49 Very special days – Part 2

By Geoff Farmer

Photos courtesy of Richard Crawford Photography

PART 2 / 2

Now began 49 (honestly!) days of some of the most dedicated, applied and committed team effort and sheer goodwill I’ve ever been involved in. And all because Julian, on Goodwood’s behalf, asked if there was any way we could get the car to Goodwood?
During the first few rational hours of ownership, I’d quickly come to the conclusion that to re-build the car with my own team was going to take at least all the remaining four months of ’99, so Adelaide 2000 was a possibility. But Goodwood, September 17/18/19th – seven and a half weeks away…definitely an impossibility!! But I always did like a challenge.
The following few days were spent at the Silverstone Coy’s meeting in Cedric’s Lotus 25. I was genuinely staggered at the speed with which people had learnt of my new acquisition, but more particularly at the very obvious depth of good feeling that the car was to stay in the UK, and be driven by an enthusiastic racer. Gradually, it dawned on me that as well as owning a Lotus Formula 1 car, it was obviously a very special one at that.
Over the Coy’s weekend, Simon Hadfield and I had a quiet discussion in the scrutineering bay. He’d had the car collected for me the day before and was obviously very interested in the car’s restoration. I mentioned Goodwood’s request and we both agreed it was a ridiculously impossible target. But, like me, Simon loves a challenge, shares my determination, and loves to win.
I’d known Simon for several years and had huge respect for his firm’s reputation as Lotus restorers. There and then we struck a deal whereby we would compromise absolutely nothing, commit every possible resource, keep our objective secret, but go for Goodwood in less than seven weeks!
Once again there is too little space for all the detail I’d have to give. But briefly I acquired an absolutely original and period DFV which Dick Langford made huge efforts to ready in time. Clive Chapman loaned a pair of front wheels (the car was bought with 49C spec 1970 wheels. Simon and his team literally moved heaven and earth with the chassis, new fuel tanks had to be made, and many, many obstacles had to be overcome. Remarkably, throughout the re-build, one thing stood out – the wonderful condition and total originality of a car that last graced a GP twenty-nine years earlier.

Looking resplendent, the car was bought to life again at a damp, grey Mallory Park on Wednesday 15th September. Seven weeks to the day from the auction and I again had a raging headache (wonder what a psychiatrist would make of that). The conditions really were far from ideal, and I have to admit to some trepidation as I contemplated testing a by now half million pound, untried, non-winged, ‘wooden tyred’ and very important piece of racing history. We had just three hours available track time.
I was right to worry. I always get an immediate sense of a car’s behaviour, and in less than a few yards, I couldn’t believe a car could be so bad. There was absolutely no front grip, the brakes grabbed, the pedal went long, the understeer was so bad, a corner was out of the question and the oil pressure light still came on after less than a lap. And all this at hardly any speed at all.
Very aware of keeping people’s morale high, I began going through a systematic problem solving with Simon. Clearly the brake problem had to be a workshop job. Ride heights, tyre pressures, springs, damper and roll bar settings we could go through. And we did but, the oil problem persisted and running had to be restricted to only half lap runs. Clearly, the only front roll bar we had was too stiff, and the understeer was to remain. We came away after a few laps with only slight improvements, and a huge work list. With less than a day before we had to leave for Goodwood I think we were all privately, massively disappointed and thoughts of a dream debut for the car were now I’m sure, becoming slightly more realistic.
But, like the professionals they are, Simon and his team did their bit and the car arrived at Goodwood the following day and to huge interest and very apparent goodwill.
I’d driven Cedric’s Lotus 25 at the inaugural Revival meeting in ’98 and so knew the circuit somewhat, so Friday’s first practice was going to be a little less daunting than Mallory. Or so I thought!
On track the oil pressure light came on again after less than a lap, and the huge understeer was still very apparent. There had to be an engine problem. The time sheets showed Geoff Farmer (car 22) 1 lap – 2 minutes 50-odd seconds and dead last. What a debut! We almost certainly had a wrecked engine and wouldn’t go any further that weekend.
Dick Langford arrived form Wellingborough some four hours later and began to strip the oil pumps and inspect for any damage. There was none evident. There had to be an installation problem. Simon had reasoned that oil was in fact getting dumped into the integral oil catch tank, and effectively emptying the main oil tank. The gearbox mounted tank was removed, drained, systematically blanked and pressure tested. Hissing of air from within revealed Simon had located the problem area. Out came hacksaws and a 4” square (now another permanent part of this car’s great history) was cut and flapped upwards – to reveal a long, gaping crack in the internal 3/4” aluminium oil return pipe. The time was now 5.30pm (on a Friday evening).
We located probably the only expert Tig welder in Chichester who worked stoically to repair the pipe and patch the tank. Simon and his team re-assembled everything, and by 10.00pm reported success. The engine seemed OK and the oil pressure light was staying out.
Official qualifying the next day. Saturday morning. Simon is driving Bob Tabor’s Lotus 48F2 car in the same race and is clearly going to be pre-occupied. I’m going to work with Jon Spooner. A fairly gentle first few hundred yards and I’ve a good feeling. The track’s dry. The engine’s revving freely. The oil pressure light is staying off. We do the car’s first flying lap for 29 years, in official qualifying. There’s just twenty minutes. The handling’s far from good but, we’re in business. Two laps – pit. Jon puts on more rear bar. I notice Dick Scamell talking to Keith Duckworth on our pit top counter. Three or four more laps. Still bad understeer, but it’s beginning to come together. I ask Jon to soften the front dampers, stiffen the rears and put on all the rear bar possible. The last few minutes of the session. The car’s beginning to feel part of me, I’m beginning to feel like a racing driver…I know we’re lapping well. The chequered flag. End of session. Jon’s pleased. I’m critical. Still too much understeer. Absolutely no heat in the front tyres. I’ve no idea of the times, but Dick and Keith are smiling. Only seven or eight laps and we did it! We’re on pole!
Simon and the whole team are delighted. Everyone’s delighted. I’m ecstatic. But, I know we’ve got to make the car quicker. Roger Swanton (who’d also helped with the re-build) had overnight machined a new smaller diameter front anti-roll Bar and I spent several hours fine tuning the chassis in the remaining time before Sunday’s race for the Glover Trophy. Essentially, though, we knew we had to race with the set-up we had.
Well, the rest as they say, is history. Car number 22, the last ever to win a Grand Prix in private hands, was starting it’s first race for twenty-nine years (last raced by Graham Hill) from pole position, against the likes of Jack Brabham, Jackie Oliver, Derek Bell and Dickie Atwood. The private goals Simon and I set ourselves, but didn’t dare to share, came true. I, or rather we, won a famous victory. Although marred by the race’s premature finish when Jack Brabham collided with Jackie Oliver . The outright lap record (of Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart jointly) was also broken and now stood at 1 minute, 20.04 seconds.
Even now, the whole experience rekindles tremendous emotions within me. We set such high standards, but with our combined experience and determination coupled with great and tireless effort by many others, a great dream did come true!
Because of my passion for this great sport, and definitely due to this very special car, I have somehow come to rub shoulders with many famous names. It was a great pleasure to have met Rob and Betty Walker several times and to be able to share some of their many memories.
So, you’ll understand this car is now a very special part of my life. With it we won at Adelaide, Goodwood and there seems an endless stream of people who generously send me memorabilia. I have certainly benefited from my custodianship of ‘R7’ and I hope in our way Simon and I have done our bit to rekindle a great car’s past glory.

Written by Geoff Farmer, September 2002
Geoff Farmer drove a number of Sports2000 Pinto cars in the early 80s including Lola 590, Tiga SC81 and Royale. As well as competing in Sports 2000 he also raced his Pinto in Thundersports. As his club racing career progressed he raced in various categories including a Formula 3000 Lola in British events before racing Historic 1960s/70s Grand Prix cars.