22nd-May-20, 03:06 PM
Hello Brian,
The track pictured was originally built in or around Moulden in Essex around 1986 – 1987, by Neil Obee (from the Ipswich Club) with help from Andy Croft and Richard Mack, it was never fully completed or raced on in Essex. (There was an old track collected from somewhere, but it was never used. So, this may be the one you mention from March Mustangs. Neil Obee did say that he may have used one baseboard from it.)
What I do know is that around 1988 – 1989, the track was given to us at Norwich (presto) Mick Webb and Andy Taylor collected it from Essex, and we all finished its construction and installed it at the first floor of an old BT social club building on Cow Hill, virtually in the city centre of Norwich. (It replaced a track that was created from parts of the old dinosaur track made in the 1960s.)
This track was only at Cow Hill for about 18 to 24 months, but I am sure we had at least one area round on it, we were given notice to quit as the developers moved in. I stored the track at mine for a while. Until 1991 when Ant Hawkes found some new premises behind the Fleece pub in Beccles, Norfolk, Ant Hawkes and Andy Taylor did the lion’s share of preparing the room and erecting, re taping and wiring the track, I did the labouring and suppling/delivering materials.
The original track had a banked dogleg at the start of the main straight, but after about a year the building suffered a roof leak and badly warped the banked dogleg and main straight. Because there was an unequal lane length the dogleg was replaced with a flat hairpin, also, the bends coming out of the bridge were evened out a bit to correct the lane length imbalance. We stayed at Beccles for a few years until around 1996 – 1997 when the pub changed landlords, and they wanted the function room back, the track was dismantled and put back into storage for a second time at mine.
After a while a couple of club members Geoff Mayes and Kevin Parsons secured a barn at the Angel pub in Larling. So, the track was erected again by Andy Taylor, Geoff Mayes, Kevin Parsons, and me. Unfortunately, the club was not that well supported, and subsequently it folded after a few months and went back into storage at mine for a third time, about 1999ish. After about 18 months I was doing some building work on my house and the track was moved to Andy Taylors shed where it stayed stored until 2003 when it was given to Mussel Bay.
The track was super smooth and was a delight to race on, Ant Hawkes and I were always battling for the lap records and personal bests. I have some really memorable times of this track and I am sure if asked that all others who raced on it would feel the same.
The dates I mention I believe to be correct, if not please let me know
Keith
The track pictured was originally built in or around Moulden in Essex around 1986 – 1987, by Neil Obee (from the Ipswich Club) with help from Andy Croft and Richard Mack, it was never fully completed or raced on in Essex. (There was an old track collected from somewhere, but it was never used. So, this may be the one you mention from March Mustangs. Neil Obee did say that he may have used one baseboard from it.)
What I do know is that around 1988 – 1989, the track was given to us at Norwich (presto) Mick Webb and Andy Taylor collected it from Essex, and we all finished its construction and installed it at the first floor of an old BT social club building on Cow Hill, virtually in the city centre of Norwich. (It replaced a track that was created from parts of the old dinosaur track made in the 1960s.)
This track was only at Cow Hill for about 18 to 24 months, but I am sure we had at least one area round on it, we were given notice to quit as the developers moved in. I stored the track at mine for a while. Until 1991 when Ant Hawkes found some new premises behind the Fleece pub in Beccles, Norfolk, Ant Hawkes and Andy Taylor did the lion’s share of preparing the room and erecting, re taping and wiring the track, I did the labouring and suppling/delivering materials.
The original track had a banked dogleg at the start of the main straight, but after about a year the building suffered a roof leak and badly warped the banked dogleg and main straight. Because there was an unequal lane length the dogleg was replaced with a flat hairpin, also, the bends coming out of the bridge were evened out a bit to correct the lane length imbalance. We stayed at Beccles for a few years until around 1996 – 1997 when the pub changed landlords, and they wanted the function room back, the track was dismantled and put back into storage for a second time at mine.
After a while a couple of club members Geoff Mayes and Kevin Parsons secured a barn at the Angel pub in Larling. So, the track was erected again by Andy Taylor, Geoff Mayes, Kevin Parsons, and me. Unfortunately, the club was not that well supported, and subsequently it folded after a few months and went back into storage at mine for a third time, about 1999ish. After about 18 months I was doing some building work on my house and the track was moved to Andy Taylors shed where it stayed stored until 2003 when it was given to Mussel Bay.
The track was super smooth and was a delight to race on, Ant Hawkes and I were always battling for the lap records and personal bests. I have some really memorable times of this track and I am sure if asked that all others who raced on it would feel the same.
The dates I mention I believe to be correct, if not please let me know
Keith
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