Getting to the end of a season is a monumental effort – but imagine doing that for 50 years! Well, one MGB in the British Automobile Racing Club paddock has been strutting its stuff for half a century and has clocked up over 40,000 competition miles.

We caught up with its owner Jim Baynam who knows the full story of this famous old car. In what is his 45th year in the MGOC Championship he is currently the joint leader of the 2025 championship, with the outcome to be decided over the final two meetings of the season at Castle Combe and Silverstone.

“In my younger days I always liked MGB’s and in 1976 I bought an MGC as my everyday road car before moving on to an MBGTGV8. I always enjoyed watching motorsport – I lived in London at the time and had a friend who campaigned a Lola single-seater, and I used to go along and help. At a Thruxton meeting in late 1980 I saw there was a race for MGBs which piqued my interest and I had to go and have a look. There were a number of standard production cars and I thought – “I could do that with my MG.”

Baynam – filled with enthusiasm, was about to start his own motor racing journey. He didn’t know quite how to get started but, just like London buses – two opportunities arrived at once. What were the chances!

“In March 1981 I was all set to have a roll cage fitted in my MGBGTV8 and go racing with that car and had an appointment to have a roll cage fitted. A couple of days before it was due to be fitted I picked up a copy of Autosport and flicked to the classifieds as you used to do, and saw an MGB race car for sale. It had recently completed the Willhire 24 hour race and was now up for sale. I recognised the contact phone number as a Hounslow number which was close to where I lived in Richmond. I rang up and they said “why not pop over now and have a look at it.” It was ready to race and I loved it. Over a beer in the local pub, the deal was quickly done and the next morning I rang up to cancel the roll cage appointment as I was now the owner of a ready to race MGB with the registration number KAE 155E.”

The MGB that Jim purchased in March 1981 is the same car he campaigns in race meetings to this very day. It was converted from a road car into a racer in 1976 and has been raced every year since – making this its 50th year as a competition car.

“I did sell KAE at the end of the 1981 season and it continued to be raced while I raced a Midget for a few years. The Midget gave me valuable experience but I always rather regretted selling the MGB and when the opportunity came to buy it back I just had to do it and I have owned and raced every year since then.

“The car has raced every year since 1976 and has done over 550 events making it one of the most campaigned MGBs in the world. It has done over 40,000 racing miles and been entered in races at Zolder, Mondello Park, Spa, Nurburgring and almost every circuit in the UK from Lydden to Aintree and everywhere in between.”

It has a remarkable history, and has taken Jim to five MG Owner’s Club Championships. But why does Jim himself strap himself in every year?

“I still love the buzz of a race paddock. The thrill of racing never dies and is key to it all. But the people you meet and friendships made over the years are fundamentally important to Club racers like me. I have known some of the guys for over 30 years and always look forward to seeing them at race meetings. I have many great memories of my time racing MGs – one of the highlights came at the recent Thruxton Retro meeting in June this year. Being on a capacity grid of 42 MGs was very special.”

So the big question… how long does Jim intend to continue racing? Are there any plans to hang up his helmet? Is this goodbye or just au revoir for now Jim?

“I have raced every year since 1981 and have been the championship organiser since 1987. Advancing years makes wearing the organisers hat and a crash helmet on the same day all rather tiring so 2025 will be my last full year of racing. I’m currently leading the championship and it would be nice to bow out of full time racing with another championship win but irrespective of whether that happens or not it will still have been a very satisfying and successful season. Who was it that said “ there’s no fool like an old fool!” I will still enter selected races in 2026 – but will pick and choose which ones and spread them out in between my organising duties. I will be racing for as long as I can. You can’t get rid of me that easily!”

Jim and the rest of the MG Owners’ Club Race Championship will be racing at the Bank Holiday Monday meeting at Castle Combe prior to the final showdown at Silverstone on the 28th September. For more information on the MG Owners Club Race Championship – head to www.mgocchampionship.co.uk or contact Jim on raceteam@mgownersclub.co.uk