From the Archives - 2010 Crystal Palace Sprint

The ex- Gerard Larrousse / Jo Siffert Automobiles Racing Chevron B19-Ford driven by Amanda George.

My favourite motor sport venue when I as young was the Crystal Palace motor racing circuit in London, near where I was brought up in the fifties and sixties.  I used to go there regularly between 1968 and 1972.  So it was with great pleasure that I returned there in 2010 for one of the Motorsport at the Palace Sprint meetings.  It was a two day meeting and I spent a happy few hours there on Saturday May 30th afternoon.   Thank you Sevenoaks and District Motor Club!

The Sprint Course runs through the green parkland of Crystal Palace Park using sections of both pre-war and post war track.  It is roughly half a mile long.   Crystal Palace held the very first motor race in Great Britain back at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  The pre-war circuit was used from 1937 to 1939 and a shorter post war circuit was used from 1953 to 1972.  A sprint has been run since 1997.   Thus, great to see this venue still being used for motor sport.  I see that the 2020 event has been cancelled so I hope this blogpost will give some pleasure to those who will miss the event.  I hope they will eventually organise another one.

Looking back, there were lots of interesting cars and I was able to take some half reasonable pictures with my compact camera - Panasonic DMC-TZ5.   At the time I used to work very close to Crystal Palace Park and I often used to walk around the old circuit during lunch hour.  Thus, I knew the circuit well and at the Sprint meeting walked off to take pictures of the cars as they did the return loop back to the start on a combination of the pre-war and post war track.   Hence my pictures are from different angles than many others found on the web.   As it is nearly ten years since I took these pictures I have had to make a guess at what some of these cars were - apologies if any are wrong and feel free to correct me in the comments.

Bernard Armitage in his Ford Escort MkII ThunderSaloon starts the course.

Roland Knott - 1988 Jedi Mk1 racing car.

An Austin Healey Sprite being readied for the start.

Fyrth Cross in a 1972 F3 Ensign LNF3.   Lovely to see this car.  I remember Mike Wilds driving the same car at a 1972 F3 event at Crystal Palace.

Barrie "Whizzo" Williams in an Ex-Richard Longman Austin Mini Cooper S.

This picture of a nineties Ferrari F355 GTB at the old Park Curve shows how close residential houses were to the circuit, which of course led to noise complaints.

Duncan Rabagliati in a 1959 Formula Junior Alexis Mk1.

1962 Ford Anglia 105E Deluxe on the section that pre-war was called Fisherman's rise.

1959 Series 1A Lotus 7 on the old pre-war section of the course between Fisherman's Bend and Fisherman's Corner.

Christopher Mann arrives in his 1954 Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 PR.  A very pleasant surprise!

Alfa Romeo 3 litre 6C engine.

Alfa Romeo 6C in the paddock.

Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 PR.  Definitely my No.1 car of the day.

No apologies required for yet another shot of the Alfa.

An Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA just after the start heading up to Pond hairpin.

1977 Austin Mini "Minus" at Big Tree Bend.

The mayor flags away an Alfa Romeo Giulietta..

Alfa Giulietta action at Parfitt's Chicane.

2004 Stohr DSR Sports car at Fisherman's Bend.

Simon Taylor in his 1950/1956 HWM-Chevrolet "Stovebolt Special" comes out to play.

Austin Seven racing car leaving the paddock to have a run up the Sprint Course.

My second favourite car of the meeting was this 1947 Monaco 500cc racer.  It was driven by John Potts.

1947 Monaco 500cc racer.   it was a car commissioned by George Hartwell and built by Monaco Motors in Watford.  It was one of the first cars to be powered by a Norton engine and is small so that it could be put on the back on a small truck.

1975 Roysle RP21 Formula Ford car.

1962 GSM Delta with the lake behind it as it approaches the old Fisherman's Bend.  Had to ask to know what this was!

A BMW heads into the link between the pre-war and post-war circuit.

1959 Freddy Owen Special with a 3442cc Jaguar XK motor.  Never seen this before!

1954 Cooper 500cc Mk8 exiting Fisherman's bend as it was called pre-war.

A Lotus Cortina Mk1 heads along the old Terrace Straight toward North Tower Curve.

1998 Jedi Mk4.

1959 Standard Vanguard Vignale just after the start.

1972 BMW 2002.

A Ferrari heads through the old Glade to Park Curve section.

1960 Chevrolet Corvette

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.

John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web aussi longtemps que vous créditez le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com et fournissez un lien vers cette page.

Austin A35 with the lake in the background.

Fifties MG TB saloon in the car park.

Lotus Cortinas beneath the famous Crystal Palace TV mast.

Seeing this Alvis TD21 reminded me of my first time at Crystal Palace Circuit back in 1968.

Austin Healey "Frogeye" Sprint

The Ensign F3 car again but around the North Tower Crescent and the Glade section.

A 1979 MG Midget just before the New Link that led down to the Pre-War Start-Finish straight.