Birmingham superprix

[White six]

Unlucky organisers with those conditions for the first one.

Christ looks dangerous as sala comes round with all the marshalls on the track...

Anyone remember a roadblock, in better weather? Must have been the year after

[MonteCristo]

It was fine. The witches hats would have stopped a train.

[White six]

It was fine. The witches hats would have stopped a train.

It's why they introduced the national cone hotline

[White six]

Surely bollox that this was Britain's first street race?

Also a bit harsh to call it sodding at the end

[White six]

Yeah, the traffic jams were in 1988

[Everso Biggyballies]

Surely bollox that this was Britain's first street race?

Also a bit harsh to call it sodding at the end

The first prearranged match race of two self-powered road vehicles over a prescribed route occurred in the north west of England at 4:30 A.M. on August 30, 1867, between Ashton-under-Lyne and Old Trafford, Manchester, a distance of eight miles.

Does that class as a street race?

Failing that maybe not on the mainland but in Northern Ireland the Ards circuit was a street circuit. Mr Harry Ferguson (of Ferguson tractor fame) set it up.

It was home to the RAC Tourist Trophy from 1928 until 1936 when a crash killed 8 spectators and the authorities called it a day. It was quite a popular event and crowds of 250,000 were commonplace.

The triangular circuit 21.7 km (13.5 mi) long ran between the towns of Dundonald, Newtownards (known as Ards) and Comber in County Down, Northern Ireland. Races were run in a clockwise direction, starting at 11 am. Initially races were of 30 laps for a total distance of 652 km (405 mi); from 1933 races were of 35 laps for a total distance of 760 km (470 mi).

The entries were handicapped to cater for cars of different sizes and capabilities, and W. O. Bentley wrote that large cars could often be baulked by smaller baby cars on the winding sections so the circuit did not suit the larger Bentley or Rolls-Bentley cars. The only long straight stretch for high speeds was from Newtownards to Comber.

The circuit started at Dundonald at the Dundonald Hairpin, then past the R.A.C. Grandstand to the Quarry Corner. The Central Bar was a popular viewing point for the Dundonald Hairpin. At Dundonald the Carpark, Enclosure and Pits were near the R.A.C. Grandstand, and the pits were still visible until the 1960s. At Newtownards the right-angle Town Hall corner led to the Newtownards - Comber straight.

In 1936 with the race run in shocking weather and with contestants spinning off the road in all directions a local driver Jack Chambers skidded on the Newtownards railway bridge while approaching the Strangford Arms in Newtownards, demolishing a lamp post and mowing down a crowd standing against the wall. The driver (Chambers) was not seriously injured but eight spectators were killed, and the race was the last on the circuit after reactions that spectators should be adequately safeguarded.[

[Michael Ferner]

There were numerous races on the streets of Douglas in the Isle of Man which, last time I checked, is part of Britain.

[DoubleFart]

There were numerous races on the streets of Douglas in the Isle of Man which, last time I checked, is part of Britain.

Where I believe up until 2014 it was the only place that allowed it within the British Isles. Closed road racing was allowed in the UK through a law amendment in 2014.

[Everso Biggyballies]

There were numerous races on the streets of Douglas in the Isle of Man which, last time I checked, is part of Britain.

I must admit that was the first place I thought of , but I checked it out before posting anything. IoM is not and never has been part of UK. Yeah I was surprised to, particularly re the never was bit. It does talk of it being a "self-governing dependency of the British Crown"
However citizens of the IoM are classified as British citizens.

(It was enough to make me post something non IoM related and picked Northern Ireland because of the British Racing Green, Vanderbilt Cup, men with red flags on the mainland scenarios. I also knew of racing at Ards)

From the IoM Govt website.

The Isle of Man is not, and never has been, part of the United Kingdom, nor is it part of the European Union. It is not represented at Westminster or in Brussels. The Island is a self-governing British Crown Dependency - as are Jersey and Guernsey in the Channel Islands - with its own parliament, government and laws.

.https://www.gov.im/about-the-government ... and%20laws.

[Michael Ferner]

No, not part of the UK but part of Britain. I'm surprised I have to explain that to someone born there

https://www.britannica.com/place/British-Isles

[Everso Biggyballies]

No, not part of the UK but part of Britain. I'm surprised I have to explain that to someone born there

https://www.britannica.com/place/British-Isles

I'll just say im from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and counter with this link outlining the differences between the British Isles. and UK:

https://www.britannica.com/story/whats- ... ed-kingdom







PS: I think we are both agreed that, in terms of keeping on topic, we both agree that the Birmingham Superprix was NOT the first ever British Street Circuit race.

[White six]

A commentator talking bollocks, we do have a long proud history of this at least

[White six]

No, not part of the UK but part of Britain. I'm surprised I have to explain that to someone born there

https://www.britannica.com/place/British-Isles

I'll just say im from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and counter with this link outlining the differences between the British Isles. and UK:

https://www.britannica.com/story/whats- ... ed-kingdom







PS: I think we are both agreed that, in terms of keeping on topic, we both agree that the Birmingham Superprix was NOT the first ever British Street Circuit race.

Would it be a good time to ask what people mean when they say 'britain' ?

[Everso Biggyballies]

Would it be a good time to ask what people mean when they say 'britain' ?
[/quote]

Talking about a place that used to be Great? Downgraded now to good Britain. Or just Britain.

I blame it on Harold Wilson. He started it being just Britain and not Great Britain with the "Im Backing Britain" (dropped the Great) campaign in the late sixties where everyone was encouraged to work an extra half hour a day for no wage to increase productivity! And people drove round with car stickers of Union Jacks with "Im Backing Britain" written on them.

[White six]

Would it be a good time to ask what people mean when they say 'britain' ?

Talking about a place that used to be Great? Downgraded now to good Britain. Or just Britain.

I blame it on Harold Wilson. He started it being just Britain and not Great Britain with the "Im Backing Britain" (dropped the Great) campaign in the late sixties where everyone was encouraged to work an extra half hour a day for no wage to increase productivity! And people drove round with car stickers of Union Jacks with "Im Backing Britain" written on them.
[/quote]
But even if he said great britain that would have meant he wasn't backing northern ireland