About SVG Motor Sport

Five facts about – Andy Johnson owner of SVG Motor Sport and classic saloon racer
This banger boy turned historic rallyist has latterly become a tin top crowd-pleaser with a Toyota...
From an article published in Motor Sport News, click here to download the article.

1, He’s been competing for more than 30 years:
“I started when I was 18 years old, racing a banger on a dirt track. I did that for some time and progressed through the ovals and Spedeworth.” In 1988, he decided to do some classic rallying and completed the first-ever Pirelli Classic Marathon and the inaugural Monte Carlo Challenge.

2, He worked with the godfather of historic rallying, Philip Young:
“I worked for Philip for about eight years on the back-up crew for all of his rallies. It was fantastic fun, but it was hard work. One year with really bad snow we didn’t sleep for two nights; we just worked straight through. Philip started historic rallying in England and people don’t realise how much work he did. He’s a very clever man.”

3, He’s got a soft spot for Toyota Coronas...
“I bought an old Toyota Corona (see below), which I was going to go back to rallying with. But I’d got kids by then and it’s a bit anti-social to go off for a week at a time, so someone suggested I tried circuit racing. I went to watch a Classic Touring Car Racing Club meeting and thought ‘I could do that’, so I built the Corona up for racing. I’ve still got the car.” He’s got another Corona that he used last year on the 20th anniversary of the Classic Marathon (see below). “I’ve got a garage and we do race car preparation work.” SVG Motorsport tends some BMWs among other racing saloons.

4, He didn’t mean to buy the Corona:
“I went to a guy’s yard to buy an MGB. There was this Toyota Corona sitting in the corner and he said ‘do you want to buy it?’ So I did, and I’ve stuck with it ever since. I love it; it’s a fantastic car. I’ve been very lucky to go to Goodwood twice with it and two years ago I did the grand prix support race at Silverstone.”

5, He’s worked for Stirling Moss:
“We looked after Stirling Moss one year on a classic rally. He crashed his Austin-Healey 3000 and we had to beat the wing straight and
rig up new lights before the next day. We got him going again and he was really happy with our efforts.”

SVGs Andy Johnson in the 20th Classic Marathon
Andy Johnson returned to contest the twentieth Classic Marathon having competed in the inaugural event.

The seven day event started in Ypres, Belgium and finished in Cortina, Italy a week later running through the Dolomite Mountains. Andy was amoung a number of competitors who took part in the 1988 Classic Marathon and tackled this event in memory of his best friend Bill Smith. Bill who co-drove for Andy in 1988 in a 1200cc Simca Special died ten years ago, "We did everything together and I’ve not done any rallying since he died” said Andy.

“I wanted to do the Marathan again and so asked Mick Barter, another friend, to co-drive for me.”

Andy unsucessfully tried to buy back the Simca used in 1988, so instead built up a Toyota Corona into a rally car. “I've got two Coronas, this car which is a 1967 model and the race car from 1964”. SVG Motor Sport stripped and prepared the shell and had the engine rebuilt. The car runs in pretty nearly standard form, the emphasis was on having fun and being reliable to make it to the finish.

The seven day route included the 48 hairpins on the famous Stelvio Pass in Italy.

1964 Toyota Corona
Running in the Classic Touring Car Clubs pre 1966 championship. This car has raced at the Goodwood Revival Meeting and also in a 2008 British Grand Prix support race at Silverstone.

 

Brighton Speed Trials 2009
Andy Johnson of SVG Motorsport entered his Toyota Corona in the Brighton National Speed Trials, commonly held to be the oldest running motor race.

The first race was held in 1905 after Sir Harry Preston persuaded Brighton town council to tarmac the surface of the road adjacent to the beach between the Palace Pier and Black Rock in order to hold motor racing events. This stretch was renamed Madeira Drive in 1909 and the event is still held there, normally on the 2nd Saturday of September each year.

The event is currently run as a quarter mile sprint for both cars and motorcycles, held under the auspices of the Motor Sports Association. The event is organised by the Brighton and Hove Motor Club, with the Sprint Section of the Vintage Motorcycle Club in charge of the Motorcycles. Entrants run individually, although in earlier days vehicles would race side by side. This practice was stopped following a number of accidents. The course length has varied over the years, generally becoming shorter to keep terminal speeds manageable as cars have got faster. The speed trials form a unique event, where vintage and exotic classics meet the latest in street and racing cars.