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Great footage! Thanks for sharing.
I've heard from people who've been and ridden it that its incredible. It looks awesome and I can see why it's said that it might be the best track in the sport. For the life of me don't understand how they can't have a GPs there again. When they did I've heard the crowds where small and they lose money. I know the UK is getting increasingly difficult for MotoSports in general. Not sure if that's true. I know it's in an out of the way location near the Welsh border but in today's current MX fan interest I would think the turnout would be there for such a phenomenal track.
These preseason races are very cool.
One of the world's iconic tracks.
The problem isn't the geographical location - it's that the paddock, parking, infrastructure and traffic access are all inadequate for a modern GP.
Do you feel it would be any more difficult than when they use to hold a GP? I have heard the paddock isn't ideal. I have a hard time believing the crowds wouldn't come if they could do a GP today but as you mentioned if the parking is inadequate, and traffic can't flow then I can see it being difficult. But the infrastructure or areas near the track can't be worse than some of these places that are holding GPs today. We are talking about the UK, not some off the wall place and obviously a legend of a track.
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I'm not sure of the Salop MX clubs relationship with the surrounding land owners for the camping and general parking aspect for a race of between 10k-20k spectators, and as has already been said the road you have travel to get to the track is a 3 mile long in both directions single lane road, getting the big rigs of MXGP in would be quite a task.
I imagine just pit/riders camping area used at Matterley won't be far off being the same size as Hawkstones pits and track.
Still my favourite track to race and watch at, although that's probably just nostalgia and good memories. I've had some great times there, I wished they would put the whoops back in though.
One of my favourite videos from Hawkstone famous hill, not great quality by today's standards but still very funny.
This is better.
Do they ever used the Full Hill anymore?
When it had the jig to the left (or was it very slightly right - have to have a squizz at one of my Duke 500WC videos to see what was what) after the section they went up this year, to then go up an even steeper section and then to the left?
This time, half the Hill, and off to the right, it seems.
It looks like they have a few different options for the track, and, I think sometimes in the last few years of the International, they may have bypassed the main hill entirely?
I remember the 500s in the Thorpe / Geboers / Jobe / Carlqvist and other greats eras, when they'd go charging up The Hill, with it's two sections, often with some riders coming a cropper on it, especially on the second part, or even in the dip between.
It's a Brilliant, Old School track. That still is demanding in this era.
With the various options that can be seen that are closed off for this event, I assume they have a fair few other races there, still, nowadays?
Ticked a bucket list item, the day I went up the full hill on a 580 CCM.
Coming down is no picnic!
I raced a Fast Eddy enduro there once which took in most of the track. It's really heavy going and tough to keep momentum up. It's a pros track. I remember David Knight screaming at me to get out of his way when he was lapping me lol.
Yes, that would be something - though, coming down with those brakes.....
.
Though, those beasts sure as hell had some engine braking that could be put to use - modern 4t riders would have a heartie at it, that's for sure.
My Dad had a succession of B50s , then quite a few CCMs - I'd ride them, but was more interested in my CRs and RMs at that time, silly young blighter that I was. Last one he had, was a 4 valver - not sure if it was a 500 or a 580. It was a magnificent thing!
All of them, and other many other bikes, plus his collection of hand made Brit and European $$$$$ Shotguns "disappeared' when he died. His (despised by his sons / family and friends) 'Concubine', snaffled everybloodything.
By the way, conversing with you has reminded me to check on what BNH may have been up to with their creations.
It was wet in the bottom and very rutted, watched MX1 qualy from there and the guys who were sending it were the locals who always do it, and loads of them came unstuck. All of the front runners were very careful through it.
The track was in great shape , but a few spots rutted out , and this was one.
Seewer went down there , after falling earlier in the lap as well.
Its a great track, but it isnt big enough to deal with modern MXGP.
The lane into it is single track from both directions, once people start to arrive, nobody will get out against the flow of traffic.
I didnt think it was particularly rammed compared to previous years, just more grief parking because of the wet leading up to it.
And it isnt a patch on Matterley Basin as a venue.
Loket and France this year were terrible in terms of getting out (took hours). Arnhem they had everyone park 5 km out and come with shuttle buses. So from a spectator perspective it cant be the issue. Can't comment on the big trailers for the teams since i have never been to Hawkstone
here are photos from the road coming into the track.... it is 3 miles (5km) on this road in one direction, and 1.8miles on this road in another direction
i'm not sure how many ways this can be explained, but there just isn't a way that this track can hold a GP
Yeah, the atmosphere for a GP at Hawkstone would be incredible (and I'm sure it was back in the day, before my time). But the team trucks just won't get in there nowadays.
It didnt take me hours to get out from Villars MXGP event last year...
Youn's all talk funnie in dis her thred.
Pit Row
Saw that, Nice 👍
Was about to say you can’t have a Hawkstone thread without the Hillbillies video 😂 but as someone has beat me to it,
you also can’t have one without one of the most iconic photos in Mx history of Georges Jobe at Hawkstone in 1984. Epic
It did for me.
Yeah no way the teams will get through that
That's the only road to Hawkstone? The actual road or are you fooling with us? LOL.
I now COMPLETLY understand why they can't have a GP. How the hell do they even have a event like they did last weekend?
It's gorgeous country and a cool looking road. That picture of Jobe is one the great ones. WOW
Yes that is legitimately the road,
there is a main road and then for around a mile and a half you have to go down this country lane to get to the track.
It’s wider than it looks and there are some pretty big trucks that make it into the event
So the road in from on end, got flooded last week and sand from the fields washed onto the road, it was that deep, that cars were dragging their arses.
This is just after you turn off the main road, its about 2 miles to the track and this was literally 2 ruts in the road that was covered in sand.
Access from this side is restricted for height, because you cant get under the trees to get in in anything bigger than a Sprinter van, and when you go to the next entrance which is the main one, the turn off the road drop that bad when you turn in that you drag the arse out of your camper, so you have to come in from the opposite end of the lane, which is just as narrow, single track with passing places.
Welcome to Shropshire.
Its a great place to live, my daughter lives 15 mins away from the track, but its time as World class Venue is done, its as iconic a venue as you could ever want to have, but the International is the ideal event, everyone turns up in their practice vans (top teams) and its nice and friendly and access all areas.
Back in the day , you could never get to ride there, i raced the first ever Schoolboy Meeting their in 1978, that was sponsored by Led Zeppelin Drummer John Bonham, and didnt get back there till 1984, where i raced an RM500 that i had never even sat on till the day before... i am currently building one to ride there later in the season, which should be fun.
Now the club run loads of races there, to the point where you could easily race there 6 times a year, without doing the International, but the Salop Club only run the meeting, a separate group of people Promote and organise it, so if the event fails, it wont take the club with it,.
They own the land and have done for as long as i can remember, and lately , they have improved the track no end by taking stuff out and just just getting it back to being a sand track, and not a one lined jump fest , which it had started to become.
I have holeshot a race there when the start was the full length, before they put the loop in by the finish, and have probably raced there 7 or 8 times, and commentated at least as many times as that too.
It will never ever not be a great track, but it isnt going to run a GP any time soon.
Back in the day, it only ran one every other year, as Farleigh Castle had it too, and thinking about it , i reckon it dropped off the 500 calendar in mid 70's , and came back as the Thorpe era began. As the 500 class waned, and 250's took over, that went to Foxhills, and Hawkstone stopped getting a regular slot.
Wow. Very interesting. Bonham sponsored some events? So cool!! Thank you for sharing. I remember when I was a kid reading in MXA about the GPs at the track. But this was the Malherbe, Jobe and Thorpe days and obviously there wasn't semis and the big bus style motorhomes.
Yes, when his son Jason was racing , he was at loads of the meetings, nobody cared, they just let him get on with it,
Jason was on Team Green from an early age, and while he was a quick kid, he never carried that speed on the the bigger bikes, and when John passed, i think it took the enthusiasm away for him and i totally get that .
It was a huge meeting, 300 riders, and the top prize was a bike for each member of the team that scored closest to 75% of the winning team's point tally.
Suzuki put the bikes up, i am guessing JB paid, and as there were a few no shows across the classes, a couple of riders ended up scoring for 2 teams , to give everyone an equal chance at the first gate drop.
Ironically, the team that won, also had a guy who was scoring for the team that won the bikes, so that went down like a Led Zeppelin (see what i did there) but as it was only an 80 , and the kid was already too big for it , they donated it back to the charity to be raffled off.
Brilliant weekend, biggest meeting i ever did as a schoolboy, and i was fucking hopeless in the sand. Always nice to go back to remember it. It was Easter 1978, so 46 years ago this year. I deffo want to race there with my lad this year, so will try and fit that in somehow.
I thought it looked a little narrow for a GP. What a track though. I saw another video from the race and it had a huge uphill straight that was sick!
Saw this video today. Its all raw footage, which is always the best. The track looked gnarly! https://youtu.be/IDqyW1Az7Io?si=jSUM7eZThh6kzWWc
Thank You so much for All of that.
People just don't realize the types of roads / lanes out in much of the Brit Counties.
And, they are Not going to be widened / modernized anytime soon - and that, is, I think, a good thing.
Your info on how the Club runs their set up, using Promoters, and that they Own the place, really settles my fears that perhaps it might end up closing, with say an event failing, or development pressures. Well, I guess the development pressures may well exist, as they do almost anywhere.
I might try to get there next year for the International , taking in the Telford show prior to it, though there may be too big a gap between them. I've got to have an Ale with ksithumper, and, I hope, you and some other Pommie B*****ds from here. Mind you, if I do, I'll be the reason for a torrential downpoor, or, even a Blizzard ..... the Clouds follow me like a Delirious Puppy.
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