Gerry Buck a man and his models

Gerry’s brother Ron was de mobbed in 1945 after having served in the RAF as a flight engineer and joined Gerry in the family firm. Gerry claimed that 1945 was "quiet for him on the racing front" as he had been busy with another major construction project, a 42ft dia car track in his parent’s garden. The track became a focal point for local children an adults alike and contemporary photos show the banking lined with spectators. Later it was also to serve as a control line circle when Gerry started flying model aircraft.

In the spring of 1946 Gerry married Joan Kent who he had met at a local tennis club and moved in to Beacon House at Baddeley Edge, just outside Leek. An early visitor was Richard Dimbleby who conducted a long and detailed interview with Gerry for ‘Down Your Way’ on the BBC. Gerry did manage to visit Eaton Bray in August where 2A shattered the British record with a run a 66.6 mph, some 10 mph quicker than the previous best. Convinced that the car was capable of running even faster the final run of the day established a new record of 75 mph.

In an article in Model cars, the engine for ‘Dizzie Lizzie’ number 3 was revealed. The new engine had been completed a year previously and had been consigned to a tin box without ever having been run. Several months would pass before ‘Dizzie Lizzie’ number 3 or ‘Topsy’ as it was to be named had its first run, and in the meantime 2A was kept hard at work. In November at Eaton Bray Gerry revealed that he had another little trick up his sleeve, "A most interesting electric starting device" that could be applied directly on to the flywheel of the engine.

In a very rare insight into his travelling arrangements Gerry commented that he had built 2As carrying box strong enough to provide a seat in the corridor, which is where he invariably ended up on his long train journeys. Car travel is taken for granted now, but the effort required covering the distances that he did over the years using public transport or via lifts is yet another example of his extreme commitment. Gerry did not own a car at all until the early 50s, and even then it was shared with brother Ron.

The Whit weekend of 47 involved yet another trip to Eaton Bray, this time for a two day meeting. The Sunday race was a handicap affair as mutterings were already in the air about ‘unfair competition’ and a general feeling of dissatisfaction from those who were less successful. One established competitor at the time commented (that), "When Gerry Buck turned up and went twice as fast as my car there was no point in continuing."

Back there for the September meeting, 2A was really flying covering the half-mile distance at a record 75mph and continued at that speed for a new mile record at 75mph. The fastest ¼ mile worked out at 78mph for another record.

This was really the swansong for 2A as a record breaker as it had far exceeded its original expectations and ‘Topsy’ was now ready to be revealed. Modelled on the ERA E type grand prix car, number 3 in the line of succession used a beaten aluminium pan with the home built engine laid horizontally on a spur mount driving the rear wheels. ZN racing wheels and pneumatic tyres ensured that the whole car was British from end to end. Painting and detail finishing would have to wait for a while, as Gerry was eager to test his new creation. The level of design and manufacturing skill he displayed can be judged by the fact that the car on its first trial run exceeded 85mph. This alone was an incredible achievement as the engine had not been run before the test, but just days later on its first ever official run, ‘Topsy’ upped the 10cc record to 87.3mph. Two weeks later the 90mph mark was broken for the first time.

With 80 and then 90mph being achieved in only a matter of months, comments about the level of competition were now even more relevant. Several cars were now sporting imported Dooling and McCoy engines and as Gerry had predicted competition was becoming very close. At the Whit weekend meeting at Eaton Bray a 91mph run in the Austin trophy was only good enough for second place, but on the Monday ‘Topsy’ excelled, as it reeled of lap after lap in the 90s taking the ¼ mile at 97.55, the ½ mile at 93.26 and the mile at 90.45. In one run he had set a new fastest ever mark and taken the mile record by 4mph.

The rest of the season brought the normal crop of trophies and victories including the Russell Trophy, where ‘Topsy’ now resplendent in BRG paintwork, fully detailed, even to simulated wire wheels, scored a full 50 points in the ‘concours’ section.

The effort in producing ‘Topsy’, the criticism that had surrounded him and the rise of the ‘buy it, race it’ style of competitor seemed to lessen Gerry’s enthusiasm and in something of a backlash he formed the Meteor Club. It was created in his ‘own image’, with him as Secretary. Membership was by invitation, you only got in if you built and ran your own cars and if you were not a continuously active member then you would soon be an ex member. Each meeting would start with a ceremonial run by ‘Old Number 1’ before the action would get under way.

In the late spring of 1949 daughter Gillian was born, but the extra family responsibility did not seem to slow Gerry down. A trip to London for the second meeting of the Model Car Association resulted in a great deal of discussion about the regulation and definition of records, a subject very dear to Gerry’s heart. He was firmly of the opinion that a British record should be just that. British car, British engine, British tyres etc, while a significant number of others, all with a vested interest it has to be said, reckoned that it was any record set in Britain wherever the car or competitor came from. Gerry thought that this would sound the death knell for the inventive homebuilder and allow the sport to become chequebook based. In the end a compromise was agreed, with all records being duplicated under British or Open categories. Of course, a completely British car such as ‘Topsy’ could take records in both.

At the Austin trophy meeting at Eaton Bray in May ‘Topsy’ again excelled setting new British record for ¼ mile at 109.87mph, ½ mile at 102 and 1 mile at 105.5mph.

This very success was bringing Gerry a great deal of adverse criticism by those who suggested that his achievements were due to money rather than dedication and hard work and his fervent support for home building and ‘British’ records was to bring protracted correspondence, heated debate, a great deal of argument and one of the most amusing, or galling, if you were on the wrong side of it, episodes in Gerry’s competitive career. Never one to shun a challenge and bearing in mind that he had never raced in other than the 10cc class Gerry reckoned that he could build a 2.5cc car that would be competitive and show that you did not have to spend a fortune or go the commercial route.