Around 1985 when I was about 13 and my Dad was still alive we/he used to build and race Beetle stock cars and buggies at a quarry track in Omagh, Co Tyrone. When I say we, = my Da built them and me and my brother wrecked them. I'll try and get the details right now but it was a long time ago and I was more interested in looking cool in front of my piers to worry too much about the mechanical side. As I said my Da built them and we wrecked them.
Anyway, mine was a sky blue 1302/3???, with the back end cut off and a Volkswagon Varient 1.6? fuel injected motor was grafted in. A steel cage was built around the protruding engine to protect it. The rear mudguards were removed and the wheels were replaced by landrover ones with the centres cut out and swapped with the beetle ones to make them fit. Not sure what size wheels went on the front but fab was pretty standard I think. I remember there was problems with the fuel injection brain? so my Da fitted twin carbs instead? I remember a long bar linking the carbs across the engine and when revved up flames would shoot out of them. Pretty cool for a 13yr old who was actually allowed to race with the big boys (the ones who didnt have a full license, ie banned). It was a power bucket and pretty hard to handle I remember. The track was a large oval and also quite wide. You would regulary get 4 cars side by side drifting on the corners.
There were a lot of accidents too. There was no such thing as health and safety in those days and the men with the pens had other things to worry about in Northern Ireland at that time. There was an old double decker bus where the commentry and announcements were made. Also it housed an illegal bar where the spectators would get pissed up. Some of the drivers were at it too
. There were often bare knuckle scraps at the end of the adult races. Was mighty craic at the time. I was only 13 like I say and I fkn loved it
My brothers car was a beetle too. It was stripped of its shell to the floor. Re inforced with angle iron. Then a roll cage was added. This consisted of scaffolding pinched from my grandmother's (his mother's) extension project. I know cos I helped him nick them. His "frame" as we called it had a pretty standard engine in 1303? , the one with the big round fan like a bed stead. The problem with his frame was that it allways wanted to wheelie which was sorted I think with a huge box section front bumper. His frame also had double wheels at the back. It was quite Mad Max looking. To be honest I preferred his car to mine.
Mine scared the sh1t out of me.
Cutting an even longer story short, we won 10 out of 11 races between us. I won 9 and my brother won one. Unfortunately my Dad died the same year and we dont have any photos from then. But I still have the trophies
. It was the best and yet the worst year of my life
