Forget the BTCC banger racers, this is how it should be done

[FourWheelDrift]

The 1964 BSCC round at Crystal Palace, featuring amongst others Jim Clark and Peter Arundel. Ford Galaxies, Lotus Cortinas, Minis etc..

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWp-0TuY4Sk

Edited by FourWheelDrift on Monday 14th August 10:37

[jeremyc]

Fabulous clip!

Interesting that there was absolutely no sponsorship on any of the cars.

[racefan_uk]

Nice video. Will have to look at more info about the Crystal Palace track, its looked like a top little venue. And look at the crowds!!! Ahhh, a time before pub televised premiership football.

Edited by racefan_uk on Monday 14th August 10:43

[FourWheelDrift]

Crystal Palace is still there, they have used the start/finish straight for some sprint events. This is also the location for the Mini testing and security van blowing in The Italian Job

The back straight however (the part going under the bridge into the corner where the Mini lost it) is partly blocked now by the grandstand of the Crystal Palace Sports ground and is used for parking. The Start finish straight has a break in the middle.

Google Earth - 51°25'15.65"N 0° 4'12.23"W

[kevin ritson]

There are a couple of books out there about the circuit. Sadly I was born after the circuit closed (strangely enough spent a few of my early days on family outings at Crystal Palace Park - my mum was brought up in Penge and recalls hearing the racing there on Sundays)

In 1997 they had a revival sprint event - it was very odd going to a race meeting by bus - but sadly Bromley Council have decided they prefer not to have this sort of thing (and if you've been to Bromley Town Centre recently, you'll know they don't like cars). Shame as I was last there 4 years ago and it looks like sections of the old track won't be there for long...

[FourWheelDrift]

Some photo's at Crystal Palace From 2000 - www.sevenoaksmotorclub.com/gallery/palace00/Page.html

[Eric Mc]

Great stuff.

[fozzi]

FourWheelDrift said:

Some photo's at Crystal Palace From 2000 - www.sevenoaksmotorclub.com/gallery/palace00/Page.html

Blimey, have lived in the Sevenoaks area most of my life and never knew about this crowd... looks like I know a few of these guys too!

[buzzerm3]

Brilliant video - one of the reasons I love the St Mary's Trophy race at the Goodwood Revival every year.

This is how it should be done - rubbin' is most definitely NOT racing!

[jalopyjoe]

Yeah, Crystal Palace was a great circuit, I was at the last event held there, a certain Mr. Gerry Marshall figured prominently at that one I seem to remember. As for Sevenoaks M.C. I was involved with them for a while and particularly liked the annual hillclimb which used to be held at Valence School, ah good days, someone pass my pipe and slippers please.

[L100NYY]

Many thnks for the clip, really brightened up my afternoon and I now am even more excited about going to the Revival in a few weeks time!

If I had the space (and the money) there would most certainly be a Lotus Cortina sitting in my collection.

[dougc]

Great clip, thanks for the heads up. What a fantastic looking circuit too. Never seen any moving footage of it before. Hope the driver of the mini was OK, that was a pretty nasty smash - no roll cages then I guess.

I can thoroughly recommend the book Autodrome to find out a bit more about CP and other now defunct racing ciruits. Some stunning photography and great writing too. Its about £30 I think but worth every penny.

[combemarshal]

My god, they were the same cars that were at Combe earlier in the year and Silverstone a couple of weeks back!!

And they slow down for yellow flags!!

It's easy to see why there was no 'Rubbing' though, they were miles apart!

[LongQ]

When I were a wee lad we lived just a few hundred yards from the park for a couple of years. Used to go over and wander amongst the dinosaur replicas.

I remember, vaguely, going to one or two races and have a few seconds of cine film (not good quality once transferred to video) which would pre-date this video. A few 500cc racers and some sports cars - Astons and Lister Jags and similar I seem to recall.

A nice place to live at the time though I very much doubt that any of the London boroughs would agree with activites like that now. The last time I went through the area a few years ago most of the older houses with their large gardens had been turned into cramped housing ghettos. Sad really.

The vids going to take a while to download on my dialup line so I'll comment on it later.

[LongQ]

jeremyc said:

Interesting that there was absolutely no sponsorship on any of the cars.

Never did see much until the late 60's. Other than things like the Willment team whose colour scheme and distinctive stripes were in some way a form of advertising I suppose, for those in the know.

If you look carefully you can see that most, maybe all, of the cars had number plates and were quite likely to have been driven to the circuit and back if they did not crash.

The rolling mini even seemed to shed its spare wheel as it finished its antics. Looked like its shopping trip days were over though.

Broken glasses and a chipped tooth for the driver eh? Who needs airbags?

The drifting control was simply fantastic - the few seconds I have show the same approaches on the crossply tyres a few years before. ANd the lack of fences with photographers close enough to touch the cars (as they needed to be in the absence of good and optically fast telephotos back then. Looks like Clark was doing his usual showboating for some of them. Very difficult to get shots to compete with those in this day and age.

Great clip. Thanks for the find.

[Eric Mc]

Overt sponsorship was specifically banned throughout most of Europe.

Indirect spnsorship was allowed, as long as it was subtle and not "in your face".

[FourWheelDrift]

If a cigarette sponsor wanted a driver to advertise their brand they got him to smoke it

Edited by FourWheelDrift on Saturday 19th August 09:55

[LongQ]

Eric Mc said:

Overt sponsorship was specifically banned throughout most of Europe.

Indirect spnsorship was allowed, as long as it was subtle and not "in your face".

Hmm. Now why would that be then ...

Maybe Mr. Mosley could consider banning advertising as a way of cutting the F1 budgets?

No?

Thought not.

[motco]

Fantastic! I was at a meeting there in that year - not that one sadly 'cos Jim Clark was a hero of mine and I'm sure I'd recall seeing him. Those Galaxies were formidable beasts. On the day in 1964 that I remember a dog got onto the circuit and caused a bit of trouble. I can't say what happened to it though. Anyone else old enough to remember it? No, I didn't think so.

[Andy Mac]

Clip below, Elise vs cortina is worth a watch!