New Forest Training Track 1958-1961

[Guest]

50 minutes ago, gustix said:

Here's the SMO Link you refer to JOS50:

http://www.speedwaymuseumonline.co.uk/f tracks.html

 

35 minutes ago, JOS50 said:

Thanks for that, have'nt seen it since yesterday.

My apologies for quoting you JOS50. I posted the Link because I thought there may have been other members interested in your comment and possibly may have wanted to follow what initially appeared a useful reference by you. Obviously not - but then we are on the BSF after all!

Edited August 22, 2019 by Guest

[iris123]

19 hours ago, JOS50 said:

Not for the first time, mind you, it's nice to see Faringdon listed, a great place to have fun, back then.

This is even more surprising for me, as I can't recall the track and it was during the years I was quite active as a fan. Whereas the New Forest track was before I was born, so I have an excuse there!! Was the Faringdon track set up and used by the Oxford promotion? 

[racers and royals]

3 minutes ago, iris123 said:

This is even more surprising for me, as I can't recall the track and it was during the years I was quite active as a fan. Whereas the New Forest track was before I was born, so I have an excuse there!! Was the Faringdon track set up and used by the Oxford promotion? 

Swindon i think- Malc Holloway

[steve roberts]

4 hours ago, iris123 said:

This is even more surprising for me, as I can't recall the track and it was during the years I was quite active as a fan. Whereas the New Forest track was before I was born, so I have an excuse there!! Was the Faringdon track set up and used by the Oxford promotion? 

I have no recollection of the Oxford Promotion using Faringdon Raceway although I recall Steve Purchase (one time Oxford Promoter) talking of looking at another venue (Faringdon was discussed) rather than Cowley but it never gained any momentum.

[cityrebel]

I saw Faringdon ride at Iwade in the late 1980's in a junior challenge match.

[spinkox]

I think Matchams Park was running - maybe for just a year - around 1970. I visited once.

[JOS50]

19 hours ago, iris123 said:

This is even more surprising for me, as I can't recall the track and it was during the years I was quite active as a fan. Whereas the New Forest track was before I was born, so I have an excuse there!! Was the Faringdon track set up and used by the Oxford promotion? 

Search Faringdon on this forum and there's several posts, notably MARK 245's, also I see Bryn lists it as a track he's visited.

 

[yesterdaysman]

George Major says:     I went there a few times in '58/9. It was not so much a track as an oval thrashed out in the bracken. it was accessed through an opening between the trees, there were several of these, all looking very much the same. I don't know how my dad managed to find the right one. From memory, there never seemed too much organisation, sometimes none at all. I think there was a notice saying only three riders on the track at one time, so I guess it was a bit on the narrow side. I don't remember any established S A L riders ever being there, so probably all wobbler's, like I was and not many fast laps going on, but not too sure on that, as a long time ago. It has to be remembered, there was not much happening in Speedway at that time, so we were glad to ride on anything resembling a track. Here are a couple of old pics, a family member would have taken with an old box camera or "Brownie 127"  . Not very clear, but might give you some idea.

[hedders]

Yesterdaysman's post and pictures got the old grey matter working. Mike Cake and myself used to cycle there on a Sunday from Parkstone to watch etc. I think the name of the person running it then was Fred Pike. Not many riders (junior/novice) would turn up. Very deep sand on the bends. For our moral support we were each rewarded with a cloth sew on blazer badge bearing the name and logo. Track at St. Ives, Matcham Park is not very far away,

[badgerdiditin63]

On 9/5/2019 at 1:36 PM, yesterdaysman said:

George Major says:     I went there a few times in '58/9. It was not so much a track as an oval thrashed out in the bracken. it was accessed through an opening between the trees, there were several of these, all looking very much the same. I don't know how my dad managed to find the right one. From memory, there never seemed too much organisation, sometimes none at all. I think there was a notice saying only three riders on the track at one time, so I guess it was a bit on the narrow side. I don't remember any established S A L riders ever being there, so probably all wobbler's, like I was and not many fast laps going on, but not too sure on that, as a long time ago. It has to be remembered, there was not much happening in Speedway at that time, so we were glad to ride on anything resembling a track. Here are a couple of old pics, a family member would have taken with an old box camera or "Brownie 127"  . Not very clear, but might give you some idea.

Thank you very much for posting the photographs, i have visited the site and by using an old 1972 ariel  photograph, can get a feel for  the old track. Great memories for those that saw some action there. Although no meetings were held there, the 'team' did race a restricted heat challenge at Aldershot in 1959 under the name of the 'Ferndown Flyers'!

 

[Tracy Bird]

On 8/24/2019 at 9:28 AM, spinkox said:

I think Matchams Park was running - maybe for just a year - around 1970. I visited once.

Poole ran a junior team there 1972/3, a number of riders went on to appear for poole including Martin Yeates,len Davis,Geoff swindells,Russel foot and Dave buttigeig who would have gone a lot further in the sport but concentrated on go- karting I believe and became a world champion.steve lomas and Brian chaldicot are others who rode for other teams lomas(Weymouth,hackney,wolves,Edinburgh and Boston),chaldicot(Bradford).mike broadbank was in charge of the training.

[steve roberts]

On 12/20/2019 at 3:34 PM, Tracy Bird said:

Poole ran a junior team there 1972/3, a number of riders went on to appear for poole including Martin Yeates,len Davis,Geoff swindells,Russel foot and Dave buttigeig who would have gone a lot further in the sport but concentrated on go- karting I believe and became a world champion.steve lomas and Brian chaldicot are others who rode for other teams lomas(Weymouth,hackney,wolves,Edinburgh and Boston),chaldicot(Bradford).mike broadbank was in charge of the training.

Some names to conjure with there!