Get motorsport back at Crystal Palace

[driftwood]

have u guys seen the little book racing at the palace??
a big name LINKED TO THE PETION/ ORGANISING THE EVENT GUEST OF HONOUR WOULD BE USEFUL PERHAPS SIR STIRLING HE IS A LONDON RESIDENT
DID HE RACE THERE?
THE LIST OF DRIVERS FROM THE RACING DAYS SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE LIST OF NAMES TO CONTACT FOR SOME ASSISTANCE

[Mal]

Would definately add my support to any event in the park. It would be great to have a historic sprint, car show based in the park and with the right plan and marketing could be a large event.

[ss_collins]

yeah I've seen it

[Rob29]

Originally Posted by driftwood

a big name LINKED TO THE PETION/ ORGANISING THE EVENT GUEST OF HONOUR WOULD BE USEFUL PERHAPS SIR STIRLING HE IS A LONDON RESIDENT
DID HE RACE THERE?

Yep,he certainly did;he won at the first meeting I ever went to.Would be the ideal choice to head up a campain. I think he still lives in the same flat in Mayfair he has had since the 50s!

[driftwood]

well i reckon he is the man he is the most famous race driver we have in the world no matter what his or others achievements are he is still the one name that is recited when people need to use a race drivers name ( usually when yr getting chastised by plod) in the infamouse line of " who do you think you are?!! "
the old lady down the road refferd to my father as "Stirling" for years !!

i think annything that happens at the palce will have to be a festival.parde demo event with the cars over the years of racing there
noise is an issue
Times have changed people have changed as we know councils are filled with odd people who make decisions that we dont agree with

my father lived in the area for years and i have seen the enviroment change
I did ride my bike around there 7 yrs ago to see where the track went- its actually a duanting place !
Is the tarmac there the original width or have they cut its width down to make a narrower path?

[ss_collins]

7 years ago it was original width, now some of it has been reduced.

Noise is not an issue for an annual event, the residents association are supportive of any event that celebrates the history of the park.

What is planned is a resumption of the annual speed event tha ran from 1997 - 2000

[bauble]

I atended the first post war meeting at the PALACE and many more right up until the last one in 1973, I still have the Autosport somewhere. It was a fantastic venue and would be ideal for historics and just give a pen and I'll sign, several times if required.

Just a footnote but I was also on the organising committee when the World Cyclo Cross Championships were held there in 1973, and also so saw the great Tommy Simpson compete on the circuit. Happier days, before the local deadheads closed it.
What has happened to England!

[fyrth]

Nostalgia is great and like many I leaned over the wooden pailings in my youth and drooled at the cars and absorbed the excitement and atmosphere.

Living in Streatham I always knew when an event was happening as the exhaust sounds used to waft down from The Palace.

It would be superb if someone had the budget and influence to make it all happen again, and my best wishes to all that might try. Unlike Goodwood the grounds are not privately owned, and I suspect this might be just one mountain too difficult to climb?

Still, nice to still have those youthful memories and now able to play with silly racing cars!

[ss_collins]

the budget is there. Its just a case of persuading the powers that be. I think when team ken take control then motorsport will return

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by ss_collins

the budget is there. Its just a case of persuading the powers that be. I think when team ken take control then motorsport will return

So long as there are no newts in the parkland!

BTW would you have to pay congestion charges per lap once Red Ken gets his hands on things?

[zefarelly]

will this go the same way as AIntree . . .an over optimistic attempt at a historic meeting last year, got my car shot blasted driving on the woeful surface, got treated like sh!te by all the horsey types, then this year they go and dig up the corner to build a grandstand to watch nags. it'll never happen there. I suspect the reality of CP opening again is pretty slim ( as much as I'd like to see it as its localish for us)

[Gerry Taylor]

Zeferelly, I can't believe what they've done to Aintree? I had some of my best dices there in 1972/3. But then I held (still hold?) The class lap record at LONGRIDGE! Ah, well, that's progress???????? Gerry.

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by Gerry Taylor

Zeferelly, I can't believe what they've done to Aintree? I had some of my best dices there in 1972/3. But then I held (still hold?) The class lap record at LONGRIDGE! Ah, well, that's progress???????? Gerry.

Gerry, wouldn't those Aintree dices have been on the club circuit? As for Longridge I too have fond memories of standing on the top of the Quarry and watching Angle boxes dicing!

[Rob29]

Originally Posted by Steve Wilkinson

Gerry, wouldn't those Aintree dices have been on the club circuit?!

Yep. GP circuit last used for racing in 1964.Club circuit not affected by new stand and is still used for a sprint,and,I think,bikes?

[Alan Raine]

Originally Posted by Rob29

Yep. GP circuit last used for racing in 1964.Club circuit not affected by new stand and is still used for a sprint,and,I think,bikes?

The Club Circuit is still in good condition. I've had a few Track Days there with the old Formula Ford and it's a fun circuit to drive. The Liverpool Motor Club are an enthusiastic bunch and there is a good Cafe come Bar for the Golf Course that's been built inside the track. Just don't hit the fences!

[zefarelly]

we ran on the old GP circuit last year, the club circuit seems to be ok apart from the crap all over it, dumped by the people who make fences to break horses legs with, still, keeps the glue factory busy I suppose

[Neptune]

the budget is there. Its just a case of persuading the powers that be. I think when team ken take control then motorsport will return

SS,
So, do you think there is any chance of that happening this year? We've been discussing a special vacation for later this year and it's beginning to look like we may be crossing the pond. I do want to return to the Palace, and if there were any sort of event going on, then I'd like to be there for it. We haven't decided on a date for our trip yet, but it will have to fit into a couple of race dates here.

As I've said on this thread or perhaps the earlier thread on the palace, we went down there from central London for an afternoon, hopped the bus. But we came in at what must be the SW corner and spent most of our time in the area where the palace actually stood and the terraces. The sphinx were a surprise. Then a friend showed me Parfitt's book and I got a copy shortly after returning home. Now, I have the more current photos in your new book to help me explore the park. Our trip in 1993 was a particularly cold and blustery one, and that afternoon in the park was typical. We were both quite cold when we boarded the bus to return to our hotel. I left somewhat disappointed because I didn't know where the track had actually been; never did feel I'd found any part of it. I could remember photos of people watching from perches on the terraces and I had photos of Keith Hall receiving trophies with some of the statues and vases in the background. Now I'd be much better prepared to find my way round. Now if I could just get 4DTN over for a run round the park.

Roger

[Anuauto]

Until SSC comes along, I'll answer (as I know the organisers of the last sprints), almost certainly no. Having said that, if someone gave the go-ahead today, I'm sure all the stops would be pulled out (particularly since the club has probably lost its North Weald Airfield sprint venue to a Sunday market car park this year and possible housing in the longer term).
Organising an "historic" sprint has proved more time consuming than a "modern" one, partly because many of the competitors in the past needed a few things explaining to them about speed events. (Thats the polite version, to avoid upsetting any historic racers on here who know their way around competing!).

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by Anuauto

Until SSC comes along, I'll answer (as I know the organisers of the last sprints), almost certainly no. Having said that, if someone gave the go-ahead today, I'm sure all the stops would be pulled out (particularly since the club has probably lost its North Weald Airfield sprint venue to a Sunday market car park this year and possible housing in the longer term).
Organising an "historic" sprint has proved more time consuming than a "modern" one, partly because many of the competitors in the past needed a few things explaining to them about speed events. (Thats the polite version, to avoid upsetting any historic racers on here who know their way around competing!).

That's assuming the ones who don't understand about sprints do understand about computers!

The VSCC crowd are fully conversant about sprints doing Colerne and Curborough, to name but two, each year. (never mind the hillclimbs!)

The 500 OC also do sprints and hillclimbs as do several other historic clubs.

I would have thought with the right invitations it would be relatively easy to get together a reasonable entry list. However the main problem would be fitting it into the already organised schedules of these clubs.

I would have thought you will need an 18 month lead in to get this off the ground, however if you could get the venue on a regular basis on the same week-end it could become the Sprinting equivalent of Goodwood.

[ss_collins]

No is the immediate answer but o say its gone forever is too much, if you do decide to swing by the palace I'd be happy to show you around

[Chris Roden]

Originally Posted by Steve Wilkinson

That's assuming the ones who don't understand about sprints do understand about computers!

The VSCC crowd are fully conversant about sprints doing Colerne and Curborough, to name but two, each year. (never mind the hillclimbs!)

What's a computer then?

I am one of the VSCC "crowd" and yes, we do understand about speed events.
The fact is that calendar clashes may not be so critical as they at first appear, almost all of the club's speed events are over subscribed so there are many competitors with nowhere to play.

Last season we were rejected for Curborough sprint, 10th reserve for the Goodwood sprint and our Loton Park hillclimb was reputedly oversubscribed by over 70 entries (although we did get a run there ).

[Anuauto]

There exists several pages of transcripts of telephone conversations recorded by one Crystal Palace Sprint Secretary of the Meeting one year (like most officials, someone struggling to find the time between work and family to run an event for others). Inane and ludicrous cant begin to describe some of the time-wasting questions from entrants and would be entrants. To be fair most offenders were not regular speed competitors.
I wont mention some personal experiences of VSCC and 500 OA events (of well alright I will, there was the one where the MSA Steward discovered the Clerk of the Course wasn't a member of the promoting club and there was...)
On a more serious note, there would be opposition from some amateur helpers to any revival of CP (or elsewhere) becoming an exclusive festival like either historic Goodwood event - unless it was as part of a "double-header" that included an event for true grass roots club-level people. That brings us back to why we cant have a club event on the Goodwood Hill Climb the week before or after (such an event being the original idea for that course...)

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by Anuauto

On a more serious note, there would be opposition from some amateur helpers to any revival of CP (or elsewhere) becoming an exclusive festival like either historic Goodwood event - unless it was as part of a "double-header" that included an event for true grass roots club-level people. That brings us back to why we cant have a club event on the Goodwood Hill Climb the week before or after (such an event being the original idea for that course...)

Certainly a 'double-header' would be ideal. For example on the Saturday you could run championships like the Porsche Speed, Paul Matty Lotus Challenge, Westfield Speed and possibly the British Sprint Championship. On the Sunday you could then run the Historics.

As to Goodwood Hillclimb course are there not issues with the license. It does appear in the Blue Book but I had a suspicion that there were limitations on its use (i.e. not competitive timings).

On the other Goodwood venue the race course the noise issues are really problematical. With a small number of noisy days available plus the track has to remain totally unused for five days either side of any noisy day(s) the chance of running a top class sprint there is negligible.

[Anuauto]

Originally Posted by Steve Wilkinson

Certainly a 'double-header' would be ideal. For example on the Saturday you could run championships like the Porsche Speed, Paul Matty Lotus Challenge, Westfield Speed and possibly the British Sprint Championship. On the Sunday you could then run the Historics.

As to Goodwood Hillclimb course are there not issues with the license. It does appear in the Blue Book but I had a suspicion that there were limitations on its use (i.e. not competitive timings).

On the other Goodwood venue the race course the noise issues are really problematical. With a small number of noisy days available plus the track has to remain totally unused for five days either side of any noisy day(s) the chance of running a top class sprint there is negligible.

Diffferent planets.
Wouldn't go around repeating that in the south east if I were you! With the scarcity of venues (North Weald seeming lost this very week, Longcross in the longer term), we are talking ASEMC, ACSMC etc and club championships like the CP organising club's own as making up any "double header". Quite apart from CP being unlikely to ever have a track licence for large single seaters, the Brit Championships and the massed Porsches etc that have flooded too many popular southern venues are needed at most of them like a hole in the head. Tell you what: we'll swap 2 days of N.Weald for a couple at Prescott and Shelsley for all the southern regional championships.
The Goodwood Festival "hill" (first investigated as a venue for a SE club event) continues with the fastest cars around (and a record of fatal accidents). Sure it's a rubbish course compared to most hill climbs but so are most SE venues. I think we need to look to other reasons for a vital SE venue not being available for just one day for (quieter) club level cars...
Goodwood circuit wasn't under discussion but the vastly reduced sprint (and rally) dates remain a sore point within the hard pressed SE club community and I dont think outside championships would be too welcome (unless as part of an exchange, as above). What is there now is much better than gravel pits but it doesn't do much for the withering grass roots of SE motorsport.

[Anuauto]

By the way, I guess we should now back off on further speculation and just stand ready to support those directly involved as soon as they ask us to with petitions or whatever.