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Dunholme Aerodrome


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#1 Darren Galpin

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Posted 29 July 2002 - 07:07

On one of my rare sorties into Bristol town centre this weekend (my car was in for a service.....), I visited a discount bookshop and found a book on Stirling Moss. In the back, it attempts to list all of his race results (book costs £15 if anyone is interested). What caught my attention was the following

9 October 1948 - Dunholme Aerodrome

It lists this as a full race (not a sprint, hillclimb or speed event). Does anyone know anything else about this venue? Where is it? How long? etc etc etc.......

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#2 Ray Bell

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Posted 29 July 2002 - 07:24

According to Moss (All But My Life)...

Dunholme Lodge, 8 laps, 3.7 miles per lap. He won the race in a Cooper with 497cc of raw power at an average of 78.56 mph with a race time of 22' 36.4"

#3 Vitesse2

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Posted 29 July 2002 - 09:33

Obviously Rob29 hasn't read this yet - it was an old bomber base near Lincoln:

http://www.lincolnsh...ww2dunholme.htm

By late 48 it had probably been decommissioned after post-War use as a missile base.

#4 boekman

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Posted 29 July 2002 - 10:01

Well, I do not know much about British race tracks or racing in the 1940's, but according to Richards link, RAF had employed Bloodhound SAMs (surface to air missiles) at Dunholme, and I do know that that particular missile was not designed at the mentioned time (1948).
The link also says it was in (RAF) use until 1964. So I guess the base was unused after WWII until the placement of SAMs sometime at/after 1958 (when Bloodhound was first made operative).
A little info on Bloodhound can be found at: http://www.bhmk2.net/

Fredrik

#5 Rob29

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Posted 29 July 2002 - 10:55

Originally posted by Vitesse2
Obviously Rob29 hasn't read this yet -

yes,I have;it rang a bell so I looked in 'Motor Racing circuits in England-then & now' but nothing there. I was going to the local library when it opens at 2pm,today,so will see if they have a volume caled Lincolnshire airfields,-then & now.

#6 Rob29

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Posted 29 July 2002 - 14:48

121/SK995785. 4 miles N of Lincoln between the main A15 & A46 roas at Dunholme Lodge. Lancaster bomber base May 1943-Nov 30 1944.Then used for gliders-closed for flying 1945-too close to other airfields!
Post war the site was used occasionally for motor-cycle racing but it was brought back into use in 1959 to house 141 sqn equiped with Bloodhound missiles. Closed 1964.
' The former main entrance is still evident in the south eastern corner of the site at a point where the A46 has a sharp corner,but most of the facilities have been dismantled. The runways have been narrowed into access roads for farmers and the few old huts that remain are used to store fertilisers'
Seems possible that the race Moss won (his 3rd ever) was the only car race ever held there as part of a motorcycle meeting?

#7 Rob29

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Posted 29 July 2002 - 15:19

More info via Paul Sheldon blue book.

British Motor Cycle R.C.
Dunholme Lodge-8laps-29.60miles 09.10.1948

1st Stirling Moss Cooper 11-JAP 22m36.4s-78.56mph
2nd Curly Dryden Cooper 11-Norton 22-37.6
3rd Stan Coldham Cooper 11 -JAP 23-55.4
4th Peter Page Cooper 11 JAP 23-56.2
5th Anthony White White-Lloyd JAP 24-14.6
6th Frank Aikens Aikens-Triumph 25-05.0
7th Forbes Clark ASA-Rudge 25-22.0
Retired
Charlie Smith CFS-JAP
Reg Phillips Fairley-Norton
Lord Strathcarron Marwyn-JAP (engine)
Spike Rhiando Cooper 11-JAP mechanical
Ken Wharton Wharton-BSA misfiring
Non Starter
George Saunders Cooper 11-JAP piston,etc

#8 Pete Stowe

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Posted 29 July 2002 - 20:16

The Autocar carried this report:
"Included in the programme of motor cycle races at Dunholme Lodge airfield, near Lincoln, last Saturday was an event for 500cc cars. The course is 3.7 miles to the lap, and though there are no long straights a combination of great width and sweeping bends made high average speeds possible. The car race was over 8 laps. The winner was S. Moss (Cooper) at 78.56 mph. Of the 12 starters there were seven finishers, with Coopers in the first four places. RM Dryden was the only serious rival to Moss."
Results were as already posted here.

In the first years of the 500 Club they had difficulty finding venues to race at, hence they took advantage of having a race at a motor-cycle meeting. I don’t know offhand if there were any other such motorcycle meetings including a single 500 race in the ’forties. There is no report in Autocar of a similar meeting in 1949.

#9 Milan Fistonic

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Posted 29 July 2002 - 20:41

Originally posted by Rob29
Seems possible that the race Moss won (his 3rd ever) was the only car race ever held there as part of a motorcycle meeting?



According to the Edwards book it was Moss' sixth race and his fifth win. He had already won three events at Brough and one at Goodwood.

#10 Ray Bell

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Posted 29 July 2002 - 23:39

Originally posted by Pete Stowe
In the first years of the 500 Club they had difficulty finding venues to race at, hence they took advantage of having a race at a motor-cycle meeting.....


Very practical, of course.

This would have ensured there were plenty of engine, gearbox and driveline spares available in the pits... and nobody would complain about the noise. This is not to dismiss technical assistance from experts in tuning these engines.

#11 Pete Stowe

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Posted 18 September 2002 - 20:26

Originally posted by Rob29
More info via Paul Sheldon blue book.

British Motor Cycle R.C.
Dunholme Lodge-8laps-29.60miles 09.10.1948

1st Stirling Moss Cooper 11-JAP 22m36.4s-78.56mph
2nd Curly Dryden Cooper 11-Norton 22-37.6
3rd Stan Coldham Cooper 11 -JAP 23-55.4
4th Peter Page Cooper 11 JAP 23-56.2
5th Anthony White White-Lloyd JAP 24-14.6


A week after publishing a report on the Dunholme races, results as above, Autocar printed a correction - i.e. the 5th placed White-Lloyd was driven by RL North, not A White