27 replies to this topic

[Darren Galpin]

This track was used for the 1957 Rand GP, but I am lacking any information on it. Can anyone fill in?

Cheers,

Darren

[Hans Etzrodt]

Darren,
The only Palmietfontein I know, was located in the Cape Province of South Africa, about 20 km south of the northern Cape Province border just outside the Lesotho State.

A Rand Grand Prix should have been held in Witwatersrand, the area around Johannesburg.

[Darren Galpin]

Hans - I received the following e-mail which has been confusing me, hence the question:-

hi, i've found your "tracks in africa"-site, but I'm missing the PALMIETFONTEIN-circuit there (South Africa, 1957 formula1 Rand GP).. or has this circuit been renamed ? bye, Tom

[Hans Etzrodt]

In GRAND PRIX RACING, Facts and Figures by George Monkhouse, only the 154 mile Rand GP in Palmietfontein of 1956 is shown, won by Peter Whitehead (Ferrari). There is no race for 1957 in his listings.

You probably need a South-African connection to settle this.

[Felix Muelas]

Hans,
Excellent idea!

Darren,
your man could be Rob Young, ry6@pixie.co.za
He is the author of Springbok Grand Prix and is presently involved with Classic Car Africa.
http://www.classic-car.co.za

Un abrazo,

Felix

[Darren Galpin]

Thanks Felix - message sent!

Un abrazo,
Darren

[Hans Etzrodt]

Felix,
Your knowledge and connections amaze me every time.

[Don Capps]

Darren,

I think you'll like Rob. He is squared away. A pleasue to do business with.

[Darren Galpin]

Rob couldn't be more helpful so far - he is filling in other gaps in my track database too.

[Ray Bell]

More reliable than I am in that regard, I gather.... sorry Darren.

[Darren Galpin]

No worries Ray!

Rob got back to me quickly, and Palmietfontein is now on http://www.silhouet....s/palmietf.html. Also there are Westmead and Roy Hesketh Circuit track maps, courtesy of Rob. He's off getting maps of Nova Lisboa and Donnybrooke at the moment.

Ray - thanks to you, my list of tracks in Australia is *a lot* longer.

[Ray Bell]

You haven't got them all, though, have you?
Oxley, Heit Park, Ringwood, Gawler (airstrip), Marsden Park, Mooleabeenie, Toodyay, Collie, Albany, Bunbury, Pound Hill, Bright, Hume Weir, Gnoo Blas, Lowood, Strathpine, Nowra, Point Cook, Port Elliot, Woodside, Caversham, Pingelly, Applecross, Towac, Winton, Tarrawingee, Middle Ridge, Lakeside, Surfers Paradise, Oran Park, Warwick Farm, Southport, Adelaide International Raceway, Mallala, Port Wakefield, Wanneroo Park, Amaroo Park, Willowbank (aka Queensland Raceway), Sandown Park, Phillip Island (1 and 2), Mount Druitt, Fisherman's Bend, Ballarat (airstrip), Schofields, man that's only half of them. Have to get that organised.

[Darren Galpin]

Oxley, Heit Park, Toodyay, Collie, Albany, Pound Hill, Bright, Gnoo Blas, Port Elliot, Woodside, Ingelly, Towac, Applecross, Tarrawingee, Middle Ridge, Warwick Farm, Southport, Phillip Island 1, Port Wakefield - No, I don't have these. I do have the others though! So, half marks.

[Ray Bell]

So what about Wirlinga? That was a circuit for the brave of heart!
Nuriootpa, Calder, Geraldton, Lake Perkollili, Narrogin, Leyburn, Echo Valley, Woody Point, Merriwa, Silverton... the list goes on... should get the book out.

[Darren Galpin]

Nuriootpa, Geraldton, Lake Perkollili, Narrogin, Echo Valley, Woody Point, Merriwa and Silverton no. Doing worse this time!


One's I have listed which you haven't mentioned so far Ray: Adelaide Park, Albert Park, Baskerville, Beverley, Brooklands, Canberra, Eastern Creek, Hidden Valley, Bathurst, Parramatta Park, Pearce, Penrith, Quorn Hall, Symmons Plain, Tomago, Valleyfield and Werrington

[Ray Bell]

I worry about all this. When you mention Brooklands, do you mean the one in Perth or the one at Werrington?
And when you mention Werrington, do you mean the one at Werrington or the one at Toowoomba?
Penrith really doesn't belong in the list (neither does one of the Werringtons, the Brooklands one) and you're still missing Longford (I know you aren't missing Lobethal, so I won't mention that, did I?).
But what about Wakefield Park (not to be confused with Port Wakefield)?
And there's Bundamba and Rosewood, both in the Ipswich area, and you never said whether or not you had Wirlinga - otherwise known as Albury (pre-war).
And, of course, there was the airstrip circuit at Wangaratta.

[Darren Galpin]

The Brooklands I have listed is near Perth. The Werrington track I have listed is "A highly-banked oval track which was started in Werrington, now a suburb of Sydney, in the 1920s. It was never completed". Wakefield Park is listed, as is Wirlinga. I do not have Bundamba, Rosewood and Wangaratta,

[Ray Bell]

Not surprised, really... Bundamba was a dirt track inside a horse racecourse and used by bikes, but cars raced there in 1946 or 47. Rosewood was a dirt track in a showground or something, like Longford it had a level crossing (is this unique?), Wangaratta was just an airstrip... up and down with a little loop off one end to make it different. Did you have Merriwa? Where is your list from?

[Barry Lake]

Ray
Why would you say Penrith doesn't belong on the list?
Throughout most of its history the cars that raced there were road racing cars rather than speedway cars and, being one mile in circumference, it was hardly a traditional dirt speedway (usually 1/4 or 1/3 mile in circumference).
If you have something against circuits with an unsealed surface and corners that go only one way, perhaps you had better delete the original Phillip island track also.

Now that the Olympic Games Closing Ceremony is over I think I am allowed to tell you that the "secret" venue for rehearsals was on the old Schofields aerodrome (HMAS Nirimba). We did a few runs over what is left of the track but the curving access road is now a rutted, bumpy gravel track. The main runways of the airstrip are badly broken up (no longer even suitable for motorkhanas, for which the Mini Car Club used it some years ago now, for their NSW Championship round).
I fear it soon will be gone forever.

[Darren Galpin]

I don't have Merriwa. Most of the older tracks have been dug out of posts in this Forum. You see, I read very closely what you post Ray!

[Ray Bell]

I must go and have a look at it and try to go around it (Schofields, that is).... before it's gone forever. Never been round that one yet... Should get Matich out there.
Very good, Darren... Merriwa was apparently only used a time or two, was probably dirt..
As for the question posed by Barry, Penrith was definitely a speedway... but I don't really know what Darren is including in his list. Oh, yes, the list... Werrington Park, Toowoomba... another speedway, but in the twenties - as Barry says - who could tell the difference?
There's another one I can't remember the name, also at Albany... where's the book?

[Darren Galpin]

Penrith - A one mile oval used in the 1920s outside Sydney.

That's what I have on my site.

[Ray Bell]

Update: They kept on racing there through the thirties, last meeting 1942. Part of the circuit is to be preserved when condos are built on the site in the near future.

[Marcor]

Sorry to resurrect an old topic but I'm also interested to know more about the 1956 Rand GP held on 24 March. This race was won by Peter Whitehead (+ PP and fastest lap) with a Ferrari 625 / 750.

[Milan Fistonic]

1956 Rand GP 154 miles, Formula Libre

1 P.Whitehead, Ferrari, 84mph
2 D.E.Jennings, Riley
3 W.Meissner, Ford Special

[quintin cloud]

Darren

I have some info the Track , the I'll send you a layout of the track today , I'll get race track length and so on to you ASAP.

[ry6]

The 1956 Rand GP consisted of "three races in one"!
There was the Formula Libre Rand GP, a handicap race for the 1820 Settlers Trophy and a race for "under 1500 cc" cars.
There was a huge entry - 40 cars ranging from Peter Whitehead's 3 litre Ferrari single seater, to the Connaughts of Mike Young and Bill Holt, several Cooper-Norton 500's, which included John Love in one, lots of local MG Specials based on 1250 cc TC's ; and sportscars such as Austin-Healey 2660 cc; Porsche Super and Jag XK120.

Peter Whitehead won the Rand GP quite easily from Bill Jennings in his amazing Riley Special. The engine in this car was from a 1934 model Riley! Bill built the silver car himself and won 3 SA Championships with it before selling it to John Love who also did very well with it.

Third was Willie Meisnner in the LRX Special, a Ford 4 litre engine.
Willie was one of the designers of the GSM Delta/Dart.

Bill's 1496 cc Riley of course won the 1500 cc race from the MG Specials of Alan Shiers and Les Miller.

The handicap race was won by A Pinheiro (Austin Healey) from Nic Nicolau (Austin Healey) and Alan Shiers (MG Spl.) Pinheiro and Nicolau came from Lourenco Marques for the race.

Young's Connaught apparenty blew up after he pushed hard after making a poor start. Holt was disqualified for leaving the engine of his Connaught running during refuelling.

Oh yes, I think I told Darren that the track was 3.8 miles long and "built" on an airport.
The track was near Johannesburg.

I have a programme of the race, but not a lot of other information.

Whitehead's Ferrari was timed at 144 mph down the straight, Young's 2.5 litre Connaught at 126, Holt 120 ; Jennings 111, Meisnner 109, John Love's Cooper Norton 500 at 95 mph.
The XK 120 of Peter Wood 107 ; the quickest Healey did 98.

I think that LRX Special of Willy Meisnner used bronze cylinder heads - it was a Ford Mercury and they were Ardun heads.

[Marcor]

Milan, Rob

Thank you for your informations about the 1956 Rand GP.

I continues my investigations (registration) about the A-type Connaughts and you gave me two results I didn't know (Michael Young Connaught A A8 and Bill Holt Connaught A A5).

I have now more than 365 results. (F1, F2, F libre)