18 replies to this topic

[artyparty]

Hello all! I’m trying to find out a bit more about this now defunct racing club. What years did it run, where did it race, which area was it based in and what categories did it cover, just 250cc, or wider? Thanks ever so much?

Edited by artyparty, 06 April 2024 - 10:22.

[brands77]

Do you have any information at all regarding what time period you are looking for or what circuit(s)/areas they were active at? That would help us look.

 

Between 1947 and 1950 I have no record of them racing or organising at any of the following circuits: Aberdare (Aberdare Motor-Cycle and Light Car Club), Altcar (The Waterloo and District Motor Club), Ansty (The Antelope Motor Cycle Club), Blandford (Blackmore Vale Motor Cycle Club), Brands Hatch (numerous organisers - including Bemsee, Brands Racing Committee), Brough (The Blackburn Welfare Motor Club), Cadwell Park (Louth and District Motor Club), Chelmsford (The Chelmsford and District Motor Club), Eppynt (The Builth Wells and Carmarthen Motor Club), Kirkcaldy (The Kirkcaldy and District Motor Club), Scarborough (The Scarborough and District Motor Club), Thruxton (The Southampton and District Motor Club), Warminster (The Wylye Valley Motor Club).

Edited by brands77, 08 April 2024 - 07:33.

[Michael Ferner]

Seconded! I have a recollection of having heard the name, but have absolutely no idea what time frame to look at!

[Geoff E]

This seems to answer one question-

 

The British Formula Racing Club,

which was formed 15 months ago to

provide motor cycle racing at low

cost for ordinary fans, held their

second meeting and the first at Cad-

well Park last Sunday when over 60

took part in 14 solo and sidecar

races. There were races for Bantams,

Tiger Cubs, 250s, and production

solos up to 350cc and between 350

and 1,000 cc as well as for production

sidecars.

 

(Nottingham) Football Post & News, Saturday April 25, 1964

Edited by Geoff E, 08 April 2024 - 12:03.

[artyparty]

Do you have any information at all regarding what time period you are looking for or what circuit(s)/areas they were active at? That would help us look.

 

Many thanks indeed for the replies. I am afraid all I have is a fairing sticker, as below, dated 1962. (Apologies, as try as I can, I seem unable to post the photo!) Although this now seems a bit hooky if Geoff E's post from the (Nottingham) Football Post & News, Saturday April 25, 1964 edition is to be believed, as the club would not have been started until January 1963 and it seems unlikely that there was any racing activity in '62 if their second race meeting was not held until April 1964! Perhaps the club was conceived in 1962 and drumming up membership prior to that?

A great lead from Geoff E, though, so I hope somebody can post some further information! Sounds like it might have been a bit more Midlands/North East based, so perhaps Mallory as another potential venue???

Edited by artyparty, 08 April 2024 - 13:49.

[Geoff E]

Info in the British Newspaper Archive is a bit thin on the ground.  I found evidence of there being meetings at Cadwell in May and July 1965.

 

In Jan 1967 (in relation to a scramble) it was mentioned that the father of one of the contestants -

"is a regular official at British Formula Racing club meetings at Snetterton, Oulton and Cadwell Park"

 

"Jock Christie, chairman of the Chequers motorcycle club, scored a hat-trick at the British Formula races at Snetterton last Sunday ... Jock seems to be keeping a tight hold on the Formula Club championship, which he won last season." Biggleswade Chronicle 5th May 1967.

 

Meeting at Cadwell 29th July 1967, 1.3 mile club circuit.

Edited by Geoff E, 08 April 2024 - 14:31.

[StanN]

I raced at a BFRC event at Snetterton in 1965 on a Greeves Silverstone, owned by a friend who wanted to see how it went with a considerably lighter rider aboard . This was my 3^rd season of racing, my usual ride being a 125cc Bultaco TSS.

 

I also have a programme from 17 April, 1966, again at Snetterton, the cover of which shows the club logo incorporating the date 1962. Races at the event were for Bantam Formula 125cc (BSA Bantams), Tiger Formula 200cc (Tiger Cubs) and Production 250cc, Formula Junior 250cc, Production 251cc to 1000cc, a combined race for Bantam Formula 125cc, Tiger Formula 200cc and Production 250cc and an allcomers race for 175 to 1000cc bikes. Looks like every class got at least 2 rides.

 

Some of the riders entered that I was familiar with included P K Irons, Ray Knight, Bill Day and A F Pinnock amongst others.

 

I left for Canada in August 1967 so I don’t know when the BFRC ceased operations but 1962 looks to be the date they started.

Edited by StanN, 08 April 2024 - 18:09.

[artyparty]

I raced at a BFRC event at Snetterton in 1965 on a Greeves Silverstone, owned by a friend who wanted to see how it went with a considerably lighter rider aboard . This was my 3^rd season of racing, my usual ride being a 125cc Bultaco TSS.

 

I also have a programme from 17 April, 1966, again at Snetterton, the cover of which shows the club logo incorporating the date 1962. Races at the event were for Bantam Formula 125cc (BSA Bantams), Tiger Formula 200cc (Tiger Cubs) and Production 250cc, Formula Junior 250cc, Production 251cc to 1000cc, a combined race for Bantam Formula 125cc, Tiger Formula 200cc and Production 250cc and an allcomers race for 175 to 1000cc bikes. Looks like every class got at least 2 rides.

 

Some of the riders entered that I was familiar with included P K Irons, Ray Knight, Bill Day and A F Pinnock amongst others.

 

I left for Canada in August 1967 so I don’t know when the BFRC ceased operations but 1962 looks to be the date they started.

Such great information, Stan. Thank you so much for taking the time to post and for clarifying the series they covered. I am particularly interested in the 250cc classes, with the Greeves Silverstones, Cotton Telstars, etc. and any Parillas that took part, presumably in the Production 250cc class, but perhaps you can correct me on that.

Many thanks again!

[artyparty]

Info in the British Newspaper Archive is a bit thin on the ground.  I found evidence of there being meetings at Cadwell in May and July 1965.

 

In Jan 1967 (in relation to a scramble) it was mentioned that the father of one of the contestants -

"is a regular official at British Formula Racing club meetings at Snetterton, Oulton and Cadwell Park"

 

"Jock Christie, chairman of the Chequers motorcycle club, scored a hat-trick at the British Formula races at Snetterton last Sunday ... Jock seems to be keeping a tight hold on the Formula Club championship, which he won last season." Biggleswade Chronicle 5th May 1967.

 

Meeting at Cadwell 29th July 1967, 1.3 mile club circuit.

That's great Geoff. Thank you so much for your responses on this thread. I'm enthusiastic about the 250cc classes in particular, prior to the Japanese 2 Strokes coming on board, and really appreciate the engineering of the various manufacturers to get the desired result.

Many thanks again. 

[Revetts]

Hello. I also have one of the 1962 stickers on my old toolbox. I'm pretty confident that was when the club was formed as I have a Snetterton programme for their "12th Anniversary Road Race Meeting" dated  Sunday 8th September 1974.  I competed with them as a member in1974 &1975 at Snetterton & also as a guest rider around that time. Among my collection of programmes are examples from BFRC from 1971 to1980. Please get in touch if I can help you further in your quest.

[tonyed]

Never raced much with BFRC but it was a club that like many, Bantam club, Racing 50 etc were originally centered around 'formula' racing. Both of these clubs, as with the many also catered for open and production classes. They were, never as far as I know restricted to formula class racing only.

You could take your formula Bantam, Cub etc along and race in that class, equally enter a TZ Yamaha and race in more unrestricted classes. Great days, never see them again.       

[artyparty]

Many thanks for everyone's memories, so far. It seems that the club was quite long lived and yet there seems to be little about it on the internet that I can find. If anyone has any programs and a couple of minutes, I would love to know whether any Parillas raced in the 250cc classes. Many thanks again...you were all faster than you remember!

[Robin127]

I have a recollection of once being told that the BFRC were an offshoot of the Bantam Racing Club.  I think their last meetings were in 1985 as the Bantam Club took over the Metzler 6 hour production race  in 1986 and also their events at West Raynham from that year on.

[StanN]

The Formula Junior 250cc class would have been the 250cc class at other events, so 250cc racing machines.

 

At the 17 April, 1966 BFRC Snetterton event the 250cc races had entries for Silverstones, Telstars, Hornets an Ariel Arrow with the odd Ducati, Honda and Aermacchi, but no Parillas at this event.

 

My late brother-in-law raced a Parilla in 1964, I think it was, before buying a Silverstone for 1965, although he didn’t race with the BFRC, just Bemsee and national events.

 

[artyparty]

The Formula Junior 250cc class would have been the 250cc class at other events, so 250cc racing machines.

 

At the 17 April, 1966 BFRC Snetterton event the 250cc races had entries for Silverstones, Telstars, Hornets an Ariel Arrow with the odd Ducati, Honda and Aermacchi, but no Parillas at this event.

 

My late brother-in-law raced a Parilla in 1964, I think it was, before buying a Silverstone for 1965, although he didn’t race with the BFRC, just Bemsee and national events.

Many thanks for looking, Stan. Much appreciated. As "tonyed" said, "great days, never see them again". 

[Geoff E]

I have a set of Cadwell results from July 1965 as reported in the Grimsby Telegraph.  

All races were 6 laps of the club circuit.

 

351-1000cc M Andrew (BSA) 7m37.6s

Bantam formula 125cc C Jenkins 9m16.8s

Tiger Cub 200cc VJ Wright 8m23.4s

British formula 250cc PK Irons (Cotton Greeves) 7m42.4s

Up to 350cc G Simon (BSA) 8m25s

 

350-1000cc AJ Simon (BSA) 7m41.8s

250cc DR Martyn (Greeves)7m42.4s

Bantam 125cc M Ing  9m18.8s

Tiger Cubs 200cc BJ Wright 

351-1000cc M Andrew (BSA) 7m35.6s

250cc PK Irons (Cotton Greeves) 7m45.0s

 

Bantam 125cc AF Welch 9m23.8s

Tiger Cubs 200cc N Palmer

All comers 175-1000cc RW Lovell (BSA) 7m31.8s

[artyparty]

Many thanks Geoff, very interesting. I have to confess that I didn’t know there was a Series for Tiger Cubs prior to starting this thread!

[Robin127]

Many thanks Geoff, very interesting. I have to confess that I didn’t know there was a Series for Tiger Cubs prior to starting this thread!

I think that's what the BFRC were mainly about, where the Bantam Racing Club focused primarily on BSA Bantams, the British Formula Racing Club leaned heavily towards Cubs.  I do have an inkling that for a long while both clubs wouldn't allow Japanese two strokes in their 250cc class.

 

There is a bloke I raced against regularly in AHRMA events 10-15 years ago who had something to do with the BFRC in the mid-sixties, I haven't seen him for a couple of years but if I catch up with him this year I'll ask him about it.

[artyparty]

I think that's what the BFRC were mainly about, where the Bantam Racing Club focused primarily on BSA Bantams, the British Formula Racing Club leaned heavily towards Cubs.  I do have an inkling that for a long while both clubs wouldn't allow Japanese two strokes in their 250cc class.

 

There is a bloke I raced against regularly in AHRMA events 10-15 years ago who had something to do with the BFRC in the mid-sixties, I haven't seen him for a couple of years but if I catch up with him this year I'll ask him about it.

 

Many thanks for the information. I do find it really strange that in 40-odd years of attending classic motoring auctions in the UK I have never seen a Triumph Tiger Cub racer come up for sale....dozens of Bantam racers have come out of the woodwork, but not one Tiger Cub! Somebody must have corenered the market and have a shed absolutely full of them somewhere!