Braefield - Probably One For Gustix

[Andy Downes]

BBC4 has been showing a series of documentaries called Britain on Film recently, the basic premises is the programme is 30 minutes of newsreel footage from the 1960's showing how Britain/The British went about their working life/leisure/travel etc

 

I have just watched the edition on leisure (available on catch up if anyone's interested) they showed about 2 seconds of speedway so nothing to get excited about there sadly but there was a fairly long feature on the new sport of Stock car Racing. they showed quite a bit of footage from a meeting at Braefield. They were racing on an oval track but it was concrete rather than shale

 

My question is to any real old ';uns out there is; was this the old Speedway Track concreted over or was there a separate track for bikes there

[Guest]

The present Northampton Raceway, organised by Spedeworth Motorsports, is indeed the site of the od Bradfield Speedway. I went there for speedway, just once, when the team was members of the old Southern Area League. That was in 1954 and their opponents that day were Eastbourne. I have never been there for car racing.

Here is a Link back to the old speedway days as it appears on John Skinner's excellent DEFUNCT TRACKS website:

http://www.defunctspeedway.co.uk/Brafield.htm

 

...and here is Spedeworth Motorsport's Link in regard to their car racing promotions:

http://www.spedeworth.co.uk/venue.php?name=Northampton

 

::: Please note the correct spelling for the venue should be BRAFIELD not BraEfield.

Edited March 16, 2017 by Guest

[britmet]

Went there for their match against Cradley 'B' in 1966, and also one of the out-of-season training days, early '67, I suppose.

I don't recall the stocks track, but x-checking with "Homes of British Speedway" it does indeed say that for the '66 re-opening the track was reconstructed inside the stocks track, with a length of 335yds, as opposed to the 420/430yds of the 1950s. That got tarmac'd for the first stock mtg of August 1955.

[BL65]

Went there for their match against Cradley 'B' in 1966, and also one of the out-of-season training days, early '67, I suppose.

I don't recall the stocks track, but x-checking with "Homes of British Speedway" it does indeed say that for the '66 re-opening the track was reconstructed inside the stocks track, with a length of 335yds, as opposed to the 420/430yds of the 1950s. That got tarmac'd for the first stock mtg of August 1955.

I went to Brafield during the brief, two-year, period of operation in 1966-67 and I recall the speedway track being inside the tarmac stock car circuit.

[Andy Downes]

Thanks for those replies - from your comments I think I can assume the stock car film was from the early 60's prior to the re-construction of the speedway track

[Guest]

I went to Brafield during the brief, two-year, period of operation in 1966-67 and I recall the speedway track being inside the tarmac stock car circuit.

 

I wonder if there is a chance of a similar speedway reincarnation possible for Brafield. I don't think Spedeworth Motorsport, who are the controlling party at the Northamptonshire venue, now known as Northampton International Raceway, would be adverse to the suggestion.

They are the main leaseholders at Foxhall Heath where Ipswich are their speedway tenants. And motorsport promoters Spedeworth were also extremely co-operative in regard to speedway's farewell show at Wimbledon Stadium last Sunday, March12, 2017.

​I recall seeing the mid-1950s Brafield Southern Area League speedway team several times and riders who spring to mind are Hank Bird, Vic Hall, Brian Meredith. Tony and Eric Eadon, Fran Greasley.

Edited March 16, 2017 by Guest

[Guest compost]

 

I wonder if there is a chance of a similar speedway reincarnation possible for Brafield. I don't think Spedeworth Motorsport, who are the controlling party at the Northamptonshire venue, now known as Northampton International Raceway, would be adverse to the suggestion.

They are the main leaseholders at Foxhall Heath where Ipswich are their speedway tenants. And motorsport promoters Spedeworth were also extremely co-operative in regard to speedway's farewell show at Wimbledon Stadium last Sunday, March12, 2017.

​I recall seeing the mid-1950s Brafield Southern Area League speedway team several times and riders who spring to mind are Hank Bird, Vic Hall, Brian Meredith. Tony and Eric Eadon, Fran Greasley.

 

 

I seem to recollect a mention in the Speedway Star about the site being looked at with the possibility of running a conference league team there. I think it was the the late 90's or early 00's. Don't remember why (either too much stock damage or the proximity of housing) but the idea ended up as a no-go (obviously).

[Andy Downes]

I seem to recollect a mention in the Speedway Star about the site being looked at with the possibility of running a conference league team there. I think it was the the late 90's or early 00's. Don't remember why (either too much stock damage or the proximity of housing) but the idea ended up as a no-go (obviously).

Whilst not disputing or dismissing your answer Compost, your reply raises the question about noise - I would have thought Stocks make more noise than

Speedway bikes - I realise bikes rev higher thus creating the illusion of more noise but there are far more stocks on the track at ant time and the races are longer thus creating more noise over a sustained period; the continued programme of stocks would indicate that noise is not the primary problem here.

[Guest compost]

Whilst not disputing or dismissing your answer Compost, your reply raises the question about noise - I would have thought Stocks make more noise than

Speedway bikes - I realise bikes rev higher thus creating the illusion of more noise but there are far more stocks on the track at ant time and the races are longer thus creating more noise over a sustained period; the continued programme of stocks would indicate that noise is not the primary problem here.

 

Hi Andy,

 

I did say that I don't remember why the interest wasn't followed up. My copies of the Star are in long term storage and so I can't check.

 

I was trying to point out that the venue had been looked at comparitively recently and had been passed up on.

 

Re noise, One reason could be that the increased usage of the stadium for motorsport was the problem - not the existing use. As I wrote I just don't remember.

 

Cheers