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The
conversion on the next
vehicle
NDK166G was superb.
Stu Smith was the current
world champion and the coach
was fit for a king... the
seating was all deep
buttoned burgundy
velvet, wall to wall carpet,
tinted windows, fitted
bunks, shower, on board
generator, decorative table
lighting, TV-video etc etc..
The exterior had lots of
running lights and air
horns, looked superb lit up
at night...
Stuart
Smith sold
NDK166G in 1987 to
Phil Hague who later sold it
to John Stirk and that is
where I lost track of
it...until I met an old
friend at a recent race
meeting and he told me that
he had been helping a friend
who had just started racing
and they have bought this
coach and it is back in
action carrying their race
car so, hopefully, I will
get some more up to date
pictures including the
interior".
~~~~~~
Bill Woodward also
writes...
to inform us that he
used to drive
NDK165G for Frankie
Wainman in the 1980s.
~~~~~~
Mike Greenwood very
kindly writes with an update
and adds some more excellent
photographs...
Hi Dave, with reference to
the information already
supplied by Les Hoyland. I
thought you might be
interested in some more
photographs of Yelloway
coaches in use as stock car
transporters. These are
attached herewith. I don't
know why but Yelloway was by
far the most popular
source for redundant
coaches for further use as
stock car transporters.
Another case of Yelloway
being the 'operator of
choice'!.
Below is a list of Yelloway
coaches that I know have
been used as stock car
transporters the details
coming from notes that I
took at the time. This
corrects some of the
information supplied by Les,
which I sure he won't mind
me pointing out".
6693DK
below
right used by Vic
Milner, Bulwell, Notts in
April 1984. It was being
used by Alan Bateman of
Bolton by January 1987 who
had reregistered it to
BNE51B
by September 1987.
It was reported that the
coach was burnt out on the
way to a Crewe stock car
meeting in April 1989.
7072DK used by Pete
Hodgson, Mirfield, West
Yorkshire in October 1979
although the coach was sign
written for driver Alan
England who was based in the
South of England. By July
1982 it was being used by
Roy Page of Elland, West
Yorkshire.
7073DK in
use with Stuart Smith of
Rochdale by August 1976.
Used by Smith until 1980.
7075DK
used by Brian Wallace,
Farnworth, Lancashire. BDK706C
being used by Des Chandler
of Hinckley, Leicestershire
in April 1984.
FDK418D was
used by Dave Hodgson,
Mirfield, West Yorkshire in
April 1980. By August 1984
it was in the ownership of
Nigel Watson of Stockton-on
Tees and by March 1987 it
had moved to the Dave
Cusack/Bob Baker racing team
of Preston.
HDK511E
was in use
with Willie Harrison of
Rotherham by April 1984.
Sold by Harrison some time
in the 1990s? I believe the
coach is still in use.
KDK804F used by Keith
Davids of Manchester by
August 1984. Moved on to Ian
Smith of Bradford by October
1985.
NDK164G bought by
Dave Hodgson, Mirfield, West
Yorkshire in 1980. By
November 1983 it was being
used by Ian Stirk of Halifax
before passing on to Dave
Tapping of Leicester in
March 1985. By April 1989 it
was being used by Mick
Wright of Daventry.
NDK165G bought by
Frankie Wainman of Sisden,
West Yorkshire in 1980 and
still giving good service to
this day!
NDK166G bought by
Stuart Smith of Rochdale in
1980. Passed to Phil Hague
of Stockport in April 1987.
Haigh was one of stock cars
more colourful characters
and rumour has it that he
sold his house to fund the
purchase of the coach and
his stock car racing
activities. In apparently
lived quite happily in the
coach! I wasn't aware that
it was later sold to John
Stirk as reported by Les. I
was surprised to learn that
the coach is still about and
will look forward to seeing
Les's photos in due course.
ODK993H
below
![]() used
by Colin Clayton of
Huddersfield by March 1989.
I trust that this my be of
some interest.... I was born
in Leicester and always
looked forward to seeing the
Yelloway coaches coming
through on the Clacton
service when I was a spotter
in the early seventies.
Thanks for taking the time
and trouble to put the
excellent website together
and I hope I might be able
to catch up with the mobile
museum sometime in 2004.
Kind regards, Mike
Greenwood, Sheffield.
~~~~~
John Whitworth,
former regular driver for
Yelloway writes to inform;
NDK164-9
were all good motors to
drive but the gate on the
gear change was not spring
loaded and it took a little
experience to find third due
to this. Some drivers went 2
to 4 and then straight up
into third and then let the
clutch out. Other drivers
went from 2 to 5 then came
back a little to the left
and felt for third gear. I
was told by older drivers
that when the G regs first
came Hubert Allen (the
managing director) only let
hand picked men drive them
because they were so long.
John also adds that
NDK167G was his
personal favourite.
~~~~~
UP-Dated News
from;-
Dave Newton contacts the
website on 8th June 2004 to
inform;-
that
NDK166G is back in
use. Vehicle seen at
Coventry twice this year.
~~~~~
Mike Greenwood kindly
updates the above news and
includes excellent
photograph: "I am pleased
to report that
NDK166G has
re-appeared again and is now
regularly seen together with
NDK165G. It was with
Allen Hall but has now been
purchased by Mick Harris of
Chipping Norton in
Oxfordshire. The shot below
was taken at the beginning
of June 2004.
Martin
Fitzgerald contacts the
website on 1st April 2005 to
inform;
Hi I know who owned CDK
174 L...I helped to
convert it....it was
owned by 334 Dave
Atkinson from North End
Salvage in Stalybridge
it was used for the
Hotstox Formula..Dave
was an ex F1 driver too.
The engine blew up in
1992 just leaving the
yard and had a full
overhaul...we fitted an
Exhaust brake too it and
fitted an extra
Radiator..hence the
grill in the side of the
coach...this coach used
to fly once we cured the
cooling.....I have been
on this coach when it
was on the motorway
doing let say beyond the
speed limit!!.
Great to see a pic of
it.
I also designed the
paint job on
NDK 166 G...as
my mate Allen Hall
bought the coach
from a grass track
lad in Otley.
We fitted a new
kitchen..fitted
electric winch..new
5kva
generator...recon
radiator...new door
rubber seal...got
rid off the
emergency door on
offside as it was
rotting...new paint
job with special
sealant on the roof
so it wont leak
in... and also new
panels as well as
some were bent...and
I fitted the chrome
wheel arches as
well...Allen spent
about £ 4,000 on
this coach in total.
Its had several
since Allen with
Mick Harris & Steve
Reedman using
it...but its good to
see its still going
and still in the
stox formula.
I also got a few
pics of the coach as
well..after the
paint job before the
sign-writing and
then some after the
sings were put on.
~~~~~
Iain Maclean
contacts the website
on 18th October 2007
to inform;-
Hi Dave,
I have just come
across your
website about
the buses
converted to
stock car
transporters. I
can give you
some information
to add to it.
NDK 164G
was bought from
Mick Wright by
Cliff Butler of
Wallasey who ran
it for ages
carrying a
National Hot
Rods/intersalsaloons
for Cliff Butler
and Iain
Maclean. Racing
at Northamption
and Lydenn Hill.
It also went to
Holland (Baarlo)
and Belgium.
Cliff's daughter
Julie also used
it when she
raced.
It was then used
to cover circuit
meetings at the
likes of Oulton
Park and Brand
Hatch. It was
repainted white
with stripes
down the side.
Sadly the engine
terminated on
the way home
from a meeting.
We did attempt
to replace the
engine with
another unit
from Frankie
Wainman but this
expired shortly
after.
After a long
spell sitting
looking
very sad in the
back of the yard
it was
eventually cut
up and scrapped.
I personally
feel this was
best best of the
bunch of coaches
when Dave Hogson
had it with all
the lights down
the side it
looked
spectacular
going down the
motorway.
Hope this helps
you in your
quest to track
down things,
sorry it didn't
have a better
ending.
Iain
Maclean.
~~~~~~
Roger Brown
contacts the
website with
following
information and
great photo on
28th July 2008:-
Hi Dave
Great site, I
have been
keeping track of
it for a while
now.
I used to go to
stockcars on a
regular basis
for a good
number of years
and also, being
a bus fan, often
took pictures of
the transporters
but mainly my
first love of
Bartons!
I also helped
out Vic Milner
for a few years,
and did quite a
few miles on
6693DK
and the only
problem that I
remember was the
roof leaking a
bit at the
front.
After moving out
from the family
home to live
with my (now a
long time EX!)
girlfriend, the
first place we
moved to did not
work out and we
ended up
homeless for a
while, so while
waiting for the
mortgage etc to
be sorted out on
the new place,
we stayed at
Vics living on
his drive in
6693DK!
Great times,
crap girlfriend
!! lol.
Also while in
Vics ownership,
she was used to
take my formula
2 stockcar to
Sheffield about
3 times. I only
raced for a
short while (1
season) as the
crap girlfriend
and house
purchase etc
swallowed all
the money!!
I was not with
Vic at the time,
but on route to
Skegness once,
he got run into
a ditch by a
foreign lorry on
the narrow roads
near the stadium
and it cost him
a fair bit to
get pulled out.
I think, (but
might be wrong)
this was in
about 1985 as in
2010 I will have
lived here 25
years.
I was quite sad
when I saw the
VAL back out
looking very
smart, but with
a re reg on and
its a shame the
old gal got
burnt out.
I still have
loads of stuff
still boxed up
in the loft and
have no plans to
get it out for a
long time yet
until I can
afford to do
some house
updating over
the next few
years, but when
I do any
pictures I have
I will email
you. I must have
some of the VAL
somewhere and
also some of the
other stuff
including
Smithies
Harrington.
1 picture did
come to light,
and I have put
it on for you to
use if you wish.
It is
NDK164G
with John Stirk
(65), taken a
Northampton in
1983.
The other
picture is our
baby (or the
moneypit!),
which is jointly
owned by myself
and Dave
Wheatley.
She is now out
and about when
we can afford it
after spending
the last 2 and a
half years
rebuilding her
between us. Not
Yelloways, I
know, but I bet
she has done a
few X61
Blackpools in
her time
arriving and
departing at
Yelloways
Bloomfield Road
Coach Station.
Anyway, if I
have bored you,
sorry, if you
have had a
laugh, then
great !
Keep up the good
site,
All the best,
Roger
Roger Brown
ex Formula 2 -
No. 59
~~~~~~
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