Untitled Document

The History of Grasstrack Racing

by Dave Stallworthy

Motorcycle grass track racing can be traced back to the 1920's when over 20,000 watched racing at the Cambridgeshire Show in 1923. By the late 1920's, with a ban on any speed events on public roads, the sport had mushroomed all over the UK and in 1928 the first British Open took place at Belle Vue, Manchester.

These days most of the race meetings are held on "Speedway Style" grass ovals, but in days gone by different types of circuits were used, from Mountain Circuits (almost a scrambles track) ovals with right hand bends, plus of course the ovals like we have now.

During the 1930's, when such famous names as Jack Surtees, and Stan Hailwood were sidecar aces, crowds would watch the nail-biting excitement on tracks all over the country such as Rocky Park, St. Austell, Farleigh Castle near Bath, and Brands Hatch which before being tarmaced in 1949 was one of the top UK grass racing circuits. . There was even grass track racing at Alton Towers and at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff and at Mallory Park in Leicestershire which was chosen for the first National Championships in 1951.

Grass track's audience suffered a decline in the 1950's with the arrival of television, attendances in the 1930's and 40's having regularly been as high as 10,000 at race meetings. The 1960's and 70's brought a revival, with more competitors than ever before entering different classes, such as 500, 350 and 250cc solos and left-hand and right-hand sidecars.

1966 witnessed the first big TV grass track event, the BBC Grandstand Trophy, and by the end of the 60's international events came to the UK, firstly with the Lydden Internationals, then in the 1970's the Hereford Race Course Grand Prix.

It was at Hereford that the first ever Solo European Championship was held in 1978. Since then big international events have become the norm in the UK with the 2004 European Sidecar Championship Finals, Europe's No. 1 grass track event being the climax of the season in Essex on 4th & 5th September. This electrifying event is for 500cc Sidecars, a class having started in the UK in the 1970's when already incredibly popular in Europe.

The first ever British Championship for the 500cc Sidecars was run in 1978 and won by Devon duo Rob Stoneman with passenger Roland Broomfield in the 'chair'. Since then top drivers to win the British title have included Steve Smith, Cecil Taylor, Nick Radley and Essex's local ace Brian Palmer. Since 1995 two drivers have dominated the Championships, Paul Miller 1995-1997, and Lester Goodwin, 1998 to present.

Hosting the European Finals, the 500cc Sidecar Association, based in High Easter near Chelmsford, Essex, is a provincial club made up of around 100 solo and sidecar riders and grass track enthusiasts. Against tough competition from event promoters, the club has built its reputation for excellent track quality and event co-ordination, and is now one of the foremost centres in the UK for grass track racing.

In July 1993, running on a shoestring budget, the club took on the organisation of the second European Semi-finals. Due to the event's enormous success, the European motor sport governing body in Rome, the UEM (Union Europeene de Motocyclisme) and the British motor sport authority, the ACU , awarded the Club the 2004 European 500cc Sidecar Finals.