GREG TELFORD
> CASTLEMAINE, VICTORIA
GREG Telford’s name has popped up in Street Machine products a few times over the years, including a story on his 504ci Cummins V8-powered ’41 Chev pick-up (SM Hot Rod #10) and in our coverage of the Dry Lakes Racers Australia Speed Week (SM, Jun ’17), behind the wheel of the Olden Grey Racing bellytank. And yep, that was his son Tex working on Peter Grmusa’s ATRISK in last issue’s Tech Torque. How did you go on the salt this year, Greg? We did 128mph this year. It is still a grey motor, just with a cam, a balanced crank and an ex-porsche 38mm triple-barrel Zenith carb. That is honking for a grey! What’s the plan next year? We won’t have the supercharged motor ready, but the windscreen will be finished and it will have smaller tyres. I’m thinking we can pick up at least a few mph from that. Salt racing takes a lot of commitment, what got you interested in it? I went out in 2009 and 2010 for a look and I could see that it was a sport for engineers. You don’t need a massive budget to get records. You just need to out-engineer the guy beside you. There aren’t many motorsports like that anymore. Why do you think that is? I think the location puts a lot of people off. It is hard to get to, so it keeps the big egos away. And why the grey motor? Because they are an Australian icon and because no one has pushed them this far on the salt. It takes a lot of work to make Speed Week happen. What is your involvement there? I’m the event co-ordinator, so I’m responsible for getting the track and the pits set up and then packing it up. I get to Lake Gairdner about a week before the event starts, but the pack-up is quick, if everyone chips in. What do you do for a crust? Engineering work for industry. Basically people come to me with a problem, and then I design a solution and build it for them. Have you got any other toys on the boil? I was a bike guy long before I got into cars. I’ve got an Evo Sportster that I’m turning into a boardtrack racer-style bike. I’m having fun with that. What do you find inspiring these days? One of my sons lives in Sweden, so I’ve been over there five or six times to visit him and of course I go and check out the car shows. The Swedes are really inventive and they build a lot of oddball stuff. They don’t have any inhibitions about using certain cars or parts – if it looks cool and works, they do it. Is that something we can learn from? I think so. A ’32 or even better a ’33 Ford roadster is a thing of beauty, but if you can’t afford one, why not get your hands on something similar – something English maybe – and make something out of that?