1969 BRITISH SALOON CARS CRYSTAL PALACE

BBC footage of the 1969 british national saloon car championship from crystal palace with commentary from Murry walker.
This is a great video and I wish motorsport was a bit more like this these days and less technical and money orientated.

[@nicholasdixey2626]

You shouldn't underestimate the professionalism and seriousness of the teams racing here, these were beautifully prepared cars driven by very good drivers.

[@Ralph2]

Wonderful to see this!. Back in the days of Triple C, when it came out, I would disappear into my room and devour it! Legendary names like smokin' John Rhodes, Gerry Marshall Chris Craft and companies such as Janspeed, Andy Chesman and SPQR.....I miss it all but the memories live on. Thank you for stirring them :)

[@oldmod2866]

Proper racing and great commentary from Murray who along with Raymond Baxter were the all time greats.

[@victorborg5242]

Had a mini special twin carb as my first car back in 83. It was an 80 model and cornered like it was on rails. Most fun I've ever had in a car. Nowhere near the fastest machine but nothing like it on the twisties in the North of england.

[@angelsone-five7912]

Doesn`t matter how many times I watch this (and I got the video) it gives me the same great thrill.

[@skunksrus007]

I can all most smell that lovely Castrol R40 Racing oil they all used back in the day.... lol

[@richardtattersall647]

I wish I was around to watch this live back in the day I love minis. ;-}

[@richardellice5797]

I owned the John Hanley works Mini for a little while did one season with it in the British Touring car Championship Group 5 wish I still had it.

[@Hologhoul]

Love how there's all those Minis....then suddenly a Ford Anglia appears!

[@kymvalleygardensdesign5350]

Nice to hear Murray Walker getting excited as he always did.

[@tehgerbil]

Murray Walker, forever the best commentator.

[@doyouremember7536]

Oh yes, I remember going only once to Chrystal Palace where I saw a F3 race! This was in the days that I studied at the Chelsea College of Aeronautical & Automobile Engineering. And I do remember my fellow-student Tony Dron when he had his very first race at Brands Club circuit in a FF1600 against a certainJames Hunt! Sorry I lost track of Tony, but perhaps I will meet him again this yeasr at Goodwood Revival.

[@chrisball3634]

Thank you very much for posting this. Brings back memories. Crystal Palace race track was a terribly dangerous circuit. The railway sleepers, trees and concrete walls were unforgiving! Please spare a thought for all the competitors whom tragically lost their lives racing there. RIP

[@chrisball3634]

I don't know about car drivers, but two motor cycle racers were killed in the same race, same time and same place. The notorious Ramp Bend! Another was killed at either North Tower or South Tower bend. There may have been more.

[@chrisball3634]

@duncan macnab if you enter "motor cycle racing at Crystal Palace" on utube, you will see racing in the 1950's. Unfortunately, there isn't much of it.

[@afrancis1582]

My dad took me Crystal Palace in ‘72 because his friend (Kim Perry) was racing at the time. My main memory is watching a guy in an F2 car on fire. After that mum wouldn’t let me attend any more races. Dangerous times indeed.

[@garrywitcomb2334]

Some fantastic action with some real wheel men. Total respect. Great footage. Thanks for posting 😆😆

[@stratac30]

How wonderful to see this, I remember well going to the Crystal Palace race circuit a lot in the late 60's and early 70's I lived down the road in Streatham. I use to stand on the corner at the end of the back straight. Used to see some cracking good saloon car and formula 3 racing - great little circuit. I remember these Britax Downton Mini's well. Downton's Daniel Richmond was an absolute wizard at getting the best out of the A series engine. The best races where when the Camero's came along, they were awesome.

[@redd605]

I remember,my family taking me to watch the motor racing at crystal palace,,the same! just before it closed in the early 1970s.sitting near the or opposite the swimming pool penge West gate

[@markaylott1780]

OH YEAH, real cars, real drivers. Not the specifically made race cars of today. That was a very well matched race.

[@stuartliddle7228]

Great to hear Murray Walker and serious racing! Thankyou.

[@angelsone-five7912]

I watched this and many more like it on Grandstand back in the good old days (don`t bother to argue that point - they WERE good) and I just wish that either there was more of this stuff about or that I had a tardis lol.

[@doyouremember7536]

+Hazel Brooks and before I forget, when I was studying in Chelsea, I had Tony Dron as class-mate at some point, was friends with Terry Harmer and my close friend David Hipperson (RIP) who together with his older brother Michael raced the Copyrun Mini and later with a AH Sprite MK2 sponsored by Hexagon of Highgate!

[@angelsone-five7912]

+Do you remember? What a coincidence, I have just been reading about Terry harmer in my book about racing Minis. Wish I could have had an active part in it all.

[@danielpeters9125]

do you watch goodwood revival races?

[@tooyoungtobeold8756]

I used marshal for motorcycle racing at North Towers. Great circuit but lots of trees and protection was a straw bale tied to a tree with string.

[@fractul22over7]

Back in the day I can remember hearing races at Crystal Palace from Beckenham

[@gearheadred]

Current vintage races are neat but nothing compares to how hard they flogged 'em back then.

[@leach1527]

Very true. But, even by this stage the Minis weren't quite as spectacular as they had been in the early to mid 60s. The wider wheels they had by 1969 gave much better road holding and lessened the need for the old style sideways cornering with burning rubber.

[@fabrizioviscardi40]

Great, iconic movie! With my compliments, cheers Fabrizio

[@banner4141]

spent an evening at the bar in Gordon Spices company .. great entertainment

[@mitchb2305]

Look at how those stands are packed. Fans really showed up in droves back then. I would have been 3 years old though, too young to know the diff.

[@io4166]

Mini legend... Very fast

[@dalejenkins1558]

no doubt about it minis when set up right had the best handling..flat out round those corners!

[@richstledger5352]

Mini coopers at c.p. love it saw them race I was about 5 also use to see Henry cooper there great days still a great park but no car track now

[@angelsone-five7912]

There`s a fair bit of it left but to make sure it couldn`t be used again they dug up the start/finish straight. Spoilsports!

[@raychambers3646]

I worked at cp in the 80's ,I was told the racing was stopped because of noise and safety, bl##dy shame.

[@lesterbeedell9725]

Rich Stledger John Cooper surely!

[@peterg.bassist]

wonderful old British saloon cars

[@paulbroderick8438]

Used to watch hill climbs on British B & W TV back then on a Saturday afternoon. Now they would be banned for fear of injury, or, perhaps somebodies feelings would be hurt by not winning! A medal for everyone, first or last!!

[@pokefrosch617]

@@paulbroderick8438 snowflake

[@iaidagger8278]

Unequaled cornering ability of the minis,even today nowadays l havent seen a saloon car cornerong ability as the front wheel drive minis,in a close second place is the vintage Alfa Romeo Giulieta TI from 1961-1963 the latter led to what here in my Country is said ad "it corners like an Alfa Romeo" ,Greetings from a vintage saloon car races enthusiast from Argentina!!!

[@resnonverba137]

Gordon Spice was 29 here, not 26. Great racing and interesting how the first two took a slightly different lines at times.

[@keithedwards2172]

Well spotted Res! Classic gibbering Murray, gawd bless 'im. Gawd bless Gordy too, not long for this world.

[@glenn1340]

1.50 We don`t see views of a race track like that now. Understandably safety is paramount but modern tracks are soulless now with wide run off areas, all trees removed and the public kept well back from the track.

[@saxon-mt5by]

Come to Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire - you can get an almost identical view through Hall Bends!

[@SirLowhamHat]

Amazing video! Wow!

[@johnhammond6423]

I was watching from North tower. Yep, I am really that old now.

[@chrisball3634]

Me too!

[@stratac30]

Downton Engineering the finest Tuning House of them all in the 60’s, not surprised the Britax Mini won, no doubt Downton’s famed cylinder head man Georg Toth prepared their heads. A bit ironic really, because the works Mini heads were probably prepared by Downton as well!

[@Gigi-ei4ew]

Wonderfull

[@diamondblackcars]

Not a roll bar in site, God Damn

[@mfgt4595]

In his slipstream ? He was 100 yds behind!

[@diethersantos6404]

Formula E should visit this circuit now

[@leithmurray736]

Was the winning mini a 1000 cc motor ?

[@wayneisherwood5202]

1300 cc ? Class

[@notwocdivad]

You don't get much closer racing than that? or more exciting!

[@emdotrod]

Is that Murray Walker who provide commentary of the race?

[@adammark1983]

+Ardimo Harsa yes it is

[@Curi0u50ne]

Ardimo Harsa no martin brundle🙄

[@stratac30]

Curi0u50ne : Martin Brundle was still at school when this race took place.

[@davidbrown8517]

And because Ken Livingstone of the GLC hated cars and motor racing he closed this brilliant racing circuit.

[@alanmcguinness3385]

I really wanted the mark 1 to win.

[@junaidarshad3588]

Am I okay to use 2 seconds of this footage for my university project (between 1:22-1:24)? Obviously I will credit the BBC and yourself, 's wrks' in my project.

[@swrksmotorsport]

No problem

[@junaidarshad3588]

Thanks

[@raychambers3646]

They stopped the racing because of noise and safety issues ( no run offs ) so I believe .Shame.

[@Oliver3863]

1300 cc class, maybe ?