Golden Oldies
On here you'll
find loads of stuff from the early days. Once again Im calling out for
anyone to send in any
pictures you have, a bit of info would be handy to go with them. Send
your pictures to either robertteasdale@hotmail.com or crashzone@lycos.co.uk
Thanks to the following people who have helped with sending stuff in:-
Reg Hartopp
Spike
Updated
24th March
NEW:
24th March: Some excellent
shots here from my old local Hartlepool which shut its doors in 1996.
Many thanks to Stu Kearsley who provides us with these shots from the
early 90s.
11th February:
Bout time we had an update on here, a massive cheers to Spike for letting us have these excellent photos from back in the days of Crewe. Most of these are of the Gong Gang and 122 Turk.
This is a pic of the first ever pairs racing with Turk on the bottom and 123 Skippy on top in a Fiat 127
This is the very first Gong Gang motor, Turk in a Mk1 in 1990
The feeling of many people!
This Cortina was returned from the Armadale British in 1990
Turk at Crewe in 1987
Crewe again in 1987 this time in a Saab
Saab again in 88
1988 and a 260c estate
Coming round the pit bend in 1991 again Saab powered
The writing on the side says 'Driver and Artwork on the other side'!!! Yes indeed this was a left hand drive Saab and the picture also captures how racing was up here in the late 80s/early 90s with the big aerofoils which was a regular right from Aycliffe/Hartlepool down Scunthorpe/Crewe way etc.
Make sure you look closely at this and see how far the passenger side doors are in. This is indeed the 1993 National Teams at Hednesford and was one of the biggest talking points from the still on going Stinkbridge Vs Gong Gang war. 167 David Holmes has just delivered the mother of all t-bones on 151 Malc Cross and remember there was no cages then. 168 Big Hoss is on his side after just being rolled by Turk. It is true that Cross actually had pink paint on his overalls the doors came over that far!
1st September 2003:
Cheers to Reg Hartopp we can once again bring you some more old stuff
18th August:
Reg delivers the goods once again-
''The picture is of a banger heat at Ullesthorpe in 1982. In the piccy 6 A60 variants can be seen. I am in the wolesley 16/60 at the rear (number 124). A short lived car suffering a severe accidental drivers dooring, the base of the front door ending up over the clutch pedal trapping my left foot for a minute or two...no injuries due to steel toecap workboots. Apart from the MK 3 CORTINA all cars were of 1960's manufacture. The track was laid out in its final and main layout which was pear shaped...one bend being much tighter than the other..one of the straights was very straight ...the other having a left hand curve/kink in it...a favourite place for tipping opponents over.....multi rolls common here because of the speed. The track was fairly long and 50mph plus regularly being reached''.
14th August:
11th August:
Reg Hartopp(126) has sent us this brillaint picture from his racing days. As he tells us it looks like a typical scene from the 70's but is actually 1989. The car on the trailor is a Singer Gazelle, fresh from racing at Hednesford and is being towed by an A60. In the meeting he broke his right collar bone in the first heat but still managed to repair the car, compete in the DD and drive home!
Reg(who started his own racing career in 1976) tells us he has plenty more to come and will be sending it through when he finds time. When I recieve this and if anyone else wants to send any old stuff they have I would be prepared to add an Oldies page with photos from years gone by. Hopefully we can generate some interest for this and get the page off the ground. Please feel free to send in what you have and we'll see if we can make the page a success.
 |
Heres 167 David
Holmes getting carted back to the pits in a well caved in Mk2 after a
typically heavy race at Hartlepool. If you look closely the tractor
following is being driven by Crash Zone lensman Paul 'Limpy' Linford. |
 |
Action shot
showing 167 Bushwacker weighing into 105 Darren Briggs with 69 Frankie
Whitelock getting involved with the white aerofoil on |
 |
The pile grows |
 |
010
getting run into the pit gate, cop the gas bottle bolted into the front! |
 |
168 Ian
Horsfield in full pink |
 |
The start of
the Bushwacker/Briggs incident |
 |
David back on
the wagon ready for straightening |
 |
Cetainly more
straighter now. Have a look at that aerofoil! |
 |
More
action with Whitelock, Horsfield and 010 all involved. Note current
Barford promoter 111 Cyril Whitfield on the centre in a Mk1 |
11th February:
Bout time we had an update on here, a massive cheers to Spike for letting us have these excellent photos from back in the days of Crewe. Most of these are of the Gong Gang and 122 Turk.
This is a pic of the first ever pairs racing with Turk on the bottom and 123 Skippy on top in a Fiat 127
This is the very first Gong Gang motor, Turk in a Mk1 in 1990
The feeling of many people!
This Cortina was returned from the Armadale British in 1990
Turk at Crewe in 1987
Crewe again in 1987 this time in a Saab
Saab again in 88
1988 and a 260c estate
Coming round the pit bend in 1991 again Saab powered
The writing on the side says 'Driver and Artwork on the other side'!!! Yes indeed this was a left hand drive Saab and the picture also captures how racing was up here in the late 80s/early 90s with the big aerofoils which was a regular right from Aycliffe/Hartlepool down Scunthorpe/Crewe way etc.
Make sure you look closely at this and see how far the passenger side doors are in. This is indeed the 1993 National Teams at Hednesford and was one of the biggest talking points from the still on going Stinkbridge Vs Gong Gang war. 167 David Holmes has just delivered the mother of all t-bones on 151 Malc Cross and remember there was no cages then. 168 Big Hoss is on his side after just being rolled by Turk. It is true that Cross actually had pink paint on his overalls the doors came over that far!
1st September 2003:
Cheers to Reg Hartopp we can once again bring you some more old stuff
''Here is a picture of the line up being
formed for a head to head team race at Ullesthorpe in
1982 between PADDY'S HEROES in red and white
and the Saints in yellow with red stripe. Both
teams based at the track. The saints regularly
racing together wheras paddys heroes only came
together for team racing. Paddy's heroes narrowly won this
encounter to avenge defeat in a previous encounter..
I was racing for the saints in a 1670cc standard
ensign built purely for the team race. An Mg 1100
was my other car for the days individual events. Cars
from the 1960's were predominant ..the only seventies
car being a mark 1 granada. Cars included 3
westminsters (2 can be seen in the top right) lots of
A60 versions ..mk1 triumph. pc cresta, rover p4 and
rover p5b.. with rarities even then being my ensign
and the mk2 zephyr...
Team racing played a major
part of racing in the late seventies and early eighties.
both at dirt and stadium circuits in the midlands.. One meeting
at the original Ullesthorpe circuit in 1975 featured 4 team
races with the highlight being ULLESTHORPE RED
DEVILS versus SMEATHARPE SMASHERS. An awesome
display by both teams led to a narrow victory for the
home team who had the heavier material..
which included a 1949 Humber Pullman Limo
and a 1951 Humber Snipe....very heavy metal indeed.
The smeatharpe smashers were
billed as being undefeated in 63 team races at the
time.. how true this claim i dont know...but their
performance against heavier cars on a track new to
them was very impressive and lends weight
to the claim.
There only driver who i could name was
Kevin Stack..... a rated driver for many years after.
On the day he was using HILLMAN MINX ESTATE (series
3).. and was very aggresive with it''.
Reg decribes for us:
''Here is a pic of my wolesley 1500 which i raced at Ullesthorpe in 1981... it was a long lasting car doing many meetings and was an ex road car of mine.. bought off a workmate named Wayne Kerr.....straight up...his real name. on the road it broke a half shaft and had it replaced along with the differential with those from a morris minor 1000 i had raced... the picture was taken part way thought its racing career... the nearside front supension vertical link being replaced with one off a morris 1000 too. the steering arm attachment points are different but it worked ok on track... wrote many cars off using this car including rolling and going over the top of a victor fb writing it off totally...the driver unhappy as it was a fresh car and only managed 2 laps... my wolesley suffered minimal damage despite it flying high and nose diving the ground.
''Here is a pic of my wolesley 1500 which i raced at Ullesthorpe in 1981... it was a long lasting car doing many meetings and was an ex road car of mine.. bought off a workmate named Wayne Kerr.....straight up...his real name. on the road it broke a half shaft and had it replaced along with the differential with those from a morris minor 1000 i had raced... the picture was taken part way thought its racing career... the nearside front supension vertical link being replaced with one off a morris 1000 too. the steering arm attachment points are different but it worked ok on track... wrote many cars off using this car including rolling and going over the top of a victor fb writing it off totally...the driver unhappy as it was a fresh car and only managed 2 laps... my wolesley suffered minimal damage despite it flying high and nose diving the ground.
wolesley 1500 and the
sister Riley 1.5 cars were popular choices in
the 1970's and seemed to last well... in more
recent years they do not seem to have done so
well...corrosion often getting into the spotwelded
seams .especially the roof ones making
them much weaker.
ps ... i will almost
certainly be doing the pre 68 at hednesford this year
but in a hillman minx (hunter shape 1500cc)
instead of a ford corsair.. other cars i know
about expected to be there include a ha
viva .. another hunter and a ford
prefect''.
18th August:
Reg delivers the goods once again-
''The picture is of a banger heat at Ullesthorpe in 1982. In the piccy 6 A60 variants can be seen. I am in the wolesley 16/60 at the rear (number 124). A short lived car suffering a severe accidental drivers dooring, the base of the front door ending up over the clutch pedal trapping my left foot for a minute or two...no injuries due to steel toecap workboots. Apart from the MK 3 CORTINA all cars were of 1960's manufacture. The track was laid out in its final and main layout which was pear shaped...one bend being much tighter than the other..one of the straights was very straight ...the other having a left hand curve/kink in it...a favourite place for tipping opponents over.....multi rolls common here because of the speed. The track was fairly long and 50mph plus regularly being reached''.
14th August:
Cheers to Reg again:
''Here is piccy of a Vauxhall Viva HB taken in 1983 at Ullesthorpe. Though many meetings featured a DD to end the day...there were sometimes too few to have one. The car was prepped starting at 10.00 in the morning and on track at 1.30 pm...hence a rush job. The fibreglass wings and filler soon fell off. The interior had been done in pink fur...and traces of it are just about visible...whilst holding 2nd place in the final race of the day I clipped an infield marker tyre flipping the car into a double roll which the following Triumph 2000 driven by GAZ MURRELL (current 272 with Incarace) couldnt avoid. The roof bonnet and steering wheel being hit.
''Here is piccy of a Vauxhall Viva HB taken in 1983 at Ullesthorpe. Though many meetings featured a DD to end the day...there were sometimes too few to have one. The car was prepped starting at 10.00 in the morning and on track at 1.30 pm...hence a rush job. The fibreglass wings and filler soon fell off. The interior had been done in pink fur...and traces of it are just about visible...whilst holding 2nd place in the final race of the day I clipped an infield marker tyre flipping the car into a double roll which the following Triumph 2000 driven by GAZ MURRELL (current 272 with Incarace) couldnt avoid. The roof bonnet and steering wheel being hit.
The top 2 drivers of the early
1980's at the track being myself and GAZ MURREL. Ken
Giddings was also a very succesful driver at Ullesthorpe when he raced
there more frequently in the mid 80's .....seen recently
competing at Hednesfords veterans meeting''.
11th August:
Reg Hartopp(126) has sent us this brillaint picture from his racing days. As he tells us it looks like a typical scene from the 70's but is actually 1989. The car on the trailor is a Singer Gazelle, fresh from racing at Hednesford and is being towed by an A60. In the meeting he broke his right collar bone in the first heat but still managed to repair the car, compete in the DD and drive home!
Reg(who started his own racing career in 1976) tells us he has plenty more to come and will be sending it through when he finds time. When I recieve this and if anyone else wants to send any old stuff they have I would be prepared to add an Oldies page with photos from years gone by. Hopefully we can generate some interest for this and get the page off the ground. Please feel free to send in what you have and we'll see if we can make the page a success.
