Twenty Questions
Peter Westbury-Hill-climb Champion turned successful constructor/driver-talks to MOTOR RACING
1.45-1.46s mark, then came in. I expected some rude remarks, but he just wanted some padding, nothing else. Then out he went again, and was doing 1.42s from the next lap on.’
As a one-time RAC Hill-climb Champion, how do you find racing in close company on a circuit?
‘It worried me quite a lot for the first two or three races. Then I realized that the bloke in the other car was human, like me, and that if he could do it, I could do it. But you must know who the bloke is. Pescarolo, Jaussaud, Vidal, and the better British boys are good. The basic trouble with F3 is that the top line cars all have very similar power-to-weight ratios and their performances are very similar. Sometimes somebody buys a quick car and doesn’t know what he’s doing—then you’ve got to watch. I was just such a one at the beginning of the season, but now I thoroughly enjoy a good scrap.’
Do Felday do all the preparations on the FIRST cars?
‘Yes, cars and engines. Mind you, Derek Bell’s has just been mudded by Lucas, but we will look after it as usual. We have our own dynamometer here.’
How many men have you to work on the cars?
‘Just two. Two and Mac, that is. Jim Charman prepares my car, John Church, an ex-BRM apprentice, does Derek’s, and Mac Daghorn looks after his own, but has help because he also has to drive, of course.’
When you switched to F3, did your hill-climbing experience help at all?
‘No. I just had to learn to drive all over again. The techniques are completely different. In one you race against time, in the other against people, but one useful thing about hill-climbing is that you learn a lot about preparing cars properly, and that is terribly important in racing. Races can so easily be lost before they start because of bad preparation.’
Would you have another go at Championship hill-climbing if the chance came?
‘Yes, but not in the foreseeable future. I know exactly what car I would build; it’s all down in sketches and in my mind. But it would be very expensive, which wouldn’t make me very popular with the other competitors. Circuit racing is more interesting, anyway.’
Do you make any prior arrangement in races with your team mates, or do you just leave things to develop?
‘We generally leave them to develop. Something always seems to happen to keep us apart. We work to a plan in practice sometimes, when the circuit is suitable for a tow, for instance.’
Will Felday build their own F3 car, or some other class of single-seater, in the future?
‘Yes, we will. This winter, in fact, we will be building the Felday 8 for Formula 2 and 3 racing. This will be a monocoque, with Ford-based engines for F3, and we’re going to build cars for sale. For the F2 car I’d like to try the new Weslake engine, but we’ll probably use a Cosworth FVA at first.’
Would you like to drive in Formula 2?
‘Yes, I’d like to, so long as I know the car is OK. I’ll probably drive the new Felday—unless a good offer comes up!
Do you treat your racing as a hobby and a pleasure, or do you aim seriously to make it pay for itself?
‘I enjoy it, but I don’t treat it as a game. I race to professional standards, and aim to make it pay for itself.’
Which other drivers do you particularly admire?
‘Jack Brabham, both as a driver and as a wonderful “sorter-outer”. He has succeeded in doing what I’d like to do. He drives wonderfully, and has made a successful business out of it all. Then there is Jim Clark for his sheer genius in going quickly, Dan Gurney too … all the top ones …’
Which circuit do you like best?
‘I would say Clermont-Ferrand. You can really get going there; it’s no “Mickey Mouse” affair. I know I won there, but even if I hadn’t I still like it!
Which circuit do you like least?
‘No particular one. I don’t like very short circuits; the longer the better, as far as I’m concerned. I’m not keen on Nogaro, nor, funnily enough, on Oulton Park—but that was because my car wasn’t right.’
How about hill-climbs? Any preferences or dislikes?
‘I like the long Continental hills. Trento-Bondone in Italy is my favorite, I don’t care for Great Auclum much, and I never seem to get Prescott properly sorted for some reason or another, but it’s a good hill.’
Did you enjoy driving Mike de Udy’s Lola T70 Mark 3 GT in the BOAC 500 at Brands Hatch?
‘Yes, I did. But one thing that did worry me was seeing who was behind; the rear view in a big Group 6 car is so limited, and I was very glad for the flag marshals’ efforts. In Formula 3, of course, you’re always looking behind, but it’s so easy in comparison!’
What private car(s) do you run?
‘I have a 1300 Mini-Cooper S and a Ford Cortina GT Estate. I’ve had E-Types but British roads are very frustrating and the Mini is as quick as anything in all the traffic’
What sporting interests have you besides motor racing?
‘I do a lot of flying with a Piper Twin Comanche, but purely for business; the pleasure from it is incidental. When I have time, I like squash and golf, but there seems to be so little time.’
about Peter Westbury
