Vintage Motor-Sport

[Bush Tucker Man]

And somepeople think you need a 4WD to play in the mud.
I got a book from a local library (a branch of Leeds Libraries) called
'So This Is Yorkshire' - 'A Nostalgic Look At Motorsport From 1910 - 1939'

Within it's pages are lots of pictures of all the events that used to take place every weekend; hill-climbs, trials & sporting car trials.
It's surprising how far they got lookingat the tyres & surfaces

We tend to forget that within living memory a lot of minor roads outside the big towns were just unsealed dirt tracks.
There's one in the village that's still unsurfaced, and it's part of a council estate!
This book was wrote on behalf of the 'Ilkley & District Motor Club Ltd'

A lot of the pictures in it won't mean a lot (location wise) to anyone outside Yorkshire, such as;
Park Rash (Kettlewell)
Chimney Bank (Rosedale Abbey)
West End (now under Thruscross reservoir)
Hepolite Scar (a 'freak hill' at Bradford)
Post Hill (Stanningly, Leeds. Very big, very scary. 1-in-1.5)

Well worth a look at

[matthew]

And somepeople think you need a 4WD to play in the mud.
I got a book from a local library (a branch of Leeds Libraries) called
'So This Is Yorkshire' - 'A Nostalgic Look At Motorsport From 1910 - 1939'

Within it's pages are lots of pictures of all the events that used to take place every weekend; hill-climbs, trials & sporting car trials.
It's surprising how far they got lookingat the tyres & surfaces

Production, sporting and classic trials still go on. I've done a couple of production car trials (won one). Most of the modern hillclimb courses such as Prescott and Shelsley Walsh started out as unsurfaced.
For anybody in the Midlands that knows Sunrising hill (other end of Edge Hill (look up your civil war history)), that was used first IIRC in 1904 by Midland AC as the predecessor to Shelsley.

[300+]

We tend to forget that within living memory a lot of minor roads outside the big towns were just unsealed dirt tracks.

This is how it is today in Brisbane. I need to travel a couple of miles to get to dirt roads, and I'm only 10 minutes from the city centre.

The major roads an hour from here are dirt as well. The motorways are still tarmaced though.

Steve

[Bush Tucker Man]

Matthew, I know that production car trials still go on, usually RWD Escorts, Imps, Beetles, Skodas, etc....
There was the programme in the SKY tv series with Tony Mason that was dedicated to them -'Off The Road'?
The cars in this book were also unmodified, simply the owners everyday vehicle. It was just nice to see locations I know that geographically look the same, but with features on the ground differing.
With regard to the 'surprising how far they got...' comment the tyres used can't have been much wider than those of a mid '70's 500cc motorbike.

Neil, why bother sealing the outback roads, it's not economicaly viable.
Besides they're part of the landscape now.
Lucky fellow, living out there. The wifes been twice and we've got friends living in Brisbane.
Is my screen names 'official' user still a big star out there?


I recently (re)read a good book for anyone travelling to Oz, or indeed for an inhabitant to read. Dead funny, it's by an American who lives in Yorkshire, his name is Bill Bryson.
The book is called 'Down Under' - well worth looking out for.

[300+]

Neil,

Actually "Neil Loves Turtle Wax" is taking the [throw it] out of the esteemed founder. I'm Steve

why bother sealing the outback roads, it's not economicaly viable.
Besides they're part of the landscape now.
Lucky fellow, living out there. The wifes been twice and we've got friends living in Brisbane.
Is my screen names 'official' user still a big star out there?

He's actually the Land Rover official ambassador or something. When they brought out the '03 Disco they gave him one and filmed him driving round for publicity shots.

I've got a 300MB mpeg of him driving through the Norther Territory and being interviewed in the disco. It was stuck on the front of a local 4x4 mag.

Cheers, Steve

[Bush Tucker Man]

Fair enough Steve.
I've manged to see all the programmes, got a couple of his books brought back for me.
I actually wear an Akubra that I ordered from www.strandhatters.com.au in Sydney that's been shaped/bashed into that style.
Couldn't get one over here, well the importers said;
"£80 - £100, about 7months & no, we can't shape it -that's if we can get one"

Ordered one from, Strand Hatters after discussing my requirements via e-mail. It was on my doorstep in 6days, shaped, air-freighted, insured & for about £60.00 (at the exchange rate then)