Simon Briggs' 1972 MGB Race Car, Number 133
Owner: Simon Briggs of B-Stinger RacingCity: Durham, NC
Model: 1972 MGB
Built by: B-Stinger Racing Team
B-Stinger Racing
The B-Stingers team are a group of friends from the Durham, North Carolina area. BritishV8
Magazine readers will likely recognize two of the teams members. Crew Chief Max Fulton
co-coordinated the 2009 BritishV8 Meet, and also has attended ten of the twelve previous
annual meets. Max works at Flying Circus English Cars, which is the team's principal sponsor.
Car owner Simon Briggs works nearby at Apex Vintage Inc., which prepares vintage racecars
of all makes and types. When he's not working, Simon enjoys driving his small block Chevy
powered Triumph Stag. The B-Stingers car is usually piloted by Oliver Tolksdorf, with
back-up and enduro driving shared by Rick Starkweather. The remaining team members are
Ted Alman, Andy Broughton, Terry Jones, and Zarrel Lambert.
The B-Stingers team began racing in April 2004. Since then, they've grown consistantly
faster without ever sacrificing reliability. Of twenty races entered, they've started in
nineteen, and they've finished eighteen. They've raced over 4000 miles without serious
incident, and they've medalled six times (with one 1st-place and one 2nd-place finish in
enduros, two 2nd-place finishes in SVRA races, one 2nd-place finish in a VDCA race,and
one 3rd-place finish in an SVRA race.) Their quickest lap around Virginia International
Raceway to date was clocked at 2:22.9.
Features and Specifications
| Engine: | BMC B-series "18GK" 1.8L engine rebuilt with 0.040" oversize bores (1847cc).
45DCOE Weber on a Cannon 6" aluminum manifold (part# 99003 801).
VP18SP camshaft.
(The initials stand for "Vizard Profile", named for David Vizard, and "Scatter Pattern" respectively.)
Jacobs "Pro Street Energy Pak" CDI (capacitive discharge ignition) triggered by a Crane electronic ignition
through a Lucas "gold" coil.
Jacobs "Ultra Coil".
Stock oil pump, modified for increased flow.
Oberg "Tattle Tale" oil filter.
3 quart Accusump. |
| Cooling: | Ron Davis aluminum radiator (part# 1-33B6267, two rows of 1" tubes).
Spal 10" electric fan.
16-row oil cooler. |
| Exhaust: | PECO header and exhaust system, including muffler. |
| Transmission: | MOWOG with Jack Knight SC/CR (straight cut, close-ratio) gear set.
Borg & Beck heavy duty clutch.
Early model MGB driveshaft. |
| Rear Axle: | a custom rear axle was created by combining the inner section of an
early model MGB "banjo" axle with the tubes from a later-model MGB
Salisbury axle. (Salisbury axles came with beefier halfshafts and bearings,
but banjo axles are lighter and have more suitable gear and differential options.)
4.1:1 gears and Phantom Grip disc-type limited slip differential. |
| Front Susp.: | Raised stub axles.
(Note: sometimes these are called "dropped spindles".)
800 lbs/in springs.
1" anti-sway bar.
Modified steering arms. |
| Rear Susp.: | stock MGB springs, with the two shortest leafs removed.
Lowering blocks.
Spax telescoping shock absorbers.
Custom 9/16" anti-sway bar.
Custom Panhard rod. |
| Brakes: | (master) stock MGB. (front) stock calipers and rotors. Hawk "Blue" V8-pattern pads. (rear) stock MGB drum brakes, except with MGB GT (larger diameter) wheel cylinders and Porterfield shoes. |
| Wheels/Tires: | Compomotive 14x6 aluminum wheels with Hoosier "Street T.D." P205/60D14 bias ply tires. |
| Electrical: | Bosch alternator from a Jaguar.
(The pulley is larger, so it turns at lower RPM than a stock Lucas/MGB alternator.)
Gustafson gear reduction starter, provided by Brit-Tek.
A wet-cell battery is located in the normal location. |
| Instruments: | (left to right)
Voltmeter,
Sunpro mechanical oil temperature gauge (100-250F),
SPA Design tachometer (0-9000rpm) with programmable shift light and electronic telltale,
Smiths oil pressure gauge (0-100psi),
digital air/fuel mixture gauge,
Westach dual EGT gauge (700-1700F),
Sunpro mechanical coolant temperature gauge (100-250F),
fuel pressure gauge (0-15psi),
Hobbes hour meter. |
| Fuel System: | Fuel Safe eight gallon fuel cell.
Holley fuel pump.
Fram HPG-1 filter.
Holley fuel pressure regulator. |
| Safety Eqmt: | five point roll cage.
Momo Corse "Rookie" driver's seat.
G-Force five point Camlock safety harness. |
| Weight: | 1903 pounds wet (without driver) including 36 pounds of lead ballast to meet class requirements. |
| Racing Class: | SVRA Group 3 D Production / VDCA Group 3 C Production. |
Engine Installation
BMC B-series "18GK" 1.8L engine rebuilt with 0.040" oversize bores (1847cc).
Oberg "Tattle Tale" oil filter. Foreground: Holley fuel pressure regulator.
Background: Crane XR700 ignition controller.
Photos on this page show the coil primary lead connected two different ways. This photo (and the next one)
show how the car normally races. Max Fulton explains: the Crane ignition system's optical trigger (mounted
inside the distributor) signals the Crane XR700 ignition controller, which in turn fires the Lucas gold coil.
As shown here, the Lucas coil is connected to a Jacobs sensor. The Jacobs system adjusts for resistance
and then fires its own special coil which is mounted on the other side of the firewall. In a pinch, however,
they could connect directly from the Lucas coil to the distributor. The Jacobs capacitive discharge ignition
system provides desireable spark characteristics, but it's very easy to disconnect if it ever fails.
Jacobs ingnition sensor.
MGB's left the factory with a spare key screwed to their firewall. This one is still in place.
Engine steady bar... made from a Jaguar XJ6 alternator bracket.
Pieces of Eight gas springs.
45DCOE Weber on a Cannon 6" aluminum manifold (part# 99003 801).
Peco exhaust header.
Ron Davis aluminum radiator (part# 1-33B6267, two rows of 1" tubes).
Note the relatively large pulley on the Bosch alternator. Behind it: 10" Spal electric fan.
Holley fuel pump. Fram HPG-1 filter.
36 pounds of lead ballast to meet class requirements.
Fuel Safe eight gallon fuel cell.
Front Suspension
Brake cooling duct, a transponder for the track's timing system, and a 1" anti-sway bar.
These are the Killer Beez version of raised stub axles (dropped spindles) that's available from
Targett Motorsport. The top inch of the spindle casting has been cut off, and one inch of new
material has been welded-on at the bottom. An unmodified kingpin is used. Unlike another supplier's
version, Killer Bees raised stub axles leave the protective grease shields installed and functional.
Raised stub axles are an alternative to shortening coil springs when lowering a car. In theory,
the steering link should stay roughly parallel to the lower control arm, so roll and bump steering
effects should be minimized. In practice, the B-Stingers still found it necessary to modify their
steering arms to eliminate roll steer. (Don't try this at home!)
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Rear Suspension
The B-Stingers call this a "Briggsbury" rear axle. It combines the inner section of an MG banjo housing
(as used on MGA's and early MGB's) with the tubes, bearings and shafts from a Salisbury axle.
To work properly, a Panhard rod must be very stout. This Panhard rod bracket is especially so!
The B-Stingers created their own rear anti-sway bar by modifying a chrome-bumper MBG (9/16") front bar.
Interior
Momo "Prototipo" steering wheel. A "push to talk" button for the in-car Simpson radio is on the left spoke.
Voltmeter, Sunpro oil temp gauge, and SPA Design tach with programmable shift light and telltale.
(left to right) Digital air/fuel mixture gauge (reads an O2 sensor on the center header pipe), Westach
dual EGT gauge (reads sensors on the two outer pipes), Sunpro mechanical coolant temp gauge, and
a fuel pressure gauge. The Westach EGT gauge was useful for tuning S.U. carbs, which were previously
used, but the air/fuel mixture gauge has made it essentially redundant.
Center: this device blocks the reverse shift gate while racing. Foreground: actuator for the Accusump.
Momo Corse "Rookie" driver's seat. G-Force five point Camlock safety harness.
Dead pedal (i.e. a place to rest or brace your left foot).
Five point roll cage, surrounded by a specially constructed tonneau cover.
Exterior
Low profile polycarbonate windscreen. The mirror was donated by a Triumph TR6.
B-Stingers Racing (North Carolina MG Car Club).
Sponsored by: Flying Circus English Cars.
Compomotive 14x6 aluminum wheels with Hoosier "Street T.D." P205/60D14 bias ply tires.
All photos shown here are from June 2009, when we viewed the car at The Heacock Classic Gold Cup at
Virginia International Raceway. All photos by Curtis Jacobson for BritishRaceCar.com, copyright 2010.
All rights reserved.
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