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Post by youtubefiend on Sept 5, 2009 16:31:54 GMT 1
Does anyone have information on a track at New Brighton n the 1960s and 1970s. Among drivers may have been Pete and John Smith and Brian Emery. Also the publicist was possibly historian the late Dave Gandhi. I think the track may have been a converted cycle velodrome. Certainly it appears to have been one of Britain's more obscure tracks for midgets.
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Post by haflinger121 on Sept 5, 2009 18:03:28 GMT 1
The track certainly was an old velodrome, with one of its fearsome banked bends used as part of the car racing oval. These two websites will give you a little more info. about the track and the site itself, which is famous for many reasons. newbrightonstockcars.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/track.html easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~dstewart/tower.htm . And, although I hate to sound like the magazine's publicist, you could also do a lot worse than to get hold of edition one of Oval Track Classic, in which the 'lost tracks' feature concentrates on New Brighton.
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Post by kiwikid34 on Sept 11, 2009 15:06:21 GMT 1
In the early 1930s, there was a New Brighton speedway team - where did they race. Obviously not at the improvised car track.
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Post by haflinger121 on Sept 11, 2009 19:42:46 GMT 1
Sort of, kiwikid, yes. According to the excellent book Homes of British Speedway (Bamford & Jarvis, Tempus 2001) the 512 yd. track, which operated 1933-35, was constructed between the soccer pitch and the banked cycling track. The book goes on to say that, in the late 1960's, the speedway track was covered in tarmac for use as a stock car circuit. As the stock car track also used one of the high banked cycle track turns, this suggests that it used some of the original speedway track too, probably for the straights and/or the other corner.
There were apparently further attempts to re-introduce speedway, both in the late 1940's and the 1970's, but nothing ever came of it.
I can tell you that the midgets which raced there were the cars of the MARC, who took part in events promoted by the original Trackstar organisation, the only stock car promoter to ever run at the venue to my knowledge.
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Post by kiwikid34 on Sept 11, 2009 20:15:03 GMT 1
Thanks for the info. What was the MARC? I'm not familiar with the group.
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Post by haflinger121 on Sept 11, 2009 21:55:45 GMT 1
MARC = Midget Auto Racing Club Check out this website: www.gpmidgets.co.uk/Click on the 'More' tab at the top, select the history part, and click on the 1970's, having particular regard to the end of 1970, 1971 & '72 seasons. All will be revealed, including at least some of the dates when they raced at New Brighton.
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Post by haflinger121 on Sept 15, 2009 23:33:47 GMT 1
Just to prove that they did exist and - hopefully - that I've learnt how to post images here!
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Post by haflinger121 on Sept 17, 2009 18:22:47 GMT 1
Now we're in the groove, here is the aftermath of Clive Carter's crash at New Brighton on April 16th 1972. Clive went in hard on the Club Straight, providing a horrifying demonstration of how dangerous it can be to race Midgets on tracks with traditional stock car post & cable fences. Luckily, Clive escaped with cuts and bruises. (And in this new version, you might actually be able to see how close Carter came to decapitation.) Attachments:
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Post by haflinger121 on Sept 17, 2009 18:55:03 GMT 1
An idea of what a competitor faced at the high banked end of New Brighton. Attachments:
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Post by ovaltrack on Nov 22, 2009 15:54:29 GMT 1
The Midgets only raced twice at New Brighton - I've had that confirmed by a reliable enthusiast. 16th April 72 as mentioned above and then 30th April 72. Interestingly 21 Clive Carter featured in the results of the latter. There's some colour cine footage of the earlier meet which I will publicise at a later date in the mag when it's available.
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Post by ovaltrack on Dec 16, 2009 12:46:31 GMT 1
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Post by haflinger121 on Dec 16, 2009 20:38:38 GMT 1
No problem Richard, pleased to help. Just had a look at that link and the nice neat layout of pix, prog cover and results, looks good. In that bigger picture of Carter's shunt, there is also a spun car stopped nearby. Now, the pic is too small for my rubbish eyes to make it out with any certainty, but that stranded car looks suspiciously like a rear engined Fireball (Mk3?), and that after me saying in another post that those cars were mostly only ever raced on Spedeworth tracks! Can you see who/what it is in the original photo?
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Post by ovaltrack on Dec 17, 2009 12:32:51 GMT 1
According to the prog from which that picture is taken the rear engine car was Pete Smith (41) - This might well be the machine that was sold on to Keith Fransella as he also raced #41 but from 1973 so that dovetails quite nicely. I think Keith appears in some Spedeworth Midget listings in late 1972 but he actually had his first Midget race at Aldershot on 3rd March 1973 - I know this as he loaned me all his results! Anyway, back to the rear engine car. Yes, it's a Fireball and it's a Mk2. Keith was of course a team mate of the Fireball designer Frank Boyles in the Wimbledon Dons Auto Spedeway team during 1971 and 1972.
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Post by haflinger121 on Dec 18, 2009 0:08:21 GMT 1
Nice one Richard, thanks. And as Fransella was one of the drivers I mentioned (in that other post) as having raced those cars, that dovetails quite nicely too! I also knew about his link with Boyles in the Dons and had just assumed that's why he drove a Fireball. What I hadn't realised, was that it was a secondhand one even at that stage.
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Post by administrator on Apr 26, 2011 13:16:54 GMT 1
Brian Spicer...hton 1970.jpg[/img] Brian Spicer, front, and Paul Emery on the grid at New Brighton in 1970. Attachments:
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