At the Velocity Invitational at Sonoma Raceway near San Francisco CA on 5th October 2024, the Group 1 cars, Sports Racing Cars 1948-1955 (the Del Monte Trophy Race Group after which this web site is named) took to the track for their first of 2 races. At the rolling start, Marcus Bicknell’s camera car (yellow and aluminum 1952 Streets Manning V8 Special #15 with this camera facing rearwards) is in third position with Jenson Button and Charles McCabe out of sight in the front row. As the flag drops, John Buddenbaum (white #3 1950 Jaguar Parkinson Special) gets a prompt getaway. Johnny Mote Jnr in the #63 blue family Allard K2 and Rob Manson driving his newly-acquired red #11 1950 MG TD Von Neumann jostle for position, but Lars Mapstead in his black #183 1953 Jaguar XK120 gets a good run up the side and overtakes them both. By the end of this lap when the video ends Johnny Mote has gotten past Mapstead and is behind the camera car. There are two more videos of Johnny from this angle on YouTube and one of Rob Manson in the Von Neumann MG TD Special .
Click here to watch the video of the start – https://youtu.be/h1wXW_ERH4s
Below, next, John Buddenbaum’s white camera car (with the camera facing rearwards) gets some great footage of Marcus Bicknell driving Rob Manson’s yellow and aluminum 1952 Streets Manning V8 Special #15 . After the rolling start you can see the car squirming on cold tires as Marcus tries in vain to stay with John, although after four laps, when the tires come up to temperature, Marcus gets past John for the lead, briefly, after the end of this video…
Johnny Mote Jnr in the blue Allard – car control – https://youtu.be/nLfUQDnVBs8 and a similar one at https://youtu.be/p-4OKBWHO38 We are hoping you’ll see a lot of this skilled new comer… who can disagree with those white hairs who surmise that the future of our racecars is in the hands of the next generation. Today’s owners are but their temporary guardians (sound track of violins, mortal coil etc.).
Charles McCabe 1956 T-39 Cooper Bobtail. John Buddenbaum’s white camera car (with this camera facing rearwards) gets some great footage of Charles McCabe in his 1956 T-39 Cooper Bobtail who catches up with John half way through the race. It’s fun watching Charles for a lap looking for the opportunity to get past John… only 0.4 second separated their fastest lap times so he had to work for it. Charles finished 2nd to Jenson Button, six seconds ahead of Buddenbaum in 3rd… followed by Marcus Bicknell, Johnnie Mote Jnr and Nick Price.
Marcus Bicknell’s camera car (yellow and aluminum 1952 Streets Manning V8 Special #15 with this camera facing rearwards) is running in fourth position when his host and marshal of the Del Monte group, Rob Manson, drives up behind him in his newly-acquired red #11 1950 MG TD Von Neuman Special. My goodness that car is quick, and Rob is no slouch either. Those two together are going to be competing for honours in the Del Monte Trophy races. On this occasion, having caught Marcus up, he sees how severe his overheating is and you can see him raise his hand as he pulls off the track. John Von Neuman built the car and drove it to victory in the Cypress Point Light Car Race and 7th in the Pebble Beach Cup at the celebrated Pebble Beach road races near Monterey CA in 1950. Read more about the car at https://dmtrg.com/jeffrey-abramson-1950-mgtd-von-neuman-special/
The Group 1 cars, Sports Racing Cars 1948-1955 take to the track for their qualifying session. Kevin Adair in his #814 dark green 1954 Elva Mk 1 comes out behind Marcus Bicknell in Rob Manson’s #15 yellow and aluminum 1952 Streets Manning V8 Special. You’ll see several other cars in that first out lap including Gilbert Hakim in Rob Manson’s red Kurtis and Nick Price in his 1953 Jaguar C-Type. In fact Kevin stays with Nick for most of the three minutes of this clip and it’s interesting to watch. More about the car and the Adair family at https://dmtrg.com/kevin-adair-1955-elva-mk-i/
Same meeting same race 1… Ben Wysard’s #44 silver and yellow 1952 Porsche Glockler is carrying a GoPro facing forwards. In the rolling start and the first lap in this clip he gets some great footage from 10th on the grid of all the cars ahead like James Alder’s white #33 Jaguar XK120, the pugnacious start ahead by Lars Mapstead’s black #183 Jaguar XK120, Nick Price in the #21 Jaguar C-Type, Gilbert Hakim #9C red Kurtis and John Mote Snr in his newly-acquired black # 15X 1955 Sorrell Kurtis Special, with whom Ben circulates for the first half of the race till John retires (not on this video). Note the speed which Steve Schmidt in his #9 red Denzel has on the straight, wow. This bunch finished this qualifying race in the order #21 Price, #183 Mapstead, #33 Alder, #15X Mote Snr., #44 Wysard, #9C Hakim and #9 Schmidt. Thanks for the show boys.
If you race with us and have in-car videos, do please send me clips for posting if you’d like to see them here and on social media. Thanks. Marcus marcus@bicknell.com