The Snetterton 100 races

Would any members be able to help me, I am trying to find out more about the Snetterton 100 Races organised by the E.C.M.C. The earliest mention I can find for these 100 mile events is June 25th 1955, but were they held before then?

The programme for the 1958 race states that it was for saloon cars, but the 1955 event was won by Salvadori in an Aston Martin DB3 with Scott Brown second in a Lister Bristol. When did it turn into a Saloon car event and did it remain so?

Sometime in the sixties the club lost a lot of money when bad weather kept the crowds away from the race meeting. Five of the members who acted as guarantors covered the loses out of their own pockets. Understandably this was the last time that the race was held, but when was it?

Hi Leigh - in the saloon car races in the late '50s were Bill Blydenstein or Albert Moses racing (a Borgward and MG respectively)? If so I can ask some people from a different angle - maybe a round of the Cibie cup which was the competition/fore-runner to the British Saloon Car Championship.

Edited by Gregor Marshall, 20 May 2009 - 08:29.

The programme for the 25 June 55 meeting says "We have broken away from our normal "mixed bag" type of meeting.....Today's 100 mile trophy is typical of the trend that modern motor racing is taking....". In the 1956 prog it talks about "The success of last year's 100 Trophy has resulted in a similar programme for today". Although not 100% definative, I think this confirms your thought that 1955 for sports cars was the first 100 miler. The 56 event was for sports cars. I have no info on any 1957 event but for 58/59 it was saloon cars, then Formula Junior in 1960 - 62. This appears to have ben the last time the ECMC had their own mtg.
RAP

Thank you gentlemen for your response, if I may answer Gregor first, I do not think that the races were part of any championship. I assumed that they went from racing sports cars to saloon car racing to allow their club members a fair chance, but that is contradicted by RAP stating that from saloons they went to Formula Junior. The 1958 Saloon Car race featured J. Sprizel, F.R. Gerard, Les Leston, A.G. Mann (is this Alan?), J. Sears, the Equipe Endeavour Jaguars of T. Sopwith (the team owner), Sir Gawaine Bailey and J.F. Grawley as well as Roy Salvadori and D.J. Uren. So all in all there was a good line up. There were two Borgwards, D.E. Harris and T. Bridger whose car was entered by Metcalf & Mundy.

RAP. Thank you for taking the time to look this up, since the original posting I have acquired a stat of the 1955 programme. The cover of this and the 1958 programme features the artwork of landscape artist Cavendish Morton who was a club member, please could you tell me if the other Snetterton 100 programmes also feature his work.

RAP. Thank you for taking the time to look this up, since the original posting I have acquired a stat of the 1955 programme. The cover of this and the 1958 programme features the artwork of landscape artist Cavendish Morton who was a club member, please could you tell me if the other Snetterton 100 programmes also feature his work.

The 56 prog cover is the "standard" 56 Snett cover used for the majority of meetings in 56/7 of an F1 car (Ferrari 625?) also by Cavendish Morton. 60-62 use that year's standard Snett cover of rather nondescript drawing of single seaters but the artist does not appear to be credited.
RAP