1969

The action started early for me in 1969 , with the help of a family outing to visit relatives in Ipswich I was able to attend the Foxhall Stadium for races on January 26. I was back there again on March 30 but not before attending the Brafield (Mar 9) and Harringay openers (Mar 22) .

I couldn't expect Mum and Dad to 'taxi' me around so in 1968 I'd started using public transport, and the Harringay Stadium , North London was to become my second 'local track'. ( The Brafield Stadium being slightly closer to home ) . At the time Harringay was running twice a month and when the 1969 season got under way on March 22 I rarely missed meeting. My regular spot on the terraces was on the pit bend where the cars came on to the track. I could just afford to go there on my 'pocket money' and the extra cash I earned delivering papers. ( I was young enough to get child prices on the fares and admission)

Everything started to change for me, that year. While traveling on the 'Bed Pan Line' I got chatting to another young race fan, who like me, was without his own transport and attended races the same way. His name was Mick Lovett, and he lived in Luton. The two of us would travel by train together every two weeks during the season and as time went by, he introduced me to a couple of his racing friends who had cars. It wasn't long before I was offered rides to other tracks with them. Those guy's were Pete Wattingham who had an Austin 1100 , Phil 'Bootsie' Chance who had a diesel engined Austin A60 Camebridge and Mick Gale # 567 a local BriSCA F2 driver from Luton . I'm still in contact with 'Bootsie', as he's the chairman of the VSCA (Veteran Stock Car association) which I've been a long time member. He's a recipient of RICK @ the RACES and I met up with him in 2004 when I returned to the UK for Britain's Stock Car Racing's Golden Julilee celebrations.

In June ( 7/8) I joined 'Bootsie' and Mick Lovett ( in later years he was given the tag of 'Mick the beard' as there so many 'Micks' in our clan) for the Coventry Stadium on Saturday and Brands Hatch on Sunday. It was my first visit to both tracks and I was very impressed. Even up to this present day , the shale of the "Brandon Bowl' near Coventry has been 'the place' to see BriSCA F1's and the atmosphere there has always been 'electric'. I can still smell the aroma of freshly cooked donuts that used to greet you as you entered the front straight terraces ! Howard Davis # 327 of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire won that night.

 Brands Hatch however was totally different, being a paved racing circuit ( or road course as my North American friends would call it) . In the past it had been the host of the British Grand Prix. Stock car racing was introduced to Brands in 1966 and for that year and all other years except 1969, the Clearways Oval was used. For some reason in 1969 they decided to race on the Paddock Hill Circuit. My memory of that day was of Barry Brew # 9 coming down Paddock Hill, losing it at the bottom, then hitting the banking and rolling over. Ray Pearce # 234 of South London won the Final.

The week after (June 14) I gained another 'new track' when I visited the Long Eaton Stadium for the first time.That was another great track from the past, that like Harringay is now long gone to racing. It was rough and bumpy but provided plenty of action. My memories of that place will always be the 'lively' old bar on the front straight complete with a coal burning stove located in the middle where you could warm yourself up on a cold night. I must not forget to mention the Fish and Chip shop in the street opposite the pit entrance that was very popular with race goers. Charlie Finnikin # 55 of Leek, Staffordshire won that night.

One of the first long haul trips I made ( in Pete's 1100) was to the famous Belle Vue Speedway Manchester ( July 12) in the heart of a typical northern England 'Coronation Street' area . That's the original Hyde Rd , Belle Vue track , I'm talking about and not the replacement, located close by, that's been running since the early 1990's. Back in 1969 the M1 and M6 Motorways were yet to be joined, and the journey north linking both motorways involved a cross country trek via the old Roman Road of Watling Street ( A5). It was a long drive ( well back then a four hour drive seamed a long trip ! ) but it was worth it. I got to see all the northern drivers drivers I'd been reading about, like the great Willie Harrison # 2, Doug Cronshaw # 396, and Stuart Smith # 391. At this time Belle Vue was a huge entertainment complex with an amusement park, zoo and dance halls. I remember on the journey back that night, we made room for two 'damsels in distress' that needed a ride back to Stoke on Trent, which happened to be on our way home !

I'd also started going to the Brafield races by public transport. It would involve getting up early on Sunday morning and catching a bus from Dunstable to Luton. From Luton I would get another one to the Bedford Bus Station where I'd catch a third towards Northampton. When it got to the small village of Brafield on the Green, I would get off and walk the two miles to the track.

Like Harringay, I often got rides home from the races from the new friends I began to make. One of these was a mechanic and his girl friend from the Andy Abel # 101 team ( their names escape me) who were from Gravenhurst ( Beds). The girl friends father was a keen race fan and organized a coach trip to the BriSCA F1 World Final that was being held at Belle Vue that year (Sept 13)

So within weeks of visiting Belle Vue for the first time, I was traveling north once more. On the journey up the M6 the coach passed an unfamiliar race car on tow. It was # D18 Aad Reyerkerk the sole overseas representative from the Netherlands. At the start of the year Stuart Smith # 391 had debuted a brand new self built 'projectile' in favor of his infamous “Tiger Griffin' car . It had been winning races all year and with the World Final being held on his home ground he was uncatchable.

The next day I was at Brafield for the BriSCA F2 World Final. This was won by Hatfield, Hertfordshire's Ron Innocent # 712. The Spedeworth Superstox version of the World Championship had been held the previous night ( clashing with the Belle Vue F1 World Final) and was won by Alan Wardropper # 500. At the end of 1967 , Alan, along with his father Doug # 55 had switched over from BriSCA to race nearer home on the Spedeworth tracks. I'd seen them both on my early season trips to Foxhall.

I went on one more organized coach trip before the year was out, to the Wimbledon Stadium in Plough Lane, South London (Nov 22) . Every year the Spedeworth organization finished their season with a spectacular 'Carnival Night. There was a giant firework display and the cars were all decorated up as floats for a pre-race parade similar the Fan Club Derby held on the BriSCA tracks. It was a show that wasn't to be missed.

PIC 1  Me and my bike

PIC 2  The Harringay car window transfer

PIC 3  Doug Wardropper # 55 at Ipswich

PIC 4  Phil 'Bootsie' Chance at the Coventry Stadium 2004

PIC 5  Barry Brew # 9 after rolling over at Brands Hatch

PIC 6  The BriSCA F1 of Andy Abel # 101 at Brafield

PIC 7  Dutchman, Aad Reyerkerk # D18 at the BriSCA F1 World Final at Belle Vue

PIC 8  Scan of the 1969 BriSCA F1 World Final program from Belle Vue

PIC 9  Stuart Smith # 391 the 1969 BriSCA F1 World Champion

PIC 10  Scan of the 1969 BriSCA F2 Worlf Final program from Brafield

PIC 11 Ron Innocent # 712 the 1969 BriSCA F2 World Champion

PIC 12  Alan Wardropper # 500 the 1969 SUPERSTOX World Champion