David Butler - Racing

Racing

My MGB in its original livery - white with a lightweight blue roof - Number 5. MGB and Midget racing was always very tight and exciting - this was an MG Owners Club meeting at Oulton Park and Castle Combe.

This is a great club for real amatuer enthusiasts and I was welcomed warmly and they even modified their race rules to enable my "disabled" modifications to be accepted.

In my first year of racing I felt a real fraud winning the MGOC Novice Trophy at the age of 47. This was as a result of spending the previous 30 years, from the day I gained my driving licence, being involved in a fight with the RAC MSA whose rules prohibited disabled drivers from holding a race licence.

Immediately the rules changed I was out there.

One of my favourite circuits, Castle Combe.

That was however before they put in the whoosy chicanes after Quarry to slow the cars down on the back straight where the original slight left kink was just about flat if you were ballsy enough.

However one benefit to me of such a change was that at the meeting pictured I gained the "Driver of the Day" award for breaking the class lap record which now they have changed the circuit can`t be broken!

This is my MGB in torrential rain coming on the main straight of the club circuit. I thoroughly enjoyed racing in such conditions having competed in autocross on mud!

Having had to learn to walk and balance again I am certain that my feel and control in such conditions had been enhanced. Douglas Bader told me he felt that after returning to fly following his plane crash.

This race was red flagged on the next lap with standing water everywhere. We resumed after a 30 minute delay.

I didn`t always follow the racing line or the rest of the pack! -the second of two spins, this one at Clearways at Brands Hatch.

After rebuilding the MGB for a stint of Historic rallying, it was back to the circuits for my hard working machine which retained its red and white rally colour scheme.

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