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Motor Racing at Oulton Park in the 1970s (Those Were the Days ... ) (Those Were the Days Series)

Motor Racing at Oulton Park in the 1970s (Those Were the Days ... ) (Those Were the Days Series)

by PeterMcFayden (Author)

  • Used

    Paperback 2008

    $13.16
Synopsis

In the 1970s, Formula 5000 was more than filling the gap left by contemporary F1 cars and the major races at the popular Cheshire circuit of Oulton Park, the Gold Cup and the traditional Good Friday meetings, were as spectacular and exciting as ever. New events such as the Avon Tour of Britain brought occasional visits from established stars such as James Hunt and Graham Hill competing alongside Roger Clark, Billy Coleman and other great names from the world of rallying. Meanwhile, in Formula Ford and F3 the stars of the future were to be seen. World champions to be, Alan Jones, Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet raced regularly at Oulton as did future F1 team owners Eddie Jordan and Tom Walkinshaw. Stir into the mix saloons, single seaters and sports cars vying for glory in a growing number of national championships and one-off club races and you have the recipe which kept Oulton Park at the forefront of British motor racing. The new, shorter Foster's circuit, introduced in 1974 meant more laps per race and more action for the spectators. The pictures in this book capture the era perfectly and bring it back to life. With 100 color and black and white photos, many previously unpublished.

$13.16

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More Information

Format: Paperback
 Pages: 96
 Publisher: Veloce Publishing PLC
Published: 21 Aug 2008
ISBN 10: 1845841646
ISBN 13: 9781845841645

Media Reviews
Classic & Sports Car, October 2008
UK magazine
There's something instantly compelling about the 'Those were the days ...' series. This second study of the Cheshire circuit inevitably kicks off with its blue ribbon meet, the Gold Cup. And that's no bad thing, with the likes of Gethin and Schuppan head-to-head in Lolas. Plus there's the surreal sight of F5000s in the snow, over a freak Easter in '75. Big names also crop up in 'Rising stars, ' such as Eddie Jordan dicing with Tiff Needell and Derek Warwick in FF1600s. There's some great tin-top action, too, with Steve Soper and Alan Curnow's epic Mini Clubman battle, Andy Rouse and 'Yogi' Muir wheel-to-wheel in Dolly Sprints and James Hunts sideways in Richard Lloyd's Camaro on the Tour of Britain. All that's missing is Colin Crabbe's Mercedes W125. An ideal early stocking filler.
-

Review from Track & Race Cars, October 2008
UK magazine
In the 70s Formula 1 had some many championship races they no longer wanted to enter non-championship races. This left the racing fans wanting something else they can watch locally. At Oulton Park Formula 5000 filled the gap as did the traditional Gold Cup. The book is very brief and contains little detail, it mainly concentrates on photos with little history of stories of the circuit in this era. The photos are very good and show what Oulton Park was like in the 70s. This is good for a simple flick through with good pictures but has little more to offer.


Classic & Sports Car, October 2008
UK magazine

There's something instantly compelling about the 'Those were the days ...' series. This second study of the Cheshire circuit inevitably kicks off with its blue ribbon meet, the Gold Cup. And that's no bad thing, with the likes of Gethin and Schuppan head-to-head in Lolas. Plus there's the surreal sight of F5000s in the snow, over a freak Easter in '75. Big names also crop up in 'Rising stars, ' such as Eddie Jordan dicing with Tiff Needell and Derek Warwick in FF1600s. There's some great tin-top action, too, with Steve Soper and Alan Curnow's epic Mini Clubman battle, Andy Rouse and 'Yogi' Muir wheel-to-wheel in Dolly Sprints and James Hunts sideways in Richard Lloyd's Camaro on the Tour of Britain. All that's missing is Colin Crabbe's Mercedes W125. An ideal early stocking filler.
-

Review from Track & Race Cars, October 2008
UK magazine

In the 70s Formula 1 had some many championship races they no longer wanted to enter non-championship races. This left the racing fans wanting something else they can watch locally. At Oulton Park Formula 5000 filled the gap as did the traditional Gold Cup. The book is very brief and contains little detail, it mainly concentrates on photos with little history of stories of the circuit in this era. The photos are very good and show what Oulton Park was like in the 70s. This is good for a simple flick through with good pictures but has little more to offer.


Review from British Racing News, December 2008
The magazine of the British Racing & Sports Car Club

Some of 'those of a certain age' are extremely fortunate - not through health issues, wealth, or other such considerations; simply because of where and when they were born.
If you grew up near Manchester and Sheffield in the '50s, '60s and '70s, then you know what this is - pubs; the Twisted Wheel (if you don't know what that is, you weren't there), serious road rallies ... and Oulton Park. This reviewer's jaded memory doesn't recall a great deal about the Manchester and Sheffield pubs and clubs (if you were there you don't, and all that), but I do still remember vividly my first sight of the Napier Railton thundering up Clay Hill. And the Bentley Napier, and the Barnato/Hassan Bentley; the Gold Cup and some really good racing. Oulton was - and still is, in its longest form - a great track; in UK terms probably just second only to Cadwell, in this reviewer's opinion. Much of my early racing viewing is covered within these pages, with some good photography; which is to be expected, because the book's author took many of them during his days contributing to 'Autosport' and 'Motoring News.' The accompanying text is to the point, accurate ... and memory-jerking for this reviewer. Yet, someone who's never visited the Cheshire track would doubtless enjoy this book's content. This book is one of Veloce Publishing's 'Those were the days ...' series; if you're a stalwart, a student or simply a racing fan, for $25.95 you can't go wrong. Read it.
Speedscene, October 2008
The magazine of the Hillclimb and Sprint association
Circ: unknown

Another in the excellent 'Those were the days' series published by Veloce, this is former Autosport photographer and correspondent Peter McFadyen's follow-up to his book about racing at the Cheshire circuit a decade earlier. lt's a similar nostalgia trip to the first one, but happily free of the intermittent publisher's adverts and the 'bleached out photo' space fillers that peppered the previous volume. In fact this is the best book yet in this popular series, with the reproduction of the numerous black and white photographs (there are several color ones too, of course), many of them previously unpublished, to a superbly high standard for such an inexpensive volume. A succinct and accurate commentary by the author, who as a confirmed Lotus enthusiast currently races an Elan in classic events, brings the whole thing to life. Fans of Formula 5000, F3, Formula Ford, saloons and early historic racing, all of which thrived at Oulton during the seventies - and indeed of Motor Sport per se, before the advent of endless one-make formulae blunted the diversity and fascination of the sport at club and national level - won't be able to put this one down!

There's something instantly compelling about the 'Those were the days ...' series. This second study of the Cheshire circuit inevitably kicks off with its blue ribbon meet, the Gold Cup. And that's no bad thing, with the likes of Gethin and Schuppan head-to-head in Lolas. Plus there's the surreal sight of F5000s in the snow, over a freak Easter in '75. Big names also crop up in 'Rising stars, ' such as Eddie Jordan dicing with Tiff Needell and Derek Warwick in FF1600s. There's some great tin-top action, too, with Steve Soper and Alan Curnow's epic Mini Clubman battle, Andy Rouse and 'Yogi' Muir wheel-to-wheel in Dolly Sprints and James Hunts sideways in Richard Lloyd's Camaro on the Tour of Britain. All that's missing is Colin Crabbe's Mercedes W125. An ideal early stocking filler. Classic & Sports Car

In the 70s Formula 1 had some many championship races they no longer wanted to enter non-championship races. This left the racing fans wanting something else they can watch locally. At Oulton Park Formula 5000 filled the gap as did the traditional Gold Cup. The book is very brief and contains little detail, it mainly concentrates on photos with little history of stories of the circuit in this era. The photos are very good and show what Oulton Park was like in the 70s. This is good for a simple flick through with good pictures but has little more to offer. Track & Race Cars


This small softcover is an entertaining and useful addition to the vintage and racing collector's library. Victory Lane
The photography, which conveys much more than just cars on a track, is excellent, with many racing incidents and paddock shots of drivers and half-dismantled machinery. The Automobile
M otor Racing at Oulton Park in the '70s provides a useful compact insight into events at the Cheshire circuit, with well-written text by McFadyen, who has attended and photographed many of the races. M otor Sport

There's something instantly compelling about the 'Those were the days ...' series. This second study of the Cheshire circuit inevitably kicks off with its blue ribbon meet, the Gold Cup. And that's no bad thing, with the likes of Gethin and Schuppan head-to-head in Lolas. Plus there's the surreal sight of F5000s in the snow, over a freak Easter in '75. Big names also crop up in 'Rising stars, ' such as Eddie Jordan dicing with Tiff Needell and Derek Warwick in FF1600s. There's some great tin-top action, too, with Steve Soper and Alan Curnow's epic Mini Clubman battle, Andy Rouse and 'Yogi' Muir wheel-to-wheel in Dolly Sprints and James Hunts sideways in Richard Lloyd's Camaro on the Tour of Britain. All that's missing is Colin Crabbe's Mercedes W125. An ideal early stocking filler. -- Classic & Sports Car

In the 70s Formula 1 had some many championship races they no longer wanted to enter non-championship races. This left the racing fans wanting something else they can watch locally. At Oulton Park Formula 5000 filled the gap as did the traditional Gold Cup. The book is very brief and contains little detail, it mainly concentrates on photos with little history of stories of the circuit in this era. The photos are very good and show what Oulton Park was like in the 70s. This is good for a simple flick through with good pictures but has little more to offer. -- Track & Race Cars

Author Bio
Peter McFadyen has photographed motor sport since the 1960s' and his work has appeared in many books, including the leading annual, Autocourse. For many years, he contributed photographs and race reports from Oulton Park, Aintree, Donington and other UK circuits to magazines such as Motoring News (now Motorsport News), and especially Autosport. His first volume in the Those were the days series covered racing at Oulton Park in the 1960s, and was published in 2006. Currently, Peter races a Lotus Elan in the Classic Sports Car Club's (CSCC) Swinging Sixties series and other classic races. He is also a member of the Lotus Driver's Club, for whom he has served as competition secretary, and as Editor of the club's magazine, Chicane, to which he is still a regular contributor.