RICK @ the RACES ( 4 to 9 Nov 2009 )
6 Nov Brands Hatch Circuit , Kent , UK
7 Nov Coventry Motor Speedway UK
8 Nov Northampton Raceway , Brafield UK,
This weeks adventure started in the early afternoon of Wednesday 4 Nov when I left my home in Cornwall (Ont) and drove to Baie Durfe in Montreal. The company I work for have a depot there where I’d arranged to leave my car for a few days. Once parked, my co-worker and friend Barb Forsyth taxied me to the nearby Pierre Trudeau Airport. I was booked on the 7-45pm overnight flight to London , Heathrow for some quality time with the family and of course some racing. I had a good seat on the British Airways Boeing 767 with plenty of leg room so after a couple of glasses of red wine with my dinner I was able to get some sleep.
I touched down Thursday morning at 7-25 am and was quickly through formalities at the new Terminal 5 . Lucky for me, my long time buddy Colin Herridge wasn’t working that day so he’d offered to pick me up. The evening meal on the plane had been quite good ( lasagne) but the breakfast was ‘nothing special’, so once we’d passed the M25 road work it was time to have something decent.
We stopped at the Watling Street Truck Stop at Flamstead (Hertfordshire) , one of my old stomping grounds from years gone by, for a good ‘fry up’. The set breakfast had the ‘works’ including Black Pudding, which is something I hadn’t eaten for about 20 years. (For those that are unfamiliar with Black Pudding …’Google’ it ! )
From there Colin took me to my parents place just outside Dunstable (Bedfordshire) where I was staying. You may remember reading in last weeks report about my ankle injury, well a day or so before my trip, my dad also had a mishap, his was unfortunately more serious than mine. He broke his knee cap the previous Saturday, and the day I arrived he was operated on.
After Colin dropped me off, Mum and I drove to the Luton and Dunstable hospital ( known locally as the L&D) to visit him.
Friday , Nov 6 was mum’s birthday, and we were up early in the morning for a trip to Ashford(Kent) . My daughter Carla, had recently been back in the UK from the USA, and had left some of her stuff at her cousins place. We were going to pick it up, so I could take it back with me. We were down there by mid morning and after a quick ‘turn around’ we were soon on the return journey to Dunstable.
On our way back we passed the world famous Brands Hatch Racing Circuit , former home of the British Grand Prix, and I couldn’t resist the temptation to stop and take some photos.
To our surprise when we pulled up at the main entrance, we could see cars going round the track , so inquired at the gate as to what was going on. We were informed it was an ‘open practice day’ and were welcome to go in.
We parked up beside the track and watched as some very classy sports cars race around the Clearways bend. I spotted a Lamborghini, Aston Martin , Lotus and a number of Porsche’s.
All worth ‘slightly more’ than my old Jaguar powered BriSCA F1 that I used to race there in 1974/75 .
Back in the 1960’s and 1970’s stock cars used to grace the Clearways Oval, which was a small section of the larger Grand Prix circuit. The oval incorporated the Clearways Bend with a link road for the stock cars.
We didn’t stop for long as we had to be on our way.
Before arriving at the ‘L&D’ for the afternoon visiting hours I took Mum out for her Birthday lunch. We found a nice pub, The Duke of York between Potters Bar and Barnet (Hertfordshire) that did excellent meals.
Dad’s ward was on the third floor of the hospital and when we arrived, he was all set to go home. The medics decided to release him earlier than we expected, and he was waiting for ambulance transportation back home. It wasn’t long before it arrived and soon we were all heading back to the house.
On Saturday afternoon my buddy and ex BriSCA F1 driver, Ian Hall ( 381) picked me up from Mum and Dads place for the main racing event of my tour. We were heading to the ‘Brandon Bowl’ or the Coventry Motor Speedway, as it’s known these days , for a night of BriSCA F1 stock cars.
The BriSCA F1 stock cars are the premier oval racing division in the UK and as well as a regular program of races, they were competing for the Ben Fund Trophy. After a series of racing accidents during the 1970’s the BSCDA Benevolent Fund was set up, and once a year the Ben Fund Trophy race takes place for the nations top drivers.
With all the ‘health and safety’ B/S that goes on in the UK these days, I didn’t apply to take photos from the middle, and was quite happy to spend the night as a ‘race fan’ meeting up with old friends. I met up with so many it would be impossible to list them all.
One person I must mention is Phil ‘Bootsie’ Chance who I’ve known since I was a school kid race fan in the 1960’s. ( read Episode # 3 in my 1969 RETRO COLUMN in www.rickattheraces.com ) . In fact, it was with Phil on 7 June 1969 that I made my first visit to the Coventry track. Last year when I returned to the UK for the BriSCA F1 World Final he was having some health problems and I didn’t get to see him. I’m pleased to say his treatment is working and he was there at Coventry. In fact he now has the job of organizing the Victory Lane presentations.
Another old friend who I met from those early days was Mandy Gale. Her husband Ray, has been a long time crewman for the Willie/ Paul Harrison # 2 team. I knew Mandy’s dad Mick, a former BriSCA F1 (#18 ) and F2 (#567) driver for many years until he sadly passed away.
Another old friend from the 1960’s who was there, was Stuart Ralls, who’d traveled up from Southampton.
I must also mention Martin Budgell and Nigel Harradine who I hadn’t seen for many years. Lookout for my forthcoming RETRO REPORT for 1979, when the three of us went on a racing and ‘girl chasin’ vacation to the Netherlands.
I did a lot of wandering around during the night, watching the racing and chatting with friends, but for most of the time I based myself on the start/finish line by the starter or up in the main bar.
The Ben Fund Race was one of the programed heats and was won by Murray Harrison # 97 , Mark Gilbank # 21 was second and third was Frankie Wainman Jnr # 515.
The nights Final ( or Feature as it’s known in north America) was won by veteran racer and former BriSCA F1 Champion John Lund # 53. Following him home was Paul Harrison # 2 and third was # 13 Andy Ford. My buddy ‘Bootsie’ gave me access to Victory Lane for the photo shoot.
Victory Lane is located in front of the starters rostrum, and memories from October 1975 came flooding back ! It was the second and last time I ever raced at Coventry. I pushed too hard on the ‘loud pedal’, and the back end of the car swung round into the fence post by the starter. It ripped out the back axle, and as the car ricocheted across the track, the passing traffic ripped out the front axle. The Starter Richard Hall, had to jump for safety. My car needed two tow trucks , one at the front and one at the rear to get it off the track. Lots of fun !
( I don’t have any photos of that incident, and appeal to anyone who does, to get in touch)
Coventry has always been the main social gathering place for UK stock car folk. It’s central location in the middle of the country and the extensive ‘behind glass’ luxury bars have always made it the place to go. Unfortunately the early closing times for UK bars meant we were out of there soon after 11-00pm and heading for home.
Most of Sunday was spent at Mum and Dads place but I did step out for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Their place is about 30 minutes away from the Brafield Stadium , near Northampton. I drove my dads Honda Civic to Milton Keynes and picked up Colin on the way.
Brafield is another track I raced at many times over the years. There were no stock cars racing this particular day, as a Special event for Grass Track Specials was taking place.
These racers normally compete on grass tracks around the UK, but occasionally they try their hand on the paved ovals. It was something a bit different and I even met up with another old buddy.
Ken Edwards, he’s now 76 years old and is still racing …amazing !
After Brafield it was back to Bedfordshire for a Sunday night family gathering before my departure.
On Monday I was up early for Mum to drive me to nearby Hemel Hempstead (Hertfordshire) where I had to catch the National Express coach to Heathrow.
The bus was 45 minutes late, but it still reached Terminal 5 with plenty of time. My flight took off on time at 3-30pm and arrived in Montreal at 6-15pm ( local times). There were no hassles at the customs etc and I was soon relaxing in the Arrivals Lounge. A quick phone call was made to Barb, and within minutes I was heading for my car in Baie Durfe. After stopping for a Pizza , I was back home in Cornwall by 8-00pm.
I have no definite plans to attend events next weekend, so may take the opportunity to get my PC in the ‘shop’ for an overhaul. If this is the case, the next report will be in two weeks time.