Category: News

FASSI UK are a proud sponsor of Alex Richardson and his cycling crew who are set to embark on an incredible 960-mile bike ride from John O’Groats to Lands End. Alex is a FASSI operator for David Watson Transport, one of our longest standing customers. Sadly, a colleague of Alex’s took his own life and Alex and friends are completing this ride in memory of him. Alex has previously struggled with his mental health and is raising awareness for people who are also struggling.

Along with 6 friends and colleagues, Alex is personally raising money for a charity called the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). The charity is leading a movement against suicide, the biggest killer of men aged under 45 in the UK.

The bike ride will start on the 3^rd  June and end on the 12^th  June.  Alex will be wearing cycling gear part-sponsored by FASSI UK and will have a support van alongside him for the whole journey provided by David Watson Transport.

The dates and locations are as follows:

03/06/2023 Dunnet to John O’Groats

04/06/2023 John O’Groats to Dingwall

05/06/2023 Dingwall to Glencoe

06/06/2023 Glencoe to Larkhall

07/06/2023 Larkhall to Penrith

08/06/2023 Penrith to Warrington

09/06/2023 Warrington to Shrewsbury

10/06/2023 Shrewsbury to Portbury

11/06/2023 Portbury to Oakhampton

12/06/2023 Oakhampton to Lands End

Make sure to give them a wave or beep your horn if you see them on your travels.

Alex’s goal is to reach £2000. Donations would be much appreciated, and they can be submitted by following this link:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/alex-richardson22

Round 4 of the Bugatti Owners Club FASSI Classic Speed Championship took place at Loton Speed Hillclimb on Saturday 13th May.

The Loton Park Speed Hillclimb course is extremely challenging for competitors with a wide variety of corners and a changing character as the ascent progresses. We were blessed with perfect conditions & a dry surface but put a wheel on the grass or enter a bend at excessive speed & this hill bites hard.

Scuderia FASSI found this out during first practice when Dave Fripp lost traction pushing hard through Loggerheads and span across the grass at 50mph before re-joining the track with no harm done. Later that day Martin Saunders in the Ford Escort Mk1 also took a trip over the grass, this time through Keepers, but again re-joined the track with no damage & ooh’s & aah’s from the crowd.

We were all pleased to welcome Tim & Ben Cross back to the sports car class after missing the last round while rebuilding their gearbox. The MG Midget was back with more power & tweaked suspension & stormed the hill over 3 seconds quicker than handicap. Tim edged his son Ben into second place with Gary Cox in the Scimitar Coupe in third.

The saloon car class was hotly contested with six drivers in the mix for the top three places as we entered the second timed run. Alistair Clark came out on top in the Triumph Vitesse Mk2 from John Louch in the Austin A40 Farina & Stephen Akers in the Mini Cooper S, all with times well under handicap.

Two cars ran in the racing car class with Ben Fisher taking the class honours as well as fastest ascent of the hill in the Mallock Mk2. Martin Jones bought the Elva Mk7 home in second place.

Many thanks as always to Stuart Wing for his photography & also Steve Louch who managed to take some good shots despite also competing himself! Many thanks to all the staff & marshals at Loton for a well-run event.

For the overall championship points table follow this link.

Click here to go to the championship photo gallery.

Round 3 of the Bugatti Owners Club FASSI Classic Speed Championship took place at a very wet Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb on Saturday 6th May.

Shelsley Walsh is the oldest motorsport venue in the world still to run events on the original course and is older than Indianapolis, Le Mans or Monza. The hill is a steep 100m climb over its 914m length & a favourite venue for high powered cars.

The constant rain made for a very wet hill & challenging driving conditions for the 20-car field. As is often the case in motorsport the rain disrupts the usual order of things & this was to the advantage of Scuderia FASSI on the day.

While the more powerful saloons had to moderate their speeds & feather the throttle through the bends, the FASSI Fiat Abarth 695 was able to maintain foot to the floor with only a slight lift off into bottom ‘S’. This allowed both drivers to come in under their handicap times to take first place (Leigh Carter) & second place (Dave Fripp) in the saloon class. Alistair Clark bought the Triumph Vitesse home in third with a quick but controlled drive to come closest to his handicap time.

One of the great things about hill climbing is the camaraderie & friendliness that permeates the paddock. This was illustrated when Scuderia FASSI had a technical problem right before first practice. Without the intervention of Martin Saunders, who gave us a spare part from his Ford Escort, the Scuderia FASSI day would have been over before it began. We can’t thank Martin enough for his help.

The sports car class featured no less than three Reliant Scimitars with Ian Stainburn taking the class win in his Scimitar Coupe. Ian Beattie piloted his Jaguar XK120 to second place despite having only a half-moon windscreen to shield him from the rain. Third place went to Steve Phennah in the MG B Roadster.

The racing car class featured two lovely looking machines. Ian Baxter’s Brabham BT 16 was the fastest car up the hill on the day at 37.08 seconds & took the class honours from Briony Serrell’s Elva Mk7 in second.

Many thanks to Stuart Wing, Steve Shelley & Max Hawkes for the excellent photography & to all the staff & marshals at Shelsley Walsh for a well-run event.

Click here to go to the championship photo gallery. 

Congratulations to Aaron Wanless of PPC Transport who wins 1st prize for his great photo ‘Dead end Drop.’ It perfectly captures the FASSI F820RA in action against the clear blue April skies.  It was a fierce competition this month but Aaron’s photographic skills mean that he wins a FASSI x LAS Helmet, FASSI gilet and merchandise pack consisting of:  FASSI hoodie, brand new insulated bottle and Chamois leather with retro FASSI logo.

For a full list of this months’ winners see our facebook page www.facebook.co./fassiuk

Round 2 of the Bugatti Owners Club FASSI Classic Speed Championship took place over two days at Prescott Speed Hillclimb on Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 April.

The weekend played host to the top two national hill climb championships with both the British & Midland series’ taking place. With over 180 cars on the program ranging from the single seaters capable of climbing the hill in 35 seconds to the FASSI Classics, there was something for everyone in the large crowd to enjoy.

The FASSI Classic field was an eclectic mix as usual with some new drivers joining us for the first time, with Peter Cooper in his works rally Austin Allegro, Ian Beattie with the Jaguar XK120 & Piers Thynne in the sky blue Mini Cooper S drawing particular attention.

The competitive timed runs took place from mid-morning on Sunday with a rapidly drying track producing some competitive times.

Saloon Car Class honours went to reigning King of the Hill Stephen Akers in the Mini Cooper S, with Scuderia FASSI favourite John Barber’s Fiat Abarth 850TC Nurburgring in second. Alistair Clark was the only other driver to come in under his handicap time to take third spot in the Triumph Vitesse MK2.

Pre-race Sports Car Class favourites Ben & Tim Cross sadly suffered a broken gear box in the MG Midget during practice, so the field was wide open. Debutant Henry Mitchell duly stepped up in the Clan Crusader to take top slot from the flying Garry Cox in the Scimitar Coupe & Ian Beattie in the Jaguar XK120.

The Racing Car Class featured the diminutive Buckler Ballamey Special driven to a class win by Jeremy Rivers-Fletcher. Second in class was Peter Thurston in the Mallock Mk4 who also recorded the fastest time of the day in the FASSI Classic at 45.09s. Mike White took third place in the MG Special.

Scuderia FASSI drivers Dave Fripp & Leigh Carter put in a solid mid table drive with Dave picking up sufficient points to be in Fourth position in the championship after two rounds.

Many thanks to Stuart Wing & Max Hawkes for the really excellent photography & to all the staff & marshals at Prescott for a well run event & live stream.

Click here to go to the championship photo gallery. 

The opening round of the Bugatti Owners Club FASSI Classic Speed Championship took place at Loton Park Hill Climb on Sunday 26 March.

The Loton Park Speed Hill Climb course is 1475 yards (1349 metres) long & is extremely challenging for competitors with a wide variety of corners and a changing character as an ascent progresses. Combine this with the damp conditions & you had a day where the best drivers came to the fore.

This was illustrated with a blistering but controlled drive by Scuderia FASSI’s Dave Fripp coming home in 4th place in the saloon class, only missing out on second place by a tenth of a second & just two hundredths on third. Our other driver, Leigh Carter, broadsided across the grass on the last corner to finish nowhere but at least entertain the Museum spectators.

Saloon winner on the day was Mark Hobbs in the Ford Escort Mk2, just a second off his personal best in the greasy conditions. Second & third places went to FASSI Championship debutants: Peter Baker drove his 1950’s Daimler Conquest right on the edge to finish second with Ben Thorne in the Austin Mini Clubman in third.

The Sports Car class was won by Ben Cross who beat his father Tim into second place in their dual drive MG Midget. Third place went to  Garry Cox in the Reliant Scimitar Coupe ‘lemon slice’.

The battle for outright fastest up the hill was between Matt Clarke in the flying Austin Mini & Garry Cox in the Reliant Scimitar Coupe who just pipped it by a few hundredths on the final timed run.

Many thanks to the talented Stuart Wing & Steve Shelley for the great photographs & to all the staff & marshals at Loton Park for a well run event.

Click here to go to the championship photo gallery. 

Congratulations to James Fensome of NJI Transport who scoops 1st prize with ‘Pump it up’ in our #fassifriday competition this month.

This stunning photo of his FASSI F660RA in action could have been taken by a professional.

James wins a FASSI x LAS Helmet, FASSI Gilet, hoodie and merchandise pack of branded leather gloves and pouch, NEW insulated bottle and chamois leather.  For a full list of this months’ winners see our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/fassiuk

Established in 1978 with a small workshop and employing just two people, Devon based Chris Hodgson Engineering is a family run business that offers a unique service to design, build and manufacture commercial, agricultural and industrial buildings from start to finish using its dedicated in-house workforce.  The company now employs over 50 skilled people on a diverse range of projects across the South West of England.

We caught up with the company recently on site at Okehampton when they used one of their THREE Fassi cranes; a FASSI F710RA.2.27 to supply and build the blue and cream building in the images.  The FASSI F710RA.2.27 has seven extensions giving a reach of 18.25m where it can still lift 2,660Kg.  The combination of the D900 Digital Multifunction Distributor Bank and RCS radio control allows ‘mm’ precision placement of the steels and other materials.

A dynamic crane for a dynamic company.