Snetterton history & memories

[M Greenslade]

Just had an e-mail back from Jim Tiller to confirm it is him.

Bladders...................

[restyles]

Excellent ... Amazing to think that Jim still runs that same car.

[E.B]

Excellent pics. Thanks to all concerned for their being shared and posted here.
Somewhere I have boxes of slides of early 70's stuff mainly from Thruxton, Brands and Silverstone. *Note to self: find boxes of slides and get them digitised.*

[Mike Bell]

Richard and Andrew, thanks for sharing such wonderful pics!

As Snet goes through another transformation, very appropriate to remember the original layout. I remember in the 60s if I was with Dad in his car and we drove past both of us would be craning our necks to see if anything was going down the Norwich Straight!

Coincidence? As I type this JP and Martin B at Snet driving tarmac layer on BBC 'Look East'...........

[Andrew Kitson]

Another one from Richard, Norman Abbott's 'Spiders Nightspot' entered Escort from 1971, driven here by John Emmins.

[Gerry Taylor]

Dear Richard and Andrew, many thanks for those wonderful photographs. They take me back to those lovely sunny days in Snetterton, when we would tow the trailer down from the Midlands, park up and all the drivers would get together for a good old noggin n' natter before settling down for the night in our tents, or even on the back seats of the tow cars. The next morning that smell of bacon n' eggs wafted across the paddock, and hot coffee was available at every trailer you passed. I have a special fondness for Snett'. Happy Happy days.
Thanks.

[Andrew Kitson]

Some more fantastic memory jerkers from Richard Styles. I have identified and dated them for him where I can.

A very rare colour shot of Emerson Fittipaldi in Formula Ford in 1969. His orange Merlyn chasing the Frank Williams' car of Tony Trimmer and Ian Ashley, with Mo Harness in the JRRDS Lotus 61 behind Emerson. June 22nd 1969.


Andy Sutcliffe's Team Kent Messenger F3 Lotus, March 1970


GT cars in the assembly area. Terry Croker's B8 on pole position, Ian Tee's Ginetta G16, John Spero's Porsche 906 and the Lola of Roy Axon. The shot is taken from the pit balcony, the steps up to the balcony can be seen by race control on the left. The cars would enter the track through an arch in the pits, about where Richard was standing to take this shot, right beneath him. In the distance, the white building is the old wartime control tower, the circuit bar/clubhouse, with viewing from the roof. The building on the right is the scrutineering bay, with the Archie Scott-Brown memorial plaque on the wall, which is now displayed by the new AS-B scrutineering building, about where old control tower/clubhouse was. 8th June 1969.


Richard thinks this is March 1969, Lotus testing the new naked type 62 sports car. So perhaps John Miles driving?


Carlos Avallone pushes his F5000 Lola towards scrutineering for his F.Libre race, past Albert Betts' Jaguar.
8th June 1969


I remember standing with my father amongst a big crowd admiring Albert Betts' Jaguar in the paddock, with its new two tone green paint with metal flake light green finish. Had never seen anything like that before at Snetterton in the late 60s.


Colourful Mini Se7ens 13th July 1969. The Neil Brown entered car of Mick Bowring. No.182 is Mick Osbourne, the green car is Malcolm Hezel.


September 21st 1969, Neil Corner's Aston & Tony Merrick's 250F Tecmec.


The smoky F5000 Conchord-Ford of Bob Waters, September 1st 1969


This D-type just about fits onto its trailer. Peter Baldwin's Mini behind, Peter nearly always had orange somewhere on his cars! 1969


D-type leads Bentley around Coram, with the fire marshals suitably dressed! 1969

[Andrew Kitson]

Graham Eden's Chevron in the F.Libre race 5th April 1970


A Snetterton regular. David Coleman, upgraded to an Escort from his Anglia. 5th April 1970


The Mike Spence Ltd team in the paddock, unsure of date, probably 1969. Vivian Talfourd-Cook was the driver of the Ginetta and Ted Bunce ( I think ) the Lotus 47. Looks like a Mercury in the centre, any ideas of its pilot? Also...put the scoreboard back!


Jeremy Richardson's Ginetta G16, May 1969


Ian Tee's G16, also 1969


An F3 Lotus 59 testing. Up at the hairpin 1969.


David Piper at the Good Friday meeting 1970. A busy time driving Mark Konig's Nomad in the Guards Trophy and a Camaro in the RAC BSCC race.


Mike Chittenden's 1650cc Morris, 26th May 1969.


Pit top view of clubmans cars, May 1969


Jim Beach's Lola T70 Mk3, 1969

[Andrew Kitson]

Snetterton beat Goodwood by some 24 years to the title for a meeting 'The Festival of Speed'.
June 22nd 1969, it included bike races, karts and a saloon race. Formula Ford was also on the bill won by a new upstart called Emerson Fittipaldi. Karts in the paddock, spot the dog breaking the 'no dogs admitted' rule! There was also an annual Kart 9-hour race at Snett in the 60s,
organised by the Bath KC..practice for 120 karts at 7.30am followed by the 9-hr race at 9am. Wakey wakey neighbours..


A sunny paddock, 1969


John Burton's Chevron and Roger Nathan's Astra, March 23rd 1969


Special saloons approach Riches, 23rd March 1969 with David Alexander's Top Gear Racing Mini to the fore. Gerry's Blydenstein Viva and George Whitehead's Anglia further back.


Peter Baldwin, 11th May 1969


GLTL F3 Lotus 59, 1969


Llewellyn's Bentley, 10th August 1969


Historics round Riches, 21st September 1969


Richard took several shots of Avallone's Lola...it was the first F5000 we had seen at Snett, in a couple of libre races. This is 8th June 1969. The F5000 Championship did not visit until September.


Here at Coram..East Harling church spire in the distance.


Avallone leads Jack Smith's BT23B into Riches.

[Andrew Kitson]

Nice wheels...


Maynard 'Duke' Soares, Lotus 7, 1969


Tony Trimmer, F3 BT28, October 1970


F4 Vixen, 1969ish...Keith Norman perhaps?


Martin Raymond's Daren GT, 1969


A Mallock U2, 1970


Martin Birrane's Ford Fairlane, '69 perhaps, no id on Escort yet.


Is this Jim Yardley's Mono Beagle...or Brian Toft's Anco?


Off towards Riches..


Tony Strawson, Healey 1969


Pete Smith's Healey, also 1969

[Andrew Kitson]

Trevor Taylor, F5000 TS5, September '69


Keith Holland and Alan Rollinson, F5000 '69


Rollinson in Doug Hardwick's Lola, F5000 meeting September 1st 1969


Terry Harmer's Mini, March 1969


Jack Smith, Brabham, another Libre race 1969


Powerplant of Ashley's 1969 F5000 Kitchiner


The John Filbee Jaguar of Peter Dodd, '69


Ian Kerr's Alvis, 1969


Peter Giddings' Alfa, 1969


Same Alfa?

[Andrew Kitson]

Patrick Marsh's ERA, September '69


Lotus 16 1969


FFs at Riches


Dave Walker testing the JRRDS Lotus 61 FF car early in 1969


A D-type held together with tape


Saloons 1969


Albert Betts' Jaguar, June 1969


Chris Craft's Lola T70 1969


The orange Midgets are John Britten and Gabrielle Konig, March 1969 through Coram Curve


John Quick passes Chris Smith, also March 1969

[M Greenslade]

For the record the photo entitled 'A sunny Paddock 1969' is a 1929 4 1/2 Bentley owned at the time by Hugh D W Flower, the car still survives.

Bladders.....................

[John Turner]

Andy, just caught up with this. Great thread; what a fantastic bunch of pics and thanks to Richard too (must catch up with you both soon). Almost in tears with nostalgia; all those great cars and characters. Snetterton is an underrated circuit and great for viewing (hope JP's revamp doesn't alter this); we really need to put it back on the map and it's great that the HSCC have run the Autosport 3 hours there for the last 4 years and will continue to do so, and that the 360MRC are adding to the tradition of endurance racing at this circuit.

[Andrew Kitson]

Cheers John. Snett will certainly be different...latest aerial shots:
http://snetterton.motorsportvision.c...al-photos.aspx