30 replies to this topic

[Gary C]

Being a very pleasant summer evening, I decided to take my girlfriend out for a ride, we've just got back. We ended up at the woodyard in Ockham, Surrey, about a 25 minute drive from home. I managed also to drive past the entrance to Brooklands. Perhaps a few of you are wondering why I would want to visit an old woodyard deep in the Surrey countryside?? Well, that's where the Tyrrell team were based right up until the end in 1998. I'll throw it out & ask you what you could do motorsport - wise on a summer evening?

[ghinzani]

Well I could cycle down the road to Ibsley and imagine 1950's F1 cars racing around. Or a short drive up to Gurston, a bit of tresspassing and I could walk the hillclimb. What I'd really like though would be to take my Rotax for a blast between Fordingbridge and Verwood on the back roads!! But that would be highly illegal ;)

[Twin Window]

I could drive the 32 miles from home to Silverstone. But, as my place of work is situated there, I'd be a complete prat if I did.

(Especially today, having had to endure about eight hours of hearing Andy Priaulx seemingly hell-bent upon trying to break the Williams' traction control system... )

[Andrew Kitson]

Originally posted by ghinzani
Well I could cycle down the road to Ibsley and imagine 1950's F1 cars racing around. Or a short drive up to Gurston, a bit of tresspassing and I could walk the hillclimb. What I'd really like though would be to take my Rotax for a blast between Fordingbridge and Verwood on the back roads!! But that would be highly illegal ;)

Or you could have gone to visit Murray Walker who lives in Sandleheath or former clubmans/sportscar driver Jeremy Lord who runs the F3 association. He lives in Fordingbridge ( as does my brother). The road between Alderholt and Ringwood would be a real blast too!

[Andrew Kitson]

I could drive up to take a look at Titan Cars remembering the works FFs of Derek Lawrence and Ken Bailey sitting outside, on to visit Lola passing Arch Motors on the way, back home passing the old Royale factory and if I have time, stop off at Dave Finnigan's workshop to see what F5000s, F1s or Can-Ams are being worked on. All possible in about an hour.

[ghinzani]

Originally posted by Andrew Kitson

Or you could have gone to visit Murray Walker who lives in Sandleheath or former clubmans/sportscar driver Jeremy Lord who runs the F3 association. He lives in Fordingbridge ( as does my brother). The road between Alderholt and Ringwood would be a real blast too!

Would love to visit Murray, but I'm sure I'd bore him to death with endless questions! Anyway he's more than earned a quiet retirement. I do see him in the pub sometimes after he's collected his Autospurt having a pint and a pie, guess he needs a drop of the hard stuff to help digest the rubbish that magazines become.

As to the Alderholt road, I'm not so sure about that as theres all the commuters from Bournemouth hareing down there commiting Hara-kiri on a regular basis, its worse than racing at Forest Edge or even Matchams stock car track!

Does Jeremy Lord run FOTA from down here do you know? Is your brother involved in racing at all? I've seen the odd historic being trailered around here from time to time.

[Maldwyn]

It would take rather longer than a summer evening, although that would be a wonderful time to do this, but I'd like to take a drive around some the classic circuits of the past no longer in use. More practical, given my location on the south coast, would be a trip to Guildford and raise a glass in a local hostelry to the memory of Mike Hawthorn.

[Arjan de Roos]

I could go for a 30 minute drive to Zandvoort and enjoy the activities (if any) in the paddock and maybe on the track. And later have a stroll along the seaside and enjoy the sea wind with a coffee or some fish and chips.

[Frank de Jong]

Arjan, perhaps the "Zomeravond (Summer evening) competitie" would take place...

Be sure to include Overveen-Bloemendaal with the drive to the circuit - It reminds me to a racetrack at some points. Especially the curbs.

[Andrew Kitson]

Originally posted by ghinzani


Does Jeremy Lord run FOTA from down here do you know? Is your brother involved in racing at all? I've seen the odd historic being trailered around here from time to time.

Yes, he lives in the town centre and runs it from home.
My brother is involved as a hobby, spannering the Caterham R400 of Malcolm Cook who lives at Bramshaw in the forest. Malcolm has also bought a front engined FJ, not sure which one, which they will have out next season.

If we asked the same question 'what to do on a winters day?' - you could watch the Rallye Sunseeker, one of the stages passes within a half mile of my brothers place at Alderholt.

[ghinzani]

Originally posted by Andrew Kitson


Yes, he lives in the town centre and runs it from home.
My brother is involved as a hobby, spannering the Caterham R400 of Malcolm Cook who lives at Bramshaw in the forest. Malcolm has also bought a front engined FJ, not sure which one, which they will have out next season.

If we asked the same question 'what to do on a winters day?' - you could watch the Rallye Sunseeker, one of the stages passes within a half mile of my brothers place at Alderholt.

Oh! I live in the town centre too.. small world. I've probably seen him and/or your brother in the pubs ;-)

I went and watched the Sunseeker for the first time earlier this year just round the back of Verwood, could'nt believe the speeds they were going down tracks the wife and myself pleasently stroll along normally, and the seemingly sparse amount of crowd control was shocking. To be honest it scared me, much prefer to be safety on a kart track with metal/tree or plastic between myself and the crowd!

[Arjan de Roos]

Originally posted by Frank de Jong
Arjan, perhaps the "Zomeravond (Summer evening) competitie" would take place...

Be sure to include Overveen-Bloemendaal with the drive to the circuit - It reminds me to a racetrack at some points. Especially the curbs.

Oh yeah!! That's THE route to Zandvoort!

[Macca]

Originally posted by ghinzani
Well I could cycle down the road to Ibsley and imagine 1950's F1 cars racing around. Or a short drive up to Gurston, a bit of tresspassing and I could walk the hillclimb. What I'd really like though would be to take my Rotax for a blast between Fordingbridge and Verwood on the back roads!! But that would be highly illegal ;)

Mmmmm...............Ibsley...........just up the road from where I work, so handy for a quiet stroll at lunchtime; except for the water:



I'll have to try and get a panorama from the surviving old airfield control tower (purple blob is location) overlooking where the start/finish straight was.

I used to pop over to Goodwood of an evening, when it was only used for testing & sprints and still looked sleepy and semi-abandoned.......

And whenever I'm driving down the Guildford Bypass and go past the spot where Mike died, I raise an imaginary glass.


Paul M

[swintex]

I'm only about 10 miles from Crystal Palace.

I really must try to get over there, as I've not been since racing ceased.

Richard

[WDH74]

Hike Meadowdale, or drive the roads that (used to) make up the course for the Elgin Road Races. The roads have changed so much that it'd be unrecognizable to that mythic competitor from the original event who drove through time to end up in Elgin 2005, but it's the thought that counts.

More realistically, I'd go to Sycamore Speedway and watch the derby.

-William

[Pils1989]

Going to look for a house in Watkins Glen area this Octobre...
One of my dreams has always been to live next to a track! Guess I will spend a lot of time at the track in Summer and at the Research Center in Winter:)

[flat-16]

I'm only about 10 miles from Crystal Palace.

I really must try to get over there, as I've not been since racing ceased.

Being a similar distance from CP myself, what spots are recommended for a nostalgic glance? If anyone can make a suggestion (if the spots still exist...I was under the impression the only car racing taking place at CP was the model variety...), I'll take a camera up there for the benefit of TNF members based further afield.

Justin

[MCS]

Originally posted by flat-16


Being a similar distance from CP myself, what spots are recommended for a nostalgic glance? If anyone can make a suggestion (if the spots still exist...I was under the impression the only car racing taking place at CP was the model variety...), I'll take a camera up there for the benefit of TNF members based further afield.

Justin

You'll come away very depressed, I imagine.

There's really very little left now

[flat-16]

That's what I thought MCS...

There was a sprint event held there in '97 though: http://atlas.usp.net...ontinent=Europe Any TNF members attend?

Circuit layout here: http://atlas.usp.net...ls.cfm?venue=XP

For those needing to brush up, a potted history on the circuit: http://www.bmrc.co.u...ps/cpalace.html (Gerry Marshal winning the final race seems to have a poetic quality to it IMHO)

I seem to have grown up looking at photos of the CP circuit... Unfortunately I'm too young to have attended a race there. Are there any spots at all worth investigating on the site?


Justin

[flat-16]

No need to take a camera there, this site's done it already: http://www.racingcir...alace/mm04.html



J

When in doubt, try a TNF search: http://forums.atlasf...ighlight=palace

I wonder, does Barry still have the wheel?

[Barry Boor]

Certainly do!

[petefenelon]

Pity it's Wednesday; the best summer evenings used to be Aintree Tuesday test sessions ;)

[Simpson RX1]

[QUOTE] Originally posted by flat-16
No need to take a camera there, this site's done it already: http://www.racingcir...alace/mm04.html





Yep, that's pretty much how it looks..........I moved to within 10 mins walking distance/earshot of CP with my parents when it was still being used (in fact I'm sitting at my folks right now), but never got to see any racing there (my folks weren't interested and I was only 6 and a bit at the time), but I did go to the sprint in 1997.......it was planned to be an annual event IIRC, but I think funding/local noise abatement was a big problem, not helped by the fact there was a serious injury at the first event.

Historians would be interested by the first picture in this link, it shows the steps that lead up to the entrance of the Crystal Palace when it was moved to the site after the Great Exhibition of 1851, of more interest to us is, pretty much the spot where the photographer is standing was where the "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off" sequence in The Italian Job was filmed!

Walking round what's left still evokes some pretty strong feelings, particularly when you remember that many of the corners were lined with railway sleepers (railroad ties for our American colleagues)................a tad more 'final' than sand traps and old tyres!!!!

Shame it's not all there anymore, but it would still make a most spectacular Kart track.....

[RS2000]

The sprint organising club have not totally given up on CP. Blame Bromley Council, not the residents. A recent book is "Motor Racing at Crystal Palace", written by Sam Collins, a member of the same club.
As for "Chopper's" woodyard in the first post, I did all the shakedown testing of my rally car on the roads around there in 1982 - at night, on intermediate racers...

[Gary C]

....outside the Woodshed at Ockham.........just think of the cars that have been designed & built here, and the drivers that have visited.

[Gary C]

[Gary C]

the place is now deserted.......

[ghinzani]

No industrial activity at all? Would make a great museum covering the F1 team. Who owns it?

[Gary C]

funnily enough, that's what we were thinking, BUT....there's a still a family-owned farm (or buildings at least) virtually right on the premises, don't know what they would say about all those visitors?? No idea who owns the buildings now. I was there about 18 months ago & there was a Bell & Colville transporter outside, but the WHOLE place is now empty, and looks like it has been so for some time.

[HistoricMustang]

The car would just be warmed up good before reaching a place where the good ole boys visited during the "heyday" of racing in Augusta, 1960 through 1970.

Oh yes, there was also a stop by some of the best "Sporty Car Drivers" on a special day in March 1964.

This visit not only made on a summer evening but on a more regular weekly basis.

Henry

[RTH]

Originally posted by ghinzani
No industrial activity at all? Would make a great museum covering the F1 team. Who owns it?

South - East England in 2005 ? .........It's a certainty it's just awaiting the planning consent to pass through and it will become a huge new housing estate no doubt with the blessing of the' deputy prime minister'