PUB landlord, Steve Jackman, has made his mark in the MG Car Club Speed Championship.
The landlord of the Masons Arms, with his trusty 1995 MGF car, has been taking part in sprint and hill climb racing for three years, but this year was the first time he had entered the championship – and it was a flying start for Steve, who won three trophies.
“I won first place in the Southern Novice Trophy,” explained Steve, “first place for the Class 3 (1501cc to 2400cc) Trophy, and first place for the MGF Trophy, which means I have the fastest racing MGF car in the country, perhaps even the world.
The landlord competed in 21 events across the country, from Scotland down through to Cornwall.
“To get the MGF trophy from the MG car club is quite special,” said Steve who is a trained mechanic. “And I couldn’t have done it without the support from the locals – there was great support from the local people and of course, my partner, Anna, and the children. Their support allowed me to do it. Without them, and Anna allowing me the odd weekend off to go racing, I wouldn’t have won any trophies! Anna has held the fort whilst I’ve been away, which has been great!”
During this year’s championship, Steve broke several records in the MGF class.
“At Gurston Hill in Wiltshire, the car did the hill in 40 seconds – the previous record was 43 seconds. I took two and half seconds off the record at Shelsley Walsh Hill in Worcestershire; and two seconds off the time at Prescott Hill in Gloucestershire.
“In the sprint race at Castle Coombe, I took one second off the record for an MGF.
“And during the championship, the car reached a top speed of 153mph, and went from 0 to 60mph in 4.9 seconds, which is faster than a lot of new cars!”
About what’s next for him in the world of sprint and hill climb racing, Steve said, “This winter, the engine is going to come out and be rebuilt to go faster – as obviously I need to go faster now to beat my own records! And then back at it again next year, starting in March, with hopefully even more trophies!”
