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Adrian Hall - 1960s saloon car racer


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#1 Paul Taylor

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Posted 17 July 2019 - 06:36

He managed to get himself on the front of Autosport magazine back in 1967 following a crash with Harry Digby's A40 at Castle Combe. Any idea of what series he was running in? Or at which event this collision occurred?

 

Feel free to go off-topic on this one, neither of the aforementioned drivers get mentioned here often.

 

 

1967ahcco.jpg



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#2 Tim Murray

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Posted 17 July 2019 - 09:39

The event was the BARC-run meeting at Combe on Easter Monday (11th April) 1966 and the race was for saloon cars over 1,000 cc. Here’s how Simon Taylor described the incident in Autosport:

The big saloon car race was also quite something. Into the lead at the start went A. Hall’s immaculate 1650 Anglia, which was destined to finish the race in less immaculate condition. That wonderful old A40 of Harry Digby was with him every inch of the way, with Vince Woodman’s Lotus Cortina third.

It took Digby, trying all the tricks in the book, until lap 10 to get past. On lap 11 Hall made a desperate attempt to get his lead back on the inside at Camp Corner, lost it, and rolled, happily without damage to himself.


Digby went on to win the 15-lap race ahead of Woodman and H C Cox (Anglia).

#3 Paul Taylor

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Posted 17 July 2019 - 09:46

Great! Thank you!



#4 pete53

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Posted 17 July 2019 - 16:48

I believe Digby shared the A40 with Mike Cave ( perhaps Cave owned it? ) and it raced for about 4 seasons, very successfully at that. I don't recall Cave or Digby racing after 1966 but I could be wrong.

 

As for A.Hall I wasn't aware of him before the crash or afterwards.

 

The BARC used to run their own championship for saloon cars which at that time (1966) was still sponsored by Spring Grove. I don't think this particular race was a qualifying round though.



#5 Sterzo

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Posted 17 July 2019 - 21:30


The BARC used to run their own championship for saloon cars which at that time (1966) was still sponsored by Spring Grove.

And who were Spring Grove? There used to be a Spring Grove Laundry at Chiswick, an area with quite a few racing connections (Gemini, Graham Warner's Chequered Flag, P&M Racing Preparations, Roy Pike, Chater & Scott etc) but they sound like an unlikely sponsor.



#6 glyn parham

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Posted 17 July 2019 - 21:52

Sorry Sterzo but the Spring Grove Trophy was one of the club saloon car championships of the sixties, along with Ilford Films, Redex and a Brands Hatch favourite the Bagshot Laundry series.
Glyn

#7 pete53

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Posted 17 July 2019 - 22:33

And who were Spring Grove? There used to be a Spring Grove Laundry at Chiswick, an area with quite a few racing connections (Gemini, Graham Warner's Chequered Flag, P&M Racing Preparations, Roy Pike, Chater & Scott etc) but they sound like an unlikely sponsor.

Yep, Spring Grove Laundries, indeed a rather unlikely sponsor of motor sport - as were Wendy Wools in the 70s.



#8 Lee Nicolle

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Posted 17 July 2019 - 23:26

Usually it means the owner[s] were involved in motorsport. 

I had Hoffmann Dry Cleaners as a small sponsor decades ago. They were very active as sponsors and as competitors. Father Murray raced midgets in the 50s and 60s. Garry was starter at Rowley pk in its last years as well as media stuff. And raced sedans in the late 80s. And on occasion drove my car in hillclimbs as well as a regular in hillclimbs and sprints with Graham Benneche who was sponsored for several years by the dry cleaners in speedway.

The dry cleaners were sponsors of the 'pretty car'  parade for decades.

I have seen event and track sponsors with wholesale milk, and even ladies wear over the decades. In speedway as well as road racing and sometimes both.



#9 richie

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Posted 19 July 2019 - 21:08

I think I posted this overturned picture on facebook awhile back, no matter. Nice to see it turn up again. Is that the same Adrian Hall who was racing the Keith Holland Trojan T101 in The Derek Bell Historic F5000 in recent years?

 

 

He managed to get himself on the front of Autosport magazine back in 1967 following a crash with Harry Digby's A40 at Castle Combe. Any idea of what series he was running in? Or at which event this collision occurred?

 

Feel free to go off-topic on this one, neither of the aforementioned drivers get mentioned here often.

 

 

1967ahcco.jpg


Edited by richie, 19 July 2019 - 21:09.


#10 bradbury west

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Posted 19 July 2019 - 22:36

Ah, how I used to follow the results for 515HKX with Mick Cave and Harry Digby in my youth. I think they were entered by Richard Miles in London, in one of the Mews addresses IIRC, and Richard Miles was the London agent for Dan Richmond at Downton Eng. so perhaps there was some connection. I always remember them as Goodwood regulars. I do not recall either one in anything later so they may have been eclipsed by the Minis, big engined Anglias and Lotus Cortinas, or the lease of the Mews may have ended, or some other reason altogether. It also reminds me of George C "Doc" Shepherd who disappeared after his main years in 1959 and 60 in his A40 UCE13 , although I have seen entries for him in a Jaguar 3.8 and Lotus Cortina in 63 and 64.
The joy of digressing.....
Roger Lund

Edited by bradbury west, 19 July 2019 - 22:43.


#11 Giraffe

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Posted 20 July 2019 - 07:16

Yep, Spring Grove Laundries, indeed a rather unlikely sponsor of motor sport - as were Wendy Wools in the 70s.

I can't recall his name, but the M.D. of Wendy Wools was a great motor sport enthusiast & marshal. He was my Observer at Oulton Park on a number of occasions.



#12 Giraffe

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Posted 20 July 2019 - 07:23

w74pmp.jpg[/IMG]

 

I'm not sure if this is the same Adrian Hall pictured with Patrick Sumner at Silverstone in April 2010? He passed away in 2011.



#13 ReWind

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Posted 20 July 2019 - 20:37

It also reminds me of George C "Doc" Shepherd who disappeared after his main years in 1959 and 60 in his A40 UCE13 , although I have seen entries for him in a Jaguar 3.8 and Lotus Cortina in 63 and 64.
The joy of digressing.....

 

Dr. George Corbyn Shepherd must be one of the oldest winners of a car racing championship as he was 60 years old in 1960.



#14 Patrick Sumner

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Posted 21 July 2019 - 17:41

Yes Tony, it's the same Adrian Hall.  Quite a character!  Can't believe that photo is 9 years ago, tempus fugit!



#15 richie

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Posted 21 July 2019 - 20:24

Yes Tony, it's the same Adrian Hall.  Quite a character!  Can't believe that photo is 9 years ago, tempus fugit!

How can it be the same Adrian who drove the Trojan in recent years if he died in 2011?


Edited by richie, 21 July 2019 - 20:24.


#16 Red Socks

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Posted 22 July 2019 - 07:45

And who were Spring Grove? There used to be a Spring Grove Laundry at Chiswick, an area with quite a few racing connections (Gemini, Graham Warner's Chequered Flag, P&M Racing Preparations, Roy Pike, Chater & Scott etc) but they sound like an unlikely sponsor.

Spring Grove were a commercial laundry who provided overalls and overall cleaning to garages etc in West London, thus being involved in motor sport made good commercial sense. I seem to recall the owner, or possibly his son, was a Lancia guy - had a B20?- who I met years ago at Lancia Motor Club meetings


Edited by Red Socks, 22 July 2019 - 07:45.


#17 Patrick Sumner

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Posted 22 July 2019 - 09:23

How can it be the same Adrian who drove the Trojan in recent years if he died in 2011?

Sorry that wasn't very clear.  The Adrian Hall in the photo is the one referred to in the thread title driving that Anglia and not the Trojan driver. In his latter years he raced his ex-Mike Anthony Lotus 10 with Bristol engine with some success sharing with Nick Adams amongst others.