Remembering Easter 'Super Weekends'

**chunterer** · 3 Mar 2006, 15:26 (Ref:1535520)

With Easter only a month or so away I always think back to the classic weekend of race meetings held between Good Friday and Easter Monday.

My particular recollections are from the 80's as a lad when my dad and I would head off to Oulton Park on Friday for a top day's' Group 1/A and supports then head off to Thruxton for the Easter Monday F2, F3 and Group 1/A.

1984 was a goodun. At Oulton, Good Friday I remember seeing 'Pel' McCarthy flying past me into Old Hall in his FF1600 Van Diemen, miraculously escaping injury and then James Weaver dishing up a vituoso perfromance in the 635 to defeat the dominant Rover Vitesses.

Then at Thruxton on the Monday Mike Thackwell vanquished everyone in the F2, with Weaver, Peter Lovett and Fearless Frank Sytner indulging in a bit hot headedness in the BTCC and a fantastic battle in Special saloons between Doc Enderby (Karmann Ghia), Ginger Marshall (The Kitten!) and Pat Mannion (Stiletto)!

It must have been fairly expensive to do that much travelling for both spectators and meeting entrants but it was such a buzz!!

I'd love to see this sort of thing come back, but I guess spiralling costs for all concerned as well as noise restrictions has put paid to that.

What do we all think about this 'missing' link in the calendar and lets hear about favourite Easter Weekends from days gone by and any stand out moments....

Dan Rear · 6 Mar 2006, 10:33 (Ref:1537173)

There were also meetings held on Easter Sat and Sunday as I recall, so for the well heeled, and ultra-keen, (or mad!) it would have been possible to go racing 4 days running.

Alan Raine · 6 Mar 2006, 10:40 (Ref:1537178)

When I started Formula Ford in 1982 I managed to do 3 different races in the one weekend. I think it would have been possible to do 4 but I would have been absolutely knackered.

In those days we had some much choice and it was also cheap. I think entry fees then were about £30 per race.

All the main championships ran over easter plus many of the smaller ones.

Happy Days

Chris Griffin · 6 Mar 2006, 10:43 (Ref:1537180)

Back when I was marshalling in the mid 80s I do recal a whole bunch of us doing Silverstone on the Friday, Oulton on Sat, Aintree on Sunday and Thruxton F2 on Monday. Mental weekend. I might even still have the programmes somewhere. I'll take a look.

Dan Rear · 6 Mar 2006, 11:05 (Ref:1537197)

Mallory in the 70s seemed to get the 'lower' formulae at Easter, I guess 'cos the bigger stuff went to Brands/Silverstone/Thruxton. I recall one year, 77 maybe, when the meeting consisted of such as F750, and Morgan 3 wheelers. Wow...

Rob29 · 6 Mar 2006, 11:09 (Ref:1537200)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Griffin

Back when I was marshalling in the mid 80s I do recal a whole bunch of us doing Silverstone on the Friday, Oulton on Sat, Aintree on Sunday and Thruxton F2 on Monday. Mental weekend. I might even still have the programmes somewhere. I'll take a look.

I don't think Aintree ever raced on Sundays,but I remember doing Oulton Park on Thurs & Fri,Thruxton practice on sat.Brands Sun,Thruxton,monday!

Chris Griffin · 6 Mar 2006, 11:21 (Ref:1537211)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob29

I don't think Aintree ever raced on Sundays,but I remember doing Oulton Park on Thurs & Fri,Thruxton practice on sat.Brands Sun,Thruxton,monday!

You could well be right Rob. It was a long time ago!

**Peter Mallett** · 6 Mar 2006, 11:57 (Ref:1537233)

Thruxton on Easter Monday. Early to mid 70's was the F5000 era. Also we got to see the end of the Big Bangers in Touring Cars.

I recall seeing the only all Ferrari race (up to that time) to take place in the UK at one of these meetings.

Around about '77 the F5000's were replaced with F2.

**chunterer** · 6 Mar 2006, 13:10 (Ref:1537282)

1977?!

I was proudly throwing matchbox toy Mini's over the fence into next door's (then) garden!

The first Easter Thruxton event i attended was the '82 one i think.. It may have been Whitsun bank holiday come to think of it?

The BTCC was definitely on.

Have to say I wouldn't have minded seeing a proper F5000 thrash as the sounds must have been superb.

Dan Rear · 6 Mar 2006, 14:40 (Ref:1537298)

I think Easter Monday was always F2 at Thruxton, 5000s seemed to do Oulton on the Friday, then Brands Monday.

bauble · 6 Mar 2006, 15:39 (Ref:1537324)

In younger days a group of us enthusiasts would cycle from north London to, say Crystal Palace on Friday, a Silverstone Clubbie on Saturday and Brands Hatch on Monday. On Sunday we would run the 'Louts Race' (as oposed to a gentleman driver)
a 50 mile cycle ride, just to keep in trim.
Beat that!

Nordic · 6 Mar 2006, 16:09 (Ref:1537335)

Easter Monday at Thruxton was always a highlight of the year, F2 and then a couple of years of F3000.

In my younger days the trip from home to the track was fuelled by Easter Eggs, nearly led to a nasty mess a couple of years I can tell you!

Due to my dads work, we always had free tickets and often a lunch in the club house as well. Thinking about it now, it was my 2nd favorite meeting of the year after Le Mans.

Dan Rear · 6 Mar 2006, 16:49 (Ref:1537359)

Blimey Nordic, what did he do ?

Nordic · 6 Mar 2006, 16:55 (Ref:1537363)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Rear

Blimey Nordic, what did he do ?

That would be telling! but it saved the BARC, more money than a slap up meal and couple of free tickets.

Steve Wilkinson · 6 Mar 2006, 17:11 (Ref:1537371)

I did the Oulton Park & Thruxton double in 1973. Good Friday was Rd 2 of the John Player F3 at the Park whilst on Easter Monday it was the European F2s at Thruxton. I even managed a trip to see Burnley play in the First Division (Premiership now!) on the Saturday!

I opted out of the blinding thrashes round the country after that but did two days at Thruxton (Saturday practice & Monday race) from 1974 until 1986 when I went down to see the Interserie cars. I have never been back to Thruxton!

Rob29 · 6 Mar 2006, 18:09 (Ref:1537408)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nordic

Easter Monday at Thruxton was always a highlight of the year, F2 and then a couple of years of F3000.

In my younger days the trip from home to the track was fuelled by Easter Eggs, nearly led to a nasty mess a couple of years I can tell you!

Due to my dads work, we always had free tickets and often a lunch in the club house as well. Thinking about it now, it was my 2nd favorite meeting of the year after Le Mans.

Yes,Iwent to opening Thruxton Easter meeting in 1968.F2 ran evey year except 1974(no british F2 races)until first yearof F3000(1985)Since then only touring cars and/or F3-this year bikes!

**Peter Mallett** · 6 Mar 2006, 18:39 (Ref:1537424)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Rear

I think Easter Monday was always F2 at Thruxton, 5000s seemed to do Oulton on the Friday, then Brands Monday.

I definitely remember F5000.

Andrew Kitson · 6 Mar 2006, 19:38 (Ref:1537476)

There was always a big meeting at Snetterton on Good Friday with practice on the Thursday. F1 Internationals in the early 60s replaced with ETCC 500km races in the mid 1960s then F2. F5000 in 71, 72 & 73 then took over from the Oulton Good Friday meeting. Always was a busy time in the UK calendar. I remember 1977 with the Royale FFs. Think it was race at Oulton Friday, practice at Thruxton Saturday, race at Snetterton Sunday, race at Thruxton Monday! Knackered Monday night.

**chunterer** · 8 Mar 2006, 12:53 (Ref:1540268)

Wow, that's some serious commuting Andrew!!! How did you do it?

I'm trying to remmember the racecard from 'my' 84 weekend.

Besides the BTCC, Oulton had Thundersports, RAC FF1600, Racing Displays FF2000, but i'm struggling to recall the rest without my programme which is in the loft buried and may involve me having to hire a civil engineering firm to dig them out!!

All I know is that David Kennedy and Martin Birrane won the thundersports with the Ibec Cobra DFV (was subject to a thread of its own not so long back) and I believe The Texas Chevron B36-DFV was second driven by Needell and (can't remember his name?).

Thuxton had (other than the 3 headline events) the Wendy Wools, Fiesta's which was an amusing mix of of Mk1's and Mike Smith's brand new MK2!! as well as Townsend Thoresen (Star of Tomorrow?) FF1600.

Andrew Kitson · 8 Mar 2006, 12:59 (Ref:1540277)

Quote:

Originally Posted by chunterer

The Texas Chevron B36-DFV was second driven by Needell and (can't remember his name?).

That would have been Richard Piper.

**chunterer** · 8 Mar 2006, 13:15 (Ref:1540284)

That's the fella!

However now you mention it, i'm not as sure that that car was actually second or with that pairing?!!

I shouldn't forget that John Foulston and John Brindley may also have campaigned an ex Can Am monster - a Lola T530 which was one of the most impressive 'vehicles' (not sure it really was a car but more of an aircraft combined with a Locomotive!) that i've ever seen - it was absolutely monstrous!!! (We've gotta do a thread about this car and the other varieties that joined in a few years later like the Frisbee, March!)

John dovetailed between this and his usual campaign in Historic GT'S with the awesome McLaren M8's.

Other cars that may have been there were Tim Lee Davey's C2 Tiga, a lurid yellow Grid with mr Lanfanchi at the wheel, a black March 74/75S with a Volvo engine (may have years confused?) a rather nifty Toj and a gaggle of other Chevron varieties such as B6/B8/B16/B19/B26/36 well a lot of them anyway. At that young age I spent a lot of time peering down entry lists trying to work out what on earth those cars were and missing the action in the process!

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