veefour Wrote:I remember they once had a Backwards at Brands Hatch meeting. If my memory is correct a certain SMB Hailwood won it.

I was there! The meeting was nicknamed "Hands Bratch" in the weeklies.

tripod Wrote:Hey Gordon Staverton wasn't that long ago, I had my first race there. OK maybe it was.

If my memory serves me right and I have the right place,( near Cheltenham ?) I rode the first meeting ever there in 1967. It bucketed down allday and the runways were awash.
Was it not a disused airfield which ceased when they extended the M5 motorway or have I the wrong place?

Arthur Lawn Wrote:

tripod Wrote:Hey Gordon Staverton wasn't that long ago, I had my first race there. OK maybe it was.

If my memory serves me right and I have the right place,( near Cheltenham ?) I rode the first meeting ever there in 1967. It bucketed down allday and the runways were awash.
Was it not a disused airfield which ceased when they extended the M5 motorway or have I the wrong place?

I remember it, I think it was on telly recently, is it now used as a storage area for new cars?

Manx Mist Wrote:

Arthur Lawn Wrote:

tripod Wrote:Hey Gordon Staverton wasn't that long ago, I had my first race there. OK maybe it was.

If my memory serves me right and I have the right place,( near Cheltenham ?) I rode the first meeting ever there in 1967. It bucketed down allday and the runways were awash.
Was it not a disused airfield which ceased when they extended the M5 motorway or have I the wrong place?

I remember it, I think it was on telly recently, is it now used as a storage area for new cars?

I got the wrong place, just shecked on net and Staverton is now Gloucestershire Airport, it was another former airfield/circuit I saw recently on telly thats now jam packed with new cars.

Several years ago (maybe about 20) I used to attend meetings of the Cotswold Section of the VMCC at the Staverton Airport Club House. It was a nice setting as I always believed that aeroplanes and motorcycles go well together. "Seat of the pants" control, sort of stuff and the exciting performances.

My memory served me wrong Looked up the programme today and it was Moreton Valance which I believe is in the same area

Staverton is only a mile or so down the road from me. They last ran a meeting there in 1986 (it rained...) before the NIMBY brigade got it banned along with the air display we used to enjoy every May. These are people who live within spitting distance of what has always been a working airport, a main line railway and the M5 and they complained about the noise... sheesh

Morton Vallence was, I think, an old RAF facility just south of Gloucester off the A38. Little Rissington also used to get used a lot, so we used to have three circuits in the area. I wish we still did...

I've always thought it would make a very interesting TT to have half the riders start off in the normal direction and the other half in an anti-clockwise direction. They would all go like hell until about Quarry Bends I reckon

That's silly, how could you work out the time keeping.

I used to spend my summer holidays in the late 40s and early 50s at Hardwicke very close to Morton valance and remember test aircraft flying over frequently
Meteors and later the wonderful delta winged Javelin!
I had my first race at Little Rissington!!
Happy days!

I lived at Little Rissington when I was about 8.My dad was an RAF pilot there.