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Post by administrator on Sept 16, 2009 7:09:02 GMT 1
haflinger121 New Member
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Joined: Apr 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 40 Karma: 0 [ Exalt | Smite ] Re: PARKER MIDGETS & PROGRESSIVE 600 « Reply #7 on Sept 5, 2009, 11:04am »
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While hunting out a programme for some info. about Norwich in another thread, I came across another half forgotten item, a midget car programme from Hednesford, 1964 season. It featured cars from the Coventry Midget Car Racing Club, one of whom was our old friend, Dave Hughes.
What intrigued me however, was the fixtures shown for the Club for the remainder '64. There were to be two more meetings at Hednesford, but three (May 31, Jun 28 & Aug 23) at a place called Long Newnton, Swindon. I'd never heard of it, but did a quick Google search and discovered a website devoted to WWII airfields, which describes the place (not really anywhere near Swindon but in the Cotswolds) and says that it had some later use for motorsport.
The website says that Long Newnton was a training aerodrome, originally just a grass strip but later grass with a wire mesh overlay. It never had tarmac or concrete runways apparently, although there was a tarmac perimeter road added at some time.
There seems little doubt that this is the place the midgets raced, and so I must add another location to my list of obscure tracks. But does anybody know if the midgets simply raced on a temporary grass (presumably) oval track? Or was there something more constructed? Or did they use part of the perimeter road? Or what? Any info. (and especially any programmes anyone wants rid of!) gratefully received.
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Post by administrator on Sept 16, 2009 7:11:11 GMT 1
derek New Member
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Joined: Mar 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 7 Karma: 0 [ Exalt | Smite ] Re: PARKER MIDGETS & PROGRESSIVE 600 « Reply #8 on Sept 14, 2009, 8:53am »
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Re Long Newton,
This track was probably the greatest Motor Cycle Grass Track in the country during the late 50's early 60's. Events there were organised by the Minety Vale motor cycle club.
The midgets that raced there in 64 were part of a "pirate" meeting put on by Mike Erskine and others.
The speedway provincial leauge had broken away from the ACU this meant that riders who raced in the PL and who also rode on the grass, could no longer compete in ACU meetings, therefore these guys who were banned, organised their own meetings. Even the likes of Ivan Mauger took part.
The Midgets that raced that day were an odd collection of cars very poorly built and not very fast. , I believe they raced on the same track as the bikes ie Grass.
I know a guy who may just have a programme so i'll check him out.
Derek
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Post by administrator on Sept 16, 2009 7:12:39 GMT 1
haflinger121 New Member
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Joined: Apr 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 40 Karma: 0 [ Exalt | Smite ] Re: PARKER MIDGETS & PROGRESSIVE 600 « Reply #9 on Sept 14, 2009, 10:03pm »
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nice one Derek, I thought I could probably rely on you to know something about this! Your post sounds as though you may actually have been there, and you also say 'a "pirate" meeting" and 'raced that day', as though there was only the one meeting. Do you know if that was the case, or did all three of the events listed in that Hednesford programme actually go ahead?
A programme would be great if you can source one, although I'd quite understand if you'd rather it was in your collection than mine!
Thanks for the info. and reply,
Graham.
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Post by administrator on Sept 16, 2009 7:13:50 GMT 1
haflinger121 New Member
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Joined: Apr 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 40 Karma: 0 [ Exalt | Smite ] Re: PARKER MIDGETS & PROGRESSIVE 600 « Reply #10 on Sept 14, 2009, 10:09pm »
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John: I raised this subject here because I assumed that the Hednesford and Long Newnton meetings were contested with Parker Midgets. It now seems that this may not be true and, in any case, this discussion may more properly belong in the Around The Tracks section.
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Post by administrator on Sept 16, 2009 7:15:15 GMT 1
kiwikid34 New Member
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Joined: May 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 31 Karma: 0 [ Exalt | Smite ] Re: PARKER MIDGETS & PROGRESSIVE 600 « Reply #11 Yesterday at 8:13am »
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Sept 14, 2009, 8:53am, derek wrote:Re Long Newton,
This track was probably the greatest Motor Cycle Grass Track in the country during the late 50's early 60's. Events there were organised by the Minety Vale motor cycle club.
The midgets that raced there in 64 were part of a "pirate" meeting put on by Mike Erskine and others.
The speedway provincial leauge had broken away from the ACU this meant that riders who raced in the PL and who also rode on the grass, could no longer compete in ACU meetings, therefore these guys who were banned, organised their own meetings. Even the likes of Ivan Mauger took part.
The Midgets that raced that day were an odd collection of cars very poorly built and not very fast. , I believe they raced on the same track as the bikes ie Grass.
I know a guy who may just have a programme so i'll check him out.
Derek
Are you certain the meeting organiser was Mike ERSKINE and not Mike PARKER?
Also is it possible the cars were Autograss and not actually midgets of any description that we on this site recognise as such.
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Post by administrator on Sept 16, 2009 7:16:49 GMT 1
derek New Member
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Joined: Mar 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 7 Karma: 0 [ Exalt | Smite ] Re: PARKER MIDGETS & PROGRESSIVE 600 « Reply #12 Yesterday at 1:58pm »
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There was only one meeting at Long Newnton. No I wasn't but my late brother Bill rode that day as was my, then teenage nephew Alan, I'll give him a ring to see what he can remember. Alan now looks after the wolverhampton track and Edinburgh track, I saw the cars at Wolves speedway earlier that year. Derek
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derek
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Post by derek on Sept 17, 2009 10:02:49 GMT 1
Sorry can't help anymore about Long Newnton. Alan can't remember much about the meeting as he was helping Bill, and those two never bothered about what was going on around them; to use a modern expression they were "totaly focused". The chap I thought who might have a programme dosn't. I'm sure there was only one meeting there, Mike Parker had nothing to do with this or any other Grass Track meeting. As for the cars and drivers I think they were based somewhere around Earls Shilton (where ever that is!) If I remember or modorator John wrote a piece about these midgets and their plans in Speedway Star, around 63/4.
Derek.
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Post by haflinger121 on Sept 17, 2009 17:59:16 GMT 1
Thanks very much Derek, and for trying for a programme. Earl Shilton is in Leicestershire. I suppose you're sure about that - might it have been Earls Barton you were thinking of? That would square better with Dave Hughes' involvement. The Hednesford programme refers to them being from the Coventry Midget Car Racing Club, but that proves nothing of course, other than that they were hopeful of getting some meetings at Brandon perhaps!
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derek
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Post by derek on Sept 21, 2009 9:30:33 GMT 1
Earls Barton does sound more like the name I was thinking of. All we want now is for John the find the article he wrote!
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Post by administrator on Sept 21, 2009 11:45:00 GMT 1
Earls Barton does sound more like the name I was thinking of. All we want now is for John the find the article he wrote! Did I write about Earls Barton? If I did, advancing years have deleted it from my memory bank - and that's a worry!
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Post by haflinger121 on Sept 21, 2009 19:14:15 GMT 1
Not to worry John, your memory is probably working at least as well as mine - although that in itself may well be a worry! What Derek originally said was: "If I remember, our moderator John wrote a piece about these midgets and their plans in Speedway Star, around 63"
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Post by administrator on Sept 21, 2009 21:36:18 GMT 1
The few previous Posts about Earls Barton and its use for midget cars intrigues me. I have started a separate thread on the topic. I really cannot recall any links with the area and midget car racing. Help!!!!!
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Post by haflinger121 on Sept 21, 2009 23:28:57 GMT 1
No John, I don't think Derek was suggesting Earls Barton was ever used by those 1960's midgets we were talking about. He just said he thought they might have been based near Earl Shilton, and I said - given the Dave Hughes connection - that maybe he was thinking of Earls Barton, Northants. I believe Hughes actually came from a place called Cogenhoe (pronounced "Cook-know" apparently) but that's not far away from Earls Barton as the crow flies, or indeed, Brafield, where Hughes' contribution to oval racing is well known. However, see my posting under your new Earls Barton thread...
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