John Homewood

John Homewood was the man to beat at Brands Hatch in the mid 70's in the class up-to-1000cc. Brands Hatch ran the Kent Messenger 1000cc championship from 1972-76. The Imps of John Homewood and Ray Calcutt were fairly dominant in those years. Homewood and Calcutt had been sponsored in 73/74 by Kent Messenger (the local Kent newspaper).
John Homewood's success was such that in '76 the series introduced a regulation banning all past champions (i.e. Homewood).

Earlier there was a 1-litre championship sponsored by Practial Motorist.

Brian Prebble raced regularly at Castle Coombe, but also ventured east to Brands Hatch.

Homewood did not often race outside of Kent.

David Hall and John Homewood comissioned the first two Davrian Imps in '76. Homewood won many races at Brands Hatch. He sold it in 1978 (Kevan thinks to Simon Sable, a Brands Hatch FF1600 front runner). Rob Mason drove it in one race (after John sold it to Simon?) and said the brakes were terrible and he could not understand how John drove the car. (Kevan remembers Mason telling his dad about how bad the brakes were).
David Hall had the lap record at Brands Hatch (GP circuit) for the 1300cc class for a couple of years.
Hall brought his to Homewood's circa '80/81 (Kevan thinks earlier than this. He thinks '77/78 when John still had his car), and they sold the car for him to Vivan Candy who raced it for 2 years before selling it. Hall's had a 1212cc Carter engine and Hewland Box (Kevan thinks it was Imp box) and was white; Homewood's was yellow originally. Hall's car still had flat 'sidepods' (for want of a better word!) when it left Ireland, but Homewood's (and most others,) seems to have gradually developed various bumps and curves to stop tyres wearing through.

Kevan: "Davrian built an Imp for Homewood using Davrian floor pan and Imp body. Later Fred Hendy had a space frame car built with same body (similar to the body shape of a Richard Wallinger space frame) with 850 motor. I don't recall who built the chassis.
Homewood and Hendy shared the same sponsor Godfrey Hill Gearboxes. I'm sure Hendy was a garage mechanic and dealt with them."

John(?) Homewood regularly drove one of the fastest Imps at Lydden in the 1970s. He had amusingly placed stickers on the top of the car's windscreen and rear window - 'Here comes Homewood' on the front and 'There goes Homewood' on the back. That car regularly beat many of the Minis, but it was always short of cc's. [source?]

In UK club racing the Imp variants became highly successful in the under 1000cc Special Saloon category. Notable exponents of the Imp in racing include: Ian Forrest, Harry Simpson, Ricky Gauld (these 3 gents were in Scotland, John Homewood, Roger Nathan, Gerry Birrell, Ray Payne, Chris Barter (Hillclimbs only) and many others.

Wendy Wools entry list 1980/1981:
Michael Luck Chrysler Californian
Peter Stride - Imp
John Mawditt - Imp
Bill McGovern - Bevan Imp
Rob Mason - Imp
Brian Cutting - Imp
John Schneider - Imp Peter Knipe - Imp Douglas Fairbarn - Imp Barry Barnes - Imp Keith Freeman - Imp
Sue Davies - Imp
John Homewood - Imp
Brian Davis - Imp
David Enderby - Chamois Coupé
Michael Law - Stiletto
Brian Leonard - Imp
Patrick Mannion - Stiletto
Eddie McLurg - Imp
Ian Luck - Imp
Glenn Board - Imp

Back in the early 70s, Group 2 and Special saloon Imps driven by guys like John Homewood, Jeff Ward, Rob Mason and Bill McGovern ran rings around the opposition and frequently beat larger engined cars.

Fred Hendy was a friend of John (not his cousin).

The Kent Messenger Imp of John Homewood about 1975, before it was written off. source: According to 'Siggy' it rolled into a ball at Paddock bend [JSHSnetters1.jpg] Kevan McLurg says it was never written off - it was sold to Ireland in the end.

The Kent Messenger Imp was replaced by this Rawlson space-frame Imp.

John Homewood on the front row, Brands Hatch 1977

Simon 'Siggy' (NZ) published these on the forum Atlas F1, March 2007 "British saloon car racing of the 1960s and 1970s"

These two I found here: www.ingliston-circuit.co.uk/photos/Imps - go have a look !!!

John Homewood's Imp-bodied Davrian in the Mallory Park paddock, October 1977

John Homewood's Davrian-Imp at Mallory