Closer look - Old airfield circuits
Over the past century and more, over 100 English circuits have hosted motorcycle le racing. These range from Edwardian cycle tracks to be spoke modern venues, which can look more suited to hosting corporate events than club motorcycle racing .Here, in part one of a short series ,we lookat a few of the airfield circuits.
Many of us will have enjoyed happy days watching or competing on the English short circuits in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Racing is always risky, but here's a few memories which make me smile to set the ball rolling.
I well remember a race-long tussle for third place between a pretty lady driver piloting a huge American Ford Galaxy and a tiny 650cc Steyr-Daimler-Puch (tuned, enlarged Fiat 500) at Snetterton, chasing a pair of Alan Mann Racing Lotus Cortinas. The squeal of the Galaxy's tyres as the lady drifted ever more extravagantly round former Norwich Straight end hairpin hooked me on airfield racing.
Then there was the Murray Walkermoment when the commentator uttered across the loudspeaker system "Xxxxx Xxxxxxx, with consummate ease, passes a backmarker on the back straight:' What could possibly go wrong? Moments later, the Velo was summer-saulting into the grass, pursued by its rider, whose blushes we are sparing. In interview, everyone expected him to blame mechanical failure ... Instead he quietly muttered "rider error, bloody expensive rider error!"
And finally, the advice given to me before I passengered a racing sidecar outfit for the first time ... Expecting tips on hand holds and positioning, the regular crew grinned, then advised: ' Don't have any breakfast:
Many will have similar stories, I'm sure. Perhaps when times return to something more normal, and I can again access the archive, we can look at the tracks of Scotland, Wales, loM, Northern Ireland and Ireland.
And, yes, Brooklands is arguably an airfield track, but falls outside this feature's meaning of the phrase and has been well covered in many stories and books.
Ansty Aerodrome (1946-cl951)
Building work started in 1935 on Ansty Aerodrome, five miles from Coventry and eight miles from Warwick. Initially a civil site, the RAFtook over for the Second World War and remained until 1953. The relatively newly formed Antelope Club organised their first race at Ansty on November 7, 1946. Blessed with decent weather, the event attracted over 140 entries and thousands of spectators.
The 1. 75 mile angular 'D' - shaped track offered plenty of width for overtaking and the ¾ mile start/finish straight gave fast riders the chance to give their machines a
proper blast. Many top riders competed at Ansty, including Fergus Anderson, George Brown, Harold Daniell, Dickie Dale, Geoff Duke, Bob Foster, Peter Goodman, Bill Lomas and sidecar men Jackie Beeton, Bill Boddice and Eric Oliver. After the RAF, Rolls-Royce moved onto the site which now includes a business park (Ansty Park), with occupants including Sainsbury's.
Brough Aerodrome (1947-56)
Located in the East Riding of Yorkshire, just west of Hull, the Brough site was used by the Blackburn Aeroplane and
Motor Co. (later part ofBAC) from cl916 for testing seaplanes. A flying school was then established, where later many Second World War RAF pilots trained.
Racing was organised by the Blackburn Welfare Motor Club on a near oblong 0.65 mile track in 1947/8 and, from 1949, the longer, 1.17 mile track, with near half-mile Runway Straight and return via part of the airfield's perimeter network. Often meetings involved some car racing, although they also used a longer perimeter circuit. Lap record holders included George Brown (998cc Vincent, 1950, 61.6mph) and John Surtees (Norton, 1955, 65.31mph). The well thought of circuit attracted many works teams including AJS and Norton, while Bob McIntyre and Alastair King travelled down from Scotland for a day's racing.
Racing was suspended after the 1956 season due to increased flying, and aircraft - including fighter planes - continued to take off from the aerodrome until 2013.
Boreham Aerodrome (1950-52)
A former RAF and USAAFaerodrome ( 194446). With five decent bends - including the sharp Waltham, Orchard and Railway Corners, faster curves and straights - the three mile Boreham circuit, like Silverstone, had on paper everything going for it: high speed racing, within striking distance of London, lots of space, big crowds and a wide track. But despite attracting many stars, some with factory support, it was all over after the August 1952 meeting. Aside from motorcycles, Boreham also hosted car racing.
On occasion, Les Graham raced in four classes, 125cc and 500cc factory MVs transported in his shooting-brake and two privately entered Velos for the 250/350cc classes, towed behind on a trailer. Solo entrants variously included George Brown (499/998cc Vincents ), Roland Pike (250cc Rudge/350cc AJS), Robin Sherry (350cc AJS), Max Klein, Allen Dudley-Ward, John Surtees (499cc Vincent Grey Flash), Cecil Sandford (Velocettes ), Ken Kavanagh (Nortons ), John Storr (Nortons ), Fergus Anderson (MotoGuzzis) and charioteers Bill Boddice, Jack Surtees, Pip Harris, and a local to Cambridge enthusiasts, Mitchell Fordham.
One could extol Boreham's virtues, but a Surtees family sidecar outing sets the scene and mood better. Leading his race, Jack Surtees spilled his crew, son John. Rather than stop, it was full throttle for another lap, slowing just enough for John to jump aboard and thence off at high speed for the chequered flag!
In the mid 1950s, the Ford Motor Co. bought the site for testing and development including lorries and later rally cars - and they were very precious about letting anyone see what was going on. Determined to take a few photographs for a ClassicRacer feature a couple of decades ago, my friend kept his car engine running while I took a few pictures through the gate entrance with a telephoto lens from the road - a legal act. After about three snaps, an overweight security guard ran towards me menacingly; being younger and faster, the car was easily reached and off we sped, tyres squealing. Ford have moved off the site and it has since been used for gravel extraction, some development and an Essex Police and Air Ambulance helicopter base.
Castle Combe (near Chippenham) 1951-ongoing
Saturday, July 28, 1951, the Bristol Motor Cycle and Light Car Club ran the first Castle Combe motorcycle races, on a 1.84 mile course at the former RAF airfield (1940-46). Over the following seasons, many aces including Mike Hailwood, Derek Minter, Bill Ivy, John Surtees, Robin Sherry, Jack Surtees, Cyril Smith, Dave Simmonds and more recently Michael Rutter, Steve Plater, Trevor Nation, John Reynolds and Mick Boddice were amongst the tracks' many winners and/ or lap record holders. The honour of breaking the circuit's motorcycle 100mph barrier in 1989 fell to a young Carl Fogarty (Honda RC30), when he posted 102.22mph.
With corporate hospitality suites, track days, car boot sales, on-site camping/accommodation, driving experiences and track/venue hire options, the owning company Castle Combe Circuit Ltd has diversified to maintain profitability and reinvest in the circuit and its infrastructure. It still hosts a race programme of mainly car events, with some motorcycle race days.
Croft (known today as Croft Circuit) 1949-51, 1964-81 (later years cars only), 1995-ongoing
Opened in 1941 as RAF Croft, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) moved in the following year with the aerodrome, five miles from Darlington, remaining operational until 1946. Racing at Croft is a tale of three parts.
The local Darlington club ran the first motorcycle racing event on August 20, 1949, using a 1.33 mile track and such continued until May 1951, by when the course had extended to 2¼ miles. Then the RAF required the
aerodrome for emergency landings and that was that.
After relaying a 1 ¾ mile circuit, Croft reopened for car and motorcycle racing in 1964 as Croft Autodrome, attracting many over the next years including John Cooper, Phil Read, Trevor Burgess, Derek Chatterton, George Buchan, Mac Hobson and Owen Greenwood. Although getting off to a good start, motorcycle racing fizzled by cl971 while car racing continued for another decade, then also petered out.
Croft reopened again in 1995 as Croft Circuit, using much of the existing track, but was then modernised with excellent facilities, to make it the north's leading car and motorcycle racing venue and, although it offers many add-ons such as driver experiences, track days and the like, it remains a true motorcycle and car racing circuit.
Ouston 1960-65
Work to build RAF Ouston started in 1940, with the
RAF moving in a year later. They remained until 1974 but the Army started moving in a few years earlier and remain in residence today, the location now known as Albermarle Barracks. Crowds ofup to 30,000 attended both car and motorcycle racing, often combined events staged by the Newcastle and District Motor Club. Situated 10 miles west of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne city centre, the 1 ½ mile clockwise track witnessed fast racing, with Dennis Pratt and Jack Bullock joint lap record holders, both Norton, at 83.03mph in 1961.
It's stated Jackie Stewart (triple Fl World Champion) won his first race at Ouston driving a Jaguar E-Type.
The joint car and motorcycle meeting scheduled for
June 19, 1966, was cancelled months earlier following RAC refusal to issue a permit for car racing due to the absence of permanent safety barriers. As Ouston was an operational RAFAirfield, this requirement was impossible to fulfil and hopes of a motorcycle only meeting were in vain.
Silloth 1964-78 and 1981-83
Near Silloth and Moricambe Bay, facing the Salway Firth and Scotland, this Cumbrian airfield was built in 1939 for the RAFMaintenance, then passed onto RAF Coastal Command, also in 1939, who remained until 1960. The North East Motor Cycle Racing Club organised the first events attracting up to 10,000 spectators from 1964, but soon the Salway Motor Cycle Racing Club was in charge. Riders included George Buchan (Aermacchi, 350/500cc Nortons), the Padgett brothers (Yamahas) of Batley, Mac Hobson and Owen Greenwood driving his contentious 1071cc Mini car engined 'three-wheeler; which was actually a four wheeler with the rears set closely together.
A 1.1 mile clockwise circuit - with its well-known Hollidays Corner and ubiquitous for an airfield track Hangar Bends - was used until 1976, when replaced by a shorter circuit. The collapse of the Salway MCRC in 1978 ended racing until 1981, when the West Cumbrian MCRC began a short series of meetings with a final event held on October 5, 1983, after which the course was deemed too damaged for motorcycle racing. Local press stated cows were to blame! Parts of the site are now used for a farmers' market, plus limited residential and business use.
Silverstone 1948 (M/Cs 1949)-ongoing
Built (1942) on the Northamptonshire/Buckinghamshire border, near Towcester, RAF Silverstone was predominantly used as a base for No 17 Operational Training Unit (1943-47). After talks with the Air Ministry in 1948 by the RAC, a lease was secured with the first car
race later that year. The following year Bemsee (BMCRC) began organising motorcycle racing, starting with the Hutchinson 100 on October 9, 1949. However, there was a sting in the tail, with the Air Ministry adding that as a result of this lease, racing at some other RAF airfields would cease. And with Silverstone entry and spectator charges higher than other venues, many racers and supporters were unhappy. Despite much vocal discontent and some bad publicity, the track's high speed was a popular bonus. From the start/finish it was right Woodcote, right Copse Corner, left Maggots Curve, right Becketts Corner, left Chapel Curve, onto Hangar Straight, right Stowe Corner, right Club Corner, left Abbey Curve and back onto the start/finish straight. In 1951, the RACpassed the lease onto the BRDC (British Racing Drivers Club) and - forgetting car racing - Silverstone has hosted almost every form of motorcycle racing. Many books and lengthy features have been written about this venue, making this small brief seem, well, briefl However, instead one small incident in 1965 makes me smile. As many of you know, we have Brian Woolley's 50cc Kreidler racer. In 1965, then regular rider Tom (Brian's half brother) was banned from riding it at a
Silverstone meeting after an argument - so Tom pinched it! As Brian settled down to watch the Silverstone meeting on the Tv; he was just in time to watch the 50cc race, and see Tom crashing. Brian assured me 'words were said!'
Almost from the outset, Silverstone hosted major events including the first ever Formula 1 World Championship race, the British GP.Also, from early on, options of tracks were available and still are. For many, the bespoke Silverstone of today isn't the Silverstone Aerodrome circuit of the 1950s and 1960s we remember, and when I bemoaned this fact to a couple of friends recently, who are both Silverstone fans, I was told to keep up ...
Snetterton 1951 (motorcycles 1953)-ongoing
Norfolk's famous racing circuit was built for the RAFin 1942 and known initially as RAF Snetterton Heath, then handed to the USAAFon completion, remaining active until 1948. Oliver Sear masterminded the start of racing (cars) in 1951, hence Sear Corner. The first motorcycle race was held on a contrived 2.7 mile course on May 2, 1953. Winners were John Hogan (125cc BSA),Maurice Cann (250cc Mato Guzzi), John Surtees (3501500cc Norton), Bill Boddice (Norton s/c) and Ted Davis (998cc Vincents/c).
Many remember the 1.6 mile Norwich Straight, which was shortened with course redevelopment in the 1970s to be replaced by the Revett Straight. Snetterton has changed owners often until acquired by MotorSport Vison (Jonathan Palmer) and has since undergone much redevelopment, improvement and updating and currently offers three track options: Snetterton 300, Snetterton 200 and Snetterton 100 of approximately three, two and one mile respectively. And it still remains true to the vision of Oliver Sear (who resigned as MD in 1965) despite attempts by one certain lady owner - who in the early 1990s wanted to redevelop the site for housing - in that it welcomes both car and motorcycle racing, with add on facilities aimed at both.
Touxton 1950-64 (65) and 1968-ongoing
Former Second World War airfield built in 1942, used by the RAF and USAAFand involved in the D-Day landings. Motorcycle racing started Easter 1950, organised by the Southampton and District Club, with help from the Bishop's Waltham Club, using a l.985mile circuit comprising part perimeter roadways and part runway.
Early winners included Geoff Duke, who set the first lap record at 72.15mph on a factory 500cc Manx Norton, Robin Sherry, who won the up to 1000cc non experts race riding an AJS 7R, and Jack Surtees. Over the years, Thruxton earned a fine reputation attracting many period aces in addition to the above including John Hogan, Bill Doran, Cecil Sandford and Cyril Smith.
For a decade, the Hampshire track hosted the Nine Hours (later 500 miler) production race and major
ACU events. After the 1964 500 miler, deteriorating track surface forced the event to move first to Castle Combe (1965) and then Brands Hatch (1966-68) with Thruxton closing. Early 1968 work began on making a new 2.356 mile track largely following the perimeter roads. The Southampton Club ran the first event in April 1968 and the following year the 500 miler returned to Thruxton with Percy Tait and Malcolm Uphill (Triumph Bonneville) winning. The circuit now hosts car and motorcycle events, including British Super Bikes, offers driving experiences and a 1200 yard kart track. Moving with the times, in 2018 Nigel Mansell opened a new hospitality suite and it is also HQ for the *BARC.
* The Cyclecar Club was formed in 1912, changed name to Junior Car Club (ICC) in 1919 and amalgamated with the Brooklands Automobile Racing Club (BARC) after the Second World War, resulting in the British • Automobile Racing Club, also BARC.