652 Dave Samson, The Semtex Kid

Found this pic, I think its from skegness in the 90's

any ideas who it is? its got a crossflow whoever it is

I think it's Gary Samson from the South West as the car has an Ipplepen phone number which is near Newton Abbot in Devon.
Gary stopped racing before I got involved with F2s I remember Dave Samson (the semtex kid) more.

I'm sure Crispen can shed some light on this?

IG

652 was Dave. 651 was Gary Sansom

think the pic is from northampton, thats dave in blue overalls stood yappin to the great chalky white

THE 652 DAVE SANSOM CAREER


Dave Sansom, the younger brother of 80’s star grader 651 Gary Sansom, made his F2 debut at the age of 16 at Newton Abbott on Sunday 6th March 1988 at his local track of Newton Abbott. The former star of Autospeed Mini-Stox made an immediate impression in his first ever meeting at the wheel of his elder brother’s former car. Dave undertook a controlled drive in his heat to record an impressive 6th place and then went one better in the afternoon’s Grand National come home 5th. As a result, the young ‘C’ graded Sansom collected 11 points.

It seemed that Dave had a natural talent for F2, finding little trouble in transferring his racing skills from his success in Mini-Stox. Dave first race win wasn’t long in coming. Newton Abbott’s third meeting of season ’88 on Easter Monday 4th April saw the white graded Sansom take his Locke-styled 1300cc car to contest heat one. This heat saw Dave involved in the first of what were to be many ‘big crash’ incidents in his F2 racing career. The race saw Sansom unfortunately career into the back of long-time West Country racer Syd Collings (656), whose car was parked up mid race. Collings suffered severe whip-lash and a trip in the ambulance was necessary. But David was unperturbed by the whole situation and throttled away to take a storming flag to flag victory in the consolation. By all accounts, Dave seemed quite calm and collected after his first ever win! The Sansom’s traits of ‘just letting my driving do the talking’ were clear from the outset.

Dave had incredibly amassed enough points (20) by the cut off of the 15th April, to be up-graded to blue. But this still allowed Dave to take a trip to the Northampton Qualifier, still as a white top, on 17th April. Dave “did alright”…..he only came away with ‘easy’ victories in both his heat and the GN! This boy was certainly going places and comparisons were already being made of Dave with some of those other sparkling new ex-mini-stoxers who’d made an immediate great impression in F2…..most notably a certain Rob Speak.

652 Dave Sansom’s first appearance as a Blue Top was at Taunton on Sunday 1st May. One would have thought that the up-grading to the starting position on a stockcar grid which is popularly perceived to be the one which presents the most challenges would have seen Dave begin to struggle. Indeed Dave returned from his heat outing pointless……only to have another ‘bash’ in the consolation and come away with – incredibly – his fourth race victory so far in his short F2 career! Sansom followed this with a GN third…at this rate surely a red Roof was beckoning?

Points continued to come the 652 pilot’s way in late Spring / early Summer of 1988. Dave began to develop his now famous liking for the Mendip Hills Raceway Bristol. Sunday May 29th saw Dave aggressively drive the 652 machine to a hard fought 3rd place after only just being beaten by the ‘Marnhull Magician’ 698 Malc Locke, a driver who was to cross swords with Dave on many occasions through Dave’s racing career. Here the 698 driver was at the peak of his racing career and Dave had to concede second place to the man from Dorset. The final at Bristol saw Dave being caught with typical ‘Blue Top blues’ and was swept aside by the Red Top train – headed by non other than Malc Locke – but Dave dug his heals in and chased hard, to be rewarded with 8th place. The following day saw Dave return to his ‘home’ track of Newton Abbot – a track were pique-tuned 1300cc engines were critical (even with complex downdraft carburettors as displayed by 514 Chalky White) and the track’s ‘grippy’ tarmac was harsh on tyres. Dave found the pace a hot one and came way with a consolation fourth and 3 points as his sole reward for a night’s hard competition. (Locke again won the final that night!) Despite many expectations and Dave’s hard driving, the grading list of 1st July 1988 still saw car 652 with a Blue Roof……

Financial constraints meant that Dave could only really afford to race at his local track of Newton Abbott. Dave was now settling down into racing from his blue top starting position and his results were consistent, if not spectacular. The first Wednesday night meeting of the Summer season : 22 June, had seen Dave battling hard with fellow ‘A’ graders Rob Flinders (824) – a former Star man - and Paul Weeks (508). Sansom recorded a heat fourth and GN third. The next Wednesday bash was 6th July, a meeting which saw the first visit from 218 Rob Speak and from Scot Ali King (74). It was a quieter night for Dave though, only again following Paul Weeks home to gain a seventh place in his heat.

Fortunes picked up over the Newton Abbott Speedweekend of 23/24th July when the West Country Oval hosted the BriSCA Supreme on the Sunday. Dave followed home future sparing partner 835 Ralph Tustin in the consolation. Dave got the break early in the Saturday evening Final until he was ultimately overhauled by the Red Top train of Locke (who else?), Luscombe, and Shepherd. Nevertheless, Sansom still beat Colin Higman across the line to earn an excellent fourth place. These consistent fortunes continued on Championship Sunday – a meeting whose car attendance necessitated a three heat format. Heat one saw Dave involved in almost a repeat performance of the previous evening’s Final – he recorded a third place after Locke and White powered their way past. Dave was chasing the son of Jumbo (835) again in the Final, only to be passed by White (514) and James (617) before he could get to the flying Yellow Top. The Newton Abbot speedweek finished on 27th July, a Wednesday night session which saw Sansom follow home the likes of James and that man again – Malc Locke, to record a heat fifth and a further 6 points in Blue Top consolidation.

Throughout the reminder of the Summer Season at Newton Abbott in ’88 Dave continued to be present to record a series of sixth and seventh places

Dave ended his first season in F2 as a middle ranking blue top having amased 170 points.


It was a quiet start to season ’89 for 652 Dave Sansom with the first grading list of the year showing the Ipplepen kid to have collected a measly 2 points from one early season outing and was languishing in the Yellow tops. . But come the May bank holiday, Dave was soon more than back in his stride at his ‘home’ track. Andrew Carter reported, “Dave Sansom (652) took heat one, suggesting that he’s out to improve on last year, which wasn’t bad by any means considering it was his debut season. His superb new self built car saw him show the way to the top drivers going on to gain two ‘thirds’ in the remaining races.” By the points cut off of 15th May for the June gradings, Dave had scored 45 points and was right back amongst the Blue Graders. But prior to his up-grading, Dave was able to enjoy the advantages of his ‘B’ grade start one more time at the Spring Bank Holiday weekend session – again at Newton. It was at this meeting that 17 year old Sansom recorded his first heat and Final double! His early season gremlins fulyl sorted, Dave just couldn’t be caught. So, a full 12 months after it was first anticipated, Sansom had done enough….come 1st July 1989, he was going to be painting his roof Red! Before the Red paint came out however, the final weekend of June saw Dave attend the Bristol meeting. Another heat victory at Mendips was the result.

The summer months saw Dave put in good consistent performances from Star grade. The back of the field start presented little problem for the teenager. The West Country’s most successful racer of all time, Bill Batten had, by now returned to regular racing, now with the number 167, after a number of years absent, at the wheel of an extremely beautifully crafted ‘racing car’ with bumpers on it. Bill’s experience and race craft did not overawe young Sansom one little bit and Taunton’s 30th July meeting saw the 652 driver give the returning Batten a torrid time! August, and Dave was a called on reserve of the Semi-Final at Boston on Sunday 20th….only for 742 Graham Luscombe (whose own car had engine damage) to need his car far more than Dave did himself!

The reminder of the season saw the points haul come 652’s way a little slower. With 291 points to his credit, 652 Dave Sansom slipped back into the Blue top ranks for the November gradings and with the West Country meetings having by then been exhausted, that would have to do for 1989.

flippin eck! thats a reply and a half!!

Where you been hiding lately Rob ?

prob spent the hiding time typing that lot up keep it up tho rob always a good read and never gets negative feed back

with you there timmy, brilliant reading rob
cheers

Thanks again for the kind comments. Little trip down memory lane eh?? I had the profile on my word documents for ages, did it shortly following the one I did on Sarah. As you can tell, it's not finished....and the Semtex Kid era of Dave's career in the early '90's at the wheel of his scruffy looking two litre has not been covered here.

Suffice to say there have been plenty of comments on Ftooz about Dave's scrapes with Malc locke, Colin Higman, Rob Speak, Ralf Tustin, and most of all Peter Gilbert.

Dave has become a bit of an urban legend, and probably is the most talked about former driver on here after Speaky himself.

Rather like Speaky, it's unlikely that Dave will ever to return to racing. Dave, married to Sarah, enjoys many of the finer things in life these days (!!!), and if he ever where to get behind the wheel....probably would fall foul of the officials in the space of one race!

F2 of today is a different species to 10-20 years ago. Dave's antics would not be tollerated. (ther weren't THEN much!)....but I'm sure he would take great delight in having a go at all of today's fancied runners like Bradderz and Moody (if he could get near.)

Then Semtex Kid was a man of his time....rather like the hard man of footy Tommy Smith coming back and playing for Liverpool....his style of play just wouldn't fit that of today.....but it good to remember.

Rob

ps to the Administrators....could always transfer this topic to the driver profiles section guys....maybe I'll add some more to it once there.....and other peoples comments of memories of the Semtex Kid would be more than welcome.

This post has been edited by HUGHES ON TWOS on February 09, 2009 10:23 pm

I have always enjoyed your peices on here Rob and elseware, always a very good read, I was only a teenageer watching at Bristol, but I can remember the semtex kid in action with what I remember was "LOD" on the front bumper which I understood to be a Lunatic or .......!! anyway he was always entertaining and your writings more than back that up!!
With your easy to read style and energy within your writing, perhaps you would consider a 642 Dave Luscombe interveiw for the Unloaded Magazine.... an interveiw I think that requires a educated touch and one many would love to read .

Franco have you thought of publishing a book. There's a guy called Richard John Neil who's knocked out a few , I've got a couple but they're all spedeworth.
I'd say judging by Retrostox and some of your posts on here it'd be a great book.

Thank you Mike. Your the second person to have thought that Dave would make a worthy interviewee for Unloaded 7.3. Crispy feels the same way.

See if i can tag him down via Facebook! lol

PS: LOD stood for LEGION OF DOOM made up of 652 Dave Sansom, 910 Richard Thomas and 900 Bryn Thomas (would you believe!!). They had this on their cars in Season '94!

Happy days.........

you forgot nic courtier rob he was part of the legion of doom too, and i thought you knew your stuff lol

Hi Rab, I did offer to provide some pics to Richard for his Spedeworth books but apart from using one of Geoff Goddard he never asked for any more.

I have also promised to help out Carlton Elliot with pics for the book he is doing on F2 although I don't know when that will be.

Meantime here is a pic of Dave Sansom from Newtongrange in 1988.

Attached Image (Click thumbnail to expand)