The Mountain at Cadwell Park

[Alan Raine]

Originally Posted by John Turner

Without wishing to be 'picky' (but I am! ), surely we are talking about 'Road' type circuits rather than 'street' circuits which conjures up pictures of loads of roadside furniture, walls and houses etc. Monaco and Pau, amongst others, come to mind. Oh, and the Birmingham Superprix circuit was another!

It did in the old days when the house was there. Quite a strange feeling driving past a garden fence with a barn in front of you. The section from the Mountain, through Hall Bends and down to the Hairpin has virtually no run off and is surrounded by trees. Everything is very close.

I think it was Mike Whately who went over the barrier just past the barn and ended up in the trees. The car was suspended in the branches about 6 foot off the ground. I don't know how they got it out. It even made a Catchpole Cartoon in Autosport the following week. Something to do with bird spotting while they rescued him!

[davyboy]

For sheer spectacle, SuperKarts over the mountain take some beating. The British SuperKart Grand Prix was held there this year and was amazing.

[John Turner]

Originally Posted by Alan Raine

It did in the old days when the house was there. Quite a strange feeling driving past a garden fence with a barn in front of you. The section from the Mountain, through Hall Bends and down to the Hairpin has virtually no run off and is surrounded by trees. Everything is very close.

Alan, not a one whole house! I can't argue with your description of the circuit, but to me that conveys 'country road' not 'street'. There is still a house there, incidentally.

davyboy, I can imagine the superkarts were spectacular; did they take off cresting the Mountain?

[davyboy]

Yep, loads were airborne there...

http://www.kartingmagazine.com/Issue.asp?MzID=608

[Alan Raine]

I cant disagree with that John, but I don't think there are any other circuits in the country where the scenery is so close.

A bit like a roller coaster ride in a forest

[chunterer]

It's one of the few UK circuits I've never been to and probably never will?

That particular part of the circuit is definitely exciting - I fondly remember pics of people sideways through there like Gerry Marshall in his Opel Monza in prodsaloons and the like.

I seem to recall some overly ambitious plan afoot to 'modernise' the venue some years ago with the aim being to attract F3 and BTCC back there but I don't know what happened in the end?

I think the main idea was to do something with the pit straight (move it over the back somewhere) because there is little room for pit garages along the existing stretch because it runs parallel with the bit after the Mountain and also may have involved reprofiling or extending the track elsewhere.

I guess planning permission (and maybe noise restrictions) made it difficult to get the plans accepted.

Is the lap record still held by Mansilla from 1982?

[graeme]

Outright lap record went this year/last year? to a Radical - Sean Balif (poor spelling), I think

Woodlands lap record is held by a kart!

[Ian Sowman]

It went to Shaun Balfe, in a Radical, in 2005.

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by Alan Raine

I cant disagree with that John, but I don't think there are any other circuits in the country where the scenery is so close.

A bit like a roller coaster ride in a forest

If you think the scenery is close at Cadwell have a butchers at Barbon Manor, Doune or Wiscombe Park! All three hillclimb courses are on access roads and consequently pass VERY close to trees and walls!

Barbon Manor and the Hairpin.

Doune's Esses

[Alan Raine]

Originally Posted by Steve Wilkinson

If you think the scenery is close at Cadwell have a butchers at Barbon Manor, Doune or Wiscombe Park! All three hillclimb courses are on access roads and consequently pass VERY close to trees and walls!
:

Nice pics.

I must admit I have not done a Hillclimb. It is slightly different as each car is on it's own. Being used as brakes by the guy behind, coming into the haipin is a little scary!

[Lord X]

Originally Posted by chunterer

That particular part of the circuit is definitely exciting - I fondly remember pics of people sideways through there like Gerry Marshall in his Opel Monza in prodsaloons and the like.

Now you're talking! Does anyone have pics of Marshall coming through the bottom of the Bottom (samer goes for Mansilla in 1982). Fantastic days.

[Chris Roden]

Ah! memories....
I remember, in the late sixties, a Spridget getting launched out of the hairpin and, somewhat unbelievably, sliding on its floorpan straight down the top of the picket fence outside the house.
It came off the end of the fence, landed on its wheels and continued on through Barn.

I also remember an F3 race, in the days of the 1 litre screamers, where 10 or so cars tangled on the exit from Barn and went off. The drivers (including one Mr J. Hunt) jumped out, hurled their helmets to the floor, and had a punch up.

Cadwell (full) is the best circuit in the country, the Goosneck/Mansfield section, along with the Mountain/Hall/Hairpin/Barn make it, I believe, unique in this country, although I still can't get it right when driving.

[John Turner]

It's a lovely circuit! Can't understand why Chunty doesn't think he will ever get there. Make it a 'something to do' for 2007, Chunty!

I did Barbon a couple of times in the 70s; don't remember that drop!

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by John Turner

I did Barbon a couple of times in the 70s; don't remember that drop!

The worst bit of Barbon is the second corner (Richmond). The grass run-off area on the right hand side of the track ends up at some small saplings; the trouble is just through the layer of saplings is a 70 foot drop into a river! Bet you never spotted that either John!

[MGDavid]

Originally Posted by Steve Wilkinson

If you think the scenery is close at Cadwell have a butchers at Barbon Manor, Doune or Wiscombe Park! All three hillclimb courses are on access roads and consequently pass VERY close to trees and walls!

Can't speak for the first two, but Wiscombe is wide open spaces (and the edges are softer) compared with one of my favourite hills, Oddicombe.

[davyboy]

The Phoenix Park in Dublin's the king of 'road' racing circuits in the British Isles.

[graeme]

Well, it's the only (car) road racing circuit in these isles (is it actually the British Isles?). It's one of the best motorsport events I've ever competed in, but the course is a bit dull Now if they'd run on the 1970s more northly Phoenix Park circuit, it might approach Cadwell for exciting-ness!

[davyboy]

Sorry I need to qualify that last statement of mine. I meant the Phoenix Park Hawthorn Circuit is the king of road racing circuits in these isles. Yes they're still geographically classed as the British Isles, even though the Republic of Ireland is not part of the United Kingdom.

[Alan Raine]

Originally Posted by davyboy

Sorry I need to qualify that last statement of mine. I meant the Phoenix Park Hawthorn Circuit is the king of road racing circuits in these isles. Yes they're still geographically classed as the British Isles, even though the Republic of Ireland is not part of the United Kingdom.

Where were the circuits in Ireland where they ran races through the streets of towns. I remember seeing photos in Autosport of Formula Fords racing between the houses. Now that's real road racing, although I'm not sure how good it was! Could it ever happen again? Lets face it they do it for bikes.

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by MGDavid

Can't speak for the first two, but Wiscombe is wide open spaces (and the edges are softer) compared with one of my favourite hills, Oddicombe.

I understand Oddicombe has bitten the dust! With the hillside continuing to slide ever closer to the sea the track isn't up to it!

Pity, I enjoyed my trips down to the seaside!

Oh and you are right the scenery at Oddicombe is VERY CLOSE!.

[graeme]

Originally Posted by davyboy

Sorry I need to qualify that last statement of mine. I meant the Phoenix Park Hawthorn Circuit is the king of road racing circuits in these isles.

That's the one - though it's "was" rather than "is"

Oddicombe - is that the one with the funicular railway and loads of hairpins - heard the surface was very rough

There was some mention of a round-the-houses FFord race about a decade ago in another thread a while ago - think it was in N.I. in the 90s...?

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by Alan Raine

Where were the circuits in Ireland where they ran races through the streets of towns. I remember seeing photos in Autosport of Formula Fords racing between the houses. Now that's real road racing, although I'm not sure how good it was! Could it ever happen again? Lets face it they do it for bikes.

There was Monkstown [adjacent to the Dun Laoire] in the 1980s and Dundalk in the 1980s or 1990s [can't remember]. They were great fun. I can't imagine it happening today... there doesn't seem to be the will there to do it.

Ireland has amazingly rich heritage of road racing down through the ages, with an enormous number of events held. The reason was very simple. Once you close the roads in Ireland [Scotland and N.I. are similar], you do not need to keep to the speed limits. Unfortunately you do in England and Wales and that's why it needed an act of parliament to do the Birmingham Superprix.

[ascona i2000]

Originally Posted by flagwaver

And clubs had to pay for the couple who lived in the cottage, to go out for the day whilst racing was on. It was only recently that the area from the hairpin to the barn have actually been owned by the circuit.

There is no way i would go out for the day if i had car racing going on in my garden!!

[tony griffiths]

youtube.com and type in Cadwell Park ......... Saw Mike Hailwood on his MV come over The Mountain dont think the front wheel hit the road till he got to the esses !

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by graeme

Oddicombe - is that the one with the funicular railway and loads of hairpins - heard the surface was very rough

I only went ot the October meeting and the Funicular Railway was closed! So one had to walk down to the beach and then cut along to the Paddock.

It was quiet rough but the main probem was the subsidence. This meant the roads between the hairpins tended to be in a slightly different place each year! Meanwhile the hairpins were stable and hardly moved. Eventually the whole road system will fall onto the beach.