We took a trip to Cheshire in northwestern England to take in one of the niftiest vintage motorsports events imaginable.
Story & photos by Doug Switzer, Moto/ology Publisher.
At the end of every July in the gently rolling hills of Cheshire, they hold an absolutely cracking weekend of vintage racing.
A wee while back during a trip to Merry Olde England to visit friends, I had the very good fortune to be invited to a vintage-themed car race that I really enjoyed. The Gold Cup races at Oulton Park Circuit presents a weekend of very entertaining motorsports with an extraordinary variety of vehicles both on display and on the track. To put it mildly, I was blown away!
For those who haven’t been there, this track is considered by many to be the most picturesque motor-racing circuit in the UK and being wonderfully located in the gently rolling landscape of the Cheshire hills, I can certainly understand why.
The most-used layout is the “International Circuit” that has been in use since 2003 and is just under 2.7 miles in length. The longest configuration was the older “International Circuit” that was used until 2002 and was slightly longer at 2.775 miles in length. Other alternate layouts include the current “Island Circuit” at 2.26 miles in length and the shortest, “Foster’s Circuit” at 1.66 miles per lap. I found the spectator viewing to be very good from almost all vantage points we visited. The exception may be the limited view due to the serious amount of catch fencing at the entry to the pit straight at Lodge Corner (Corner 16). However, because this corner is at the end of the high-speed Warwick Bridge straight where everyone jockeys for position before entering the pit straight and start-finish line, and there is a very limited area to allow for run-off, the catch fencing is a much better idea than having a race car in your lap.
Facilities at Oulton Park are also very good with public restrooms (toilets, to the Brits) concession stands and seating areas in good supply. Many people bring lawn-chairs or just sit on blankets and watch from the nearby hills and surrounding elevated areas. These provide a super view of the track from a multitude of angles.
The names of many of the corners reflect the local features and landmarks (Lodge Corner, Deer Leap, Old Hall, Cascades, etc.) but one particular corner has the curious name of Knickerbrook. With a sly smile, a local told the humorous story behind this. It seems that back when the track was first being constructed in the early 1950s, a crew was down by the brook near what is now Turn 12. They were dynamiting stumps as they cleared the area for the grading and paving. As the tale goes, they set off the first charge with an almighty boom and out from the undergrowth scurried a scantily clad couple who obviously had their amorous activities alarmingly interrupted. They quickly ran away, disappearing into anonymity. When the crews went down to the area by the stream to make sure no one else was about, a pair of women’s panties were found. So, to this day that corner and area is known as Knickerbrook. Don’t you just love British history?
Anyway, back to our tour and exploration of the event. The Gold Cup was introduced in the mid-1950s and ran through the 1960s as an important non-championship race on the F1 calendar and many historically great drivers graced the grids here. The likes of four-time winner, Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Dennis Hulme and many others have all raced at Oulton Park. Some in the Gold Cup, others in sportscar and saloon-car races and other disciplines.
With F1 becoming more and more pricey, after the early 1970s the “Cup” was opened to F5000 and then F3000 cars. In 2003 it was formally presented to Historic F1 cars and drivers who competed at the event. More recently, the event has become a celebration of historic and vintage racing with a multitude of classes for formula cars, sports cars, sports-racers, saloon cars (tin-tops) and others. While not as big or maybe prestigious as the vintage meets at Goodwood or Silverstone, the Gold Cup at Oulton Park is nonetheless the predominant vintage racing event in England’s Northwest.
The paddock area is open to the public and many cars from the Historic Sports Car Club are on hand—there’s always a large variety of splendid vehicles to see.
Complementing the racing action is an impressive on-site VIP area and restaurant for those who like that sort of thing.
There’s also lots of ongoing off-track events and activities including the Cheshire Concours d’Elegance, static car shows and displays, auto auctions and live entertainment. You can take in the classic buses and commercial vehicles on display, a steam show and a trade show area with booths and concessions hawking everything from car parts to food. Oh, and there’s also a funfair and playground for the kids!
As we wandered about, I was dazzled by the quantity and variety of the racing machinery. There was a sizable contingent of vintage and historic Formula One cars, including those legendary front-engined machines like the Cooper-Bristols and Maseratis along with a bevy of beautiful 1.5 litre mid-engined offerings from Cooper, Lotus, BRM, Brabham and others. This promised to be a delightful full-grid race to watch!
Similarly, the number and variety of vintage Formula Juniors and Formula 3 cars also seemed to guarantee a thrilling set of races.
The cars were all magnificently turned out and the crews working on them were friendly and welcoming of my many questions. I’ll tell you, I saw more “Coventry-Climax” cam covers in a day than I had seen in years back home!
Apart from the Formula Cars there was also a large contingent of sports-racing machinery dating back through the past five decades and into the pre-war years. Early offerings from Aston Martin, Lola, Lotus, Lister, Jaguar and others were on hand. Even the two prewar grids were filled with well over 30 entries in each race. Legendary marques such as Bugatti, Bentley, Morgan, MG, Alfa Romeo, Frazer-Nash, Riley, GN and more were all well-represented. Even some spindly cyclecars from the immediate post-WWI era were on hand! Amazing!
The saloon-car crowd was also well represented with everything from Alfa Romeos and Ford Cortinas to Minis, 3.8 Jags, and thumping great Mustangs! There was even a thunderous Ford Falcon mixing it up in wonderful fashion!
A truly unusual sight for me was also the grid full of “Special Saloons and ModSports” cars. It was incredible seeing thundering V-8 Austin A30’s and Morris Minors! Truly wild stuff and very entertaining!
Apart from the action on the track we were also treated to literally dozens of fascinating vehicles just in the general-public parking areas. These true vintage enthusiasts show up with everything from an MGB to spectacular Jaguar E-Types, vintage Aston Martins, heroic old Bentleys and almost everything else that could be imagined. The event is held annually at the end of July and is truly a must-see event for historic and vintage racing enthusiasts. The Cheshire locals certainly know how to put on a show! For more information see the Oulton Park website at: https://www.oultonpark.co.uk/