Jump to content


Photo

Croft Daily Mirror Trophy 1964


  • Please log in to reply
20 replies to this topic

#1 john aston

john aston
  • Member

  • 2,685 posts
  • Joined: March 04

Posted 30 May 2020 - 10:01

My local paper has a full page retrospective piece this week on Croft's first 'real' meeting , at which a reported 50,000 strong crowd attended -about 49,850 more than a typical  meeting nowadays . 

 

The feature race , a 20 lapper , was won by Chris Summers in a Lotus 22 , who won £150 , now equivalent to £3000 ,and then representing two months  wages for a manual worker .

 

If any archivist among the TNF community would like a copy of the article, pm me please 



Advertisement

#2 bradbury west

bradbury west
  • Member

  • 6,096 posts
  • Joined: June 02

Posted 30 May 2020 - 15:27

I would welcome a copy, please, John.
Roger Lund

#3 F1matt

F1matt
  • Member

  • 3,230 posts
  • Joined: June 11

Posted 30 May 2020 - 15:50

I would love to know how they got 50,000 people into Croft, its bad enough for the BTCC who get a fraction of that, it was possible when they had the super bikes there!



#4 john aston

john aston
  • Member

  • 2,685 posts
  • Joined: March 04

Posted 30 May 2020 - 16:09

Because back then the circuit had more, and arguably better viewing , and a different layout  . The current circuit is great to drive, but the idiot at BARC who redesigned it excluded spectators from the two best overtaking points, Tower and the Hairpin   



#5 john aston

john aston
  • Member

  • 2,685 posts
  • Joined: March 04

Posted 30 May 2020 - 16:14

Roger- I will post on Monday  



#6 RobMk2a

RobMk2a
  • Member

  • 262 posts
  • Joined: October 14

Posted 30 May 2020 - 18:11

I expect Chris Summer's Lotus was fitted with a Chevrolet engine - I'd like to see a copy thank you. 

 

Rob 



#7 pete53

pete53
  • Member

  • 724 posts
  • Joined: September 09

Posted 30 May 2020 - 18:28

I have the Autosport report of the meeting in front of me. Lots of familiar names racing, particularly those competitors who were regulars oop north - Graham Birrell, Willie Forbes, Tony Den, Bill Stein, Chris Meek, Johnnie Blades.

 

There were motor cycle races as well.



#8 bradbury west

bradbury west
  • Member

  • 6,096 posts
  • Joined: June 02

Posted 31 May 2020 - 13:25

John, many thanks.
RL
Somewhere here I have a scan of the entry list for the 1965 sports car race. I will see if I can locate it. It may
be of interest to some.

#9 Dick Dastardly

Dick Dastardly
  • Member

  • 894 posts
  • Joined: August 09

Posted 31 May 2020 - 15:04

I'd like a copy too, please John. Message sent.

 

Many Thanks

 

Phil



#10 john aston

john aston
  • Member

  • 2,685 posts
  • Joined: March 04

Posted 01 June 2020 - 06:15

UPDATE - sorry to keep you waiting but because of the size and print of the newspaper home copy/scan isn't going to work . So I will get proper copy/scan , whichever is better , when my print shop re-opens . So be patient !   



#11 Derwent Motorsport

Derwent Motorsport
  • Member

  • 858 posts
  • Joined: December 07

Posted 01 June 2020 - 07:23

If it was the August 64 event I have a programme for it. There is also an excellent FB page that's been set up recently by Andrew Smith with loads of photos.



#12 MCS

MCS
  • Member

  • 4,687 posts
  • Joined: June 03

Posted 09 June 2020 - 19:43

Because back then the circuit had more, and arguably better viewing , and a different layout  . The current circuit is great to drive, but the idiot at BARC who redesigned it excluded spectators from the two best overtaking points, Tower and the Hairpin   

Curious about this as I saw the "new" circuit layout on a website the other day and was somewhat surprised.  Usual situation, in that having not been since the old track closed I can only remember what once was.

 

So who did the redesign out of interest?



#13 john aston

john aston
  • Member

  • 2,685 posts
  • Joined: March 04

Posted 10 June 2020 - 06:28

You've got me there, sorry . The new circuit actually took two forms - when it re-opened ,in 1996 I think, much of the old layout was intact, and included the old Railway straight leading down from Sunny down to what was Spa . But the big makeover happened the next year . when Sunny became a double apex and the new section via Complex , Hairpin. Start/ Finish  and Clervaux was added . The old straight is now paddock parking , and in places one can still see the old rumble strips of the original track .

 

The circuit is fine but the spectating was ruined when RACSMA stopped spectating from the infield between the chicane (actually a high speed right /left flick ) and Tower , where I've watched  fields of British F3 , Tuscans and, in GT ,  McLaren F1s and Porsche  GT1s  outbraking each other from up to 160mph from close range , unseparated by anything more than Armco- no catch fencing. It was dangerous , but THE overtaking place and now only visible from 250 yards away    


Edited by john aston, 10 June 2020 - 06:28.


#14 F1matt

F1matt
  • Member

  • 3,230 posts
  • Joined: June 11

Posted 10 June 2020 - 13:35

Did the old straight run from Sunny to  Clervaux or did it go straight to the Suzuka Spoon type corner which is now an entrance/exit road? I am guessing the chicane wasn’t there either? Must have been a very quick track back then. The embankment was a fine viewing spot, it might be still in use for the Rallycross events.  



#15 pete53

pete53
  • Member

  • 724 posts
  • Joined: September 09

Posted 10 June 2020 - 14:21

Did the old straight run from Sunny to  Clervaux or did it go straight to the Suzuka Spoon type corner which is now an entrance/exit road? I am guessing the chicane wasn’t there either? Must have been a very quick track back then. The embankment was a fine viewing spot, it might be still in use for the Rallycross events.  

The chicane was definitely there from the beginning in 1964.



#16 john aston

john aston
  • Member

  • 2,685 posts
  • Joined: March 04

Posted 10 June 2020 - 17:39

There was no Clervaux then , and the track went from Sunny , down the straight, then  to a very fast left hander , Spa , then Hawthorn and the chicane . Part of the old route remains as an access road in  the paddock  . 

 

Rallycross is now dead at Croft , but is no great loss as the route used from 96 is rubbish , with too much Tarmac . Most of the rough was to far away , running  from exit of chicane in a long loop re-entering the Tarmac half way down start/finish straight . The old rallycross track used from 82 to early 90s, when  the race track was closed was fantastic - very , very fast , slippery and with wonderful viewing . The lnternations Cup events were a  highlight . with quick guys like Gollop in turbo Metro 6 R4 and Welch in the turbo Astra in sideways drifts slides at 90 plus for 150- 200 yards  .

 

The embankments- loads now but back then the best viewing of rallycross was at the SW extremity , near where the hairpin is now . There was an ultrafast sweeping RH , turning  into a tight double RH    corner where one could stand within 5- 10 yards of the track , behind round bales . The L./R is still sort of there but viewing is awful .          


Edited by john aston, 10 June 2020 - 17:40.


#17 F1matt

F1matt
  • Member

  • 3,230 posts
  • Joined: June 11

Posted 10 June 2020 - 18:42

Rallycross at a national level isn’t in great health, at one point there was a great opportunity to watch top class events at Croft with local drivers competing at a high level as well as international stars, and some decent club events at Langbaugh circuit just along the A66 which is now a kart track, Anglesey also started as a rallycross track at the same time and has evolved. Apologies for digressing. 



#18 john aston

john aston
  • Member

  • 2,685 posts
  • Joined: March 04

Posted 11 June 2020 - 08:58

Digress away ! Rallycross has long been snatching defeat from the jaws of victory - time and again it is on the cusp of good TV coverage  , triggering big entries and diverse cars., before plunging into obscurity again . Rallycross may as well be called No Country for Young Men because it has declined to  a small number of old men driving very fast cars and a slightly larger number of young men and women driving pedestrian Suzuki Swifts and MINI Coopers . 

 

The  notable exception was  a young man called Dan Rooke , who came on my radar a few years at Croft . He was beating , no  , humiliating  , the old school drivers in their 650bhp 4wd supercars in a 2wd 200bhp Citroen AX . Dan was the most sublimely gifted young driver , in any discipline , I've seen in many years , and I've never seen anyone on the loose come even close to his other worldly control under braking . In a more just world , he'd be doing an F2 test now , but he is probably doing an MoT on a Ford Transit instead .   



#19 Dick Dastardly

Dick Dastardly
  • Member

  • 894 posts
  • Joined: August 09

Posted 12 June 2020 - 09:52

The old Croft layout was fairly similar to Goodwood....chicane leading onto the start / finish straight then a right hander Tower [Madgwick at Goodwood]....Jim Clark Esses [St Mary's]....Sunny [Lavant] then a long straight down to Spa [Woodcote] and on through the chicane.....maybe because they were both former airfields. 



Advertisement

#20 pete53

pete53
  • Member

  • 724 posts
  • Joined: September 09

Posted 12 June 2020 - 11:08

The old Croft layout was fairly similar to Goodwood....chicane leading onto the start / finish straight then a right hander Tower [Madgwick at Goodwood]....Jim Clark Esses [St Mary's]....Sunny [Lavant] then a long straight down to Spa [Woodcote] and on through the chicane.....maybe because they were both former airfields. 

Photos that appeared in Autosport race reports from Croft nearly always seemed to be  taken from a position at the exit of the chicane, including one from that first meeting.



#21 bradbury west

bradbury west
  • Member

  • 6,096 posts
  • Joined: June 02

Posted 23 June 2020 - 08:57

UPDATE - sorry to keep you waiting but because of the size and print of the newspaper home copy/scan isn't going to work . So I will get proper copy/scan , whichever is better , when my print shop re-opens . So be patient !

The newspaper arrived here yesterday am, nicely packed. Many thanks.
RL