Crystal Palace event to return for 2019
CRYSTAL PALACE
Sevenoaks & District Motor Club has confirmed that the Crystal Palace sprint will return in 2019 after its enforced cancellation in ’18, and that it will occupy its traditional late May Bank Holiday slot.
The club has held the sprint annually since 2010, but this year’s event was called off owing to financial problems caused by a promoter pulling out and difficulties associated with moving the event to the August Bank Holiday weekend. Now the club has committed to running the sprint again next year on May 26-27. It hopes to find sponsorship, but will run the event even if a backer cannot be found.
“It’s the love of the event,” said club chairman Chris Judge about the decision. “We’ve put the date in and the logistical work is coming together. We decided that we would have a big push for sponsorship. Because we’ve started this almost a year ahead we’re hopeful and confident that we can secure some backing. But if not we’ll go ahead ourselves anyway. We’ve got a number of irons in the fire.”
Judge added that there is also focus on improving car turnout for next year’s sprint. “That’s our concentrated effort to try to bring it back to what it was in 2010,” he said.
In its heyday, Crystal Palace hosted circuit racing including international Formula 2 before the track closed in 1972.
The sprint takes place on a half-mile course around the park that includes some of the postwar circuit layout.