1970 CAMCO Tests

KEN IRWIN WINS AT CAMCO

This report by Esler Crawford appeared in Motorweek 17 September 1970.

A SMALL but select band of driving test exponents turned out to do battle in the Northern Motor Club’s late afternoon event in the Camco car park at Monkstown last Saturday. Competitors first tackled three tests twice and then all three test sites were used for one gigantic “throw” which was also done twice.

Two men who have been setting the pace recently, Ian Woodside (Midget) and John Lyons (Cooper S) set the pace in test one with 33.9 seconds with Charles Crawford (Midget) next on 34.3. At present Ian Woodside is on such good form that it is quite surprising to recall that he started doing tests some 15 years ago – and something of a sobering thought for the writer to recall those days clearly!

In test two Lyons was on his own with 16.5 to the 17.3 of Albert Lucas (1000 Mini) while Robert “King” Woodside had a pylon with his VW. Again it was Lyons in test 3 with 27.3 to 28.7 by Ken Irwin who was sharing Lyon’s car. (It may also be something of a surprise to some people that at this time last year John Lyons had not even appeared on the driving test scene!) This test caused a lot of trouble to many people with a throw in a narrow channel leading to many pylons being cast aside by such notables as Albert and Lee Lucas, Ken Shields and Ronnie Mullen, the last named arriving very late as usual.

At this point Lyons led the field with a total of 77.7 from Ian Woodside with 81.4 and Ken Irwin with 81.5. However, test 4 brought calamity for the leader when he lost about 15 seconds to the test winner Robert Woodside and Lyons looked well out of it. Ian Woodside collected a pylon at the same time so Ken Irwin stepped into the lead.

Nothing daunted, Lyons won test 5 with 17.4 to 17.8 by Ian Woodside and Ken Shields. Then came the troublesome repeat of test 3 where, believe it or not, Messrs. Lee Lucas, Shields and Mullen again collected pylons as well as Charles Crawford.

FTD went to Robert Woodside in 28.5 with Ken Irwin 0.4 slower. At this point the gearbox of Albert Lucas’s Mini went sour and Albert shared Stanley Potter’s Hornet for the last two tests.

At this stage Ken Irwin held the lead with 164.2 but by virtue of being best over the second three tests Robert Woodside had moved threateningly close with 165.2. Next in order were Ian Woodside (176.0), Lyons (171.1), Crawford (174.2) and Shields (176.4), so with the two long blinds to come there was still plenty of room for change.

FTD on the first run went to Lyons with 61.2 but in all fairness it must be added that he had his run before a cloudburst left the surface wringing wet for the rest of the field. They were headed by Robert Woodside with 63.5 despite complaining that he thought reverse gear was on the way out. Next were Ken Shields with 64.9 and Ken Irwin with 65.0. This left Robert Woodside in the lead with 228.7,

Irwin next with 229.2 while Lyons had come back into the reckoning with 232.2 and Ian Woodside was fourth with 237.3. However, the tussle came to a rather anti-climatic end when Robert Woodside’s gearbox did go really sour in the last test and he limped through to record 67.1, John Lyons did a remarkable 61.1 — faster than his first time even though the surface was wet – but Ken Irwin kept his cool to record 63.5 and thus the day was his from Lyons and the Woodside brothers.

This win for Ken illustrates once again just how much this driver has improved over the past year or so and is quite a contrast to the wild young man who first appeared on the scene four or five years ago.

ESLER CRAWFORD

1. K. Irwin (Cooper S), 292.7;
2. J. C. Lyons (Cooper S), 293.4;
3. R. J. Woodside (VW 1500), 295.8;
4. I. Woodside (MG Midget), 305.5;
5. W. K. Shields (VW 1500), 305.9;
6. R. Mullen (Mini 1000), 308.7;
7. C. S. Crawford (MG Midget), 310.3;
8. A. Lucas (Mini 1000), 317.6.

P.S. In case you were wondering who all the people were in the header picture, here are the names.
Left to right—-Ian Woodside, John Jones, Ken Shields, Charles Crawford, Robert Woodside, Ken Irwin (being bashful), John Lyons, Andy Irwin, Lee Lucas, Brian 0’Kane, while Roger Molyneaux lurks at the rear.