IWADE Two Tracks For The Price Of One...
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Gordon Willis recalls.... "There were 2 tracks at Iwade. They were literally 500 yards apart. The location was just down the road from the Swale Halt railway station. The tracks did run alternate Sundays, but sometimes they clashed." "One was run by PRI which was a pillar & rope style track. This closed in the early 80's & was later used for boot fairs. The gates to the circuit can still be seen on Old Ferry Road Iwade. I remember my father taking me to the PRI track at Iwade in the mid 70's. This was a lot better track to race on " "The other circuit, run by Swale Motor Racing Club was a bit of a nightmare for spectators to see the racing. This was due to it being on marshland that was constantly on the move. The circuit had a lot of problems with flooding & so a large hole was dug out on one of the corners. I remember us canceling the first 3 meetings of 93 season due to the waterlogged conditions. The circuit also had an old double-decker bus at one stage as a lap scorers/commentary box. This was sadly burnt down in the late 80's." "The circuit was a dirt banked oval of about 300 yards on an
old army camp & a disused gun turret stood between the pits &
race control. This ran from 1977 to 1995. I was PR at Swale Motor racing
club at Iwade from 1992 to 1994 . The track held the annual Southern Open
banger championships every June. It was a favourite of The Surrey Street
Squad (who raced a legendary ZIL at the 1992 meeting complete with
bombproof floor & armour plating), The Metal Wreckers & Bobbing
Boys, to name but a few. Local lad Gary Pilcher was driver to beat there
& won the championship on countless occasions. The track raced
Bangers up to 2 litre (expect from Southern Open), hot rods, saloon
stocks & Juniors (11 to 16 year olds - in non contact). The stocks
became Formula 1300 in 1994 (a limited contacted formula) after the
numbers dwindled. This was our early idea at rookie bangers." |
The PRI track with the Sheppey crossing visible in the background (photo Stephen Passingham)
PRI banger 136 Stephen Passingham in the PRI track's pits (photo Stephen Passingham)
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Gordon Willis took the top two photos in 2003 , seven years after racing had ceased.
2003 |
The SWALE Track In 2011 he returned and took the rest - and this video tour of the track
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Photos & Video below courtesy of Gordon Willis
2003 |
Starters Rostrum 2011 |
Start Straight 2011 |
Pit Bend 2011 |
Pickle Bend Entry 2011
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Pickle Bens Exit 2011 |
Looking back at Claydon Corner 2011
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