Aycliffe Stadium was a sports facility located in
County Durham
County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly â€About North East E ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, on the southern edge of the Aycliffe Industrial Estate, which has
Newton Aycliffe
Newton Aycliffe is a town in County Durham (district), County Durham, England. Founded in 1947 under the New Towns Act 1946, New Towns Act of 1946, the town sits about five miles to the north of Darlington and ten miles to the south of Durham, E ...
to the North and
Aycliffe Village
Aycliffe Village is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated immediately to the south of the town of Newton Aycliffe.
History
Industrial Estate
The industrial estate features many buildings dating back to World War II. One buildin ...
to the South. The stadium was originally used for
greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around a track. There are two forms of greyhound racing, track racing (normally around an oval track) and coursing; the latter is now banned in most countries. Tra ...
and then
speedway
Speedway may refer to:
Racing Race tracks
*Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta
*Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana
Types of races and race cours ...
before
stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...
.
Stock Cars
It was a short (370 yard) oval
tarmac Tarmac may refer to:
Engineered surfaces
* Tarmacadam, a mainly historical tar-based material for macadamising road surfaces, patented in 1902
* Asphalt concrete, a macadamising material using asphalt instead of tar which has largely superseded ta ...
race track, which was used for stock car racing from the mid-1950s until it was closed at the end of 1989. The most regular formula to appear at Aycliffe Stadium was the
BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars
BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars is a class of single-seater stock-car-racing in the UK with custom-built cars, with races conducted on walled oval tracks of either shale or tarmac of approximately a quarter-mile in length. The cars are of an open ...
, closely followed by the smaller
BriSCA Formula 2 Stock Cars
BriSCA Formula 2 Stock Cars is a class of single seater auto racing in the UK. Cars are custom-built and race on oval tracks of either shale or tarmac of up to a quarter-mile in length. The tracks they race on are surrounded by either steel pla ...
category. National Saloon Stock Car Racing and
Banger racing
Banger racing is a tarmac, dirt, shale and chalk track type of motorsport event popular in countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands. Vehicles are raced against one another, with the winner being the first to the c ...
were also regularly held at Aycliffe, along with the occasional
Demolition Derby
Demolition derby is a non-racing motorsport usually presented at county fairs and festivals. While rules vary from event to event, the typical demolition derby event consists of five or more drivers competing by deliberately ramming their vehic ...
, and the occasional demonstration visit from
Autograss {{advert, date=March 2012
Autograss racing is a form of amateur motor racing in Britain. Races are held at venues throughout the UK and Ireland. Its origins can be traced back to the 1960s.
Autograss races take place usually on tracks of roughly ...
formula and
Hot Rods (oval racing) Hot Rods refers to a number of British oval racing formula (not to be confused with hot rods, which are generally road-going modified vintage cars). Hot Rod racing was introduced at Hednesford Hills Raceway in the early 1960s as a British counterpa ...
. The site was used each year for the town's firework display on
Guy Fawkes Night
Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Fireworks Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in Great Britain, involving bonfires and fireworks displays. Its history begins with the ev ...
.
For many Aycliffe is remembered as the Action Track. Aycliffe's tight corners and its suspended steel rope fence, combined with BriSCA's brand of contact racing regularly produced an action-packed spectacle. For most of its history, the stadium was associated with the
British Stock Car Association
BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars is a class of single-seater stock-car-racing in the UK with custom-built cars, with races conducted on walled oval tracks of either shale or tarmac of approximately a quarter-mile in length. The cars are of an open wh ...
(BriSCA). The first BriSCA licensed race took place on 10 July 1966, and the final BriSCA event was held on 19 November 1989.
On
Good Friday
Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...
, 16 April 1954, the first stock car race in
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
took place in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
at
New Cross Stadium
New Cross Stadium, Hornshay Street, Old Kent Road, in South East London was opened in the early 1900s as an athletic stadium but was mainly used for greyhound racing and speedway. The ground was adjacent to The Old Den, the then home of Millwal ...
. The sport was an instant success and races took place all over the country. Until recently, it is widely believed that the first Stock Car meeting at Aycliffe took place on 7 October 1956. However, photographs from 1955 of a driver's presentation evening at the North Briton Pub (in
Aycliffe Village
Aycliffe Village is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated immediately to the south of the town of Newton Aycliffe.
History
Industrial Estate
The industrial estate features many buildings dating back to World War II. One buildin ...
) suggest that stock car racing had already taken place at Aycliffe in 1955. In 1957, Jimmy Wilkinson took over as the promoter at Aycliffe. He retained control of the stadium until 1964, when he handed the role of promoter over to three regular Aycliffe drivers - Tony Neal (100), Ron 'Dixie' Dean (20), and Tom Geldard (154).
In 1966, the three brought Aycliffe Stadium into the BriSCA organisation. July 10 was the first licensed meeting. In 1975 Tony Neal emigrated to
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, leaving Tom, Ron and Cissy Dean to run Aycliffe. In the early 1970s, Aycliffe ran a local formula call Supercars, but by 1976 this formula had been replaced by regular F2 racing. At the end of 1985 Ron and Cissy Dean retired from promoting. Jimmy Wilkinson returned to the helm and promoted the
stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...
at Aycliffe until it closed at the end of 1989 to make way for the expanding industrial estate.
BriSCA F1 Final Winners at Aycliffe
1966 - 11 Meetings - Ron Rogers 5, Ellis Ford 2, Tony Neal, Tom Geldard, Jimmy Young, Arthur Gibson
1967 - 17 Meetings - Tony Neal 7, Arthur Gibson 3, Ron Rogers 2, Ellis Ford, Ernie Dent, Earl Testo, Doug Cronshaw, Oliver Smith
1968 - 15 Meetings - Tony Neal 4, Tom Geldard 3, Ellis Ford, Arthur Gibson, Ernie Dent, Mike Holt, Bert Shipman, Chas Finnikin, Brian Wignall
1969 - 18 Meetings - Stuart Smith 6, Arthur Gibson 3, Jim Esau 2, Tony Neal, Tom Geldard, Jimmy Young, Oliver Smith, Doug Cronshaw, Bert Shipman, Warren Taylor
1970 - 16 Meetings - Stuart Smith 4, Jim Esau 2, Tony Neal, Arthur Gibson, Ernie Dent, Earl Testo, Doug Cronshaw, Bert Shipman, Pat Byrne, Willie Houseman, Derek Coleman, George Ansell
1971 - 14 Meetings - Stuart Smith 5, Tony Neal 3, Mike Holt 2, Jim Esau, Jim Donaldson, Willie Harrison, Brian Wignall
1972 - 15 Meetings - Stuart Smith 5, Doug Cronshaw 3, Tony Neal, Bert Shipman, Willie Harrison, Gordon Smith, Ray Watkins, Rod Falding, Gerald Taylor
1973 - 14 Meetings - Stuart Smith 8, Doug Cronshaw 3,Dave Fox, Alan Barker, Brian Wignall
1974 - 12 Meetings - Stuart Smith 4, John Hillam 3, Warren Taylor, Gordon Smith, Mike Close, Brian Wallace, Len Wolfenden
1975 - 11 Meetings - Stuart Smith 5, Doug Cronshaw 2, John Hillam 2, Willie Harrison, Gordon Smith
1976 - 13 Meetings - Stuart Smith 6, Mike Close 3, Doug Cronshaw, Willie Harrison, Frankie Wainman, Phil Hayhurst
1977 - 12 Meetings - Stuart Smith 7, Alan Barker 2, Mike Close, Willie Harrison, Frankie Wainman
1978 - 13 Meetings - Stuart Smith 7, Mike Close, Willie Harrison, Frankie Wainman, Gerald Taylor, Martin Farrar, Dave Hodgson
1979 - 12 Meetings - Stuart Smith 3, Len Wolfenden 2, Frankie Wainman 2, Brian Powles, Alan Barker, Mike Close, Andy Stott
1980 - 12 Meetings - Mike Close 4, Willie Harrison 3, Stuart Smith 3, Frankie Wainman 2
1981 - 13 Meetings - Len Wolfenden 5, Stuart Smith 3, Mike Close 2, Andy Stott 2, Trevor Todd
1982 - 13 Meetings - John Toulson 5, Mike Close 4, Andy Stott 3, George Wilkins
1983 - 13 Meetings - Mike Close 3, John Lund 3, Andy Stott 2, Len Wolfenden 2, John Toulson, Dan Clarke
1984 - 11 Meetings - Frankie Wainman 3, Mike Close 2, Andy Stott 2, John Lund 2, John Toulson, Harry Smith
1985 - 11 Meetings - Mike Close 3, Len Wolfenden 3, Richard Ainsworth 2, Harry Smith, John Lund, Ray Tyldesley
1986 - 11 Meetings - John Lund 6, John Toulson 2, Mike Close, Arthur Gibson, Frankie Wainman
1987 - 11 Meetings - John Lund 8, Ray Tyldesley, Doug Cronshaw, John Toulson
1988 - 10 Meetings - John Toulson 5, Peter Falding 2, John Lund 2, Ray Tyldesley
1989 - 11 Meetings - Peter Falding 4, John Lund 4, John Toulson, David Toulson, Len Wolfenden
BriSCA F1 European Championship Final at Aycliffe
1987 - Ian Smith (367) 1st,
BriSCA F1 Grand National Championship Final at Aycliffe
1986 -
John Lund (racing driver)
John Lund (born 12 January 1954) is a BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars racing driver from Rimington, Lancashire who races under number 53. Lund is one of the most successful stock car drivers of all time and holds the current record for the most Worl ...
(53) 1st,
1989 -
John Lund (racing driver)
John Lund (born 12 January 1954) is a BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars racing driver from Rimington, Lancashire who races under number 53. Lund is one of the most successful stock car drivers of all time and holds the current record for the most Worl ...
(53) 1st,
BriSCA F1 World Championship Semi Final Top 3 places at Aycliffe
1985 - Stuart Smith 1st, Harry Smith 2nd, Dave Berresford 3rd
1989 - Nigel Whorton 1st, Des Chandler 2nd, Les Mitchell 3rd
BriSCA F2 British Championship Final at Aycliffe
1989 -
Rob Speak
Rob Speak (born 14 March 1972) is a racing driver from Tyldesley, Greater Manchester, he’s one of the most successful drivers in BriSCA Formula 2 Stock Cars history. He has won the National Points Championship eleven times in succession and th ...
(218) 1st,
BriSCA F2 Grand National Championship Final at Aycliffe
1986 - Malcolm Locke (698) 1st,
BriSCA F2 Benevolent Fund Trophy at Aycliffe
1987 - Bill Trout (501) 1st,
Greyhound racing
Independent (unaffiliated to a governing body)
greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around a track. There are two forms of greyhound racing, track racing (normally around an oval track) and coursing; the latter is now banned in most countries. Tra ...
took place at the Aycliffe Stadium. After the
war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
a syndicate of local businessmen constructed the stadium. The racing finished in 1960.
Speedway
In 1948 a
speedway
Speedway may refer to:
Racing Race tracks
*Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta
*Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana
Types of races and race cours ...
track was constructed using ash from
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town.
In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
Power Station. This track was used for speedway training and practice sessions during 1948 and 1952.
References
*The Aycliffe Project – Never Enough Stox website – Chris Rigg
*Barney Reilly's Stockcar –
Johnnie Hoskins
Johnnie S. Hoskins MBE (1892 Waitara, New Zealand – 1987 Kent, England) was the most significant promoter of speedway and stock car racing in the United Kingdom, he is considered by some to have invented motorcycle speedway.
Early life
Born at ...
*BriSCA Formula One – the definitive history of UK Big League StockCar Racing 1954-2000 – Keith Barber and Malc Aylott
External links
the Aycliffe Project - never enough stox websiteOfficial website of BriSCA, (British Stock Car Association)Official website of BriSCA F2, (British Stock Car Association Formula 2)Official website of the Saloon Stock Car AssociationFacebook Group - Aycliffe Stockcar Stadium
YouTube Videos
Tribute to Aycliffe Stadium, on YouTube1985 BriSCA F1 Semi-Final at Aycliffe Stadium1989 BriSCA F1 Semi-Final at Aycliffe Stadium
{{English greyhound tracks
Motorsport venues in England
Stock car racing venues
Defunct greyhound racing venues in the United Kingdom
Defunct speedway venues in England
Newton Aycliffe