8 replies to this topic

[masa]

I am looking for pictures of the TVR Tuscan challenge race at the final 1990 Birmingham Superprix that can be used in Sprint magazine (TVRCC magazine).
If anyone has any they maybe willing to share please could you contact me?
Many thanks
Mark

[bigears]

Have you got in touch with The Birmingham Superprix Facebook page?

I am sure Andy will be very happy to help you out as I am the Archivist of the BSP page.

[masa]

Thanks - yes I have tried but no luck so far..

Would you have any images we could use?

Many thanks 

[john aston]

That reminds me - in response to a request for memories of the event in 2019 (on Ten Tenths I think, not here)   I replied with 1000 + words of my recollections . The chap who requested  the info promised to get  back to me . And ..well I'm still  waiting , which is bad form  . 

 

I'm sure the responses to the latest request will get a thank you.   

[bigears]

Could you show me where are your recollections from Ten-Tenths? I would be very interested to have a read.

If it was me that have requested for your memories and I didn’t get back to you then I do utmostly apologise to you.

I use Ten-Tenths for my research about the Birmingham Superprix and I can’t remember if I did asked for your recollections and the thread might have gone down into the forum archives there.

[bigears]

Thanks - yes I have tried but no luck so far..
Would you have any images we could use?
Many thanks

I have just messaged Andy to get in touch with you. Are you running on a deadline? I am willing to share with you but I don’t know which photos I can share with you.

Is there any particular photos you are looking for? Professional or amateur? A close up of the TVR or something with a nice background of the crowds/circuit.

[john aston]

No idea if they were ever published but I've cut and paste my recollections here  -

 

BIRMINGHAM SUPERPRIX

I went to both practice and race days of the Birmingham Superprix in 1986, 1987 and 1988 . In over fifty years of my motor racing habit, it remains a very fond memory as it was unique , and in more ways than you might think .

The Track

As a race circuit, Brum was nothing special in absolute terms , not a patch on somewhere with gradient and contours , such as Donington Park , Brands Hatch or , and especially , Cadwell Park . But it was extremely quick for a street circuit , with the feature race F3000 cars being almost scarily fast in such unfamiliar surroundings. The support race Sierra Cosworths were also mightily quick . But what made the difference was the environment of a city centre – the cars may have been very fast on the long straights leading up to Halfords corner but the place to watch was between Sherlock Street and the tight left hand bend leading on to Bromsgrove Street . Speeds were very high on the early section , with one seriously quick left hand bend,  but the 90 degree left hand bend at the end of the section was THE place to watch . Because I doubt if any race circuit has ever offered closer viewing – speeds were low and , protected by catch fencing , I could lean against the Armco on the outside of the track and watch F3000cars literally graze the barrier with their  offside wheels  as they lined up to turn in to the corner. The cars were less than 6 feet  away and it was possible to literally look into the drivers’ eyes . The noise  at such close range was quite something. I have been to NASCAR (at Charlotte , North  Carolina) in  the front row of  seats watching 190mph laps a few yards away  - but Brum was better !

Noise was a big part of the appeal – unsilenced Cosworth DFVs are never quiet but in the open expanses of Silverstone can get a bit lost in the breeze. But here , in a tight city centre street , hemmed in  by high buildings it sounded just brutal , spine tingling and deafening .

The People

Most people at most race circuits in the UKL , Europe and the USA look like me – white bloke with a decent-ish  job and and a nice- ish car . We might have our wife or girlfriend along , but women are in a minority and the ones who do go are from the same demographic as the men. It’s familiar and reassuring but it is also dull and predictable. Brum wasn’t like that , not at all . There were people like me , but there were also people from every racial mix in the city . Thanks to the enlightened approach of the City Council , locals got free tickets and it was a breath of fresh air to  watch people like the dreadlocked  Rasta guy coolly  taking in what was almost certainly his first encounter with international motor sport . Better still were the kids – wide eyed black kids , dressed in Sunday best, , clinging to mum and visibly almost speechless with excitement at the extraordinary spectacle which had turned up  in their home town . Everybody was talking and laughing , pointing and gesticulating  - it was an unforgettable street party, and I just loved it . 

The racing

..was almost incidental, but featured some real highlights. Including

• A sublime recovery drive by Roberto Moreno in  1987
• The chance to see the ‘coming men ‘ who’d make it to F1 including Martin Donnelly, Mark Blundell and the wonderfully flamboyant Jean Alesi
• A huge shunt near us  by David Hunt , which looked even scarier than it was
• The pantomime put on by Yorkshire clown Russell Spence in ‘88 , who refused to get out of his spun car , presumably to get the race stopped. His car blocked the track , right in front of us  and the crane driver lifted the car off the track ,with Spence still on board . When he was returned to earth , Spence remonstrated with the crane driver, and looked like he was spoiling for a fight until Spence realised the driver was  a lot bigger than he was...

In 86 we normally watched the ‘race’ in monsoon conditions from the grandstand at the end of the long straight; conditions were appalling; cold , windy with drenching rain from Hurricane Charley  . We left when our grandstand was evacuated as its scaffolding base was slipping down the hill on the mud ...

In 87 we watched from the multi storey car park looking towards the left hander on to Bromsgrove Street . It was a fantastic place to watch from , with superb views of the action . Even Joanne , my then girlfriend and now wife, who is immune to the charms of motorsport , loved watching the race .     

In 88 it all went wrong for me . Brum had , until then , felt like an egalitarian street festival , where all were welcome and there was none of the corporate bullshit which , even then , was ruining motor sport. We arrived at our multi storey –same as in 87- and were told that the first 3 or 4 floors were exclusively reserved for the august members of Porsche Club GB (or one of the other Porsche clubs) . We protested , ending up telling the stewards to f*** off (not his fault, sorry ) and angrily watched the race from a higher floor with a  crap view. We never went back – and it might seem a trivial incident but it incensed me. Because  here had been  a brilliant template for ‘access all areas ‘ , city centre motor sport and the organisers had then fallen victim  to the elitism which affects so much of my sport.

 

I still loved it though , while it lasted ...

 

John Aston

Thirsk , North Yorkshire       

[opplock]

 

• The pantomime put on by Yorkshire clown Russell Spence in ‘88 , who refused to get out of his spun car , presumably to get the race stopped. His car blocked the track , right in front of us  and the crane driver lifted the car off the track ,with Spence still on board . When he was returned to earth , Spence remonstrated with the crane driver, and looked like he was spoiling for a fight until Spence realised the driver was  a lot bigger than he was...

  

 

I thoroughly enjoyed that. I had a good vantage point from grandstand on opposite side of the dual carriageway. One of the highlights of 60 (almost) years of attending race meetings. 

 

I've often thought that if a similarly robust approach had been taken to those attempting to engineer race stoppages (boys and girls squandering daddy's millions in BTCC support races were always the worst) and indulging in banger racing tactics, modern day driving standards would be a lot better.  

[bigears]

John Aston
Thirsk , North Yorkshire [/quote]

Thank you very much for your memories and stories. I never knew about the Porsche Club GB taking over the multi-storey car park. I did notice that when it first started there were a lot of photos close to the track then at the end, the photos were taken from much higher up.

I agree, there was a big appeal for different communities I to the street races and that made it some memorable for a lot of people and they still remember a lot nowadays.