My British and European motorsport venue check list and general ramblings plus nostalgia.....

[Marina door handles]

Over the last 49 years I have been to quite a few race tracks, rally stages and hill climbs and yes I have  a bit of  a thing for motor sport venues, but due to circumstances and the fact that I am a bit lazy I cannot say I have been to them all...

The first "motor sport venue" I ever visited was the abandoned Crystal Palace back in the late Seventies, to be fair I had no idea it had been  a race track, I was just there as a very small child for the dinosaurs, the petting zoo and as target practice for a grumpy goat! Yep I got butted in the chest by a goat at a petting zoo, I was most upset apparently.

Library Photo - not actual goat...

Fast forward a bit to the Early Noughties and parts of the old race track at Crystal Palace got re opened as an ad hoc sprint hill climb, this made a great venue and I had a great time as a spectator and thankfully no goats were in attendance this time around.  Sadly my photography skills weren't up to much that day....

Back in chronological order, in about 1987 my second motorsport venue was a closed public road section of the Manx National in 1987 (on a school trip), I had been avidly watching rally report on telly (RAC rally) the year before, I couldn't believe my luck, I actually got to see real rallying in person this was right up my street! Pics taken afterward on the promenade in Douglas. 

In about 1989 Castle Comb was the first race track I visited as a spectator, I managed to persuade my parents to detour there on a caravanning weekend to go and watch a thing called a Supercar test day - this had been organised by World Sports Cars magazine and the Pantera owners club. It was basically a fore runner to a track day but for people with more money than sense!

My first drive on a racing circuit was about 1996 also at Castle Comb on a mini fun day. I was due to take my own mini on the track but due to it breaking down..... again, I borrowed my Mum's mini Clubman 1100  (with her permission) and did several laps. That was probably the fastest that poor little thing had ever been!   

Since then I have dragged a reluctant friend to Le Mans (1997) in a superbly disorganised fashion, so much so we ended up sleeping in the car...

Edit to add the car on the left is a Panoz if anyone was wondering? No prizes for spotting the long tail McLaren F1 on the right! 

The car we slept in.....

That was not a good experience! 

I once acted as bad photographer for a  couple of colleagues in a club motor bike race at Silverstone in the pissing rain.....

By the Early to mid Noughties I got into track days with my 944. Most of the venues were normal race tracks with the exception of my first which was at the Lotus test Track at Hethel.

I managed to track day at Donnington, Croft, Cadwell Park, Anglesey, the Bedford Autodrome and the much missed (well by me at least) Rockingham motor speedway.....

I do miss that car, were are you know A118LLM?

As a spectator I can also tick off the race circuits of Goodwood, Thruxton, Brands Hatch, Mallory park, Oulton park and Spa. And the Hill climb tracks Loton Park, Shelsey Walsh and Gurston Down..... 

I feel like I need to visit Nockhill and to be completist Snetterton (although Snetterton seems like an even less appealing trip from Cheshire than Knockhill!).

To be honest this was mostly an excuse to post some old photos and put off doing the washing up, does anyone else have any motor sport venues/events that they need to tick off? 

 

[hairnet]

oulton three sisters knockhill silverstone llandow anglesey thruxton goodwood brands hatch elvington blyton cadwell snetterton (before and after it changed) mallory donington visited and been on

dundrod castlewellan (circuit of ireland stages at it) faugheen kells portrush isle of man

zandvoort zolder spa hockenheim pukekohe visited - been on zandvoort for a trackday le mans assen (before adn after it changed) montreal gp circuit (shame it was snowing)

stuff to tick off?

suzuka mantorp park philip island mandalika in indonesia brno in czech buriram in thai - bangkok loop @Conan want to do spanish or italian moto gp just for the craziness

[Marina door handles]

Just realised I missed Llandow and Pembrey off my to do list! Blyton and Elvington would still be on the to do list if I was still doing track days rather than just watching, mind you if I pull my finger out on the BGT or the Scimitar I might have a track car again maybe .....

[MiniMinorMk3]

One of the first venues I went to was Crystal Palace to see one of the last events before it closed. We had moved to Bromley in 1971 and our dad took us to see some motorsport because a bloke in his office did some club racing. Next we went to Brands for a few events. I remember our feet freezing in the old grandstand that was by the start finish line. Our dad was a bit tight with the money so we never went to the Grand Prix, but we did go to the Race of Champions once.

Then for some reason my dad thought banger racing was fun so we went to Crayford, Brands, Arena Essex and Ardingly. The amount of old Consul, Zephyrs, Zodiacs and Farinas I saw destroyed would make people cry into their rose tinted specs.

In adult life my first events that I went to see were the last two Grand Prix at Brands. I also went to see BTCC, Truck Racing and the Shell 1000kms in the 1980s.

Here's Barry Sheene truck racing

 

A Swiftune powered Mini during a sprint in 1986.

Towards the end of the 1980s I was into VWs and visited Santa Pod for the Bug Jams. I also went to a couple of proper Drag Racing meeting at this time.

In the 1990s I did by bike test and then went to the Festival of 1000 Bikes at Brands a road round the Indy circuit. This was my first run on a circuit.

During this time I used to go to Brands for the World Super bikes. The atmosphere when Foggy was there was great. In 1998 I went to Donnington for the first time and saw Simon Crafar win the 500 GP.

Also in the 1990s when Goodwood started the Festival of Speed I started doing classic events, going to the FoS every year and the Silverstone Historic. Slowly the Historic stuff took over and the bike stuff got forgotten.

Also in the 1990s I went to Thruxton to see the BTCC when Volvo were running the Estates.

In 2007 I got into old minis and restored one which I took to the Mini 50 event at Silverstone in 2009. I got to drive Silverstone before they changed the track missing out Bridge.

I also done parade laps at Croft...

and Castle Coombe

I've been into Forest Rallying, taking videos and sticking them on YouTube.

But in recent years I've returned to the Historic Racing Scene going to Brands, Silverstone, Croft, Cadwell, Oulton Park Castle Coombeand Thruxton for HSCC and other Historic Events. I have also been to the Goodwood Members meeting a few times. I'm very much into touring cars.

Autumn Classic at Castle Coomb

HSCC Croft Nostalgia

HSCC at a wet Donnington

Smokey DKW at Cadwell

Oulton Park Gold Cup

Walter Hayes at Silverstone

 

[Marina door handles]

Great photos MiniMinor! 

I do like Brands, I actually feel its probably Britain's best race circuit. Great for spectating, the GP circuit is a fantastic layout, properly challenging and it has real character. Shame the F1 boys don't go there anymore.

Also I have just realised I was so focused on the car side of motor racing I some how missed out my first actual motor sport memory.... Age 5 or 6 I was taken to the local oval track, the now derelict Smallmead Stadium in Reading and was rather blown away by the noise and smells (Castrol R and Fried Onion!) of Speedway. 

[Mally]

I've visited Brands and Cadwell Park.

Obviously there were Stock Cars on at the time.

[MiniMinorMk3]

In all the excitement I forgot one of the most important track visits. I've been a few times over the years, especially for the annual Mini show that happens in March.

Here we are parked on the banking at Brooklands

 

And here's me peddling around Blyton.

 

[wesacosa]

Not British or European but I drove a Hyundai Getz hire car around Mount Panorama circuit about 15 years ago which was great fun. Its public road and traffic goes in two directions but it's just a loop around some housing so no passing traffic.  Cool little museum too. worth a visit if you are ever in the area 

[Kringle]

Not quite as old as yours chaps, but I got to see the British GP in 2000 on a coach trip, and in 2001. Image as proof with Mika and Kimi in the same shot.

My first event was BTCC at Brands in 99 with the 5 pot howl of the S40 giving me a trouser moment for most of the day.

In terms of driving/ raced, I've done Llandow, Mallory, Brands, Snett, Donington, Oulton, Silverstone, Combe, and... thats it I think. Oh Croft!
Hopefully Anglesey next year too...

[hairnet]

oh arena essex

[sheffcortinacentre]

1 hour ago, wesacosa said:

Not British or European but I drove a Hyundai Getz hire car around Mount Panorama circuit about 15 years ago which was great fun. Its public road and traffic goes in two directions but it's just a loop around some housing so no passing traffic.  Cool little museum too. worth a visit if you are ever in the area 

That's one place I'll visit if I win the lottery.

[Mally]

45 minutes ago, hairnet said:

oh arena essex

We've won there a time or two, gone but not forgotten.

 

[primeradoner]

On 27/12/2024 at 18:55, Mally said:

I've visited Brands and Cadwell Park.

Obviously there were Stock Cars on at the time.

The Brisca F1s are back at Knockhill this year on 24th May so I'm hoping to tick that track off the list in 2025

[Mally]

3 minutes ago, primeradoner said:

The Brisca F1s are back at Knockhill this year on 24th May so I'm hoping to tick that track off the list in 2025

I believe there is a wedding the same weekend that might be an easy option. 

Be interesting how many turn up.

[primeradoner]

4 minutes ago, Mally said:

I believe there is a wedding the same weekend that might be an easy option. 

Be interesting how many turn up.

Im not invited to Jakeys wedding so I will be there, Cowdie the next day as well. 

[Marina door handles]

More bad pics for your amusement.

DTM at Brands Hatch, it was the last year of the carbon tubbed, screaming V8 silhouette racers before they massively changed the regs and went for cheaper GT3 cars instead...

Much further back in time Mini miglias at Castle Combe...

Is it arty or is it just a poor photo??

Mostly in focus......

 

More later if I find any.....

 

 

 

[hairnet]

oh

watkins glen

https://imgur.com/B53zOlB

[M'coli]

My first? Ingliston in 1984, then Knockhill after for 2 and 4 wheel stuff.

Doune, Kames, Pundershaw, Kershope, Glen Branter, Ae, Clipstone*, Silverstone*, Wass**, Croft*, Manby*, Harewood, Binbrook* too. Last place I visited was Hamsterley.

I would have loved to see Rumster Forest, but it's so far away...

@hairnet - no mention of Darley Moor or Oliver's Mount?

 

*Denotes marshalling.

**Denotes failed marshalling, not because I was in a stookie/pot & on crutches, but because the snow was so heavy that the stage got cancelled because we couldn't get the safety crews into the stage, nevermind out of it...

[hairnet]

olivers mount?

no - dont do lincs/east yorks much

darley - driven past it (im no fan of the peak district sadly)

i only recognised croft and harewood - then you said hamsterley i knew what you were doing

[Marina door handles]

2 hours ago, M'coli said:

My first? Ingliston in 1984, then Knockhill after for 2 and 4 wheel stuff.

Doune, Kames, Pundershaw, Kershope, Glen Branter, Ae, Clipstone*, Silverstone*, Wass**, Croft*, Manby*, Harewood, Binbrook* too. Last place I visited was Hamsterley.

I would have loved to see Rumster Forest, but it's so far away...

@hairnet - no mention of Darley Moor or Oliver's Mount?

 

*Denotes marshalling.

**Denotes failed marshalling, not because I was in a stookie/pot & on crutches, but because the snow was so heavy that the stage got cancelled because we couldn't get the safety crews into the stage, nevermind out of it...

I  must admit, I cannot name more than one or two rally stages  I have visited, which is v poor! I think I was mostly lost in a Forest in Wales at the time.....

[hairnet]

did chatsworth an awwwful long time ago (mid 90s i think)

Q8 sierra sapphires and shit

[hairnet]

steve noones as old as macaulay

 

[Marina door handles]

Rally stages?? Trying to jog my memory....

First a public Road on the Isle of Man - in 1987 no idea were though.

Second in about 1995 , some clubmen stages some were near Cockermouth in the Lake District? 

Then its a blur not sure of the order but I have visited Silverstone for the RAC/Network Q rally,  Blenheim Palace for RAC/,  Sweet Lamb I think..... Again Network Q

Visited a slightly mad stage in the middle of Cardiff at some kind of arena (Network Q).

Did Rushmore Arena for the Tempest Rally (Aldershot area so actually not far from home at the time!)

I have also walked part of what was the spectator stage at Trentham Gardens sadly this was many years  after the RAC stopped going there! Its too posh there  now for Rallying........ 

 

 

 

[Asimo]

Jalopy racing: the Hereford / Gloucester scene in the '60s  as a car-obsessed kid. This kind of stuff: 

Then in the '70s, bicycling (100 miles+) to Santa Pod for the drags

A brief flirtation with Silverstone F1 (yawn - so much better on the telly) and then just the hillclimbs near here; Shelsley Walsh, Prescott, Loton Park are all nearby.

VSCC events are my favourites. They were more fun before the sound regulations came in however.

Such a variety at hillclimbs!

Most extreme event was the Air-racing at Reno: I went in 2002 because it was  thought (in the post 2001 world) it might not happen again.

 

 

[Marina door handles]

Air racing is something is still on my "to see list", I did attend the Red Bull Air Races at Longleat but thanks to the wonderful British weather no air craft left the ground that day.... Also because it was a Red Bull event you couldn't get a beer and I wasn't driving that day.... Its one of the many reasons I loath Red Bull, don't like the drink, dislike the whole BullShit "party team" thing... Wankers! 

[hairnet]

chap on ukgser forum went to reno quite regularly

23 think was the last one (he found out on the flight home thered been a fatality but this didnt cause them to cancel the event) - hed been there a week travelling from oregon to calif then across and the closer he got the worse the air quailty got-  he says he wasnt really interested in the racing it was just a buzz to see them moving and for the stuff on the ground to look at (hed been in the RAF) so is a proper nerd - he did 2 months in nz on the bike and was always looking for car or plane shit to do

found out theyre moving to roswell for 25

[MiniMinorMk3]

I've been to Harewood a few times recently for the HSCC and others.

[Marina door handles]

A rally stage some where near Cockermouth in about 1995....

Mysterious RWD MK3 Escort

Proper Shove it.

Pictured below Mazda RX3 I believe

 

 

 

[Marina door handles]

Brands Hatch winter stages just before Covid  struck the country like a low rent Bubonic plague......

 

 

[wesacosa]

speaking of Brands, I'd really recommend Super Touring Power , the third one is end June 2025