AnthsMK8racer: George Lawrence

Thanks to information and pictures from Richard Lawrence, Linda Lawrence, Jennie Gaymer, Angela Gaymer, David Polgaze, Chris Logue and Peter Flanagan I’ve been able to piece together some of the life story and achievements of the builder of my car.

George Lawrence was born in Kensington London in 1915 and married his wife Eileen in 1938. His brother Jack who joined him in business was born in 1917. George worked on aircraft production in Portsmouth during WW2 which is where he gained his skills. He took over the Ridgway Road garage in Farnham in 1946 with 2 friends and his brother Jack then, in 1975, opened Ridgway Garage on Station Road, Liphook (the lease on the previous premises ran out in 1976).

In the 1950s he used to race an AJS motorcycle that he rode to circuits, removed the mudguards, etc then raced it and put it back together to ride home.

He then modified a 200cc 8E Villiers, the RRG Special pictured here in 1956 at Brands Hatch and the subject of an article in Motorcycling, August 9th. Photos from Linda Lawrence.

Before moving on to cars, George dabbled with racing powerboats (hence the seats in my Jaguar!) and flew a Tiger Moth.

His first racing car was an Austin A35 in the late 1950’s. Here on Woodcote Corner, Goodwood at the BARC Members Meeting on July 12th 1958 - picture supplied by Richard Lawrence. Richard was living in Haslemere at the time and remembers him, “taking my mother and me from Farnham to Haslemere in 12 minutes. Not bad, 12 miles in 12 minutes in the late '50's!”

George also raced an Austin A40 Farina in which he held the lap record at Goodwood for a while, a 997 Mini Cooper and a 1293 Mini Cooper S

These are the only records of George’s race I can find. He raced in the Molyslip and Spring Grove championships and in an early Mini Cooper in the BSCC in 1962.

12/7/58 Goodwood 30th Members Meeting 1st in an Austin A35

14/3/59 BARC Goodwood Austin A35 2nd

22/3/1959 SMRC Snetterton GT no 101 Austin A35 DNA

4/4/59 BARC Mallory Park Austin A35 4th

18/5/59 BARC Goodwood No 77 Austin A35 started

26/9/59 BARC Goodwood No 94 Austin A40 38th members meeting 6th

19/3/60 BARC Goodwood Austin A40 4th

6/6/60 Goodwood Whitsun Meeting Cibie Cup for closed cars 2nd in an Austin A40 plus fastest lap average 74.10 mph

11/3/61 BARC Goodwood Austin A40 2nd

22/5/61 Goodwood Whitsun Meeting Cibie Cup 2nd in Austin A40

21/3/64 Oulton Park 1071 Cooper S 1098 6th

18/5/64 Goodwood 1071 Cooper S 1071cc 3rd

12/9/64 Goodwood 63rd Members Meeting Austin Mini Cooper S 1098cc Team Ridgway 2nd plus fastest lap 84.37 mph

11/6/66 Goodwood 70th Members Meeting (final MM before closure until 1998) Austin Mini Cooper S fastest lap 86.75 mph

Elmoor Plain, Aldershot 1966 - photo taken by Jennie Gaymer who worked at Ridgway Road garage for several years in the 60’s and went to races with George and his son Peter.

George ran his garage until he was in his early 70's when he got an infection in his heart valve and had to retire, much debilitated, however he pottered about at home in his workshop tinkering with a pristine exceptionally low-mileage Austin A35 (still with the family now). It had a 1275 Sprite engine to which George had added a second world war aircraft cabin pressurization blower, converted into a supercharger.

It needed to be quick because it had been used as a chase car when the newly-completed Jag Mk8 was being road tested at high speed on the Hogs Back.

Various SU needles and ignition settings were being tried. At 120mph they passed a stationary police car which was hiding in a lay-by. They slowed right down and the police car caught up and directed them to stop. They peered in and said "Oh, it's you", "Just behave yourself!", and got back in his car. He was a friend of George's son!

George and Chris Logue who eventually bought the Jaguar from George took the A35 to the Brighton Speed Trial after George had got himself a sprint licence but after he dumped the clutch at 3,000rpm the car didn't move an inch even though the revs went off the clock.

The torque from the supercharger had proved too much for the gearbox, stripped first gear and split the casing. They went back the following year and got some runs in but Chris doesn’t recall the outcome.

Dennis Carter who did most of the racing in the MK8 became involved in motor racing as a result of his meeting George when he bought an Austin A35 van from him in the late 60's

Dennis wanted to tune the van and asked George for advice which he readily gave. George was very impressed by Dennis's skills and a friendship developed, born out of their admiration of each other's skills and knowledge. George retired from racing, but gave Dennis lots of good advice when he got the bug and decided to rebuild and race an MG Magnette.

Chris Logue recalls “It was quite touching to hear Dennis talk about George and vice-versa. Dennis hugely admired and respected George for his knowledge of engines and his old-school skill in race-tuning and modifying cars for the track. Also for the way he managed to run his garage business.

The respect was mutual as George thought highly of Dennis for his wide-ranging ability to work on and fix just about anything.

Both being so modest, neither knew the true depth of the respect felt by the other and it was never discussed.

George had many friends in motor-racing including Daniel Richmond, who founded Downton Engineering, Jan Oder of Janspeed and Clive Trickey who took Georges’s knowledge and wrote THE books on Tuning and Race Preparing Minis.

George and Jack were great friends with Mike Hawthorn and enjoyed partying and drinking with him. In 1955, the year of the dreadful accident at Le Mans they had ridden a motorbike down to Le Mans to spectate and only 2 hours before had been watching from that exact spot. Following the race they continued down to a Italy where Mike was next racing.

Clive Trickey’s book -
knowledge by George,

David Polglaze remembers a story - George used to take the Cooper S out on tradeplates and give it a good run up and down the A31 from Farnham towards Winchester. He was stopped one frosty night in Alton and once the officer realised who it was he sent him on his way with a warning of "No more low flying through Alton please Mr Lawrence".

Richard Lawrence remembered that occasion too,

“ If I remember correctly, the conversation began with the officer asking George if he was aware it was icy on the roads that night, and George replied that he wouldn't have got to Winchester and back in one piece if he hadn't known that. The officer then went on to tell him "no more low flying".

Those were the days when cops were more "forgiving". I remember the first time I was stopped in my Mini in Farnham not long after my driving test. It wasn't really noisy, but it had an exhaust that consisted of a Mini steering column and a Mk 1 Sprite silencer, so it did crackle a bit. Anyway it attracted the attention of an officer one evening and he stopped me.

When he looked at my license, he asked if I was related to George, to which I told him that George was my uncle. He looked me and said "Not another bloody Lawrence on the road" and then let me go.”

Advertised in Clive Trickey’s book
was George’s Ridgway Sports Conversion.

Ridgway Road Garage, Farnham in 1975

In 1975 George prepared an MG Magnette ZA for the inaugural year of the Classic Saloon Car Championship. Driven by Mike Hawes, they won it!

December 12th 1975, George Lawrence with driver Mike Hawes and the trophies
(clipping from Richard Lawrence)

Mike Hawes and George’s nephew Richard Lawrence went to Farnham Grammar School. In the same year but in parallel forms. Both having a passion for cars, they became good friends.

In 1966 they left school to work at the RAE. Richard in the Human Engineering Department, just across the road from David Polglaze and Mike worked at the other end of the airfield in Structures. Remaining good friends, some afternoons, when it was quiet, they managed to sneak out of work and go bowling in Wokingham.

Mike got to know George coming along to some of the race meetings hiding in the back of the RRG van that towed the race car, as there were not enough pit passes for everyone to get in.

Mike only raced for a couple of seasons. He and David Polgaze were friends for many years playing in a band together, tinkering with cars and eventually getting into racing. Mike drove the Magnette and David dabbled in historic sportscars. Sometime in the 1980s Mike went to work in California and sadly died far too young in 2005. Richard did see him one last time in the late 90's. He was living in California and Richard had moved to Florida in 1993. Mike had been to the Daytona 500 race in Florida, and he came to visit on his way back to the airport in Orlando.

Sara Carter, daughter of Dennis sent me a copy of the Surrey & Hants News from November 1980 which featured George and Dennis and their cars.