1971

In late 1970, I left the Mill Vale Secondary School in Dunstable (UK) and started full-time employment as an apprentice at Bagshawe and Co, an engineering company in the town. The company made conveyor systems and I was being trained as a fabricator and welder. In those days the Luton and Dunstable area was a hive of industry, with many busineses connected to the Motor industry. ( General Motors, Chrysler Corp and SKF to name a few). There were about twenty apprentices in my year at Bagshawe and while we were at college on 'day-release' we hung out with the trainees from the other companies. Some of them would join me at the races, when we weren't 'chasing' the young the college girls !

I was now living in Totternhoe, just outside Dunstable, and had started frequenting the local pubs in nearby Eaton Bray and Eddlesborough. My regular 'watering hole' was the 'long gone' Axe and Compass in Eddlesborough. One of the guys I met there was the village milkman, who also happened to be one of our local race car drivers. Brian Holmes, who at this time was living in Slapton ( another village close by) had started in Bangers in the 1960's , moved on to BriSCA F2 and was also dabbling in Mini Rods ( another budget formula). In the years to come, Brian and I would become good friends and we are still in touch to this day. In 2008, past the age of 65 he was was still racing stock cars with his grandson Paul at the WestWorld track in Cornwall (UK) close to his new home.

During the first part of 1971, you'd find me visiting my local tracks of Brafield, Harringay and Coventry, but on Saturday June 26, I added a new track to my portfolio. In 1971 , Northamptonshire driver Chris Butler was behind the opening of the Earls Barton Stadium, for the 'boom' formula of the time, Banger Racing. I rode my BSA Bantam through the country lanes to the track located just a few miles away from Brafield. Sharing the bill that night were a few non contact cars from the Midland Hot Rod Club.

Sometime during 1970/71 ( I can't remember exactly when) , I took and passed my motorcycle test which allowed me to ride something bigger. My buddy Chris Pickup had a Matchless 500 twin , complete with 'ape hanger' handlebars and it looked 'the works' ! so I wanted something similar. I was offered a 1955 AJS 500 twin at a good price, and before long it was mine. The AJS and Matchless were similar machines ( I think they were made by the same company) . The only problem with mine was from a bad oil leak from the crank case. By the time I got to Brafield the bottom of my jeans were always dripping with oil.

On Sept 19, I rode it to the 1971 BriSCA F2 World Final at Brafield where I saw Dave Brown # 583 from Cornwall ( Cornwall UK, not Ontario !) win the gold.

Two weeks earlier ( Sept 4)  I traveled to the Coventry staged 1971 BriSCA F1 World Final with one of my Bagshawe buddies, Dave Colvin in his Ford Anglia. This was the year that Doug Cronshaw # 396 was handed the checkers after first and second placed Willie Harrison # 2 and championship defender Jim Esau # 244 put each other out with two laps to go. Cronshaw who'd been lying third, just cruised the last few yards to clinch the gold. This years event had Netherlands representative Henk Straver # N1 from Voorschoeten and two South African's, Boet Eckout # SA1 and Harry Van der Spuy # SA2. Straver from the Dutch EVACO organization was driving his own car . Eckout was driving the Darkie Wright built car of Chick Woodroffe # 1 and Van Der Spuy was using the spare car of Stuart Smith # 391.

The two South Africans were also at the traditional 'day after' event at Brafield (Sept 5). Both were involved in notable crashes. Eckout went backwards into the Horton Bend fence while Van Der Spuy did a spectacular pirouette and rollover on the start/finish line.

The following week I was at Harringay (Sept 11) for a regular meeting , but as it unfolded , it turned out to be quite a historical event on two counts .

Firstly, after a long period of retirement Capt Doug Harvey of the USAF returned to racing that night . Doug had been stationed at the USAF base at Chelverston (Northants) and was a regular competitor during the early 1960's. He made history by winning the 1960 British Stock Car Drivers Championship at the West Ham Stadium in his scruffy and dirty orange Hudson Hornet  # 149 . It was very quick and apparently the 283 Chev was shipped to the UK from a racing shop in Florida. At Harringay he was back in that same old Hudson, now with the # 11 and racing against cars that were much more advanced. It was a great sight to see and the noise made from it's 'tweaked up' engine was something special I'd never heard before.

The second thing, and the event that sticks in most peoples mind about that Harringay meeting was the final result. Still, driving the loaned Stuart Smith car , South African driver Harry Van der Spuy took the checkers. ( excluding the USAF drivers who were living in the UK, the last overseas drivers to win finals were Chevalier D'Orgeix ( France) and a touring USA team in the 1950's. D'Orgeix won the first ever stock car meeting to be staged in the UK at the New Cross Stadium (South London) on Good Friday 1954.

The 1971 Spedeworth Superstox World Final was held at Wimbledon on Sept 18 . It was won by Reading , Berkshire's ,Geoff Goddard # 294 . Strange as it may seam, I never knew Geoff at the time but now feel I know him quite well, as we've since become acquainted. In recent years I was contacted by his son Kai who became based in Michigan USA. Kai was just starting his racing career at the Waterford Hills Circuit and as a result I did a magazine article about both of them. Geoff emigrated to South Africa during the mid 1970's where he continued racing, first on the ovals and then on to such places as the Kyalami Circuit. He's been a long time recipient of the RICK @ the RACES reports.

I turned 17 years old in 1971 and had started taking driving lessons. First of all in Mum's 'split screen' Morris Minor, then in a driving school Ford Escort. Not long after passing my driving test I was the proud owner of my first car, a BMC Morris Mini van (with a side window conversion). It was not only better for getting to the races, it was also a great help in scoring with the girls !

By then it was October, and the BriSCA season was almost over, but this didn't stop me attending races. My new acquisition was put into service straight away. The Spedeworth season always ran later than BriSCA's so I became a regular patron at the Wimbledon Stadium right up until November 20. This gave me a chance to witness a gold topped Geoff Goddard # 294 in action.

PIC 1   My AJS 500 twin. 

PIC  2   Brian Holmes # 542 on a scan from a Rayleigh Stadium program

PIC 3  Brian Holmes with his # 310 Mini Rod

PIC 4  Doug Cronshaw # 396 at Brafield

PIC 5  South African , Boet Eckout # SA1

PIC 6  South African, Harry Van Der Spuy # SA2

PIC 7  Scan of the 1971 Coventry BriSCA F1 World Final program

PIC 8  Boet Eckout # SA1 in the Brafield safety fence

PIC 9   Willie Harrison # 2 at Brafield

PIC 10  Scan of the 1971 BriSCA F2 World Final

PIC 11  The # 294 Superstox of Geoff Goddard at Cowdenbeath (Scotland)

PIC 12  My first car, a BMC Morris Mini van