19 replies to this topic

[mariner]

I felt slightly embarrassed yesterday because my wife and I started going to Brands in 1971, I started to tell her that the biggest ever Brands Clubby was around that time and 30,000 were supposed to have attended.because it was promoted by a pirate radio station.

 

Then I couldn't even remember which station or the date.  Can somebody here please remind me of what/when it was - I can remember a McLaren M1B racing I think.

[2F-001]

Radio Luxembourg sponsored a few meetings, didn't they? As well as having their branding on a few F5000s - inc. using the race number 208.

[john aston]

Luxembourg was not a pirate per se - most of them ceased in 1967 when BBC Radio 1 was launched , and their peak popularity was 65-67 .  Radio Caroline(qv) and Radio London both were involved in motorsport and would be chief suspects in 1967or before . But 1971 - FAB 208 certainly was very active, as Tony mentions- I can;t recall reading about such an event but if it was 71 it must have been Fabulous 208 .

 

But  BBC Radio , 1 Fun Days were held in the 70s , the first being in 1973 , and  I attended the Mallory Park  event in '75 (for the racing, not the Bay City Rollers    ) . The place was rammed as never before      

Edited by john aston, 15 February 2020 - 17:20.

[mariner]

I think old age may have done  it again. - I might be remembering one I saw in '60's before 1971  - that would fit in better with Caroline or London I think 

[Dipster]

I think old age may have done  it again. - I might be remembering one I saw in '60's before 1971  - that would fit in better with Caroline or London I think 

 I seem to remember it was Radio London, who regularly sponsored Keith St John (was it?) in an Elva Mk 7-I think........

[Doug Nye]

I think there was indeed a Radio London Meeting - but also perhaps a BBC Radio 1-backed meeting? I was press officer at one, around 1965-66ish (????) recalling the vast crowd - big problems for the (probably BRSCC) organisers with repeated track invasions at Clearways, plus all kinds of hyperactive, constantly sniffing, hairies attempting to work their way into the pressbox insisting they were personal friends of any number of presumably very prominent popstars (whose names were a TOTAL mystery to tone-deaf me)...and then there was a scruffy, hairy Welsh bloke who had taken refuge at the bar and had been progressively drinking it dry through the day.  Someone pointed him out to me and explained that he was a rising newcomer in that weird music world.

 

His name - I was told - was Tom Jones.

 

DCN

[Sterzo]

Had a Brands season ticket for 1967, so went to a ludicrous number of meetings that year, but deliberately avoided the Radio London meeting on 18th June. Was glad to have missed it when the reports appeared... This is the meeting you are thinking of, Doug and Dipster.

 

As an aside, John Webb who did so much to build up Brands,was a fund of ideas, some good, and some appalling. He also used to latch on to people he thought were "promotable." Keith St John was one such, and I think Webb might have arranged his Radio London sponsorship.

 

Part of Webb's success was in attracting crowds from Sarf London (know what I mean John?). There was a contrast in cultural norms between a well-attended Brands meeting and say, VSCC at Silverstone. Autosport published a photo of the VW Combi van often parked on the infield at Clearways. The van was labeled "Brands Hatch Incident Unit," but when the sliding door was open, it read "Brands Hatch Innit."

Edited by Sterzo, 15 February 2020 - 19:51.

[john aston]

So true- having been exposed previously only to Silverstone's formality - pukka Scott Russell on PA , possibly wearing a blazer and sipping a sherry - my first trip to Brands in 72 was an eye opener . It was simultaneously brash  , smart , funny, friendly and,informal . Everybody looked and sounded like a ducking and diving Sarf London geezer - "bit of import and export , mate , making ends meet know what I mean ?" 

 

Obviously I coudln't have loved it more. And still do .

[Dipster]

Personally my best memories of Brands (but please note I was an Essex boy, certainly not South London, Dad having made a couple of bob and moved out from the East End!) were Wednesday test days when all sorts of stuff turned up. Anything from clubbies, including bikes, to serious stuff-Terry Drury used to use them to tinker with GT40s. No racing of course but I much prefer to be around the machines rather than watching racing.

[1969BOAC500]

Ahh...who could forget Peter Scott Russell of 'Silverstone-type finish' and 'Silver saliva' fame.....

[2F-001]

My first visit to Brands was in 1970, for British GP practice ( Emerson’s F1 debut et al ).

 

We had a rare family outing - a weekend in London to visit a few sights - overnighting in some some typically grimy B&B off Praed Street (which was probably still quite expensive in my parents’ terms). Dad and I caught a Green Line coach from Marble Arch, armed with one of our occasional copies of Autosport which contained not only the fairly extensive preview of the GP, but a report from a circuit I’d not previously heard of: Croft. (A report of the Interseries meeting featuring Kelleners’ March which appeared to be wider than the track, and what sounded like the most exciting machine ever - the Ecurie Evergreen McLaren - a CanAm car with a DFV! But I digress…)

 

Like John (above) I was more used to the open spaces of Silverstone, and to our local track Mallory Park - similarly open for the most part, but more informal, certainly more friendly, and blessed of a modicum of ‘elevation’.

So, what struck me most about Brands on that first visit was the rural landscape, the slightly shambolic nature and miscellany of the amenities and (perhaps mostly) the glorious 3-dimensional nature of the circuit.

 

I continued to be fixated with Silverstone for a time though: it was far more accessible to us (then living in the Midlands), had been the venue of my first GP meeting in 1969, had some fabulous grids for its clubbies, and it had the majesty of the old Woodcote laid out in all its glory below the grandstands. (One previous Christmas I’d had a Corgi Toys ‘Gift Set’ which had a selection of racing cars and buildings - Airfix-style construction kits, I think? - to lay out a recreation of Woodcote on a printed plastic sheet.)

 

But now, the Silverstone Classic aside, Brands seems much the more appealing of the two.

[john aston]

Memory Lane  beckons. ....

 

My first trip to Brands was solo for the '72 GP . An  overnight bus from Yorkshire,a  wander round London at dawn , then a Green Line bus to a place I mispronounced 'Rotham '. Prompted by the bus conductor,  I  got off at the  circuit entrance , near delirious from no sleep and when the two 312Bs came out I was in heaven . Fantastic surroundings and a totally immersive experience. I have said before that back then you certainly weren't a mere 'fan ' but nearly as much a part of the event as the guys on track . You admired them , envied them , knew their racing CVs backwards but there was none of the breathless hysteria which has now infected most events. And that's why, in 1972 ,  nobody minded  this long haired and  scruffy 21 year old wandering round the paddock , literally rubbing shoulders with the Hills and the Surtees et al.      

 

And lots of other  memories - unbelievable traffic chaos , riot of 76 , supping Deutsche Sekt in an empty grandstand with my mate ....astonishing speed of turbo F1 85/86 and ...

 

Damn , I am talking myself into a return soon.       

Edited by john aston, 16 February 2020 - 15:42.

[pete53]

 

I think there was indeed a Radio London Meeting - but also perhaps a BBC Radio 1-backed meeting? I was press officer at one, around 1965-66ish (????) recalling the vast crowd - big problems for the (probably BRSCC) organisers with repeated track invasions at Clearways, plus all kinds of hyperactive, constantly sniffing, hairies attempting to work their way into the pressbox insisting they were personal friends of any number of presumably very prominent popstars (whose names were a TOTAL mystery to tone-deaf me)...and then there was a scruffy, hairy Welsh bloke who had taken refuge at the bar and had been progressively drinking it dry through the day.  Someone pointed him out to me and explained that he was a rising newcomer in that weird music world.

 

His name - I was told - was Tom Jones.

 

DCN

 

Yes Doug, Radio London promoted meetings at Brands in the mid-60s - 1966 and 1967. Apparently the 1966 event got a bit out of hand at times with the pop fraternity invading the track. I was actually at the 1967 meeting and that seemed to run off without much incident. There was a pop show after the racing featuring Episode 6 and Chris Farlow.

 

Both the above events attracted large crowds. I also recall the re-arranged 1964 Boxing Day meeting that ended up being run at the end of January 1965 attracting an enormous crowd. Autosport put the attendance at 30,000.

[BRG]

There was a pop show after the racing featuring Episode 6 and Chris Farlow.

Not the most stellar line-up!   I remember Chris Farlow, but I had to google Episode Six.  Apparently, they were big in Beirut, and member Ian Gillan went on to fame in Deep Purple.

 

What were typical attendance figures in those days? I went to Brands quite often, from my first visit in 1968 for the BOAC 500 (where we heard the tragic news about Jim Clark) through the 1970s.  That was GPs, other F1 and F2 races and sports cars.  There always seemed to be decent crowd although I rarely suffered the problems getting out of the circuit that some did, judging by the letters to MN claiming that 'they were queuing to leave until midnight etc etc'

 

I went to Brands for a BTCC round a few years ago (Turkington was racing the MG ZS) and the crowd seemed similar to what I remembered and was estimated at 30k or so.  Presumably GPs got more but it never seemed that much more crowded than other meetings.

[pete53]

Not the most stellar line-up!   I remember Chris Farlow, but I had to google Episode Six.  Apparently, they were big in Beirut, and member Ian Gillan went on to fame in Deep Purple.

 

What were typical attendance figures in those days? I went to Brands quite often, from my first visit in 1968 for the BOAC 500 (where we heard the tragic news about Jim Clark) through the 1970s.  That was GPs, other F1 and F2 races and sports cars.  There always seemed to be decent crowd although I rarely suffered the problems getting out of the circuit that some did, judging by the letters to MN claiming that 'they were queuing to leave until midnight etc etc'

 

I went to Brands for a BTCC round a few years ago (Turkington was racing the MG ZS) and the crowd seemed similar to what I remembered and was estimated at 30k or so.  Presumably GPs got more but it never seemed that much more crowded than other meetings.

Yes, not exactly big names, although Chris Farlowe had charted a couple of times by then. The likes of Pink Floyd and David Bowie (then almost unknown) , amongst others, were taken around the track in open top cars during the afternoon.

 

Attendances for club racing varied enormously at Brands, and, indeed, elsewhere. Boxing Day was always well attended, but, the rest of the time it seemed to be somewhat random as to the size of the crowd, although weather was probably a factor - too much rain, or even too much sun, seemed to put people off!

[2F-001]

... then a Green Line bus to a place I mispronounced 'Rotham '.  

Ah, yes... that would be "Root-um"?

I had the same trouble with that particular place name when I went looking to investigate a Sporting Trials event that I'd seen listed in Autosport's Diary of Events!

Similar difficulties are encountered when folks head to Kent looking for Trottiscliffe... 

Edited by 2F-001, 16 February 2020 - 17:16.

[mariner]

Gosh, takes me back to when I used the Green Line with a friend all the way from Hammersmith to near Brands. It worked out OK actually.

 

Funnily the Brands versus Silverstone  atmosphere and culture seems to have carried on to this day. I attended the Brands Historic and Silverstone Classic last year and the Brands crowd were definitely younger and more cosmopolitan I can remember in Clubman racing days we called the Brands spectators a " gut crowd" The crowds were usually pretty big , John Webb was great promoter and last years Americafest was in many ways a throwback to his style. 

 

My wife being London born north of the river is deeply skeptical  of "Sarf London" but much prefers Brands to Silverstone

[Bloggsworth]

I recall a huge crowd for a sponsored meeting at which The Walker Brothers made an appearance - Chaos! I and another mechanic, during an F3 race, vaulted the pit barrier, grabbed a girl emoting in the middle of the pit straight, and tossed her back over the spectator fence on the outside of the circuit - All she wanted was Scott Walker, no thought for her own, or anybody else's safety.

Edited by Bloggsworth, 17 February 2020 - 09:27.

[Michael Ferner]

I think there was indeed a Radio London Meeting - but also perhaps a BBC Radio 1-backed meeting? I was press officer at one, around 1965-66ish (????) recalling the vast crowd - big problems for the (probably BRSCC) organisers with repeated track invasions at Clearways, plus all kinds of hyperactive, constantly sniffing, hairies attempting to work their way into the pressbox insisting they were personal friends of any number of presumably very prominent popstars (whose names were a TOTAL mystery to tone-deaf me)...and then there was a scruffy, hairy Welsh bloke who had taken refuge at the bar and had been progressively drinking it dry through the day.  Someone pointed him out to me and explained that he was a rising newcomer in that weird music world.
 
His name - I was told - was Tom Jones.
 
DCN

So, how'd you react when you next encountered him, DNQing at Canada in '67?

[2F-001]

So, how'd you react when you next encountered him, DNQing at Canada in '67?

Possibly by quoting from a couple of songs from that year by his singing namesake...?

"Funny familiar forgotten feelings"

and

"He'll have to go"

?

Edited by 2F-001, 17 February 2020 - 10:22.