28 Jan Tyrrell On Track

While on a regular visit to South Africa, UK classic car celebrity Iain Tyrrell and his fiancée Melanie recently made an impromptu call at FMM that coincided with some of the museum’s race cars being exercised on PlaasPad. So, a plan was made for the pair to do a video clip to be aired on Iain’s YouTube channel ‘Tyrrell’s Classic Workshop’, which now has close to 78 000 followers.

The FMM team set about preparing the Harp Motorsport 1971 LDS Ecosse Mk.3, which is the only SA-Built car to score a point in the World Sportscar Championship, the Team Gunston Chevron-Cosworth B25/3 in which Ian Scheckter won the 1972 SA Formula 2 Championship, and the LDS-Climax chassis #10 that was successfully raced by Sam Tingle between 1965 and 1968 including three SA GPs.

Led by Workshop Manager Lorenzo Farella, the team remove spark plugs to see that the engine turns freely after being stored, check for oil pressure prior to starting the engine and check oil level and open the dry sump holding tanks to monitor oil flow. The crew also check fuel, water, clutch and brake fluid levels, fuel pumps are tested and run to remove air in the lines, tyre pressures are set and all wheel nuts and safety pins are checked. The fire suppression systems are checked and pressurised and in date. Seat and seatbelts are adjusted for the driver. Finally, a track inspection is carried out to remove any debris blown onto the surface. The cars are started and warmed up prior to their routine run of approximately 10 laps totalling 25 km or 15-20 minutes of running time.

The clip will be aired soon and will be announced in a forthcoming newsletter. On a general note, follow Iain’s exploits on www.iaintyrrell.co.uk.

Visitor Note: All three cars are currently on view in Hall D.