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ACME Gang - Erich - 27-11-2020
Hi All,
I'm posting on the off chance that someone might know of a group racers in the 70's and 80's who called themselves the "ACME Gang" after the Roadrunner/Coyote cartoons. One of the members was Geoff Walker. Does anyone have information on him or any of the other members of the group? I understand that Geoff passed about ten years ago.
Any help is much appreciated.
Erich in Mukilteo
RE: ACME Gang - Lowespeed - 28-11-2020
I think Terry McGrath might know more about this. He told me about "Acme racing water" from about that time. He posts on here from time to time.
RE: ACME Gang - Terry McGrath - 28-11-2020
ACME Racing consisted of Geoff Walker, Dave Tedham and myself We raced VSCC through the 1970/80s on a shoestring, hence the name. Geoff, a wise-cracking, banjo-playing giant from Chester, raced an orange Ulster initially before acquiring the ex-John Ward hot chummy (with which he won the Voiturette Trophy one year). Dave also raced a chummy - the purple peril, which he resurrected from a pile of rusty bits. I initially raced my 65 Nippy, and then the black fabric special I built from the plywood body frame discarded by Mike Tebbett.
We had enormous fun, not much success but plenty of alcohol, laughs and disasters. One vivid memory for me is closely chasing Dave through Knickerbrook at Oulton Park in the 65 one year on "full noise" as Bert Hadley used to say, when Dave's engine disintegrated. All the various bits came bouncing back along the track showering the front of my car!
ACME Racing Water, according to Geoff Walker, was made from distilled lark's spit and drilled for lightness. We all used it...
RE: ACME Gang - Ruairidh Dunford - 28-11-2020
Was the "hot Chummy" on (very) lowered suspension?
RE: ACME Gang - JonE - 28-11-2020
did you have a team logo?
RE: ACME Gang - Erich - 28-11-2020
Thank you Terry. It sounds that despite few racing successes, you had great fun.
Erich in Mukilteo
RE: ACME Gang - Terry McGrath - 29-11-2020
No Ruairidh, Geoff's Chummy was not particularly low, but very light, and had the seat moved so far back to cope with his 6' 3" frame that he was almost on the back squab. The gear-lever ripped out of the broken top of the box in practice at Oulton in the mid 1980s. We tied it back in with rope around the gearbox and sent him out to win the VSCC Voiturette trophy!
Somebody is still racing that maroon Chummy now. I spoke briefly to the present owner in the paddock at Mallory Park a couple of years ago before he went out.
RE: ACME Gang - Steve Jones - 29-11-2020
The Chummy is still racing today owned and shared between a contributor to this Forum and his son. I noticed earlier this morning that he was logged on and reading the thread. It has been subject to a fair bit of re-commissioning works, inevitably, but still goes well and looks the part.
Steve
RE: ACME Gang - Terry McGrath - 29-11-2020
JonE. We just had ACME stickers on everything, which came off products in Geoff's job as manager of 200 Liquorsave shops. We also benefitted from free booze and occasional sponsorship. Some may remember my Nippy on the 1982 LEJoG run with Highland Prince Scotch Whisky decals all over it.
RE: ACME Gang - Robert Leigh - 29-11-2020
I remember it as a JOGLE; I started at John O'Groats. I had only got married 3 weeks before, and didn't like to admit my 24 hour target to Fenella. It was only at Exeter when she suggested stopping for a kip that I said 'not now, we're on target for a sub 24 hours', which we achieved in our scruffy Ruby.