George reflects that the end of the 1976 season was a time to take stock. He says he was associated with some very fine drivers and mechanics and he looked back on a series of cars of which he was very proud. Escalating costs forced hard decisions for many teams, Begg and Allen included. Motor racing in New Zealand was becoming more complicated and after George’s departure only one team tried to follow the New Zealand-built route. Perhaps an editorial from New Zealand's Motor Action in late 1974 said it best: "We salute you George Begg. Your latest Formula A car, the eighteenth you’ve built, is a real credit to you and all those associated with it. Anyone who look closely at it will quickly swallow any former sarcastic comments about your cars being built like trucks and rather heavy. "This latest car is a real work of art, a credit to any racing car manufacturer and one we’re sure any English racing factory would be proud to have produced...We believe that with this latest car, you can hold your head high with any racing car constructor anywhere. We’re proud of you and your contribution to New Zealand motorsport...And if you can build such a car in New Zealand, George, why can’t someone else?" These days George and Freda Begg live in retirement in Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia. Typically George Begg throws himself into community projects, mostly focused on young people, with the same zeal as his racing.
In 1985 a return was made to the Isle of Man TT circuit to compete in the race for Classic Motorcycles, part of the Manx Grand Prix. Engine failure forced George out after a lap. In 1987 he returned to England and Europe for more classic racing including the Dutch TT Classic race. The next year he was back at the isle of Man for the Manx Classic and after four laps, nearly 280km of racing, he finished 35th out of more than 100 starters. At 58 years of age he was in his element still and the Norton Manx 500 had taken his racing passion full circle. George, however, was true to his word about cars and 018 was the last chassis. Many have disappeared as old racing cars do, while others have been transformed into entirely different machines. Some survive in original condition and will remain a permanent reminder of a man’s determination to be judged on his deeds, not his words. |
George has returned to his first love, the racing motorcycles he started on, now become classics. To watch him cast his experienced eye over a Manx Norton or an AJS 7R engine casting is to see the engineer still turning his judgement into maximum revolutions per minute, maximum track speed, maximum reliability.