Motor Racing at Crystal Palace Park

[ed_pete]

I went to the see the Hunt/Lauda film Rush last night and was more than surprised to discover one of the early scenes was of a Formula 3 race in Crystal Palace Park. In spite of living in South London for 30 years and having visited Crystal Palace Park many times, I never knew it had been used for motor racing. Google found me various links to it's history including this YouTube clip of a 20 lap Formula 3 race from 1970, complete with Murray Walker commentary and James Hunt in the line up.

[Jah Lush]

When I lived in the village as a kid you could hear the motor racing from Crystal Palace from there.

[nick shaw]

the sevenoaks car club should be allowed to run hill climbing again

[rgutsell]

Yup

I pursuaded my dad to take me there to watch mini's being raced, when I was about 10. (50 years ago).

Very exciting!

RGutsell

[Red01]

Excellent post and video, I never knew that such amazing races took place there.

[dbboy]

Wow, Wow, Wow !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[edhistory]

http://www.crystalpalacefoundation.org.uk/shop/motor-sport

[Mick Mac]

rgutsell Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Yup

>

> I pursuaded my dad to take me there to watch

> mini's being raced, when I was about 10. (50 years

> ago).

>

> Very exciting!

>

> RGutsell

I'm glad you signed that post off RG. Until then I had no idea who the post was from.

[dennyboy]

i took my future wife and brother in law to watch the motor-cycle racing there in the late 60s,on"tower bend" the "chairs" (side-cars to you and me) were the most exciting,i lived in maxwell court on dulwich common and you could hear the racing from there, there were too many bad accidents so all racing stopped soon after.

[steveo]

Well that was more exciting than F1 by a long chalk.

And it shows just how good Hunt was

[Y'man]

ed_pete Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I went to the see the Hunt/Lauda film Rush last

> night and was more than surprised to discover one

> of the early scenes was of a Formula 3 race in

> Crystal Palace Park. In spite of living in South

> London for 30 years and having visited Crystal

> Palace Park many times, I never knew it had been

> used for motor racing. Google found me various

> links to it's history including this YouTube clip

> of a 20 lap Formula 3 race from 1970, complete

> with Murray Walker commentary and James Hunt in

> the line up.

>

>

> e=youtube_gdata_player

I saw Jochen Rindt race at The Palace, broke down right by the lake. As a kid I watched a lot of racing there, bikes mainly but cars as well. Circuit closed because it was dangerous to the extreme, in particular the right hander, South Tower Cresent, after the downhill section and short straight. I saw Fritz Scheidegger crash his outfit into the wall there, spectacular. Both he and his passenger, who may have been Tony Robinson, were unharmed.

[Rhinestone Cowboy]

http://www.motorsportatthepalace.co.uk/

Bank holiday Monday 25th they close off bits of the park and race classic cars. We went a few years ago ?10 to get in and lots of old cars to walk around as well as the racing...

[Parkdrive]

It's quite close to me so I might drop in and take a gander, sounds interesting