Forgive my rapidly fading memory which wasn't great to begin with.
IIRC i would have been aged about 13/14, we were living near Tunbridge Wells in the late 60's (Dad's job came with a tied cottage so we moved around some), and i remember biking over to i think Chartwell to watch a 'motor slalom', forgive me if i've got any details wrong.
Basically this was a set of manoeuvres coned out, driving into garage, reversing into another space, and a lot more besides, sounds boring i know but this was to be completed as fast as possible with points detracted for cones hit and not being precisely inside the target zone.
It was great fun, and some of the drivers competing were excellent, and very quick sliding their cars into precise spots and stopping dead an inch or so from the 'garage wall' also of course the odd comedian entered with a LWB series landy and a large van just for fun, and completed the course...just.
It was all the more fun as you would expect given the time that none of the contestants took themselves seriously and the whole thing was good natured and friendly, with the usual stereotype commentator hamming it up for all his worth.
Does anyone else remember this sort of event, and are they still held anywhere?
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They're called autotests.
I did one on Sunday in a Kia Pride, on a grassy field (more like rice paddy).
Tarmac events still take place, and those guys are good. The current champion is (I believe) the son of Russ Swift, the guy that taught Tiff Needell how to do handbrake turns on Top Gear.
Anyone can take part in any car, they're mostly non-damaging.
It's probably the most basic level of motor sport, and almost all the people I've met are as you say not taking themselves too seriously.
I'd suggest contacting a local motor club, if you don't want to take part a good way of spectating is to volunteer as a marshall - no experience required. There's currently a national 'push' to encourage more people into motorsport.
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Thanks Tom, i'll have to look into that don't think i'll go back into banger racing after all these years, the knees and a few other bits have never really recovered, hope you had fun in the swamp anyway on Sunday.
Got a sneeky feeling we might have been living at Crockham Hill Nr Westerham, not Tunbridge Wells which came after or was it TW, then to Hadlow after that....time for bed methinks.
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I remember a similar program on tv with celebrities doing the driving. I have an abiding memory of Roger Daltrey doing a manoeuvre in an original Audi Quattro. He forgot to release the handbrake so the rear tyres were smoking as they got dragged across the tarmac, and the fronts were smoking (as well as the clutch) as they spun trying to drag the car!
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gordonbennet
Take a look at:
www.msa-autotest.org.uk/
It will give you all the details of the current competition scene
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Thanks for that link, i wonder if the Hilux would make a good autotest machine..;)
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>>There's currently a national 'push' to encourage more people into motorsport.
I knew I'd find it eventually:
www.gomotorsport.net/
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They did an autotest demonstration at the Race Retro show at Stoneleigh in March. A very entertaining indoor event missing concrete columns and walls by inches at high speed; with some weird specials, including a beach buggy with an Impreza engine.
Actually that reminds me many years ago I was tempted to take part in one at a classic car show. Spent a while watching Midgets and Healeys sliding around on grass, and thought I might have had a good go at it due to traction advantage of my Audi 80 quattro. But in the end I left it too late to enter (bottled it). Boo!
Edited by Rich 9-3 on 09/09/2008 at 19:09
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