Wes Dayton tries some serious braking at the end of the straight

Going GEAR – what a hoot!

Off to Goulburn and Wakefield Park on Wednesday 5 th May for the Golden Era Auto Racing (GEAR) meeting (loosely, cars built and raced before about 1960. But don't count the years too closely). This is the inaugural GEAR race meeting, which includes grid starts and real finishes. GEAR is usually about reliabilities and sprints – but have now decided to ramp up to include this area of classic motor sport.

Imagine that you could take everything good about motor sport – great cars, fun people, friendly, casual but organised management, a thrilling circuit and sportsmanlike racing. Add all those ingredients and we have a GEAR meeting – a great introduction to circuit based motor sport, but equally an excellent place for experienced racers who just want to enjoy motor sport without the usual baggage.

So how did we go? The day started the night before, when I picked up my brother from Canberra airport (he was up from Melbourne) and we enjoyed a chilly but refreshing drive to the ‘Loaded Dog Hotel' at Tarago. This is a classic old country pub, about 10 km from the Wakefield Park Circuit, built in about 1836, full of the locals bringing their own atmosphere of rural life to the bar. Mine host Harry welcomed us with a room, dinner and beer- just the recipe needed. We then heard our own ‘Triumphs in the Hunter' member, Mark Ellery was on his way. He was, too – after a steering failure, hydraulics failure and more excitement in his mighty Falcon Ute. But although he arrived at the witching hour, a hot dinner and drinks were ready.

Up early, freezing cold, Yummy breakfast at the ‘Dog' and off to the circuit. A clutch problem on the TR3A proved to be a missing bolt, which, after expert assistance from the Might Mark Ellery was fixed in a trice, then out to practice. We looked to see the rest of the field. The usual wonderful mix at a GEAR day – Lotus Elans and Lotus 7's, an original Brooklands Riley, the Eldred Zephyr special (perhaps the finest example of creative1950's Australian race car engineering), the magnificent Dalro Jaguar. These were the race cars. Also spectacular was a GIANT 1938 Buick straight 8 sedan (all black, looked pure Mafia) which was also known as ‘the block of flats', and the Tahmoor Special, a hillclimb/motorkana car built in the 50's and still showing its original patina including the faded signwriting on its galvanised iron bonnet. There were about 60 cars in total, all wonderful, beautiful classics.

I was running my Triumph TR 3a. I was ill prepared – I was planning a big weekend of work on the car before the meeting, but a contractor's life means you work when the work is there – I'd worked every weekend for the previous month. Cancel or run? To hell with it, let's go racing and hope for the best! Other Triumphs included Dodger Gates in the blue 3A and the fully race prepared example of Wes Dayton. Visitors included Garry Johns, Secretary of the TR Register (not running today) and, of course, Mark Ellery. A fourth Triumph was run by Barry Parsons – a most interesting example from the back of the shed – a race prepared Herald Coupe with the 2 litre 6 cylinder engine, roll cage, stripped interior and rearranged tankage. Again, the patina of an aging racecar has been preserved. Unfortunately, fuel starvation problems plagued the car the whole weekend.

Quickly, the drivers briefing came and went and we were on the dummy grid for our first race. Everybody who loves motorsport should do a grid start in their lifetime – nothing in life is like it. The warm up lap, pack on the grid in correct order, and then you're alone. Like a boxer climbing in the ring, the feeling of solitude emphasises your basic instincts – it's fight or flight, and you've chosen to fight. You notice your senses heighten as the start becomes nearer – watching the starter, watching the gauges, watching the opposition then the flag drops and away! The wonderful, mad blast to the first corner is like nothing else – pass some cars, someone passes you, then brakes and more manoeuvring into the first turn. On the throttle again, then do it all again at the next one…..

The first race was a bit of a freeze – I was off the 8 th row, and was following David Medley in an Elan. He was progressively slowing but I was unwilling to pass him on the first lap. He pulled into the pits then, unknown to me, entertained the crowd with a fire dance! His air cleaners, soaked in fuel, caught fire in the pits and needed an extinguisher to put them out. But by this time I had miles to catch up with the gang up front, had a break from those behind me, so drove around by myself. Which was still pretty good.

Race 2 was a handicap. Always good fun, with a lot of concentration needed to ensure that you pass those competitors you must and allow the faster cars through if they are lapping - but not if they are racing you for a place. It was great fun – I passed the ‘block of flats', the Herrie and a few others, whilst watching and aiding other, faster cars come though from the best spectating spot in the house – on the track!! Where did I come? Not sure, but I think about 5 th .

And to our final race. The weather is chilly, the sky is darkening and away we go again. I was off beside the Buick. It didn't handle very well, but wow, is the big straight 8 quick in a straight line! It was amazing – I expected to burn it off in the first couple of meters, but it just kept coming and coming, and was so big I had to look up at it all the time! But I held the inside line and away we went after a few corners. The eight lapper went through to about six laps before our Dodger Gates came together with an Alfa Romeo at the 'Fishhook' – the Alfa spun in front of Roger and he just couldn't miss. The race was restarted including both the Alfa and Roger's TR – both finished the race. Neither car had more than a fender-bender, and Roger's moustache survived intact. It's worth mentioning that in the 4+? years of GEAR events, this is the fourth time cars have touched – a really good record for any race series.

The prizegivings revealed another surprise – the lapscorers said I came third in the final race, just pipping Denis Tobin in the very quick MGB! It was an error, but I got the prize (the usual GEAR bag of lollies), which I offered to share with Denis (after I sucked them all – winners' privilege!). In the spirit of GEAR, we both enjoyed the irony of the situation and shook hands afterwards. One imagines that this would have been the same response to a similar situation had it occurred at Brooklands in the 1920's – one dreams that ‘Tim' Birkin or Lord Howe would have been as gracious in such as situation.

And another great day at GEAR ends – full of laughs, handshakes and promises to return. The way racing should be.