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Here's a selection of pictures from the 1970's grassing scene then known as 'Jalopy Racing'. Grassing was in it's infancy and there was an atmosphere of fun and co-operation as many new clubs were formed. As for the cars, don't be fooled into thinking they were all 'flying bedsteads', there were quite a few people spending money on exotic machinery even back then, but generally speaking it was DIY ingenuity that won over the cheque book racers.
Julian Bronson's Rover V8 Marina on it's first outing at Western Valley in 1975. Way ahead of it's time the car was spaceframed and was the first to use the Rover engine. It used Buick drag racing parts brought over from the states, and with it's straight through exhaust pipes it certainly sounded like nothing else! It was so revolutionary that the BJRA didn't know what to do with it and made it race with the specials.
The most popular car of the early seventies was the Ford pop whether it be the 100E or the earlier E93A version. Both types can be seen here with Cwmdu's Don Page leading the way
There was plenty of variety in the seventies, Here Bredon Hill's John Dawe in his V8 Karmann Ghia leads Penhow man Roy McDonagh's supercharged Pinto Wartburg(!).
Penhow racer Steve Holmes leading Dave Kings in the final at the 79 Yorkshire Nationals. Both were in 998 Imps. The red Mini is Y305 Mick Waudby who has recently come back to the sport. Click on one of the pictures of Steve's Imp to go to the Cwmdu History site and see some great old grasser pics from the sixties.
Bredon Hill's Gerry Clarke was one of the top specials men in the seventies with his immaculate cars. Hayden Cole and Henry Harding give chase
The Class 6a Anglias of Cardiff's Dick Brew and Penhow's Paul Stephens try to pass the Mini of Bristol's Pete Winter
Forest racer Bob Bodenham makes a rare mistake and puts his Class 10 in the fence at Cribbs Causeway in Bristol
Mixed specials and saloon race lead by Hoss Ferniough and Roy McDonagh in their front engined specials
Very early rear engined special from probably the best grasser ever - Terry Brown
Ford Pop's and Anglias set off at Cribbs Causeway near Bristol
Roger Newbould leads the Class 6a (now Class 7) final into the first corner at the York Nationals 79. In hot pursuit is Pete Bott, Derek Carless and Emyr Jones. What would todays racers make of this bumpy first corner at the Nationals?
More Ford Pops from the early seventies. Kelvin Walker leads the way
2 Radford cars do battle. R7D is Alan Fackrell - Father of top Specials man Paul Fackrell (thanks for the info Gina!). Front engined specials were still competitive before the tractor style tyres were banned.
Ginny Goodenough (now Nicholls) used this ex works World Cup Escort in Class 2 for a while. It would be worth a fortune if it was still around...
Peter Williams leads Derek Ezekiel in a Class5 Mini dice (Gerry Packer photo)
Gerry Packer with a bit of positive camber on his 875 Imp (Drivers own collection)
Mini based front wheel drive special which was surprisingly competitive
This is Phil Goodenough in his 1071 Mini in the early seventies
Norman Evans' Class 8 special was a familiar sight at Western Region tracks throughout the 70's and early 80's and was always quick. It had a succession of subsequent owners and ended up in 'old special heaven' - otherwise known as Grant Victory's yard...
P36 Colin Coombes lines up alongside BS84 Don Wassell
BS28 'Mad' Martin Payton with his mid mounted Class 6a 100E. The engine sat where the passenger seat would be with a shortened propshaft. These cars were sideways most of the time!
An unusual trio of Class 6a cars at the 79 Wetherby Nationals.
The green anglia estate with a roof chop [H313Y] was called 'The Hulk' and was built and driven by Bill Forbes. The blue Anglia van was driven by one of the Cook brothers who owned the farm land they raced on locally at Roos nr Hull. Thanks to Graham Jackson (ex H264Y) for the info.
This front engined special from the early seventies was driven by the late Merv Tucker. Thanks to Merv's Grandson Lee for the namecheck.
BS25 Allan Payton with a little bit of (legal) protection!
Radford Mini driver Bryan Waterhouse leads Don Wassell in his 100E
Penhow's Les Horder leads Mid Glamorgan man Ron Moon in this WASA Class 9 battle
Check out all these mk1 Minis!
This great picture is from 1970 or 71. SV1 Leo Weager leads some Ford Pop's and a Mini. The 100E estate is driven by Keith Fraser. Check out the crowds! Not sure that fence would be up to 2006 spec though...
Louise Jones has kindly let me borrow these great shots of South Wales cars from her website. Click on any one of the pictures to visit it.
This is Gerald Brace and Merv Tucker racing at the Park House Hotel track near Tenby. You could watch the racing whilst having a 3 course meal and it was the venue for many legendary booze-ups...
Present day racer Paul Pearce in an early Mini engined special which was quite successful going by the silverware. Do you think those bars going from the roof down to the front may have inspired Berrisford?
Apparently this is a young Dai Parry in what I think is one of Mel Neales specials.
This is Norman Mason in a V6 powered Special from the early seventies
This beast was built by Bristol man John Paddock. Using a Jaguar engine and running gear it drew heavily on John's days as a F2 stock car racer.
Some Gloucester League cars from the old Class 3. An Avenger leads a mk2 Cortina and a Marina
Paul Bailey's Nationals winning 850 Mini in 1979
Engine wiz Russ Tyler with his rapid Class 6 Mini. The car was flat floored which was banned soon after, but has now become legal again...
Don Wassell and Ed Yandell's E93A Ford Pops at a meeting circa 1971
Some members of the newly formed Bristol South club taken during the great Barber Shop shortage of 1971.
Some more shots of Don Wassell's Ford Pop from the early seventies
Penhow driver Les Horder was a regular on the Western Region tracks throughout the 70's in his 1300 crossflow Special
The very fast 1275 Cooper S Mini of John Jenkins in 1976
These following pictures have been 'lifted' from a long since finished grassing magazine called Jalopy Journal which was made up of the contributions of club correspondents from all over the country. If you took any of the photos I hope you don't mind us borrowing them!
The Anglia of 107F Graham Hill fending off BS28 Mad Martin Payton. Grahams Anglia was a project car in Cars & Car Conversions Magazine and had an engine developed by a chap called David Vizard... Graham and Martin had some legendary battles, one particularly heated one ended with Martin pushing the Anglia into a pond on the way back to the pits!
2 times National Champion of Champions Don Jenkins in his V6 Special, still with the tractor tyres.
A mixed Saloon & Specials race leaves the line in the early seventies. It's Jennie Thompson in S36D.
1300 Specials line up at Radford's Hanbury track in 1975
W18 Henry Taylor from the Western Valley club which folded in the late seventies.
Dominant 1300 Specials class driver Gerry Clarke from Bredon Hill
Cyril Warren's 1300 special E111D
Ray Steadman's SV10 special powered by 1300 Ford from 75
Ted Wheatley's 1300 Special from 1974
Val Price and Les Wall show off their new Triumph powered Special and some impressive 'lamb chops' sideburns
This is a picture of Geoff Edmunds who did a great deal in the late 60's and 70's to move Jalopy Racing into the Autograss era and helped countless clubs get off the ground. He helped to establish Autograss' infrastructure which still remains today. He also sponsored the Champion of Champions race at the Nationals for many years.
Here are 2 pages from Geoff Edmunds' magazine 'Jalopy Racing News' from 1971. The first page is a profile of the Cwmdu Jalopy Club featuring some familiar names. The second page 'Around the Tracks' features the results of the 'National Meeting' of 1971 which was a forerunner of the Nationals as we know it today.
Reading through these magazines you get a feel for the co operative and fun attitude which is often missing from today's sport.
Stroud racer Steve Badman has let us borrow this rule book from 1974. With one book for everything it was still only 14 pages long. Some of the rules are still in the current book virtually word for word...
The cover of the 1975 Nationals programme featured the specials of the 3 superstars of the era - Bredon Hill's Gerry Clarke, Radford's Dave Ferniough and PHD's Don Jenkins.
