MG Car Club of South Australia
WINTON HISTORIC RACES 2018
From...Bob Schapel
T
he Winton Historic Race Meeting is
always held in the last full weekend
in May. It caters for historic cars and
motorbikes. This year “ Team Cundy”,
had four members, with Peter, his son
Nick and two friends, Ian and Megan.
They travelled a day early to get some
unofficial practice on the Friday. The
other team comprised Terry Wright,
John Bray, Dean Hosking, Arthur Ruedi-
ger, and me.
At Winton the car space at the front of
the pit garage was occupied by the im-
pressive pairing of Peter’s NA and Ian
Mawson’s S/C P-Type. Ian is a past
president of the Victorian MGCC and
has been a good friend for many years
and also a rival on the track in his TC
Special.
Peter ran the NA in unofficial practice on
the Friday and initially it performed very
well. He sported a wicked smile as he
spoke about how well the car ran early
on the Friday. Unfortunately, late in the
day, the engine developed a knocking
sound which was diagnosed as dry,
worn camshaft bearings and forced a
withdrawal from competition. The OHC
oiling system in the NA is quite complex
and includes a metering pin. The pin
had been altered by a previous owner to
reduce oil leakage and it seems that the
oil supply had been reduced too much
to handle Peter’s spirited driving. It was
quite a learning experience for all of us,
some of whom are “Pushrodders” after
all.
cluded racing, sports and saloon cars in
various age groups from 1920s to
1980s. MG entries included the NA, J2,
L, P, K3, F Magna, ’34 Magnette, MGB
V8, MGTC/Holden monoposto, TC Spe-
cials and MGBs. There were also sev-
eral MGAs among the other interesting
cars in the parades and carparks.
In the past, the “Schapelli Racing” ga-
rage has been inhabited by the S/C TC
and shared with brother Bill, niece Geor-
gie or other Pre-War/T-Register friends.
I did not race this year but there was still
a S/C TC set up at the back.
However, this time “S/C TC” stood for
“Shiraz/Cabernet Table Chairs,” as the
garage was not only a base for us all,
but a spot for a social gathering at the
end of each day. Our social group was
quite large at times because there were
four in Peter’s group, five in our group,
two Pearsons, three Woodalls, from the
next garage, and the occasional cousin/
friend etc. Various combinations chat-
ted about cars, over a red wine at the
end of racing or over dinner in the eve-
nings.
Winton and Phillip Island Historic Races
are the two “Must See” events for any-
one interested in MGs and competition.
For track visibility and friendly Car Club
atmosphere, Winton cannot be beaten.
Terry Wright, being an official CAMS
photographer, has licence to go where
others are forbidden. Hence he got
many great shots of the action on the
track and in the pits. His subjects in-
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