1969 Mid-Antrim Clinty Slalom

RONNIE “WHITE-WASHES” THE REST AT CLINTY

This report and photos by Esler Crawford first appeared in Motorweek dated 18th October 1969.

Last Saturday Mid-Antrim Motor Club repeated the slalom which they first ran a year ago at Clinty Quarry. The 700 yard course was very similar to last years — having a good variety of gradients and surfaces and with plenty of solid quarry property to encourage neat driving!

Unfortunately the entry was a bit disappointing with only 22 cars participating but it was a pleasant sunny afternoon and a good gathering of spectators were well enough entertained.

As in the case of the recent UAC autocross, the result was decided on the issue of Ronnie White versus “The Rest” with John Jones putting up a very spirited challenge but eventually having to give best to the “wee man from Moy.”

Roy McBurney was first out in the Porsche Beach Buggy and did a good looking 61.8 soconds. But White, running number two, immediatley put this in the shade with a very neat and very fast 56.0 in his 1310 Cooper S. Fred Stewart’s BMC 1100 bored special then spluttered round in 85.0 which was not likely to be much good to him.

UNDIPLOMATIC

The up and coming Dermot Boyd was next with 60.8 in the Cooper he shares with brother Malcolm, and then Brian Rowan took over the McBurney Buggy to pip brother-in-law Roy by 0.2 – very undiplomatic.

John Wilson’s 848 Mini ground to a halt with a detached battery lead and then Malcolm Boyd set up the second best time so far with 59.0. Harold Hagan made a surprise appearance in an 848 Mini and showed his usual skill with 63.2 to be followed by Bob Curran‘s 1500 Beetle with 64.2.

Jackie Murray immediately displaced Curran in the VW class with 63.0 in his raucous Porsche-engined job and then Joe Pat O‘Kane gave everybody a thrill by taking a short cut over a pile of stones although his Lotus Cortina appeared to suffer no damage and he carried on unconcerned.

LIKELY CONTENDER

Then it was the turns of John Jones Whose 1293 ‘Iron Lung’ Cooper looked the most likely candidate to displace White. However, he was a comparatively large 1.8 seconds to the bad and appeared to lose a lot of time by going very wide on a loose surfaced downhill tight left hander. Dessie Wilson was then only 0.4 slower than Jones in a very clean looking ex-McCartney Wolseley Hornet and Jim Bovill finished the first run with a hairy 61.0 in his Escort Twin Cam.

On the second and last run Roy McBurney immediately pared 38 seconds off his first effort and with Brian Rowan only able to improve by another 0.2 he thereby won the Specials class although Stewart improved to a slightly more respectable 68.8.

BOYDS SLOWER

Both the Boyds were much slower for some reason and were out of the running but Harold Hogan did an excellent 61.8 to win the small FWD class from John Wilson. Bob Curran got down to 62.2 and with Jackie Murray slower on his second, young Curran, one of the most enthusiastic competitors there is, got a well deserved win in the large rear engined class while David McCullough‘s bright yellow Imp took the small rear-engined class with 63.8.

On his second run White showed extreme consistency by again taking 56.0 and the ball was now in the court of a very determined John Jones. This time Jones was very neat round the afore-mentioned left-hander and came through the fast final right hander in a glorious full lock slide and he looked to have a very fast time. However time-keeper Jack Stewart announced 56.2 – just 0.2 too slow and as Jones said “just one less dab on the brake pedal would have done the trick”.

However, that’s the essence of competition. Dessie Wilson was very consistent with another 58.2 to be third in the class behind Ronnie White and John Jones and Jim Bovill finished the event by taking the front-engined rear wheel drive class with a final time of 59.2 in his somewhat tatty Twin Cam Escort. His margin over second placed Joe Pat O’Kane, in the somewhat outdated Lotus Cortina, was just over 4 seconds.

RESULTS

General Classification:

1. R. White (1310 Cooper S) 56.0 secs;
2. J. D. Jones (1293 Cooper S) 56.2;
3. R. McBurney (1500 GP Beach Buggy) 58.0.

Front Wheel Drive Saloons up to 900cc

1. W. H. Hagan (848 Mini) 61.8;
2. J. Wilson (848 Mini) 66.1.

Front Wheel Drive Saloons over 900cc

1. R.White 56.0;
2. J. D. Jones 56.2;
3. D. Wilson (1293 Wolseley Hornet) 58.2.

Rear engined saloons up to 1000cc

1. D. McCullough (875 Sunbeam Imp) 63.8.

Rear Engined Saloon over 1000cc

1. R, Curran (1500 VW) 62.2:
2. J. Murray (1600 VW) 63.0.

Front engined rear wheel drive saloons

1. J. Bovill (1558 Escort TC) 59.2;
2. J. P. O’Kane (1558 Lotus Cortina) 63.4;
3. A. Black (1500 Ford Anglia) 65.1.

Specials

1. R. McBurney 58.0;
2. B. Rowan (1500 GP Beach Buggy) 61.4;
3. F. Stewart (BMC Special) 68.8;