The MIDLAND AUTOMOBILE CLUB CENTENARY MEETING
at SHELSLEY WALSH, 17th - 19th AUGUST 2001.
This was one of the meetings I wanted to get to this year, but unfortunately I was working over the whole weekend and couldn't make it. However, the guy who is restoring my Formula Ford, Jonathan Hall, lives just six miles from the venue and took these photographs for me. He reported that he had never seen so many people at a Shelsley Walsh event.
The Midland Automobile Club has been organising meetings since 1901, and at Shelsley Walsh since 1905, which must be some sort of record!
The track is just 1000 feet long (914 metres) and rises some 328 feet (100 metres) from the bottom to the top. I'm assured that it can get quite busy if you are driving anything with a bit of power!
Being the Centenary Meeting, there were of course plenty of old racers to be seen, from 500cc Coopers right up to F5000 cars, plus a few surprises.
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Sam Stretton in the 1935 Ingstone Special. |
Journalist Simon Taylor in his HWM Chevrolet. |
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That's the way to do it! |
Winston Teague in the 1922 Wasp. |
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One of the stars of the show, David Franklin in his Ferrari 212E. |
Richard Drewett in the F5000 Lotus 70. |
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John Wiseman in the 1925 Gnat Special. |
What it's all about. James Diffey in his 500cc Cooper. |
One of the more unusual entrants must have been Martin Stretton in Simon Bulls' Formula 1 Tyrrell P34. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, Martin had a slight 'off' which pulled a rear wheel off the car. Thankfully it was repaired in time for the following weeks Historic Festival at Silverstone. I bet it was a bit of a handful at Shelsley though!
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All pictures courtesy of Jonathan Hall.