing' is stopped. In the seventies they would be out of a dead car like a shot and over the safety fence or onto the infield. Today, with an armco wall and bank there's nowhere to go to escape and the infield looks like it's used as an extension of the track a lot of the time... You'd think that serious injuries would be common but it's surprisingly rare that people get hurt... :whistle:
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Alan
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Re: Two More Meet Their End...

Post by Alan »

its like when a demolition firm gets a job to knock down an old building that's built from old clay bricks.

if you want to build a new wall/garage with the "reclaimed bricks" you would take the building down brick by brick and re-use. the demolition company doesn't care about the bricks, he just wants to knock the building down.
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Neil Evans
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Re: Two More Meet Their End...

Post by Neil Evans »

A35 banger 2.jpg
A35 banger 2.jpg (69.74 KiB) Viewed 601 times
:whistle:
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Big Daddy
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Re: Two More Meet Their End...

Post by Big Daddy »

If nothing else, seems MUFFINMAN got his kicks... :roll:
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Re: Two More Meet Their End...

Post by Chairman »

Cannot remember which national it was, but there was a perfectly good maestro diesel that had its engine ran minus oil until it siezed up....11 or 12 mins....it ran for.....hope never to see that again at any of our events....not what the club is about....and to say that I quite like maestro vans.....petrol ones! :whistle:
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Neil Evans
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Re: Two More Meet Their End...

Post by Neil Evans »

Chairman wrote:Cannot remember which national it was, but there was a perfectly good maestro diesel that had its engine ran minus oil until it siezed up....11 or 12 mins....it ran for.....hope never to see that again at any of our events....not what the club is about....and to say that I quite like maestro vans.....petrol ones! :whistle:
Upton on Severn - 2005... :thumbs:
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Dave Clark
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Re: Two More Meet Their End...

Post by Dave Clark »

Similarly, at a bike show, a Honda 90 had it,s throttle wired wide open and just left alone.

It ran for 20 minutes and only expired because it got so hot that the plastic oil filler cap melted and it lost its oil - just went for another 2-3 minutes after that.

As I recall that diesel Maestro showed no signs of giving up until it,s oil had been drained.
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Neil Evans
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Re: Two More Meet Their End...

Post by Neil Evans »

Club Technical Information Officer
A30/A35 Club Member A191 (since 1972)

Father of the club's only love child
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Neil Evans
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Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 1:06 am
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Re: Two More Meet Their End...

Post by Neil Evans »

Club Technical Information Officer
A30/A35 Club Member A191 (since 1972)

Father of the club's only love child
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