Crystal Palace

[roydpg]

Surely one of the most beautiful tracks. I remember getting off the train and finding myself right in the circuit 15 minutes after leaving Victoria station.
Enjoy this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKbi_o086wc

[Gnomex]

Thank you so much for that wonderful memory. My late father would have taken still pictures whenever we went to Crystal Palace but sadly none seem to have survived. Your films are great - it's only a pity that you can't smell the Castrol R!

[jonbryant]

Lovely bit of film. Lucky enough to have a programme and poster for the last Crystal Palace meeting which is up on the wall. Seems to have been a great looking circuit albeit slightly limited on the old run off

[roydpg]

No you're wrong about the run off.......There was a good 10 inches or so...!!

[Gerry Taylor]

Roy, such brilliant brilliant memories. The names too.....Hunt The Shunt. Roger Williamson, Dear Gerry M. happy happy days.
On behalf of all us old racers, thank you for preserving for posterity, our youth.
Gerry.

[Rob29]

Brilliant! I was there unfortunately only armed with an Instamatic.Interesting the size of the crowd=not my imagination.I doubt if you scheduled an F3 race on a Saturday at Brands today you would get half a dozen paying punters?

[zefarelly]

top stuff . . . I was 2 weeks old then!

[Alan Raine]

I happened to be in London yesterday and had a few hours spare, so jumped on a bus to Crystal Palace and had a walk around the old place. It's the first time I've been there since it closed.

It's the first circuit I ever went to and the only one I could get to easily on Public Transport. I took some photos of how the track is now and will post them as soon As I've sorted them out.

Great film - I was at that meeting

[p261brm]

Memories are sure made of this, have a good few pics of the old place, if some one could help with the transposal from image shack to 10/10 cos the procedure beats me.

[Alan Raine]

As seen on Google Earth with layout and corner names added:



The startline and pits circa 1971...


...a similar view 12.30pm 12/03/2009 (yesterday) - My apologies for the quality, these were taken with the camera on my mobile phone!


1971...


...2009


A view from towards the back of the grid. A short stretch has been grassed over.


Looking back towards the startline - the tarmac here looks like it could be all that's left from CP's racing days.


Heading towards North Tower.


North Tower in..


...North Tower out.


The Glade


Park Curve. This area was out of bounds for spectators. I never realised the houses were so close. No wonder there were complaints about the noise.


New Link.


Stadium straight. There is a little track by the blue boxes which I think maybe for radio controlled cars.


Stadium straight towards Ramp Bend. The Grandstand and offices now use part of the circuit.


Ramp Bend. I think the concrete wall on the left may have been around in racing days.


Anerley Ramp


Maxim Rise. The bridge from the station that went over the track has gone.


Finally heading into South Tower.


It's sad that there appears to be no recognition that racing took place there. I was chatting to a chap who was walking his dog and he had no idea what I was talking about. There is a little Museum on site, but unfortunately that was closed due to structural damage by vandals!

[Al Weyman]

Nice film, those 70's Gold Leaf girls were the business!

[Vitesse]

Thanks for those pics Alan. It's about 15 years since I was last there: at that time the old railway sleepers were still in situ at North Tower - seems like they've been removed and the bank re-landscaped. The little track is for RCs - there was one running when I was there!

[GORDON STREETER]

I used to go there a fair bit, as apart from Brands it was the next closest track to get to for me. I also used to watch as many bike meetings at CP in those days and we never thought it was any more dangerous than other tracks in those days.
But looking at old footage now does make me think !!!!

[roydpg]

Alan, did you go to take the pics cos you saw my film or was it coincidence? Spooky if it was coincidence.....!

[Alan Raine]

It's very spooky.

I took them about 5 hours before you posted the film! I couldn't believe it when I fired up the computer this morning.

I was in London for a funeral and had some time to spare beforehand - saw a bus that was going to Crystal Palace, and just went on the spur of the moment, which is why I didn't have a proper camera.

Like you I used to get there by train. My parents didn't drive so my Dad took me in 1969, when I was 14, on the train from Stevenage. I watched the racing, he was in the beer tent. Once he realised how easy it was for me to get there, I went on my own. I would collect my paper round money on the Saturday morning, jump on the train and stroll into the circuit from the station by late morning.

Happy days!

[Rob29]

Concrete wall at Ramp Bend was certainly there for the racing.seating bank above was where my family watched from May 30 1955-I think last ever family outing-mum died couple of months later.Went many times later on my own or with brother or friends.Since the circuit closed-for a rally,athletics,octopushy,rock concert by Ian Drury and a sprint in 1999.Sad to see it has deteriorated since my last visit.For the concert- 1981 I think- the grey and red notices stating 'This part of the Crystal Palace public park is closed for motorsport 'were still in place.I remember some other rock fans were amused that I was taking photos of these! Around 1976-79 I lived in Beckenham within walking distance and the nearest park for a walk.

[p261brm]

rumaged 2 Palace programes out of their hidey hole; 1, Saturday 5th August 1967 presented by The Greater London Council [imagine Ken organising a race meeting?], then spannering an E-type, many of the drivers competing made their mark in later exploits; Bell, Redman. Burton, D'Udy, Shenken, Van Lennep, Gethin, Nathan, and one Ian Ashley not sure who keeps who in order at the present time on occasions. 2, British Road Services Trophy meeting 13th September 1969;Trophy for GT cars 3 McLarens 2 T70's one with a 3ltr BRM engine, Mark Konig and Nomad GT40 a gaggle of Chevrons B6's and B8's Ginettas and the Astra's 40 laps of the Palace, noise, what noise!

[Al Weyman]

I think I only went there the once and that may have been that meeting, I was there with the Nathan Astra when it debuted with a BMW engine in an effort to catch the Chevrons, it never even made to race as it blew off an oil cooler hose as I recollect, we had worked all night to get it there as well. From the pits you could'nt see much of the track at all and I never realised just how dangerous and narrow it was.

[roydpg]

Alan, if we made up this story for a book everyone would say bull...
I'm gonna bore everyone I know with this....Spooky spooky spooky.

Many of you keep going on about no run off. There was a full 10 inches...What more do we need...??

Back to reality, part 2 is ready, enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLQVZdKRhXE

[Nordic]

http://www.leisureopportunities.co.u...TOKEN=40378651

Crystal Palace is being lined up for a major refurb. I wonder if the what remains of the circuit will finally disappear.

[delta]

Thanks for sharing the film with us roydpg just brilliant.

[Al Weyman]

Good work Roy, its not the 10 inches to the wall that would worry me so much as those ruddy great oak trees!

[Alan Raine]

Absolutely fantastic. I was in the North Tower crowd that day

In part 1 Mike Wilds goes off in the FFord race. He obviously didn't learn anything as he did exactly the same thing again a year later in the Dempster F3 Ensign!

[ss_collins]

May next year people. We are just getting together bits and pieces behind the scenes but the permissions are all done. Motorsport is coming back to Crystal Palace.

Course theres a book on the topic I could reccomend...

[roydpg]

Alan Raine you are right about Mike Wilds, I filmed him that time crashing as well and again at Monte Carlo the same year......He must really hate me.....Of course all the films will be on Youtube when they are ready.