Category: info

Video of the Scottish Highlands Classic Car 3 Day Tour by Lancashire Automobile Club

We thought you might like to see this the latest episode of the LAC history series where we look back at the 3 Day Highland tour from 2007 & 2009. The Highland 3 Day has been a highly successful event and normally lasted 4 rather than 3 days! The event toured the Highlands of Scotland travelling from one venue to another for overnight stays. Averaging close on 200 miles per day the event attracted a loyal band of regulars over the years. Fancy dress with a Highland theme was popular amongst the entrants.

AS normal click on link below or copy and paste into your browser.

St Georges Day Classic Car Tour (2014 & 2015) by Lancashire Automobile Club

Continuing with our series of short videos Jeff Chambers has put together a video covering the St Georges Day Run 2014/15.

Some really great cars and wonderful roads combine to make an enjoyable delve into the past. Once again the event was in response to the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs plea to get vintage and classic cars out on the road for the public to see. The Lancashire Automobile Club ensures the routes have been different every year to keep the event fresh and planned to be suitable for Vintage, Classic and Cherished Cars.

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Mike Wood’s Video of the 1969 San Remo Rally

Mike is famous for his exploits in the works Mini Coopers and Datsun 240Z accompanying Tony Fall but his rallying history is much broader than that.

In the 1969 San Remo Mike was in the hot seat alongside Hannu Mikkola in a works Escort Twin Cam. Their event ended with an accident but Mike pictures of the event are well worth watching.

As an aside Jan and I were on holiday in Italy this summer and we stayed in the Hotel Londres in San Remo. As you walk down a long corridor to the main dining room there is a large display cabinet. In it, although in need of a good polish, are trophies from the San Remo Rally. Whilst we were looking a member of the hotel staff came up and started to talk about the rally. I mentioned Mike. ‘Oh yes’ he said ‘he was Tony Fall’s navigator.’ Apparently the man was working there since the late 1960’s.

Enjoy the video. Please Click on link below or copy and paste into your browser.

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.”