Category: info

Video of the 2007 Coast to Coast

Continuing with our series of videos – looking back to 2007 this time.
Jeff Chambers has put together this short video of pictures from the 2007 Coast to Coast. That year was one of the rare occasions we didn’t actually start right on the coast. Instead the Clerk of Course, Ronn Middleton, opted for the beautiful village of Wrea Green which gave him some more options to use some ‘new’ roads as we traversed the country to the Yorkshire Coast and finishing at a rather damp Ox Pasture Hotel just outside Scarborough.
Enjoy.
Please click on link below or copy and paste into your browser.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck-YcUooAOA

Video of Lancashire Automobile Club’s early St Georges Day Runs

Jeff Chambers has continued to beaver away producing another video of photographs from LAC events.

This time he has looked at the early days of our St Georges Day Run. Many of  you may remember taking part in these events or have seen the pass by. Some of you may see cars you now own in their ‘past’ lives.

The event proved such a success that it now forms part of the Club’s annual calender with the next run scheduled for 21st April next year.

To view the video simply click on this link or copy and paste into your browser.

Video of early Coast to Coast Runs

Jeff Chambers has been working away putting another video of Lancashire Automobile Club’s history together. This one is of the early Coast to Coast Runs which usually started from Blackpool and finished in Scarborough. You may well see some familiar faces and sadly some who have passed away over the years.
Click on link below or copy and paste into your browser.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFk_TeiTpOk

Morecambe Rally 1959

Morecambe Rally 1959
 
Following our earlier video on the Lancashire Automobile Club’s Morecambe Rally in the early 1950’s we now have a film of the event in 1959 before it moved into the forests.
 
We are privileged that Mike Wood competed on several Morecambe Rallies and here are some of his recollections and memories which give more detail and correct some misapprehensions about the event.
 
“I will endeavour to explain the event as far as I can remember. I competed on at least four or five Morecambe’s, winning the event outright with John Waddington in 1956. The late LAC member Bobby Parkes won it in 1955, I think John and I finished 3rd.
 
Let me explain how the event really ran, incidentally it was rated by the RAC as a National Rally, of which at the time there were just a few other Nationals. From memory they were National Birmingham Post Rally, National London Rally (held in Wales), National Plymouth Rally, National Rally of the Dams (Peak Districts) and I think the National Cats Eyes Rally (held in the South East) and of course our own National Morecambe Rally.
The format of how these events broadly evolved, was mostly the same, I will endeavour to relate how our 1956 Morecambe ran. There were various start controls scattered about the country with competitors eventually converging on one point which was generally the start of the, 200 miles approx, of night navigation section, usually the winner was decided here, in all the LAC Morecambe Rally’s that I did there was never any regularity sections.
 
The event started on a Friday and in 1956 we opted to start from Pontefract, I have to say not by chance, John had somehow discovered where the early numbers would start, always a advantage to be a early number and it was Pontefract were these competitors started.
 
All the competitors eventually converged on Skipton and after a brief rest, probably until it got dark, we’re were restarted on the night section, from memory, in 1956 this was mostly in the Lake District area. The night section was very competitive, difficult navigation with very fast driving required to try and make the many time controls on time.
 
At the end of this exciting night, competitors arrived at the final control at the Midland Hotel, Morecambe for a well-earned breakfast and a bit of sleep. Again, from memory, I think there were driving tests on the promenade on Saturday afternoon and in the evening there was a dinner dance and I think a fair amount of booze may have been consumed.
 
On the Sunday morning the final driving test took place, this being the famous Monte Morecambe Test. Soon after this the results were announced the prize giving then took place on the band stand, usually with the Mayor of Morecambe in attendance.
 
Just as an aside, the 1956 National Morecambe Rally was sponsored by the Daily Mirror and apart from the usual silver ware being handed out, the winners, John and myself, received a cheque for £100, a decent amount in those days.
 
Just as another aside, John and I had a wonderful year in 1956, apart from winning the National Morecambe Rally we also won the National Birmingham Post Rally, the National Plymouth Rally and the National London Rally, four Nationals in a row, not bad eh.”
 
Many thanks Mike.
Click on the link below or copy and paste into your browser.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp8IEN_-_Qo

LAC Blackpool Rally in the 1930’s

A few weeks ago we posted a short video about the Morecambe Rally back in the early 1950’s. This has prompted LAC Member Geoff Isherwood to put pen to paper and give us more information about the event and the Blackpool Rally which predates the Morecambe and ran in the 1930’s.
This helps explain one of the photos we posted which on further inspection may have been on Blackpool Promenade rather than Morecambe. Note the sponsor appears to be Autocar rather than The Motor.

Here is the information Geoff sent us.

“I want to let you have a little more information about the Morecambe National Rally.
I have a very informative book (640 pages long!) written by Donald Cowbourne entitled “British Rally Drivers Their Cars and Awards 1925-39″, Over 50 pages are devoted to The Blackpool Rally including the details of all the competitors. The Blackpool Rally was organised by the LAC and the format was the forerunner of the Morecambe Rally, The Monte Carlo Rally was the template on which it was based. I am attaching a photo of the first page of the chapter about The Blackpool Rally
It was held in 1936, 1937 and 1939. It was not held in 1938, as the RAC Rally finished at Blackpool that year. My dad competed in each of the 3 years and I am attaching a photo of the pennants,car badges and lapel badges that he acquired, along with a couple of photos of the only programme that I have. There can’t be many around, but Mr Cowbourne must have got copies as there are photos in his book! (There is a lapel badge from the 1938 RAC Rally that is in the photo of the pennants, but he was not a competitor that year.)
I am pretty sure that after the war a man called Bob Battersby was the Publicity and Public Relations man for Morecambe and he wanted the Rally for Morecambe
Maurice Toulmin was a stalwart of the LAC either side of WWII, He was Clerk of the Course for the Blackpool Rally. In the Morecambe Rally programmes up to 1958 he is mentioned as the Chairman of the Joint Executive Committee, so really The Morecambe Rally was just a continuation of the Blackpool Rally.”

LAC Speed Events over the years.

Jeff Chambers has just, today, finished a short video of the Club’s Sprint and Hillclimb events over the years.

Many thanks to Mike Wood for allowing us to delve into his archives and to all the members who provided pictures over the years.

Look carefully and you may well spot some familiar faces.

Click on link (or copy and paste into your browser)

 

 

1950’s Morecame Rally

For all of you into 1950’s rallying we now have an excellent video giving a taste of the Morecambe Rally which Lancashire Automobile Club organised in the early to mid 50’s. Some interesting cars including Peter Appleyards famous Jaguar XK120 reg NUB120.

Many thanks to Mike Wood and Jeff Chambers for the material and production.

Coast to Coast Classic Car Run

LAC Coast to Coast July 2023

Well it had to happen eventually. After over 30 years running the event we managed to coincide with the monsoon season in Yorkshire!

It might be worth describing the Lancashire Automobile Club’s Coast to Coast. It is a Touring Assembly for Vintage, Classic and Cherished cars starting from the west coast and finishing on the east coast. Originally it ran from Blackpool to Scarborough but as we change the route every year to a lesser or greater extent we eventually exhausted the options and moved to a start from Morecambe and latterly a finish just north of Whitby. Normally we aim for around 170 miles with a planned average speed of 24mph. There is a comfort stop mid-morning and a lunch halt where entrants can purchase a pleasant meal. At the finish we have a buffet and hold a simple Concours where the President chooses their favourite car.

This year the start was at the Midland Hotel who make us most welcome. We start at 08.30 with two cars per minute from then on till the entry of 56 cars had all departed. We have to be clear of the sea wall by 09.05 as there is a ‘Park Run’ with over 100 runners coming along the sea wall shortly after.

The run winds its way to Helwith Bridge for a comfort break via Bolton le Sands, Gressingham and Clapham so plenty of roads to challenge the navigators following a ‘Tulip’ style road book.

After a 15-minute break for coffee at Helwith the cars departed towards the lunch halt at The Inn South Stainley just north of Harrogate. Again the route couldn’t exactly be called direct as it took in Halton Gill, Grassington, Summerbridge and Markington. It was as the cars came down from Halton Gill that they ran into a torrent of water with the rain bouncing a couple of feet off the road. Quite a challenge for some of the open topped cars!

The lunch halt had a partially flooded car park and even inside towels had to be deployed to stem the tide. The marshals did a sterling job despite the rain keeping the event running smoothly.

After South Stainley the route when through Boroughbridge via Wormald Green and then northeast past Byland Abbey and Wass Bank to Helmsley. From Helmsley the route followed the A170 for a short distance then went north at Wrelton into the Yorkshire Dales. We passed through Cropton Forest to arrive at our penultimate Control outside Scripps Garage in Goathland. From there it was a comparatively short hop to the coast at Sandsend and onto our finish at Dunsley Hall.

We had been worried about parking arrangements at Dunsley but, fortunately, the lawn was dry enough to permit parking of the finishers. Despite the truly awful weather encountered with heavy rain, thunder and lightning almost all the entrants made it to the finish and enjoyed a more than ample buffet.

Eileen Dyson our Club President made her selection from the assembled cars and after considerable deliberations finally chose the immaculate Volvo P1800 of Alastair and Rebecca Scott to receive the President’s Award in the Concours.

All in all a great, if somewhat damp day. All we have to do now is find a route for next year.

 

Chris Lee

PS there is a great video of the day’s proceedings:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj2uYF311tw