Tom Arron
@norramot
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Following
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Statuses
18,016
Tweet about: Motorsport, Brentford FC, France, amateur online racing, Bruce Springsteen. Opinions mine, not to be taken seriously.
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I’m sure you all remember when, in the late ‘80s, a small typo in the regulations led to Group C rather than Group B cars taking part in the Brands Hatch Rallycross Grand Prix.
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What’s the greatest motorsport image that’s ever been taken? 📸🔝
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It’s happened. Dad peacefully took the final chequered flag this evening.
He lived and breathed motorsport. It was his joy to be immersed in it. As he was every single day.
To everyone who joined him along the way as he lived the dream, thank you.
Simon Arron - 1961 -2022 🏁
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George Russell, Oulton Park, 2014.
From a 2CV to the quickest car in F1 in just six years...
Only time that’ll ever happen. Surely?
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I wonder how F1 Twitter would have coped with Tyrrell unveiling the P34.
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Pointless piece of information: Approximately 0.000000032% of people who’ve ever lived have been F1 World Champion.
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Le Mans 2023. Overpriced Kronenbourg in hand. Phone battery completely dead.
Top class machines from Ferrari, Porsche, Toyota, Peugeot, Audi and Glickenhaus zoom into view.
Just imagine how fucking good that’s going to feel after all this.
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Listen, Charles. We wanted to spare you the ignominy of sharing the podium with Dorries. You’ll thank us one day.
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Goodwood briefly experimented with altering its Settrington Cup Austin J40 pedal car race into a contest for adults in Little Tikes Cozy Coupes on the full circuit.
Things got out of hand quickly however, as the majority of entrants replaced the pedals with Swiftune engines.
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There are many, many steps on the motor racing ladder.
You'll find most of them in the European Touring Airfield Equipment Championship.
As you can see here, things often escalate pretty quickly...
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Always mind your acronyms.
BSB is most commonly associated with the British Superbike Championship. But it’s also used by the British Superbus Championship.
Which is how the wrong series was invited to race at Cadwell Park one summer…
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It’s time for your annual reminder that Graham Hill once drove a bathtub at Brands Hatch - Boxing Day, 1959.
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Does Liz Truss even have the requisite number of FIA Super Licence points to become Prime Minister?
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This is like waking up at Le Mans and finding out who else has fallen by the wayside overnight.
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It wasn't for everyone, but I personally loved the British Touring Mower Championship, especially on the full Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.
Masters of the discipline included: Garden Shedden, Tony Trimmer, Michael Meadows, Justin Lawn and Pasture Maldonado.
A cut above.
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A wonderful thing about the Oulton Park Gold Cup is that it’s reinvented itself countless times over the years.
Many recall the F1 and F5000 eras of the ‘60s and ‘70s with special affection.
But one of my favourite times was when it was run as a race for airport stair trucks.
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A former colleague once complained about young drivers like Charles Leclerc ‘who aren’t good enough for F1’ getting FP1 outings after an appearance for Haas at Silverstone.
I still chuckle about that.
Leclerc is the real deal. And then some.
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Be careful with acronyms. TCR is a class of racing, but also short for Tottenham Court Road.
These buses were meant for use on the busy London street, but in another of motorsport's forgotten admin errors, the letters TCR on the form were mistaken for a touring car homologation.
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F1’s potential plans to rearrange its calendar this year remind me of the 1975 Grand Prix on the Isle of Man.
A shipping blunder saw all of that year’s machinery stranded in Douglas.
Quick to respond to the crisis, the F1 teams hastily agreed to race on the full TT course.
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One last thing for tonight. This was a picture Dad took the last time he visited his beloved local park.
Going forward, I’ll share some of his wildlife and motorsport snaps plus some snippets from the archive he was building.
Just to keep a bit of him going.
Night x
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Two people I love very much. More than anything. Thanks for being my parents. And my dear friends.
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Personal update: I got promoted.
As of tomorrow, I’ll be MSV’s Senior Media and PR Officer.
Looking forward to taking on a bit more responsibility and driving back to more normal times.
We’ll be sharing details of an opportunity to join me in the media team any day now too.
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It’s with great heartache that I inform you that Arron Sr will not make a recovery.
The wonderful NHS has done everything it can for him. But the time is now fast approaching to say goodbye.
Our focus now is on sharing as much positivity and love with him in the remaining days.
I need to report that my dad
@SimonArron
is very unwell. He’s serious but stable.
I know he’s widely loved and respected, but I’m not able to directly contact everyone.
If anybody has any messages or has been trying to get in touch with him, you can contact me by DM.
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The private funeral of
@SimonArron
took place today.
A larger celebration of his life will take place next year. And we’re looking forward to sharing that with more of you.
Until then, here is the order of service cover, inspired by
@Motor_Sport
, designed by
@_Laboleyn
.
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To the many, many of you who have taken the time to send me kind words about Dad.
I spent a good chunk of time this evening going through and reading them all to him.
I’m not going to let him leave without first embarrassing him silly about how loved he is.
🧡🏁
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Who could ever forget the Courier in Transit Trophy races at Donington Park.
DHL's and UPS's drivers benefited from local knowledge as their UK hubs are just next door at East Midlands Airport, but the FedEx and Royal Mail entries were quickly up to speed.
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Who could ever forget the Cretaceous Cup races which formed the bedrock of many a historic motor racing meeting.
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Jim Clark, Crystal Palace.
Best gif I’ve seen today.
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Went out to buy a slow cooker. Didn’t get one.
Got this though.
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The argument between fans of two and four wheeled motorsport rages forever on over whose version of the sport is best.
Personally, I think they're both wrong, and the greatest discipline of all is the three-wheeled British Cargo Trike Championship.
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Nobody will ever forget the sweltering summer day when, for reasons that are lost to the mists of time, the Brands Hatch 1000km and British Grand Prix took place on the same circuit, at the same time.
Remarkably, Bob Wollek qualified his Porsche 962 on pole and led early on.
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In the early ‘80s John Z. DeLorean went out for a spin in his own, eponymous automobile.
Upon hitting the freeway, he accelerated to 88mph and discovered its time travelling capability.
He arrived at the 1938 Donington Grand Prix which he then entered, as he was there...
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Just a handful of years back IndyCar discreetly organised a non-championship race on the Monza banking at a special event for chassis manufacturer Dallara.
It rained, but having travelled across the Atlantic, the teams and drivers agreed to go ahead with it.
Utter legends.
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Today I feel very low.
So it’s time to remember what my Dad always said: That when you’re feeling sad, just remember that Ford Capris exist.
So here is one from the 1981 Championnat de France des Voitures de Production at Dijon for you all to enjoy.
🧡🏁
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Anyone else ever get this set for Christmas?
Somewhere out there, someone is probably receiving the modern equivalent of this today. And that is a fine thought.
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Here’s Dad having a go at the TVR Tuscan Challenge.
Still think it’s insanely cool that he drove in this, albeit only a few times. And not always with huge success!
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Who could ever forget when First Group entered a ‘works’ double decker in the Monte Carlo Rally.
The project was part of a global marketing campaign to raise the international profile of the 13 bus route from Spixworth to Attleborough.
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WEC and WRC are only one letter apart. This sometimes causes admin errors.
For example, who could forget when their calendars were mistakenly ratified the wrong way round.
To save face, they stuck to the published schedules with several 6+ hour enduros taking place off-road.
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RIP Slim Borgudd 🇸🇪
ABBA drummer, F1 driver. Wild but excellent combo.
Pictured here driving for Mazda in the 1994 World Touring Car Cup at Donington Park.
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Goodnight and love to you all.
I will respond to as many of the many hundreds of lovely messages as I can over the coming days x
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Who could ever forget when, in the 1970s, Citroën entered the Grand Prix scene as a great French hope.
Matra supplied engines, but the team was forced to use a pair of outdated 2CV chassis after the entire aero budget was spent on Gitanes and Pastis.
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Four DRS zones in Melbourne.
You just know someone will waste them all, appealing deliveries which clearly pitched outside the line of leg stump.
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Saw Arron Sr this evening. His eyes opened. First time I’ve seen them in over a week.
There have been complications, but he’s doing much better now than was hoped just a few days ago. We’ll take that.
Once again, I let him know just how much you’re all rooting for him 🧡🏁💪
I need to report that my dad
@SimonArron
is very unwell. He’s serious but stable.
I know he’s widely loved and respected, but I’m not able to directly contact everyone.
If anybody has any messages or has been trying to get in touch with him, you can contact me by DM.
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It’s largely forgotten that IndyCar planned an event at Darlington a few years ago.
Unfortunately, the cars were shipped to Darlington, County Durham, rather than Darlington, South Carolina.
As a result, the IndyCar race had to be tacked onto the BTCC meeting at Croft.
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A final Silverstone send off for
@SimonArron
today. Just want to say thanks again to everyone who joined us to laugh and cry.
Time for a cold pint.
Big love x
📸: Jeff Bloxham
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I can’t tell you much about whoever lives at this house, apart from one thing...
They definitely won the Sunday Cup on Gran Turismo.
#ifyouknowyouknow
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Something I like about WEC.
A full grid of machines with the look and feel of what I think modern racing cars should be.
It’s just cool and reignites how I felt as a motorsport obsessed child. And that’s a big part of who I am.
(And the racing is ace…)
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How much did it mean to
@SimonArron
that he was a member of the motorsport press?
Let’s just say he kept every media pass he was ever granted…
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I know I keep going on about it, but I honestly feel like so many people have my back right now. At a time when I feel exhausted and out of my depth, that’s just amazing.
So to all of you, thank you. And enjoy your evening x
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A special Ford Capri Friday
I bought this as a Christmas present for
@SimonArron
just before he fell ill. And I did manage to show it to him in hospital just before before he died.
I can’t gift it to him this weekend, but I can share it with all of you.
Much love 🏁🧡
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This seems an appropriate time to revisit this awesomeness.
One of the great finishes in CART here at Rockingham Speedway (UK) between Kenny Brack and Gil de Ferran. Pick it up with four laps to go.
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Where did Spa's Bus Stop get its name?
That dates back to when it hosted rounds of the Benelux Mass Transit Cup.
As you can see from this clip, so chaotic were the opening laps that no race ever made it beyond the 'Bus Stop' without being red flagged.
So there you have it.
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A snap I took last week.
Brands Hatch has its moments. Bloody loads of ‘em.
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Generation Game
The future father of an F1 driver guides his Renault 19 around Oulton Park during a round of the 1994 British Touring Car Championship.
Top marks if you know who it is without Google.
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Picked up the green one. Some truly lovely words about Dad. And this month’s parting shot is just perfection.
Look forward to sinking my teeth into the rest of it.
Thank you all 💚
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I need to report that my dad
@SimonArron
is very unwell. He’s serious but stable.
I know he’s widely loved and respected, but I’m not able to directly contact everyone.
If anybody has any messages or has been trying to get in touch with him, you can contact me by DM.
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I can't be the only one that misses the Transit-lantic Trophy races? The finest delivery drivers from the USA and UK facing off in a series of match races!
Sadly, it all came to an end when the British team brought the event into disrepute by entering an F1-engined Supervan...
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Now let me tell you, there haven't been many more entertaining series than this.
For me, nothing will ever quite match the hustle and bustle of the Clackmannanshire and Fife Motor Club's single-venue double decker championship at Knockhill.
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Brands Hatch in
#GranTurismo7
. Some observations.
1. Those photographers are behaving carelessly in a red zone. I’ll have to revoke their media passes.
2. Why is the Kentagon still displaying a decade old British Superbike poster on its wall?
That’s some in-depth analysis.
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Still waiting for Christmas parcel deliveries? Good luck.
Leading couriers tend to travel to the Alps for the Trophée Vandros ice races at this time of year.
DHL, Royal Mail and UPS send works teams. Hermes and Yodel typically claim they’ll enter but make no attempt to do so.
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Old meets new again. This time on Crystal Palace’s pre-war infield loop.
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When Jean Ragnotti arrived at Rally Sweden in ’78, he was in for a shock.
His mechanics had packed not his Renault 5 Alpine, but instead the Group 6 Renault Alpine A442A he was to due to race at Le Mans later that year.
With a shrug of the shoulders, he got on with it.
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This really was astonishing.
About 20 years ago, the entire paddock for the Le Mans 24 Hours got stuck in horrendous traffic on the A28 just outside Rouen.
Instead of pressing on, they unloaded the trucks there and then and held the race on the old Rouen-Les-Essarts circuit.
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Saw Arron Sr this evening.
I told him that about 50% of the English speaking world was rooting for him. Which might be an underestimate…
Don’t know if he can hear me. But I will make sure he receives all of the warmth and kindness you’ve sent his way eventually.
I need to report that my dad
@SimonArron
is very unwell. He’s serious but stable.
I know he’s widely loved and respected, but I’m not able to directly contact everyone.
If anybody has any messages or has been trying to get in touch with him, you can contact me by DM.
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The past three years have utterly wrecked my brain.
I’ve tried to hold it together. But I just feel crap. An inadequate shadow of who I used to be. Easily wound up and ready to snap.
Signing off from here for a few days whilst I breathe.
Much love x
📸: Simon Arron
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Michael Schumacher’s Grand Prix debut with Jordan is a tale often told.
Less well known is that he was given an outing in the Northern Sports and Saloons at Croft to prepare.
He started from the pit lane after the 191 was found to be underweight in qualifying.
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Had the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit to myself this morning 🙂❄️
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On what would have been his birthday, here is a picture of
@SimonArron
racing a Ford P100 at
@Oulton_Park
.
Because just look at it.
📸: Alan Cox
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The 2020s have been cruel. Both parents gone, I now wonder if I too will leave before my time. Perhaps. That’s life.
So relish what you love, enjoy family and friends, and regret nothing. That’ll be my approach.
And I hope you all have a very fine 2023. Here’s to all of you 🥂
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It’s often been said that Henri Toivonen lapped Estoril at F1 pace in a Lancia Delta S4.
But is it true?
Well, I’d have thought the fact that Markku Alén qualified an identical car sixth for the Portuguese Grand Prix at the same venue was proof enough, really.
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In the late ‘80s, TWR responded to the dominance of the Sierra RS500 in Group A touring car racing by commissioning a substantial production run of Jaguar XJR-9s.
The Group C prototype was homologated as a Group A tin top in time to start this Donington Park race from the pits.
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Dad remains stable, but in a very serious condition.
After a positive start to last week, serious complications have arisen. We don’t know if/when he will recover or what that may look like.
We, with my sister taking the lead, will continue to let him know how loved he is.
I need to report that my dad
@SimonArron
is very unwell. He’s serious but stable.
I know he’s widely loved and respected, but I’m not able to directly contact everyone.
If anybody has any messages or has been trying to get in touch with him, you can contact me by DM.
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The bible. Dad received this as a Christmas present from his Mum aged 14.
Important. I’d better look after it.
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When it comes to unorthodox entries in the British Touring Car Championship, people often bring up Volvo’s 850 estates from 1994.
I’m amazed however, that nobody ever talks about when Peter Venkman and Egon Spengler locked out the front row at Oulton Park in the mid-1980s.
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Saloon stars
Who else misses the ‘90s BTCC driver parades?
📸: Knockhill, 1994
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The response to this has been enormous. I’m off to see him shortly, and will try to share as many of the lovely things you’ve said as possible.
I will respond to as many comments as I can in the coming days.
Thanks for loving and admiring my Dad x
It’s with great heartache that I inform you that Arron Sr will not make a recovery.
The wonderful NHS has done everything it can for him. But the time is now fast approaching to say goodbye.
Our focus now is on sharing as much positivity and love with him in the remaining days.
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Isabelle Galmiche just won the Monte Carlo Rally with a former electrician.
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Sorting through some more bits.
Found some snaps
@SimonArron
took as a fan at his very first 24 Heures du Mans in 1978.
Thought they were cool so I hit the share button.
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2022 is only 17 days old, but it’s already been a vintage year for photos of
@Brands_Hatch
. 😍
Come visit us.
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