Moving on
It’s a weird sensation, writing a column for
Classic Racer this issue, after the departure from our publishing company of Malc Wheeler.
Malc has been such a cornerstone, not only of Classic Racer (and many publications across many years), but also of my career. Without Malc asking me to move into the editor’s seat here at CR, I wouldn’t be writing to you now.without Malc asking me to edit the annualtt behemoth that is Island Racer, I wouldn’t have had many years of Island enjoyment doing that either.
When I had a more ‘visual’ job on a race weekend, be it in a pitlane or studio working with brilliant people like Keith Huewen, James Whitham, James Haydon, Charlie Hiscott and the rest of the biking telly crew, it was always Malc who would message me with information and observations. Always one for a joke too, he took pleasure at pricking my OCD bubble and would relish in telling me that my shirt was creased.this message would appear 30 seconds before we went live, almost every programme, and every time it made me smile, then frantically I’d check the shirt I’d spent an hour pressing.
I loved that. Of course, Malc’s drive and dedication to the racing world has been something we’ve all admired and used as a literal encyclopaedia of racing knowledge.
So, when Malc told me that he was leaving the company and had decided not to carry on writing in a freelance capacity, I was gutted. I know he’s got lots of projects on the go and that Kawasaki – a replica of histt racebike – isn’t going to finish itself, so he wants to put some time into it. I know as well that there’s a few bottles of Merlot that need polishing off! What a way to spend some quality time with Mrswheeler and the Louth racing elite. And yes, I won’t stop pestering him for a return to these pages. He’s not writing just yet, but in life – as in racing – it’s a case of never say never.
In other news, I need to tell you where the Dave Croxford article went (planned for the last issue).we had a flurry of page changes at the 11th hour and I had two options, either cut it down or postpone it to issue #204. It’s such a great feature by Peter Crawford that I chose the latter. Sorry for the wait, but it’s going to be worth it.
And finally, our UK audience will have noticed the Colin Seeley tribute publication with this issue. Penned by James Robinson, it’s a lovely look at
Colin’s life and times which inspired and encouraged so many.