Longridge, then and now...

I still have the trophy, from the very first race ever at Longridge, when I set the Special Saloon 1.litre Lap Record. I remember it used to get very hot in the car, on that tight little track. Shame its gone. I do have a few nice photographs, but cannot upload them can I? I have my own library of photographs on my pc.
Gerry Taylor

Edited by alansart, 17 September 2011 - 17:08.

Reading through some old Autosports recently I noticed that David Orbell was the outright circuit record holder in his Mallock U2 for a while.

That must be a unique situation, surely?

Edited by MCS, 19 September 2011 - 09:08.

That must be a unique situation, surely?

Forgot to say... as usual I made no notes and lost the programme... anyone know who this was?

I'm running out of photos... Shirley I was not the only one there with a camera?

Forgot to say... as usual I made no notes and lost the programme... anyone know who this was?

Today visited another track set in a quarry about 20 miles from Longridge ...Warton

PAR

Did #886 ("Topper") once finish fifth in a Libre race at Longridge, after an epic tussle with Joe Applegarth's Brabham BT23C?

There are 2 Wartons, one near Lytham where BAe Systems ahve their huge plant. The other is just outside Carnforth, where I think Phil took these pics.

Edited by Phil Rainford, 23 January 2012 - 17:24.

Not the sharpest image I've ever taken - and scanned from a print with more grain than Kellogg's - but it illustrates what was then a fairly recent Formula One car in action at Longridge: David Render's Lotus 76 participating in the Longton & DMC sprint on March 20 1977. The modern equivalent would be a Red Bull RB5 appearing at Curborough (or, better still, Longridge) this season.

I'm running out of photos... Shirley I was not the only one there with a camera?

Can't remember whether this has been posted before. John Walker's March 742 and other Longridge paddock clutter. Note use of a Bedford CA as a prototype for contemporary Formula One hospitality rigs...

Not certain thats a genuine 742, SA...

Yep Dan it sits above a river estuary just outside Carnforth .....plenty of water everwhere




PAR

Final off topic question do they play Mouldy Old Dough over thnnoy before each race starts at Longbridge or is that a Mendips thing?

I think they probably played Strawbs' I'm a Union Man at Longbridge. At Longridge, we didn't hear much more than the rustling wind and, during the summer, the ice cream van's dulcet chime. Can't speak for the musical output at Warton, but Mouldy Old Dough usually precedes banger races at Wimbledon, although they have alternative tunes for other categories. And yes, there are distinct clockwise and anti-clockwise short-oval categories. Not sure why.

And now, back to 1977, when Tonight's the Night by Rod bloody Stewart probably featured on the car radio during the homeward journey.

Edited by elansprint72, 26 January 2012 - 10:06.

This shot illustrates perfectly those races we used to have when the Fords went in a clockwise direction and all others went anti-clock. For some reason the idea did not seem to catch on.

Bell Vue stock cars always used to play Young Girl by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap and Paint it Black by the Stones.

This shot illustrates perfectly those races we used to have when the Fords went in a clockwise direction and all others went anti-clock. For some reason the idea did not seem to catch on.

My mother only went to one F1 race (the 1963 Oulton Park Gold Cup) and on the way home I asked her what she thought of the race. She said that the drivers weren't that good as they had no oncoming traffic to deal with and what should happen is that half the field should run clockwise and the other half anticlockwise. Oh and she wanted to be sat at approximately half way round the lap!

Reminds me of the Hednesford Hills figure of eight stock-car race track. Presumably the intention was to add a bridge at some point?

Discuss. 

 

Discuss. 

Terry Horrocks and his home-built special Formula Ford car.  Can't remember what it was called though.

Edited by MCS, 10 October 2013 - 20:50.

Terry Horrocks and his home-built special Formula Ford car.  Can't remember what it was called though.

Me neither but I think that Tina Turner drove it in the Mad Max film. What are those spiky bits- pop rivets which have not been "popped"?

Can't remember what it was called though.

The Horrocks FF , if I remember rightly. Such breadth of imagination....

Me neither but I think that Tina Turner drove it in the Mad Max film. What are those spiky bits- pop rivets which have not been "popped"?

I think that the spiky bits are in fact the front spring peeking over.

 

Discuss. 

That's the sort of kerbing that drivers are likely to respect.  Look forward to seeing their introduction at modern tracks!

Well spotted Mr Frog.

The kerbing was made from concrete in hessian bags- nobody crossed the white line at Longridge- perhaps that is what is needed next season when the daft regulation comes int force.

Hi, has anyone got any photos from the Citroen 2CV cross racing, 1977 and 1978.I have got a few of the racing. How do I post them?

cheers David Holt

Hi, has anyone got any photos from the Citroen 2CV cross racing, 1977 and 1978.I have got a few of the racing. How do I post them?

cheers David Holt

David,

Photos needed to be posted by a 3rd party server. Photobox, Flickr or via your own personal webspace. 

If you have any problems message me and I'll try and sort it out for you.

I have created a facebook group for Longridge- all welcome.

https://www.facebook...10036536005666/

I competed at the first meeting in April 1971 and always enjoyed racing there but sadly only remember it as the place Tony Saville had his fatal accident.

I race my home built kart at the next meeting, very mindful of this sad event.