*Look for labels: new additions may be scattered randomnly throughout the page.

Special request:  was anyone at Coventry in Sept/Oct 1975? 
Did you snap the Dick Young accident — Dick in his car were hoisted carefully off the track by
a tow truck at each end — both axles off the car.  Memories or photos please.

Cars/drivers here are Les Mitchell, Willie Harrison, Chick Woodroffe, Chris Pickup, Don Round, Geoff Buck, Mike Holt, Reg Graham, Doug Cronshaw, Don Evans, Dick Young, Steve Bird, Sam Seabrook, Johnny Goodhall, John Thorpe, Jayne Bean, Dave Berresford,   Mal Semple, Pete Shepherd, Pete Webb, George Ansell, Brian Powles, Brian Wallace, Les Suckling, Ian Ireland, Fred Skinner, Ray Scriven, Bob Tanser, John Stirk, Dave Chisholm, Frank Wainman snr, Stu Smith, Dave Taylor, Ian Russell, Glyn Pursey, Alan Barker, Danny Clarke, Bernard Poyser, Al Wilson, and Nigel Whorton (a 1990s shot).

 August 2010: Dennis Irving #363 was from Castle Donington, Leics [where the  Donington Park road circuit and Grand Prix museum is] and raced between 1968 and 1973.  Here on an unidentified track, Dennis drives a Dick Sworder car, a very attractive upright-cab design.  I'm not sure whether Sworder built it or whether Sworder 'inherited" it. Photo passed on to me by Keviin Crabtree. 

Note: a  Denis  Irving (one 'n') from Notts raced under #485 in the early sixties, shown in my MORE SENIORS section.

  July 2010: Regular visitors will be familiar with my logical problem of covering stock car drivers by decade. Coventry racer Jim Potter, #146, had a BriSCA licence for THIRTY years from 1963 to 1994 ---- where the heck do I put him on my website?  Thanks to Rob Harrad of Coventry, a lifelong fan and friend of Jim Potter, who has donated a bundle of top quality photographs from the sixties and seventies, I will now assemble everything Potter-related right here.

In a wintry snow scene in about 1965, Jim has two cars loaded:  an ex-Goodman car on the front, and  an ex-Toon car on the back just in case ---- though I suppose the Toon car would come off first, making the Goodman motor the spare.   Today Jim Potter wishes he still had that Bedford "J" lorry.

May as well show the lorry again outside Jim's business premises in Coventry; nowadays it would be called "eco-green-recycling-materials-logistics", but Jim was a scrap man pure and simple!

Next, an instantly-recognizable Darkie Wright special that Jim got brand new, and which later went to Frank Bourne --- what a beauty.  Unfortunately, it got a pasting, shown in the next two photos ---  aftermath 1, and aftermath 2.  Rob Harrad would like to build a heritage replica of this car one day.

If you spotted the tasty Zephyr convertible in the background of "aftermath 2", enlarged here, that SVC1 plate is there today, on that same Zephyr, still in Jim Potter's hands.

Here's the "Copper Kettle" nicknamed car, and like most of the Potter cars, its immaculate signwriting was done by Rob Harrad's father.  Rob tells me it was called the Copper Kettle because Jim, as a dealer in all metals, had the body made entirely of copper and brass.  It was declared outside the rules because it didn't originally come from a road car, so Jim passed it on to Dennis Irving.  Next, Jim's famous Velvetex-finish car ---- do you remember the brief fashion for velvet finishes? There was a very fuzzy Mini in Bristol in those years whose owner had the bad luck to have a parking spot under a row of lime trees that harboured hundreds of starlings ---- back to the drawing board.

Last of Rob Harrad's collection (two more pics from elsewhere to come) shows Jim Potter himself as he is today, beside his proudly-owned 1945 US Navy Jeep in totally mint and original condition.  A happy man! My sincere thanks to Rob Harrad and Jim Potter for these contributions.

Moved from elsewhere on my website:  a "maybe" Jim Potter at Brafield in 1963; it's an early car, and I'm not sure whether #146 in that year was still Datchett's Roy Clarke?  Then, at Cadwell Park, the Velvetex car chassis by Nigel Shaw, body by Howard Davies:  Thanks to David Collins.  And another Potter car at Brands Hatch.

 February 2010:  Thanks to Alan Butterworth, whose local track was Belle Vue (starting at age 6 years), this site now has a bundle of early-1970's photographs. The photos Alan sent were taken at Rochdale, Hednesford, White City, Wembley, Stike, (and one rare b/w snapshot from Lesieux, Normandy in 1966).  I will distribute the photos among any existing driver shots --- but of course where there are several cars in view, I'll have to flip a coin.  My thanks to Alan for his kind donation.  In fact by coincidence Willie Harrison is right underneath here, so ----  Willie # 2 waits it out at Hednesford while crews scrub off some debris.  Then, almost universally popular, Willie enjoys a victory lap at Stoke.

  January 2010: from Mike Winterton, a nice photo of # 2 Willie Harrison at Brandon. But for lovers of slightly "anorak" specialisms, in the background you can see a Morris "J" ice-cream van, in the colours of D. Di Mascio.  Mike tells me there is a whole book published on the D. Di Mascio enterprise, and here are the details if you don't believe me:  "D. Di Mascio's Delicious Ice Cream: D. Di Mascio of Coventry: An Ice Cream Company of Repute, with an Interesting and Varied Fleet of Ice Cream Vans", by Roger De Boer, Harvey Francis Pitcher, and Alan Wilkinson.  Only 28 pages, but you can buy it.  I hope someone writes a book about FRED'S HOT DOGS, or PAUL THE ANORAK KING of Brafield. In my part of Northants it was the famous GALLONE's ICE CREAM, whose bell-ringing vans visited every village.  

Below is Pete Webb's first F1, and behind it George Ansell and Darkie Wright are chatting.

Below: Brands Hatch in 1970, and we see Barry Redman 151 leading 30 Dave Taylor, 7 Darkie Wright, 6 Derek Green, 127 Jack Wilson, and 82 Chris Balcombe-Beriff.

July 2009:  The Russ Bates collection of mostly-1960's photos can be seen in the Sixties section, but Russ also sent me these photos of his exploits in the (mostly) 1970's. I shall be adding more background facts to these later.

A smiling Russ Bates enjoys the sunshine on a Brafield parade lap in #225, the 'flower power' car. [Rick Young photo]

 July 2009: From ex-F2 racer Andrew Hirst:  Willie Harrison has the pleasure of following one of his own cars at Belle Vue (possibly Nelson?), Willie of course in #2 and Gordon Smith 293 in Willie's loaned car.  Then at Brands Hatch, Ansell chases SuperStu.  Then, a gaggle of Brands rivals, including the elusive #323, (a number under which TWELVE drivers raced); 53 Ian Barker; the 307 car is either Mac Frankland or Alan Green; and Stu in the lead.

March 2009:  Everyone has their favourite driver, and I'm pleased to celebrate the great John Hillam, whom Martin Packer refers to as "our Cleckheaton hero."  Thanks to Martin we can see some great shots of  # 229, the winged car with a seriously big motor, with which Hillam took on heavy hitters like Powles, Smithy, Mellor, et al.  In no special order, we see:  Hillam "tapping" 16 Frank Bourne at Hednesford; then Hillam in clear air;  next, lining up beside John Thorpe; starting his slide on the inside of Powles;  neck-and-neck with SuperStu;  and a proper tangle, with Hillam not in sight, but involving Smithy slipping past the chaos of 428 Pete Doran from Hinckley, 52, prob. Stephen Bird from Markyate (just poss. Mike Scothern from Sheffield), 78 Barry Goldsby in an old Leighton-based car, 230 Sam Seabrook from Hinckley, and Bedford's Glyn Pursey 175 .  

John Hillam was "so near" to top honours on several occasions.  Coming straight at you is #99, Ivan Braddock from Macclesfield, who raced from1973 to 1980, leading Knutsford's Harold Lomas #237, and 135 Colin Taylor from Warrington. (All those photos were from Hednesford.)

Here Hillam's 229 car runs in the wet at Hednesford. Lastly, what Martin (on the right) refers to as "the notorious Packer bros from Birmingham" in the Leicester pits, by the 154 car of Brian Powles.  Martin explains that the row of Morris Marina vans were parked there in storage by the Mann Egerton dealers.   The Packer brothers travelled everywhere for BriSCAS F1 / F2 races (Belle Vue / Bradford / Rochdale / Coventry / Hednesford  / Leicester / Long Eaton / Northampton / Newton Abbott / St.Austell), and National Hot Rods (Buxton / Crewe / Hednesford / Ipswich / Newton Abbott / Northampton / St. Austell / Wimbledon / Wisbech.  Their busy spectating schedule meant that they also got to witness one or two of BriSCA's rare but regrettable accidents and injuries.  Martin somehow also found time to write for Stock Car Supporter.

  February 2010: Frank Bourne's #16, a very distinctive car, lines up at Hednesford beside Dave Fox 318.  Frank was a Shropshire man and put in 16 years on the ovals, but the relentless Fox raced for an incredible 25 years.  The same wet day saw Bourne tangle with another red car --- Stuart "Bammy" Bamforth.

February 2009:  I'm putting Mick Gamble's racing into the correct decade now, although of course "decades" don't really mean anything.  Mick raced BriSCA from 1970 to 1972.  Here's the latest photo Mick sends, of  Mick #92 at Brafield, racing #9 Mike Lewis.  Mick's Jaguar-engined stocker later went to the Taylor brothers of Warrington.   First the race photos: in 1970   Mick # 92 at Brafield, headed in the right direction.  Then, oops, a classic face-about, in the way those earely cars so easily switched ends and made the crowd gasp and cheer  [today's high-tech cars look too controlled, to me].  Again at Brafield, Mick Gamble mixes it with 351 Sam Ostle and 306 Mick "Noddy" Noden.  That cars was an ex-Haley Calvert Buick-powered piece. Later in 1972 Mick raced under # 117, with the ex-Brian Bennett Jag 3.8-powered car, which eventually went back to BB, but here it is all cleaned up for a sunny photograph.

Mick today he is among the "elite" in Britain's Ford V-8 Pilot community.  Here is the book Mick has published on the history of this short-lived but inspiring Dagenham flathead V-8 car.  Mick still has a few copies available of his unique book that explains and illustrates the history of the Pilot, and also covers the restoration scene today.  This is a limited edition for serious Pilot V-8 enthusiasts. Have you ever seen such a beauty as Mick's own Pilot?  Pilot fans should get in touch with the Early Ford V-8 Club of America - UK Regional Group 127, and I can pass on queries to Mick via my e-mail.

From Rick Young comes this photo of Don Evett #349 from Aylesbury.  Over the same mix-sixties to 1970 span Tony Evett  #249 was also racing, which sounds like a brother (?).  Also, Pete Guinchard #258, from London's Edgware, who after two yellow-top seasons sprang to red-top Star status in 1966 and 1967, and kept his blue in 1968 -1970 and 1973-1974. Pete also raced under 20 and 472.

Howard Davies, #327, here at Brafield and running a massive right front tire, kept up his yellow and blue-top status throughout a long long career: 1967-2007.  Howard is another Cheltenham driver (like Jumbo Tustin). How do you absorb 40 years of jolts and bangs and skinned knuckles and hammering-it-straight-again, when most sports heroes are lucky to last 10 years?  Even when his cars went modern with aero wings, he liked to keep his distinctive orange colour scheme, and I once owned quite a decent artist's watercolour sketch of it. 

From Rick Young come these four photos:  First, Karl Grossman #289, the car being Karl's ex-Jim Berg 471 Topolino, here arriving at Brandon, with its rear end perched on a towing dolly. 

Next is a panorama of the re-opening of Lydden, with Chick Woodroffe #1 ahead of Ted Janes #66.  [Chick always paraded like this, propped against the side of his car.]  Another shot of the cars on a rolling-start lap at Lydden at its re-opening in 1972

Next:  Rick's camera in 1970 caught two tough red-tops elbowing each other through Brafield's turn two: 244 Jim Esau and 375 George Ansell.

   August 2010: Here is Big Jim 244 again, leading 198 Roger Taylor, 16 Frank Bourne, and #2 Willie Harrison. Track not certain --- probably Mendip, though Aycliffe had those bump-kerbs too. 

Then a classic car tangle involving Dick ['Rick' today] Young, Chris Pickup, and 230 Sam Seabrook (who passed away at the end of 2006).

Below: The great Mick Noden, "Noddy", #306 from Rugby, passed away at the end of December 2007.  Mick raced from 1963 to 1993.  British stock-car racing is such a close fraternity that many of his old friends and rivals from 30 and 40 years ago attended his funeral.  Here are two great action shots, courtesy of Mike Winterton:—-  a happy Mick at his work, powering out of Brafield's turn 2 with the right rear tyre going soft: bare arms [look closely] head down, eyes fixed on the next target, and the summer sun is shining down on the world's greatest sport. 

That big, shaggy, well-loved "clown" of the tracks, Ron "SKID" Skinner, [here as #316] on a parade lap at Brafield.  You knew there were going to be fun and fireworks when The Pershore Giant went out to play.

Jim Potter's fabulous 1971/72 car  #146 at Cadwell Park, chassis by Nigel Shaw, body by Howard Davies, and believe it or not, velvet paint finish.  Thanks to David Collins.

Cadwell Park in 1972.  Rick Young passed on these converted-from-slides photos.  Mike Winterton has better eyes than me, and assures me we can see in the first photo Dave Taylor and maybe Willie Harrison leading  George Ansell and Stu Smith.  In the second one, what on earth is happening?  Only 4 of 14 cars are on the official track surface, but somewher in the melee Mike detects " a gold top Dave Chisholm (252) at centre with I'm pretty sure, Ian Durham (311) in front of him and extreme right looks like Mick Noden's (306) yellow and red motor. Extreme left is probably grey and red Les Suckling (132)". 

Ex-racer and now sponsor Alan Brooke #358 sent me these three photos.  First at Belle Vue,  second at Aycliffe.  In the next one Alan is receiving attention from Mike Lewis #9, and if you look closely, Lewis is really trying hard to turn the nose of his car right, maybe to correct a slide but maybe to twitch Alan's rear end off-line: under attack. 

Alan raced in 1973 and 1974 at Belle Vue and Aycliffe.  The car was ex-Vernon Parker and ex-Doug Cronshaw, who had modified the roll cage and roof.  Its chassis "was bent as a banana" but had indestructible LD axles.  To start, Alan put in a 2.4 Jag motor and tranny (5 pounds total), then a 3.4 Jag, and finally a big Ford 383 V-8.  The body is more or less Austin A40.  Sadly this new version's maiden outing at Belle Vue's Boxing Day meet in 1975 ended with a rollover that put Alan in hospital for weeks and a series of operations.  As he had just graduated from Salford University (mech. eng.), Alan hung up his helmet and went on to a career in oil/gas/petrochemical engineering [maybe all university engineers should be told to set up and race a stock-car as part of their education.] 

You may know of Alan's son "Si" Brooke (Simon) who today races the #92 F1 car.  Their very smart team and transporter is sponsored by Rotec Cycles of Berkshire who deal in top-flight bicycle equipment.

Nine sunny-day photos from Brafield in 1973, thanks to Mike Winterton's scanning/editing and his father for the originals:  John "Gimpy" Goodhall 261,  the great Mick Noden 306, Eddie Hayle in number 257, the never-let-up Jaguar specialist Dave Taylor 30, Fred Skinner 228, the "flower power" missile of Russ Bates 225, (see another Bates photo below)  Fred Bailey's 357 car, and look closely at this pits shot of Don Evans 37 and Bob Laurie 98 —- does the ambulance behind Laurie's car have a a garden shed back door? ;  then Duncan Farrington 259.  Old timers will know the thrill that those nasty steel hawsers and buried steel girders added to the racing —- "health and safety" put paid to that!  More pics to come.

Thanks to Mike Winterton who sent these scans from the 1977 (Brandon) World Championship program.  Here is the cover, then unlike the crewcut and shaved heads of the 2000's, some hairy shaggy "villains" peering out of the driver lineup: Ten Drivers, and the other ten.  Lastly, the 1977 program's centre spread.

 Pat Driscoll with a brutal looking #81 car.  Also, three Aycliffe photos, featuring an unusual combo:  Willie Harrison running the SuperStu 'spare'(??) under #2.  Here's a SuperStu copy, #310, Pat Byrne.  And lastly at Aycliffe #100 Tony Neal. (Rick Young and Les Cotton, thanks.) 

Another shot of the Tony Neal car, [RY photo] my guess is Brafield with that big hawthorn hedge along the back.  Who's the Mini-bodied Jag-motored car in the background, anyone? 
It's Dave Peters #231 from Hatfield 

July 2009 --- thanks to ex-racer Nigel Harradine, who in July 2009 also supplied this photo of the 231, showing (great style) the exhaust pipe from the Jag motor coming out of the petrol filler.

A big thanks to Elaine, the daughter of flagman-starter ROY JOHNSON who officiated at Brafield and Coventry in the 60's and 70's.  These show Roy and promoter Graham Guthrie with Miss Brafield;  and Roy looking at crash 707; [that's Ian Hill, of Oundle, Northants: RY]  and Roy flagging-off a typical Brafield two-car match race;  and Roy balancing (?) on a bumper. [Rick Young spots "east-ender" Jack Wilson in #127, today an active VSCA member; and 245 is almost certainly "Shady" Andrews from Wollaston, Northants. Old-timers will recall 245 as the great Alan Wardropper's battle number]  Let's take our hats off to the entertaining and brave flag men, one or two of whom suffered tragic accidents over the years.

You won't believe this car is a 1971 Formula One stocker —- Scotsman Jock Kenny # 345 from Inversneckie was promptly christened "Mad Jock" by Brafield's Graham Guthrie.  The 'un-beautiful' machine here was basically a Ford 100E body bolted down over a US Ford chassis.  Rick Young, who provided the photo, reckons the bonnet looks like it came from a washing machine.  The main thing is that Jock built and raced the monster, (based in Wooton, nr Bedford) and thank heavens for that. The #27 behind is probably John Hickey from Accrington, although Doug Ellis from Rutland had the same number at about the same period. [Track photographer]

George Ansell #375, sitting in the sun, at which track?  Chris Griffiths suggests Hednesford —- the sleepers visible — in pre-concrete days.

Darkie Wright:  First, posing chatting to Les Suckling (from a World supplement), and then from the cover of Hot Car: he was a hero and a brilliant car builder [Thanks to Rick Young for passing them on.].

  February 2010:  Darkie Wright started racing in 1957, continued through the sixties, and here in the early-mid seventies is Darkie's car #7 in the Hednesford pits, and then parked next to his son-in-law Melvyn Bassey 17, while Darkie tucks into a snack -- but where is this?  Can anyone identify the place?

Tony Guest raced #112 — but I don't know yet whether this photo fits the 1970's —! Oh-oh, I didn't spot the date, 1993, but the photo stays because I approve of cars that look like cars...! Tony's car was a 1970's Fred Skinner special, which Tony brought up to date with a 460 cu.in Ford running a 'crash' box from a Ford Trader, and LD axles, and by extending the chassis and raising the cab. Photo courtesy of Colin Herridge.

Anyone remember the Vincelli family?  Danny #89, Ted (Eddie) #284,  and Roy Vincelli #286 were active in the 60's and 70's.  Here's a Rick Young snapshot of Danny #89 at Brafield.  Danny's car is a Jaguar-motored piece with Ford Pilot running gear, part-owned, and 'spannered' by Tony Guest. Tony remembers that Ted lived right across the road from Harringay Stadium, over a chip shop, and was known to drive his stock-car straight along the main street and into the pits —.

The F1's burn up Mallory Park, a Leicestershire road circuit normally home to more 'delicate' cars.  Willie Harrison is in his #2 ex-Leighton car, and Brian Tuplin is running an ex-Toon car #155. [Rick Young photo]

Another shot of Willie H. storming up the hill at Mallory.  [RY photo]

A classic scene of a big-league bunch in action:  Les Mitchell has a burst back tyre, a burst front tyre, and a caved-in bumper — the oxy-acetylene is flaring, the guys are busy, he'll be back in combat in no time.  [Photo from a cd from Pete Schafer, courtesy of Paul Holden] Fan Chris Griffiths identifies Leicester's track here.

Big John, #65, driving the Brymeat Pet Foods yellow-top, looks like Brafield, no date I'm afraid.  More likely Nelson, the all-action track, according to Andrew Hirst, and ex-F2 racer who recalls that 'towing ambulances' had to park across the street, and the stockers, loaded with spares and tools, had to be driven across Carr Road under police guidance!  When the July fair came to town, cars had to be parked even further away and driven right round the streets to enter the stadium. Also known as "Gentleman John", John Stirk was later famous for his SIX-WHEELED stock-car, shown further down this section.  Photo by 'Martin', from the Les Cotton BriSCA cd archive.

Thanks to Les Cotton, whose CD of BriSCA is a gem and well worth getting (promo! promo!), includes a couple of shots of Al Wilson's car being backed in and pulled in a homely back-alley setting worthy of Coronation Street. Rick Young took one look at the second photo and said stock-car racers everywhere will recognize the chore: ramping the stocker up to allow to a towing "dolly" / "bogey" to go under it, so the racer can be towed (backwards) without a trailer. Les's excellent CD of stock car photos: http://www.fortunecity.com/silverstone/mansell/25/ 

Wonderful Nelson, surely the only auto racing track in the world that ran within a few feet of people's houses!  #204 is either Rod Walker from Stone, or possibly Geoff Buck from Ashton-under-Lyne. 

Les tells me that if you look at the nearest house in the occupied row, that's where his buddy grew up, a chap now champion in Model Stock Car racing.  Just visible in the shot is #92 Roger Bowyer from Congleton.

Mid-seventies magazine article [lost original and have no trace of original photog'r] shot of Bernard Poyser #55 lining up ahead of Don Evans 37.   Oops!  55 is a Finnikin number temporarily attached —- Bernard was # 435.  Thanks Chris Griffiths.

From same mag:  car 78 is the old Leighton car in the hands of Barry Goldsby, being missed by Bob Tanser;  the overturned 264 is Stuart Sillman from Banbury, and 439 is Gordon Paxford from Northleach Glos.  More thanks to Rick Young for answering my questions about these photos I found.

Here is Les Mitchell, in the simpler days before NASA-designed airfoils and professional signwriting.  Then, I'm guessing early 1970's, here is Les stuffing SuperStu Smith, (at Aycliffe according to Chris G.)  Les I think had a 500 cu.in Caddy under the hood in this car.

Nice portrait of Willie Harrison's #2 car: no, it's not his Leighton special. . This version was built by Tony Neal, deliberately copying the famous shape of Willie's earlier ex-Leighton pink 'un.  This photograph shows the car at Belle Vue.  Thanks to John Lomax for the pic.  

"Hot Car" magazine was a good 'booster' of stock-car racing, and this 1973 cover shows us Brian Wignall #102 from Clitheroe, Lancs lining up beside #30 Dave Taylor.  (Thanks to Rick Young for the names, and identifying the track as Cadwell Park)

Bless him, Chick Woodroffe was so well liked and so missed.  Here he is at the first Wembley meeting in 1974.

Chris Pickup's car #50 sprays the dirt (or is that tyre smoke?) at Bradford; howd'ya like that whitewalled tyre? [Dick Young photo]

The tidy car of the late  Don Round, who was the Treasurer of Britain's Veterans Stock Car Association.  Don suffered under the nickname of "One-Two-Three-Gone" by some announcers because of his high crash-out rate. (Chris Griffiths)  

Thanks to Graham Shaw for these four snapshots from circa 1970:  First, at Rochdale, Geoff Buck # 204 with a problem.  Next, three Belle Vue shots — a "long view" of the field heading into the turn;  then a crash showing # 88 (Reg Graham # 71 is slipping past in the background); then a flag-bearing winner : # 86 Mike Holt.  Graham Shaw "mechanic'd" for 154 Brian Powles and 391 Smiffy, with an occasional hand for Mick Stecko 419 and Mike Close 199. 

  February 2010:  (from Alan Butterworth)  Doug Cronshaw at [uncertain track] , with Roger Spencer # 315.

Thanks to Kieron Tatlock for the following insider information about the original "Cronshaw Special".  Kieron had earlier sweated with Dougie in 1968 to create the Ron Rogers 'replica', and in the cold winter of 1969/70 they built the famous 396 in the unheated garage behind the Cronshaw house.  Kieron had been doing design sketches inspired by 1960's US 'supermodifieds', and figured they could stay legal by using a Triumph Herald roof and a Standard 8 boot.  Running gear was 'normal LD stuff' and the chassis was fabricated from 4x2x1/4 steel.  The engine was a corker!  It was a 401 cu.in. Pontiac that ESSO's research workshops had been using experimentally, and the lump arrived with tons of spares and parts, Carter triple carbs, etc 'all in about six tea-chests'.  Doug Cronshaw Snr was a genius motor man, and he locked himself in the office with all the specs and manuals and a regular supply of hot tea, keeping ultra secret.  Days later he emerged and they put together one of the sport's fastest and strongest motors.  Its first (Brafield) race in 1970 ended in a roll-over, but its second race took heat and final at Aycliffe, and success after success that year.  Next year, 1971, was rewarded with Doug's World Final.  The word on the terraces was that Rochdale rival Stu Smith and his father were so riled at being beaten by his one-time mechanic that considerable Lawrence Smith money was put to work  bringing in the sport's first monster new 454 Chevy's, and ——- 'a new era began'.

April 2009: Correspondent Trevor Chater recalls that on more than one occassion he heard Stu's father, tweed-hatted Lawrence Smith, in the pits, telling his son that "If you don't beat Cronshaw this time I'll cut the car into pieces!"

Here is the (name the colour) 37 car of Dangerous Don Evans from Cowley, Oxon courtesy of Rick Young.

Below we see Don Evans joining Les Mitchell 238 and Dave Taylor 30 in a pile-up at Brafield. The 45 car is not beauty, but Alan Scothern from Mickelover doesn't care --- he raced for more than 30 years.

Dick Young, as he was known in the seventies and eighties, was one of the [in]famous "Beds and Herts" gang, who used to race the BriSCA ovals, towing everywhere there was a track at any time of day or night..  Rick nowadays is a frequent correspondent, journalist, and track photographer. He is also a track-chaser and as of August 2010 has clocked up  visits to 182 different race tracks.

Without Rick this website would be a lot poorer.   I once got an e-mail from a fan and driver who said "Is there anyone Rick Young doesn't know?" Check Rick's weekly adventures on his website:

Rick started off on motorbikes in England [he gave me a photo of himslf on his first BSA Bantam that I won't publish ---].  He has been driving trucks for more than 30 years, and can count 30 different makes of truck that have been in his hands, ["Scania is the best."] driving in 14 countries and 19 US states.  Rick grins that, after all this experience, if he wanted to ride a simple motorcycle in Canada today he'd have to go and take a test.  Stock-car racing is in his blood, and here is a lucky daughter sharing the cab with dad at Brafield long ago.

Rick's Leicester wreck was well photographed, as you will see;  here's the car:

No axle at Leicester [Colin Casserley photo]; 

Relaxing @ Brands Johnny Hewer #116 leaning on Dick Young's Westminster; 

Sunny Snetterton, with Dick Young [left] and Chris Pickup [right]. 

On the hook at Brafield;  On the hook again at Brafield;

Three-car mash-up at Oxford, with #209 Brian 'The Duke' Bedford and #405 George Hampstead; 

Waiting for the tow for #67 after that crash. 

Chris Pickup #50 just misses a rolled Steve Bird #52.  At the Oxford track in 1975, Chris Pickup and mech Mick Black watch Chris's #50 being towed back to the pits.  Nice car, but Dick Young reckoned it "ugly":  don't think so! 

Ouch: Dick Young was out like a light on a stretcher after this Brafield hit, and tells me he was three weeks off work.  Every driver has the same description: "It really rings your bell." 

Brafield action in 1975, when Dick Young suddenly joined a Chris Pickup / Sam Seabrook collision [neither of whom looked happy in a different photo of the scene, not shown here!]  

Below, 1976, Dick Young # 67 giving a helping hand to Sam Seabrook.  In the background Brian Chappell (Sileby, Leics.) is driving the ex-Trevor Frost car, and Tony Saunders from Hinckley, Leics is sensing the Seabrook bumper.  Photo by a track photographer; thanks to Dick for the facts.

Dick burning up the Brands Hatch tarmac in 1974. [Colin Casserly photo.]  Dick reminisces about how, in those days, you could put a car on the track without being a rich man: Jag motor = sixty quid, old chassis = 45 quid, radiator = a tenner, wheels/tyres = 5-10 quid each, scrap body cut-it-yourself = free. Go racing for $200 tops (say 150 in the 1960's).  Jag engines were a blessing, and seemed to get cheaper as the years and numbers piled up — British stock-car racing would have been half the show without those Jags, and they could take a hammering.  Dick had TWO F1's to choose from (ex-Chris Pickup cars, mid-1980's), the one in the background is Jaguar-motored, and the front one, with an Allegro body, is Buick-motored.

Rick also contributes a regular column to SHORT CIRCUIT MAGAZINE in the UK, and is a race photographer too.

Here's the man himself in 2004, doing pace-car and reporting duties at the wickedly fast Syracuse track in New York State. For British 1/4 mile oval fans, Syracuse is a terrifying one-mile dirt oval, so fast that the World of Outlaws sprint cars quit racing there after Billy Pauch put in a qualifying lap at 145mph average (yes, average lap speed) — all with a  direct-drive single gear.

Here is Johnny Goodhall, nicknamed "Gimpy", being interviewed by Keith Barber at Keith's Long Eaton track. Photo is 1977/1978, thanks to Paul Durham.  Johnny was tragically killed at Brandon (Coventry), in what seemed like a common enough racing accident, when his car hit the fence and rebounded onto the track and was hit.  We are so proud of the safety record of strong BriSCA cars, the drivers, and the tracks, that it is really disturbing, a terrible shock, when things go wrong.  It's also shocking because above all, even in the midst of hard championship chasing, STOCK CAR RACING REMAINS FUN for the drivers and the fans; so a death or serious injury affects us more perhaps than it would in most other motor sports.  

Here is John Thorpe, car 367, with “novice" markings, but he quickly rose to red top. Brafield photo, taken around 1974, courtesy of Paul and Alyson Durham, who are to be seen propping up the fence along with Paul's family, in the background.  John Thorpe's father ran a [still-flourishing] trucking business from Rotherham.   

From the Les Cotton CD, here's John Thorpe again, on one of the Northern shale ovals. Chris Griffiths identifies Bradford.

Sometimes the weather is so awful: cold, and wet, and muddy, but Chris Pickup, in car #50, owned by Luton's Dave Kiff, was gonna race, regardless.  It's a Fiat 600 body — (well, bits of it) — with that popular Mercedes grille, and a Buick V-8 under the hood. Brafield shot by Dick Young.

Women can race and win in the hurly-burly of British short-track combat, and qualify for two World Finals.  Three men-and-a-dog AND her own red-top racer: Jayne Bean was fast in a F1 stocker.

I'd be very proud if I'd taken the following photo myself, but it was by the lightning-quick track photographer Dennis Mott  [thanks Chris G.], and appeared in a supporters club magazine: Dave Berresford goes aerial: That's Brafield's race control tower; I think the background was 'faded' to highlight the car.  Somebody will recognize people in the background, and I'd bet that's Keith Barber on the far left at the fence?

Terrific Dick Young shot of a crash at Mallory Park's first ever stock-car meet. George Ansell #375 coming up on #12 Mal Semple who is busy rolling #144 Pete Shepherd. Pete Webb #8 is well out of the way. Kaboom!

Pete Webb #8 again, this time powering out of the corner at Brafield.  I imagine that younger stock-car fans never knew the sight and sound of a 30cwt stock car snagging those steel hawsers, catching a wheel, or smacking those deeply-buried I-beams! [RY photo]

Brian Powles had hard-'n'-fast cars with monster motors, and was a master builder in the sport: Stu Smith's motors, for instance.  Dick Young photo of #154 Brian Powles.   Derek Thornley has told me about Brian's early days:  As a youngster Brian worked for Derek's neighbour Nev Hughes (#69) at Nev's garage in West Bridgford, Notts.  Hughes helped build Brian's first car, an early Junior which won at Long Eaton in 1960.  Brian came 2nd in the 1981 World at Bradford [not "Coventry" as earlier cited], retiring in 1982.  He also raced long-circuit "Thunder Saloons for a couple of seasons.  Brian passed away in 2000, but his son Stuart now campaigns an F1 stock-car.  Graham Shaw was mechanic for Brian. Chris G. tells me this is the ex-Nev Hughes car, which at one trime was also used by Doug Cronshaw.

The late great Brian Wallace, # 119, is featured here in 1976, probably at Stoke ('more likely Sheffield' : Chris Griffiths).  Thanks to Brian's son Simon Wallace [a BriSCA racer today] for sending this photo.  Here is another photo of Brian Wallace lining up at Owlerton Stadium, Sheffield, with John Hillam in the background [thanks Les Cotton for identifying it].  Brian started racing in 1972 and shot up to "Star" red-top status in 1974.  The car had a big 454 Chevy motor, and was built for the 1976 season by #179 Alan Barker.  Brian owned a garage and dealership in Farnworth, near Bolton, and was known as "The Farnworth Flyer".  His cars were always immaculate.  Racers like Alan Wilson who bought equipment from Brian Wallace testify that the quality was #1, brand-new motors, for instance.  Tragically, we lost Brian in a jammed-throttle / fence cable accident at Manchester's White City stadium in 1976.  Fans recall the remaining race being a dispirited drive-round, many drivers started to load up their cars as a sign of respect, and spectators leaving the stadium in tears; Brian's car was later cut up. Thanks to Les and to Alan Wilson for the stories. By the way, Alan Wilson was an early starter —- he won his first stock-car race on his 16th birthday.  One fan who was present, Joe Jopling, went on to promote at Hartlepool, and one of his first acts was to install FIVE-cable fences on the bends.

[Thanks to Les Cotton], a newspaper cutting about Brian W.'s son, Simon Wallace, who entered F1 racing in 2005.

Les Suckling raced Jag-motored Seniors. Just behind you can see Bob Laurie's trailer — (Bob's car appeared earlier) Les Suckling # 132.  Les is shown here in the pits at Coventry in 1970.

Ian Ireland's red-top #267 snapped in the Brands Hatch pits in 1969 by Dick Young. Next, an undated magazine shot of Ian in full launch mode thanks to a barrel and some rivals. Scottish tartan on the car, and Fred Skinner on the outside, Ian #267  does the business (supporter mag photo). Next, Ian THE CHAMP:  photo of Ian becoming World Champion under FISCA auspices at the Dutch long-track at Baarlo in 1977, with Chick Woodroffe and a massive trophy.  Lastly, Ian Ireland's gold-top in the Wimbledon pits, 1977 or 78, courtesy of Dick Young. A frequent fan question: Is Ian Ireland related to that other Scottish "wild man", Innes Ireland, the ex-Grand Prix racer? "Only a distant relative" is the answer. Thirty years on:  Ian in the pits at Rye House in 1998, with son Nigel checking it all out — keeps you young, I guess.

Fred Skinner, seen above, is shown here as a Blue Top in 1975, at Bristol's Mendip Raceway. Then, a super "mood" illustration of Fred in his red-top glory, victory-lapping at night: date and track unknown, photo courtesy of Mike Rust.

  August 2010: If you thought that Fred's car reminded you of George Ansell's, you're right, it was ex-Ansell. Here is Fred again in that skinny-bodied special, track unknown, date probably 1971.

I was at Mendip Raceway in 1975 or early 1976, a neat Capri-bodied # 110 yellow-top, on the hook after wrecking a front wheel. It's Ray Scriven from nearby Fairford, Gloucestershire. Ray's son (Rob, #117) and GRANDSON are racing today. The car had previously been a Dennis Driscoll (#274) special. Thanks to Dick Young for the info.

I just dug out another shot of Ray Scriven , again in trouble at Mendip, heading for the pits with a flat right-front.  And a terrific panorama of Ray in mid-battle, heading down the sloping backstretch at Mendip.

—- and here is the Scriven car 110 neck-and-neck with Danny Clarke 203, looks like Brafield. [Photo from the great BriSCA cd of Les Cotton.]

A colourful # 257, Bob Tanser, riding out to do battle at Mendip Raceway in early '76 or late '75. Bob is driving one of several Stu Smith-built "Gertie" copies, also used by Big Al Barker.  Smith-type cars were being built everywhere, and Chris Griffiths sees this as Tanser's own machine;  Warren Taylor had yet another "Gertie" replica.

Six wheels? Here is a 1977 fan magazine cover showing "Gentleman" John Stirk # 65 from Halifax, trying out his innovative six-wheeler at Brafield.  John Stirk

Another shot of John's six-wheeler, to prove those four front wheels  all actually turned.

Yet another shot of Chick Woodroffe, in the borrowed Chisholm car (You can see Chissy's #252 on the back surface of Chick's "1" roof plate)  Here Chick is powering up the sloping Mendip straight towards the flag. I still have a bad neck from Mendip that year, but not from racing.  I was slowing down to join the queue outside the stadium, in my old VW Beetle, and the driver of a big Austin Westminster following me had turned to admire the view across the valley, and didn't even have time to brake --- took inches of my VW and provided osteopaths with a regular customer.

Colin Casserly relates how Chick borrowed it while Chisholm was out with an injured back from a Brafield crash early in 1976. This chassis began life as Doug Cronshaw' #396 special in 1972, with 454 Chev power, then passed via Stu Smith to Chisholm and then to Alan Casserly (#'s 104 and 142) in 1980-81. The car  won four World Championships: three-in-a-row, '73-'74-'75 with Dave, and 1971 under Pontiac power with its builder Doug Cronshaw; it eventually went to Mo Smith # 51.  Quite a car with quite a history — I watched it win the Harringay World Final in 1973.  Les Cotton pointed out some fine detail on this car. Dave Chisholm loved the design so much he built a DUPLICATE CAR, and this is what you're seeing here. Chisholm's original and the duplicate sometimes appeared in the same races, just to keep fans on their toes.  Thanks Les, and here following is the ....  

... in 1976, Les Cotton snapped the two Chisholm cars, and deduces that the "duplicate" is the # 409 in the background. Well, I'll open that debate up:  Oh-oh: it didn't take long —- two different fans (one a racer at the time) have pointed out that this photo (first labelled "Stoke" track) must have been taken at the Brands Hatch Festival of Speed in 1976; George Ansell came out of retirement, and Sugar Shergold (usually #304). The guy in the hat, back to camera, is Chick Woodroffe.

February 2010:  Thanks to Alan Butterworth:  Dave Chisholm's gold-roof days --- in this case in the pits at White City.  Then, Chissy again, under a sunny sky, throwing the 252 into a corner at Rochdale.

Frankie Wainman Senior and SuperStu Smith@ Mendip, 1976. In front of them is (body = half mini) Dave Taylor, #30, from Nazeing, Essex — probably the last person to attain red-top status with a 6-cylinder Jaguar engine, although here he may have the 5.3 litre V-12 in it [thanks Philip Winterton for the info]  running against those monster 454 cubic inch Chevs. That requires great driving and building.

The Welsh Dragon:  Glyn Pursey 175 from Bedford, but of proud Welsh blood, 'look you, boyo'.  

And a better shot of Glyn Pursey  powering up the sloping straight at Mendip, chasing # 211 "Gypsy John" Aldridge from Chipping Norton, and neck-and-neck with white-top # 170 Keith Harrison from Kidderminster;  and again on a clear track.  You can just see the little Welsh dragon flag fluttering at the top edge of the back.  Glyn's sons Jason and Glen have also raced F1's in BriSCA.

Here below, Glyn Pursey waits for the track to clear on a wet Hednesford day. (photo Alan Butterworth)

Ian Russell (Higham Ferrers, Northants) driving the 38 car here in 1975 at Mendip. Les Cotton has identified Ian's car as one of two Stu Smith-built lightweight replicas of Stu's winning 1969 car.  Smithy loaned this car to several drivers, including #293 Gordon Smith, #396 Doug Cronshaw, and # SA1 S. African Harry Van De Spuy. Thanks, Les.

Stu Smith in the pits at Mendip, 1976.

Stu Smith and Alan Barker mixing it up: where?  Is it White City? Long Eaton? Hartlepool?  The debates have raged over this photo, pro and con White City and Belle Vue.  Carl Hesketh presented a strong argument for it being White City:  the scoreboard is a greyhound board — and Belle Vue didn't do the dogs;  also, the track appears to be tarmac, which White City used, whereas BV was shale.  John Mercer sent me a photo of the White City track which, although it too has a dog track outside the cars' cable fence, and has dog lights, definitely looks different from the photo above.  Carl also identifies Smiffy's rival there as Alan Barker driving the Smith replica "Gertie".  I appreciate the sharp eyes and memories of fans who write in after all these years.  ** However, John Baguley has since suggested the photo must be Long Eaton.  Everyone seems to agree it ain't Belle Vue.  Help!  Latest shot is from Graham Shaw (mechanic for Brian Powles 154), who established that the photo is 1977, the year Alan B. drove Gertie;  Graham also doubts the White City theory, because WC was completely surrounded by grandstands and seating except for the pits entrance.  Graham's vote is also for Long Eaton, which had trees close to the track.  How about Hartlepool?  Could be:  Paul Edwards identifies those leaning track lights as identical to the ones appearing in the definite Hartlepool photo that follows this.  (Unless the dog lights were installed identically at several tracks?)  Keep 'em coming.  Les also made a little remark about "anoraks" in his message............