note the swinging style of Jim Clark in car #57

[Smokey 6 litre]

Now being a youngun i've never seen the Crystal palace circuit and was wondering if anyone could give me some info, major races, circuit beigns and last race ect.

I found a really good video, "note the swinging style of Jim Clark in car #57"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWp-0TuY4Sk&NR

Just be prapared for the mini, was there a regulation requiring roll cages in those days? because it would appear that the mini doesn't have one.

[Eddy V]

Nice video.
Never seen CP either and not old enough to have witnessed those races, but in those days nobody cared or knew much about safety. Rollcages were not "invented" yet, the odd rollbar (just behind the driver) came shortly after that period.

Lucky fellow that Mini driver.

[jonners]

This is taken from 'The Year of the Cortina' - comissioned by Ford to celebrate the Cortina winning car of the year in 1964.

Available on video from Duke - a must see for card carrying anoraks like me...

The lovely thing about it is the unabashed bias against other makes - particularly Minis...

[Vitesse]

Originally Posted by Smokey 6 litre

Now being a youngun i've never seen the Crystal palace circuit and was wondering if anyone could give me some info, major races, circuit beigns and last race ect.

I found a really good video, "note the swinging style of Jim Clark in car #57"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWp-0TuY4Sk&NR

Just be prapared for the mini, was there a regulation requiring roll cages in those days? because it would appear that the mini doesn't have one.

There are plenty of threads about the Palace around here and quite a few of us attended meetings there. It opened in 1937, held the last race meeting in Britain before WW2 and reopened - shorter - in 1953.

Great place to watch racing - you could get really close to the action thanks to the spectator banks which were protected by old railway sleepers.

It closed in 1972 - I was there! You can still trace much of the old track layout in the park though.

[Smokey 6 litre]

Thanks all.

[Alan Raine]

I loved Crystal Palace. As a kid it was the only place I could get to on Public Transport. My dad didn't drive so I persuaded him to take me on the train when I was about 13 (1968). He hated it, apart from being able to get a pint of beer when ever he wanted! I was hooked and would go when ever I could. I would pick up my paper round money on a Saturday morning, jump on a train from Stevenage to London, take the Underground to, I think Waterloo, and get the train to Crystal Palace. You could even buy the ticket for the races at Waterloo as Crystal Palace Station had a gate directly into the circuit. I could get there by about 11am and be home by 7pm. Fantastic!

It was bound to suffer in the end. The noise issue was always going to be a problem as the track was in the middle of a city. I was really sad when it closed and would of loved to have raced there - It looked a real challenge, but would have needed a lot of money spending on it to keep it going.

SS Collins, who posts here, has written a book on the circuit.