This is a
short blog about Aintree motor racing circuit.
In 1949 the Topham
family purchased the 260 acre Aintree venue from Lord Sefton at a cost of
£275,000. Mirabel Topham was tasked with the management of the venue, with a
view to restarting horse racing after the Second World War. This she did, but
with only a few race meetings a year, the National Hunt course struggled to pay
it’s way. It was through her connections with the Duke of Richmond, who owned
Goodwood that she sought to build a motor racing circuit within the grounds and
in 1953 formed the Aintree Automobile Racing Company. Horse and car racing had
been successfully combined at Goodwood since 1948 and the facilities shared.
Her plans for this did not go smoothly however and after years of discussion
and the re-routing of a public footpath, in 1954 she was finally granted a
licence to run a motor race.
The 3 mile
circuit was built at a cost of £100,000 and completed in just 3 months, opening
in May 1954.
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| Aintree racing circuits |
From the
start/finish line, the track ran on the outside of the horse racing course to
Waterway Corner, a fast 120 degree right hand bend. It then ran adjacent to the
canal on a short straight towards a tighter 80 degree right hand bend, after
which it crossed over both the Melling Road and the horse racing course at
Anchor Crossing. It then continued on the inside of the horse racing course
along the Sefton Straight to Cottage Corner, a tight 60 degree left hand bend.
After this there was a very short straight before reaching Country Corner, a 90
degree left hand bend. Another very short straight followed after which was
Village Corner, a tight 60 degree turn to the right. From here it headed down
Valentine’s Way, a decent length of straight before a double apex bend to the
right at Bechers. This bend was a reverse involute with an exceedingly fast
exit onto the ¾ mile Railway Straight. At the end of this was a fast right/left
chicane, before the track again crossed the Melling Road and horse racing
course. It was now on the outside of the horse racing course once again and
headed up to Tatt’s Corner, a complex 70 degree turn to the right. From here it
was a short burst to the finish line and the lap completed.
The track
was largely flat throughout, as was a windblown Silverstone, but it was the
facilities that had been built for the horse racing fraternity that made it an
instant success. The grandstands and spectator amenities were second-to-none
and the organisers used to handling very large crowds, as quite simply the
Grand National was the biggest horse race in Britain. From the outset there was
grandstand accommodation for 20,000 spectators and an overall capacity for the
venue of 200,000. The Aintree organisers managed to convince the CSI
(forerunner of the FIA) that the new circuit would be a much better home for
the British Grand Prix, it being run here on alternate years to Silverstone.
In 1954 the
track was run anticlockwise, but following numerous accidents and safety
concerns had reverted to the usual clockwise direction for the 1955 season.
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| Ray Amm's 350cc Works Norton 1954 |
The British
Grand Prix was run at Aintree in the years 1955,1956,1957,1959,1961,1962 and in addition to
this the typical main events in the racing calendar were as follows:-
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| 1960 Major Events |
In 1955 to jubilant scenes, Stirling Moss made history by
beating Fangio and in being the first British driver to win his home Grand
Prix. Both were driving W196 Mercedes. In 1957 the race was billed as the
European Grand Prix and once again Moss and Tony Brooks made history by winning
for Vanwall. This was the first ever GP win by a British driver in a British
car and came after Moss broke down whilst in the lead and was passed the No.2
car by Brooks. He re-joined the race in 9th position but fought
through to win. In 1961 it was a 1st/2nd
for Ferrari with Von Tripps and Phil Hill heading the field home.
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| 1957 Grand Prix of Europe |
Motorcycle
racing also played a big part in the racing calendar, the two biggest events
being the Red Rose National meeting and the Aintree “Century” International.
The inaugural event was sponsored by the Daily Telegraph and took place on
Saturday 25th September 1954, all the top riders and bikes being
there. The main 500cc race was won by Geoff Duke on the works Gilera from John
Surtees on a private Norton. The overall lap record was set by Ray Fay from
Liverpool in September 1960 and stood at 86.4mph, although it was equalled by
Mike Hailwood at the same meeting the following year. The last Aintree “Century”
meeting was held in 1962 and won by Derek Minter on a Norton.
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| Red Rose and Aintree Century programmes |
After the
Brands Hatch track was extended to full GP length, Mirabel considered it would
be unprofitable to run the British Grand Prix at Aintree on what was likely to
be a three-way split and the 3 mile GP circuit was closed in August 1964. Car
racing continued on the shorter 1.64 mile Club Circuit until 1982 and this is
still in use today for motorcycle races.
Mirabel and
the Aintree management were very astute when it came to advertising and
promoting their events. The publicity material used was of the highest order at
the time and some of the posters were works of art in their own right.
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| 1958 Red Rose Meeting |
Trains were
also chartered to bring spectators from London Euston up to Liverpool, the
allocated seating being in carriages bearing the iconic Aintree racing silhouette.
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| 1958 Aintree Century Meeting |
The
following Colibri cigarette lighters were given as mementos to drivers and
riders in the feature races during the 1950’s.
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| Colibri Monopol lighter |
