Radar Van Turns Racing Equipe
Page 52
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By M. D. Whitworth SINCE I was released from the Forces I have been racing motorcycles at home and abroad, and taking all my impedimenta with me on the Continent became a problem. My gear used to be carried in a trailer towed behind a Riley Nine, but the trips in 1948 and 1949 were made in comfort in a converted ex-R.A.F. Commer Q2 radar van.
I bought the vehicle from a local dealer for £350 and proceeded to fit it out as a caravan. Behind the front bulkhead I fixed cupboards for food and cooking equipment, whilst in the Luton head more cupboards were installed for storing clothing, bedding and spares.
As the roof was stepped (t0 front half 12 ins, lower than the rear part), false extensions to the sides were made with duralumin sheet to give the body a better shape on which to display advertisements. These are written in English one side and in French on the other,
Two Kinds of Bed
Two racing motorcycles rest on the wheel-arches, one on each side, being lashed to hooks in the walls, At the rear, at a height to clear the motorcycles, I fixed a ledge against each wall on which to rest a camp bed. An eightgallon drinking-water tank and a portable radio completed home requirements.
I took a canvas tent to be set up as a lean-to against the side of the van. to provide an extra workshop with weather protection. By raising the gear ratios hy changing the crown wheel and pinion, the cruising seed was increased to 40 m.p:ti, on the good roads of Holland and France. This was.pecessary. as distances between. races Were often 500 miles and some 1 8 times 700 miles. Heavy-duty Service tyres were retained.
The modifications were made during the winter of 1947-48, and my wife and set off on the Continent in April for .our strenuous six-month racing tour, . , covering various events.
The vehicle's behaviour and handling was as good as a private car's, but after a few hundred miles of bad Belgian roads the steering began to pull hard to the right. The reason was that the rear axle was not square with the chassis, the rear springs' centre bolts having moved because the U-bolts worked loose. The front shockabsorbers also failed to do their work and there was a fair amount of pitching, this in turn causing the front springs to flatten.
In the winter of 1949, new front springs, each with an extra leaf, and serviced shock absorbers were fitted, but my main work was to raise the front half of the roof to the same height As the rear, making it possible for me to stand upright all the time. I did this with the help of a friend by building a secondary ash frame to which composition panels were fixed to match the existing body, which now has double panelling.
This keeps the interior warm in cold weather and cool in the heat. The whole roof, the front and the sides to a depth of 12 ins. I covered with fabric. The alteration in height gave more room over the Luton head, so a 14-ft. collapsible two-seater canoe is stowed there. We used this for rowing on Alpine lakes.
Petrol Consumption Cut
The 1949 racing trip was much more comfortable than that of the previous year, and during the season I reduced the heavy petrol consumption rate of about 10 m.p.g. to 14-15 m.p.g. by fitting a smaller jet than standard and by cutting down the average speed to 33 m.p.h.
During our two seasons with the Commer we have travelled many thousands of miles through Holland, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Italy. We have negotiated at least eight major Alpine passes, the highest of which was 8.110 ft., and another which was reputed to he the worst in Switzerland. These climbs are a real test for any vehicle, but on no occasion did the engine overheat and the brakes were ample for the steep descents.
Other items to which praise is due are the Nife batteries and the Butler headlamps. Although I carried a good stock of Cornmer spares none has been used.