Post by administrator on Mar 27, 2009 21:49:52 GMT 1
FROM its beginnings at Crystal Palace in south east London, midget car racing regarded itself as a speedway sport rather than a short circuit car formula.
Consequently, after a handful of individual meetings at the Palace, the organisers set the sport on the same course as motorcycle speedway - by introducing team racing. After a heady start of big individual speedway meetings in its first British season in 1928, crowds started to fall away the following year. It was then that the sport decided its salvation lay in team racing and this led to the establishment of the Southern and Northern Leagues. It is a format that basically is still the backbone of modern speedway racing.
This was a fact quickly taken up by the pioneer 1934 midget car racing fraternity. Their main centre of operations lay on Crystal Palace, while there was also spasmodic racing at another London venue Greenford. These were organised by Spike Rhiando who, in following years, was to play an influential part in British midget car racing.
The first Crystal Palace meeting took place on March 31. The drivers included Tommy Sulman, who was later to be involved in big circuit grand prix racing. Isle of Man TT driver Victor Gillow also raced at the first meeting, as did Jean Reville, RG Nash (of Frazer Nash car racing fame), Leon Marratt, FM Barradell and Georges Provost. They later formed the basis of the Crystal Palace, Lea Bridge, Speedway Racing Club, Autodrome (Greenford) and Dagenham teams in the National League.
While National League motorcycle speedway league racing flourished, the reverse was the case for the midget car version of team racing. Neither the Autodrome or Dagenham raced matches. And of the five matches that took place, they all involved the Crystal Palace team. In a nutshell, the league was a disaster.
The formation of the midget car league was the brainchild of Victor Gillow and Jean Reville, who announced the league’s formation on June 15. They claimed that motorcycle speedways were keen to track teams in car league matches but this never materialised. By then, the Autodrome had stopped running meetings at Greenford. Dagenham actually had its track in the car park of the Ford Motor Company, but mainly featured bike racing up to 1939. Midgets sometimes appeared there as novelty events. A regular bike racer at Dagenham was Autodrome controller Spike Rhiando.
Lea Bridge staged one meeting on Sunday August 13 before a 2,000 crowd who saw them defeat Crystal Palace 28-23. The Bridge also won at the Palace a week later by 27-25. The two teams had previously had the distinction of staging the first National League match in June 30, when the Palace emerged 30-24 winners. Matches were over nine heats, with two drivers from each team in four lap rolling start race. Points were awarded three for first, two for second, one for third place. The fourth finisher did not score.
The matches were not without their moments of excitement. When the Palace defeated the Speedway Racing Club 32-18, novice driver Charlie Whitby had a front wheel come off in his first race. In his second race he hit the Palace safety fence and wrecked his car.
But there were soon signs that the National League was not proving an attraction. The South London Press (August 3) reported, “The sport is not catching on at the Palace. Fans go into the wrong place to watch - they go into the stands but should watch at ground level.
“Midget car racing at present is a labour of love and must remain so until the public begin to give it a hand.
“Then we will have faster cars, and more experienced drivers from overseas (Australia and USA) and another thrilling spectacle for a sport loving public.”
The last National League match was at Crystal Palace on August 19. The better teamwork of Lea Bridge saw them win 27-25. Racing continued at Crystal Palace until September 15, when the home side beat The Rest 27-26.
In this inaugural season, the most influential driver was Jean Reville, who was also part of the promoting organisation Modern Speedway Sport.
The season also involved Billy Murden, who was to be one of midget car racing’s longest serving drivers, although never reaching star status. Unlike most of the 1934 pioneers, Murden was also active in post World War Two years. He raced in Holland in 1946, France in 1947, and the following year at Stamford Bridge (Chelsea) against a member of the 1948 American team. In those days, the old football pitch was surrounded by both greyhound and speedway tracks.
Interestingly, Murden raced in both a midget car and on a speedway bike at different meetings against his American opponents. He was beaten both times.
For Reville, the season ended with him appearing at Croydon County Court, when car owner John Miller unsuccessfully sued him for £10. He alleged that Reville had allowed his midget car to catch fire.
In his defence, Reville claimed the car was a gift, a claim supported by drivers Leon Marrett and Tom Sulman. In court, Reville said his valuation of the car was ‘£1 and two aspidistras plants.’
NATIONAL LEAGUE TEAMS
Crystal Palace: Jean Reville, Cecil Clerk, F Hagborg, Georges Provest. Tom Mason, Billy Murden.
Speedway Racing Club: Jimmy (Tommy) Raynes, Les White, Victor Gillow, Ian Davis.
Lea Bridge: Jimmy (Tommy) Raynes, Victor Gillow, Wilf Talbot, Billy Murden, Georges Provost.
Autdorome (Greenford): Spike Rhiando.
Dagenham: No team list.
Note: drivers guested for other teams.
Classified results: Crystal Palace 30 Lea Bridge 24; Crystal Palace 28 Speedway Racing Club 22; Lea Bridge 28 Crystal Palace 23; Crystal Palace 25 Lea Bridge 27; Crystal Palace 32 Speedway Racing Club 18.
At the end, Crystal Palace led the table with three wins and two defeats in five matches. They scored 138 race points with 119 against, and scored six table points.
Lea Bridge raced three matches with two wins, one defeat, scoring 79 points with 78 against, and four table points.
Third-placed Speedway RC lost both their matches, scoring 40 points and 60 against, with no table points.
No matches raced: Autodrome (Greenford) and Dagenham. League fixtures not completed.
Consequently, after a handful of individual meetings at the Palace, the organisers set the sport on the same course as motorcycle speedway - by introducing team racing. After a heady start of big individual speedway meetings in its first British season in 1928, crowds started to fall away the following year. It was then that the sport decided its salvation lay in team racing and this led to the establishment of the Southern and Northern Leagues. It is a format that basically is still the backbone of modern speedway racing.
This was a fact quickly taken up by the pioneer 1934 midget car racing fraternity. Their main centre of operations lay on Crystal Palace, while there was also spasmodic racing at another London venue Greenford. These were organised by Spike Rhiando who, in following years, was to play an influential part in British midget car racing.
The first Crystal Palace meeting took place on March 31. The drivers included Tommy Sulman, who was later to be involved in big circuit grand prix racing. Isle of Man TT driver Victor Gillow also raced at the first meeting, as did Jean Reville, RG Nash (of Frazer Nash car racing fame), Leon Marratt, FM Barradell and Georges Provost. They later formed the basis of the Crystal Palace, Lea Bridge, Speedway Racing Club, Autodrome (Greenford) and Dagenham teams in the National League.
While National League motorcycle speedway league racing flourished, the reverse was the case for the midget car version of team racing. Neither the Autodrome or Dagenham raced matches. And of the five matches that took place, they all involved the Crystal Palace team. In a nutshell, the league was a disaster.
The formation of the midget car league was the brainchild of Victor Gillow and Jean Reville, who announced the league’s formation on June 15. They claimed that motorcycle speedways were keen to track teams in car league matches but this never materialised. By then, the Autodrome had stopped running meetings at Greenford. Dagenham actually had its track in the car park of the Ford Motor Company, but mainly featured bike racing up to 1939. Midgets sometimes appeared there as novelty events. A regular bike racer at Dagenham was Autodrome controller Spike Rhiando.
Lea Bridge staged one meeting on Sunday August 13 before a 2,000 crowd who saw them defeat Crystal Palace 28-23. The Bridge also won at the Palace a week later by 27-25. The two teams had previously had the distinction of staging the first National League match in June 30, when the Palace emerged 30-24 winners. Matches were over nine heats, with two drivers from each team in four lap rolling start race. Points were awarded three for first, two for second, one for third place. The fourth finisher did not score.
The matches were not without their moments of excitement. When the Palace defeated the Speedway Racing Club 32-18, novice driver Charlie Whitby had a front wheel come off in his first race. In his second race he hit the Palace safety fence and wrecked his car.
But there were soon signs that the National League was not proving an attraction. The South London Press (August 3) reported, “The sport is not catching on at the Palace. Fans go into the wrong place to watch - they go into the stands but should watch at ground level.
“Midget car racing at present is a labour of love and must remain so until the public begin to give it a hand.
“Then we will have faster cars, and more experienced drivers from overseas (Australia and USA) and another thrilling spectacle for a sport loving public.”
The last National League match was at Crystal Palace on August 19. The better teamwork of Lea Bridge saw them win 27-25. Racing continued at Crystal Palace until September 15, when the home side beat The Rest 27-26.
In this inaugural season, the most influential driver was Jean Reville, who was also part of the promoting organisation Modern Speedway Sport.
The season also involved Billy Murden, who was to be one of midget car racing’s longest serving drivers, although never reaching star status. Unlike most of the 1934 pioneers, Murden was also active in post World War Two years. He raced in Holland in 1946, France in 1947, and the following year at Stamford Bridge (Chelsea) against a member of the 1948 American team. In those days, the old football pitch was surrounded by both greyhound and speedway tracks.
Interestingly, Murden raced in both a midget car and on a speedway bike at different meetings against his American opponents. He was beaten both times.
For Reville, the season ended with him appearing at Croydon County Court, when car owner John Miller unsuccessfully sued him for £10. He alleged that Reville had allowed his midget car to catch fire.
In his defence, Reville claimed the car was a gift, a claim supported by drivers Leon Marrett and Tom Sulman. In court, Reville said his valuation of the car was ‘£1 and two aspidistras plants.’
NATIONAL LEAGUE TEAMS
Crystal Palace: Jean Reville, Cecil Clerk, F Hagborg, Georges Provest. Tom Mason, Billy Murden.
Speedway Racing Club: Jimmy (Tommy) Raynes, Les White, Victor Gillow, Ian Davis.
Lea Bridge: Jimmy (Tommy) Raynes, Victor Gillow, Wilf Talbot, Billy Murden, Georges Provost.
Autdorome (Greenford): Spike Rhiando.
Dagenham: No team list.
Note: drivers guested for other teams.
Classified results: Crystal Palace 30 Lea Bridge 24; Crystal Palace 28 Speedway Racing Club 22; Lea Bridge 28 Crystal Palace 23; Crystal Palace 25 Lea Bridge 27; Crystal Palace 32 Speedway Racing Club 18.
At the end, Crystal Palace led the table with three wins and two defeats in five matches. They scored 138 race points with 119 against, and scored six table points.
Lea Bridge raced three matches with two wins, one defeat, scoring 79 points with 78 against, and four table points.
Third-placed Speedway RC lost both their matches, scoring 40 points and 60 against, with no table points.
No matches raced: Autodrome (Greenford) and Dagenham. League fixtures not completed.
(c) John Hyam 2009