Here's a no-nonsense character for you:  under the number 339, Arthur Townsend bought good cars one after the other, and went hell-for-leather against his many rivals.  The black/white car shown here was an ex-Toon car.  Next photo is of Arthur Townsend on parade at Brafield.  Townsend was Welsh, from Pontypridd,  growing up in the "dirty thirties", and moving to Leicestershire set about building his own grocery business with his father and brother (travelling vans/converted buses).  Before entering stock-cars, Arthur had done very well in the early days of kart racing.   Arthur advanced from B to A grade briefly, and contested the 1967 World Championship at Harringay, which was just one of the frequent occasions he got into a ding-dong with Ellis Ford.  Arthur also tangled with one of the Cayzers (John) at Brandon, which got them both suspended, and Charles Ochiltree even wrote about it in the Brandon programme.  

"Uncle Arthur took no crap from anyone", remembers his nephew.   His team buddies in stock-car racing were "Davie" Crocket, Jack Lord, and Bryn Davies.  Although this website likes to emphasize a cheery image of our beloved sport, the whole truth has to include the fact that many if not most drivers had a tough side, and a full-contact sport means that tempers are lost and grudges are remembered.  As Ochiltree points out (and we all know) that wonderful big smile of Fred Mitchell's would be on his face just before and just after he stuffed you in the fence or gave you a warning in the pits —.

After he left racing, Arthur turned his hand to several businesses, and ran the Tudor Hotel in Leicester and a flourishing bar, the "Tivoli", in Gibraltar.  Arthur passed away at age 76 in 2004 while living in Coalville Leicestershire (yes, also home of the Toons).  My thanks to Jim Patterson, who, as Arthur's young nephew 40 years ago, had the thrill of following the stox "circus" from track to track, and who first got me digging up these facts.  Thanks also to Steve Gateley, Ken Mason, and Rick Young.

Dave Berresford #260, waiting calmly for the shale storm to start at White City stadium, with arms resting on each door.  He also appears in one of the sport's most spectacular "flying" photos, in the 1970's section of this site.

Johnny Piper raced under numbers 365 and 10.  (photographer unknown).  

Piper also had the honour of piloting that famous "COP CAR" at Brandon Stadium.  It was a WW2 Daimler armoured scout car known as a "Dingo", fortunately with the standard .303 Bren gun removed!  Fans from the old days recall it was driven onto the track as a barrier to protect a car and driver that had been rolled and was vulnerable.  For old hands and newcomers here's how it looked in 1983, "retired" at the stadium. I will insert a photograph and another.   NOTE -- earlier I had wrongly identified the Brandon machine as a Daimler "Ferret", but that was a later and larger vehicle than the Brandon Dingo.

August 2015:  the "cop car" is today in Holland and is being given a total restoration by a military-vehicle enthusiast; here it is in 2013 before work started:

Johnny was  from the London area, and raced at Harringay, West Ham, Ringwood, Belle Vue, and others from the late 1950's to the early 70's, and also held positions in the BSCDA.  He used an Olds Rocket motor, which was probably what powered him to a 3rd place in the 1968 British Championship at Harringay. Off the track too Johnny was a character, a self-employed businessman and wheeler-dealer, an exciting driver on the road ("he had two speeds: 70mph and stop") and was fond of dogs as pets;  and I hear that, like his friend Les Taylor, he very much enjoyed a flutter on the White City greyhounds too. I believe Johnny died in 2004 or 2005.  Thanks to Rick Young and Roger Melanaphy for the  background info.

Page out of history — Ron Knight kindly sent this scan from the stock-car album.  Ron and his wife at one time ran the Tony Allen fan club.

Thanks to Ken Mason, here is a nice programme photo of Fred Mitchell as winner of the 1966 World Championship at Belle Vue, being congratulated by the NEWS OF THE WORLD** sponsor.  

From Aycliffe in 1967, two nice photos courtesy of racer John Rigg.  Two "little" F1 cars that look slim enough to be F2's but they aren't. Foreground is Earl Testo #389 in a space-framed Pontiac motor, and behind is Ron "Dixie" Dean the Aycliffe promoter in a space-framed Ford powered motor. 

The car that changed the game.  Once in a decade or so, a car appears that moves stock-car racing 'up' or 'forward'.  This one did it for the early sixties, built by Johnny Brise, who won the World Championship with it in 1959 and 1960 under number 103.  Johnny King inherited the car, and here it carries King's #6.  [Phil Chance identified the pits as Cadwell Park.]  

Keith Barber's books and magazines have often described the machine — a mix of Mercedes, Jeep, and Ford that simply revolutionized the idea of 'handling'.  Brise was a brilliant engineer, who also pioneered go-karts in the UK, and whose famous son Tony Brise tragically died just as he was making a name for himself in Grand Prix F1 racing with Graham Hill. 

Stock-car racing is known for its "tribal" nature, and old hands can recite dozens of families in which different generations competed;  the Scrivens had three generations on the track at one time.  Here are the famous TOONS from Coalville. 

Roger Minkley from Gamston, Notts, was an occasional racer who was known as dealer and collector of diecast models;  this car was an ex-Rod Falding motor.

Can you squeeze a big American V-8 motor into a Mini?  Yes, and still leave room for Rog Taylor in his 198 car.

March 2010: The Taylor bros:  two-car photo at home with Les and Roger Taylor and their mechanics; very tidy cars that share old Austin rad grilles. [scan by Steve Gateley]

 
Harringay's 1965 "Fan Club Derby" was a great idea, and the drivers took part with a will. 

Here Jock makes sure the fans know he's happy to be there.  Anyone recognize themselves or a friend among the supporters?  [By the way, Gordon Bland who sent this photo, chaired the British Stock Car Racing Supporters Club in the late 60's and co-edited its magazine.]

This version of his car might upset snobby Jaguar XK140 collectors.  He had won the World at West Ham in 1961 [see the gold roof], with a Morris Minor body on, and mainstream magazines like AUTOCAR wrote it up. 

According to Pete Tucker's book, the motor came from the 1958 fatal wreck of a Jag crashed by the forties and fifties film actor Bonar Colleano ["The Sea Shall Not Have Them"]  Thanks to Tony Organ for the colour pic. 

A different colour photo of Jock's Jaguar XK140 coupe in the pits at Brafield in 1962 [anonymous donation]. Note the red roof instead of gold, so this photo must have been taken after the 1962 Belle Vue world final that Freddie Mitchell won.

Doug Fisher #63 sent this pits photo which clearly shows the way Jock had customized the Jaguar's bodywork rather than just "hacking" it.   Possbly a 1962 photo?

"Mum, why's that man sitting in the back seat of his Morris?"  Jock looks a wee bit puzzled too. [scan from Steve Gateley]

Much thanks to Chris "Totter" Holmes for the following photos and facts.  Chris apprenticed to Jock at his White House garage, and travelled with Jock as race mechanic — what a great way to learn your trade.   Chris could be found in the garage by the age of 12 and was stripping and rebuilding Jaguar engines by the age of 16.  But Jock taught something else, just as important: total professionalism with the job and with people. Unlike some drivers, at the end of a meet, Jock would always wash and change before going to the bar, and he insisted that his car be similarly treated: the big alloy Jaguar motor had to be polished spotless, before and after a race, a task which Chris H. recalls became even harder after they installed the three twin-choke Weber carbs! 

Here are three scans of Stock Car News as it gave the wonderful results of the 1961 World Final at West Ham: 

 September 2010: Also from Chris Holmes, Jock's 1961 WF victory, with a jubilant Chris about to climb into the winning car.

Here is Jock's full-sized Mk 7, which he modified and raced as a challenge to the upcoming cut-n-shut "specials" that were starting to take over.  

Here is the brilliant Morris that Jock drove to his 1961 World Championship.  Chris "Tottrer" Holmes was a Lloyd helper, and sent this bewildering photo of the INSIDE of the Morris cab ---- he says that the engine was almost in the driver's lap and was "very loud".  

Finally Chris Holmes himself with his  MG Magnette saloon at his first (Spedeworth) race; and Chris perched on the WF Morris roof.  

With this Magnette Chris won the Walker Bennett Trophy for white-tops in 1971, then was promoted to blue top status. If you look at the bonnet, you'll see a partial word "-ock", which is part of Chris's racing nickname (guess what goes with HOLMES) --- Sherlock.  The Walker-Bennett trophy came with the princely sum of 25 pounds.  The MG raced and also hit fences at Aldershot, Eastbourne, and Wimbledon until it gave up the ghost.  Chris recalls the long-ago pleasures of travelling and racing for £2 start money, towing the Magnette on a converted caravan chassis behind his trusty Mk II Zephyr.  "Those were the days".

Thanks to Chris for info on the following photo that I took many many years ago in the Brafield pits, of Jock's Andy Capp Special, a Morry Minor on an XK140 chassis.  Chris recalls the signwriting being done by a brilliant paint man named Frank Howlett, who taught Chris the art.  Frank Howlett was the starter at the Staines track in 1958.  Chris still remembers the joy of world final Victory 50 years ago, AND the next morning's hangover.  Chris still admires the late Jock Lloyd's character as a man -- something that I've heard said by several drivers' friends and mechanics —                                     that there seemed to be something just a bit special about that generation of drivers.

In the next photo, [which chuffed me no end as it was with a forty-shiling Brownie Cresta camera], Jock had rebuilt his Jag to look like a US supermodified, and had tuned the motor up to Le Mans standard by bolting on three twin-choke Weber carbs. 

It used a Morris commercial chassis wearing a Standard body, and it was built at Jock's garage by Don Roomes, a racer himself, who had also help build cars for Ken Freeman:

In 1968 Rick Young photographed the same Jock Lloyd Jag at Swindon's track. 

Fans could buy this transfer. [Rick Young collection]  Jock first raced at Staines in 1955, and his last win was in 1966 at Harringay.  Jock died in 2000, and is missed especially by VSCA members, for whom he was president for years.  

Thanks to Trevor Richings for the next two photos. Some drivers/builders simply insisted on good engineering and professional racing; Jock Lloyd and Chick Woodroffe were true professionals, and from a 1965 Brandon programme we see them proudly parading on their cars.  Look closely at Jock's meticulously-fabricated exhaust manifold and pipe, built carefully into and through the body panels: what attention-to-detail.  

And here in (1962/3?) in his Jaguar XK140, getting rough with #6 Johnny King, #138 Allen Briggs, and #347 Barry Johnson.
 

Les Wesley 125, son of Ben Wesley, and note the programme says he "looks like a parson, but —"! [Scanned by Di Sutton]

Below: Geoff Harrison's tidy # 127 Senior at Brandon in 1966:

Geoff's mechanic was Roger Harris, who passed on this info.  Harrison was one of the Cheltenham drivers, sponsored by Denis Blunt.  Geoff was also in the Malvern "A" skittles team which was made up mostly of stock-car drivers and mechanics.   Thanks to Di Sutton, here's a programme photo of Geoff Harrison , who was nicknamed "The Cheltenham Flyer". Geoff  had an engineering business with his brother in Leckhampton [Cheltenham], and the young Howard Davis was a mechanic there.   In the next photo Geoff Harrison is visible on the left, white overalls:  Brandon pits photograph that also shows the high-reach crane they used in the fifties and sixties to unload stock-cars from their transporters — younger fans may not know the ingenious ways that drivers carried their cars; at least one chap (one of the Wesley brothers) would arrive  with his stock-car in the back of his dump-truck.  At Brafield some cars would simply drive off their flatbed onto the back slope of the spectator banking. 

Here's Geoff Harrison 127 patiently obliging the stadium photographer for that typical portrait: "Just what I need before the race, a camera flash in my eyes".   [Photos courtesy of Steve Gateley]

At Leicester, 1963:  Geoff Harrison gets pushed around by #372 Mike O'Hara from Mansfield and #250 Doug Mason from Oxford. [Programme scan from Trevor Richings]  Sad to record Geoff Harrison's passing, April 2004 at the age of 75.

Rick Young tells me the rear bodywork on Reg Pryor's car (1968) is from a BMW Isetta bubble car. Reg was from East London. Whatever became of bubble cars?

Londoner Darkie Wright built quality racers: sheer craftsmanship.  His cars were spotless, a fabricator's dream.  Darkie's trademark was the Mercedes grille which looked like Mercedes-Benz had designed it specially for a stocker. There may have been some cleverer cars, but none were more neatly and thoroughly built. I took this photograph at Brandon (Coventry) 1966.  Later Darkie shoehorned a big Jaguar V-12 motor into his Senior.  Having begun at the sport's inception, 1954 at New Cross, where Darkie scored a 3rd place, he was still bouncing off steel girders at an age when most men have retired quietly to slippers and a footstool.  Here is Darkie sharing the limelight with George Ansell; Darkie on the right of course.

Darkie celebrates another victory at Brafield, with Miss Brafield, Maggie Ford. [Photo from Carol Cockings] .  Note the white-painted regulation petrol-can "tank".  See the sponsor name: does anybody drink Ceres Danish beer today? Yes, they are part of Royal Unibrew:  http://www.royalunibrew.com/Default.aspx?ID=221

Thanks to Steve Gateley, a Brafield shot of Darkie's car in 1962.  Of the three guys together, Darkie is on the left, then Johnny Piper #10, who after retiring from racing drove the famous Coventry "Cop Car" scout car, then Doug Warner #313.  Darkie hung up his helmet at 62 years of age.  Many of my correspondents have been told this tale:  The one and only time I persuaded my late father to come to the races, at Brafield, was in the early seventies.  We were by the fence at turn 4, and Darkie slid out and stuck in the cables. When Darkie climbed out, he pulled off his helmet and goggles, and my father exclaimed loudly in surprise  "Good God, he's older than I am!", which set the crowd laughing.  Few people actually knew his name was William.  Darkie lived to be 88 years old, bless him, and died in late 1999.

   August 2011: Perhaps photographed in the same season --- this view of Darkie's car was snapped by Doug Fisher, and shows a hefty towbar.  In the background is #347 Barry Johnson from Kegworth, and #62 Chippie Weston.

Darkie Wright parading with the chequered flag  at Brafield; date probably 1963.  

From Trevor Riching's scans, here is some pre-race comment on Darkie Wright;  and here a mug shot of the "little Londoner" himself.

Mel Bassey, #17 was not only Darkie Wright's son-in-law, but he obviously drove a Wright special;  here escaping after a tangle with the Brafield fence. [Dick Young photo]

Check the quality of Alan England's car: it's a Darkie Wright special of course. Alan's in the pits at Brandon (Coventry) in 1966.   Here is Alan England in the Brafield pits, a photo I took in 1964.  Darkie Wright is bending over the engine, with Alan England on the other side.  Alan was from Harringay at that time.

Frank Bourne raced another Darkie Wright special, which was originally built for Jim Potter in 1967, with a 1935 Ford Model Y body. This car represents the classic design, with 4"x2" RHS steel frame, Darkie's trademark Mercedes grille, transverse springs, powered by Buick. Frank Bourne, a farmer from Cheswardine, raced it under # 16. [Dick Y. photo, and facts from a 1985 issue of Keith Barber's invaluable Stock Car Magazine.]

Thanks to David Collins and Ant Jenkins for passing on this photo (possibly a Mike Greenwood pic?) of Frank Bourne #16, car and driver basking in brilliant sunshine at Hednesford Hills Raceway in approx 1968/69.  Rick Young reckons these Y bodies were "The Business" as far as stock-car looks.

Another Ford Y body can be seen on this sunny pits shot of 155 Brian Tuplin, of Lincolnshire.

  September 2011:  Thanks to Malcolm Brown, two further photos of Brian Tupin in about 1967, 

Jim Esau 244  DY photo in 1968.  “Big Jim” was from Heston, Middlesex.   (If you squint into the background you may see the famous Roll-Royce radiator grille on car 394 of John Pratt, a car that is still in the Pratt family.)

Here is a Keith Barber drawing of Jim's car, from Keith's book WILD BILL TO WILDCAT: Jim Esau Art Drawing.  It's Keith's copyright, so if you want to see more, track down the book second-hand. 

Big Jim Esau  in the Brafield fence;  he had 442 cu.in. of Pontiac power in it.    [Rick Young photo]  More of Jim in the SEVENTIES section.

 March 2010:  Jim Esau looks embarrassed posing for the camera. [Steve Gatley scan]

 A big thanks to Ian Snoad, who raced bangers, late 70s early 80s in car #331 and #509, as "Ian Williams".  Ian has obtained a fabulous set of professional photos, and has kindly sent me some for this page.   Ian wishes to remind everyone out there that the grand title "KING OF TAR" belongs to George Ansell, especially for his blinding speed at Harringay.  Ian is in touch with George, who is still fighting fit at 70+yrs, and with George's ex mechanic Jim Bunyan.  Ansell is a true gent, and presented Ian with one of his Harringay trophies and some programmes.  Ian counts himself the No 1 Ansell fan from the age of 8, and at age 10 he also painted cars for banger champion Roy Syme (#55) of the notorious Harringay "Teddy Bears" team.  A buddy of mine knew the Teddy Bears well, and reckoned the ownership history of some of those bangers was not always 100% kosher — "say no more, guv'".   Since Ian Snoad was the "main man" behind this Ansell collection, let's celebrate Ian's favourite racing:  a 1968 "Pathe News" film clip of banger racing at Harringay: http://www.harringayonline.com/video/stock-car-racing-at-harringay   
Some more credit to Ian: here he is in his own blue # 509 car ready to rumble.  And here he is "in the mix" at Harringay in his 331, as a rival barrel-rolls in the puddles. Ian 'does a right head butt' to the Harringay opposition, but then at Arena Essex "Hornsey Ian" takes a flyer.  Now for Ian's hero (and many people's hero). 

 Ian, thanks a ton for these great photos.   

World Champion:  With the trophy, and his 375 car displayed in the showroom.

George Ansell  at Brafield in 1964, below. The photo was published in my article in AUTOCAR magazine in September 1965.   That's Barry van den Oetelaar looking cool on the far left.  Alan Hughes, with arms folded, ex #66, was Terry Coell's long term mechanic [thanks Steve Pringle].  Ansell was a red-top in this pic, with a 389 cu.in. Pontiac under the battered hood, and and Austin A35 roof.

April 2012:  Nice close-up photo of the Ansell car's cab, by anonymous donor, at Brafield.

Four years later:  1967 World Champion, George Ansell.  Here the gold-top car is being towed back into the pits at Brafield; pretty thin armouring for this level of heavy combat?    In the car  is one of Ansell's mechanics, Max Robinson, and walking in with it, hands in pockets, is Phil Chance, the Chairman of the Veteran Stock Car Association. Phil tells me that George is still in touch with his mechanics, including Jim Bunion, and Max and Vic Robinson.                                                                                        

In 1962 George receives the Wills Trophy from a member of the powerful Wills tobacco family (several lived in Northamptonshire, in fact I used to deliver milk to one. ), though the car you see is Rod Dore's.

At a Brafield get-together, Mr. Pratt introduces Mr. Wicks to Mr. Fencepost.

  January 2011:                                                                                                                                           Not again ---- in this Brafield photo, Tony is the steel sandwich between an unidentified Fiat, and the Morris of #193 John Twynham (from Oakham in Rutland, if you remember that county).   Russ Thomas recalls that Twynham's nickname was "Twinkle", and he painted the words Twinkle and Rutland on the boot ---- as a result, lots of people thought his name was Twinkle Rutland, which sounds like a Kenneth Williams character from "Round The Horne"---

 November 2010:     Tony Wicks #93 from Wisbech was racing 50 years ago and I hear that today he's still out and about and enjoying a game of bowls.  Tony started in 1961, powered by Oldsmobile, in the days when a second place at Harringay brought a fortune of £10. Tony's very first race, at Coventry, was 'a bit unofficial' --- using local Ray Spenton's #129 car and using Ray's name --- a good many drivers started their stock car careers like that.  Tony hung up his helmet in 1968, the year in which a Harringay fence gave Tony a broken leg and ankle. The Wicks family "on the road" often combined race weekends with roadside camping holidays, and London meets with a bit of sightseeing, all based from their transporter.  Nowadays the family still gets out to see stock car and circuit racing, has fun with trackdays, and seeing a Silverstone Grand Prix.   

Tony's daughter Susan Barnes today remembers: "The miles we travelled, the tracks we visited, it was ----- very much a travelling circus, the enjoyment just unreal.  The excitement every weekend of Tony bringing the transporter round, to be loaded with family and food, helmet and goggles and overalls." [Not forgetting a bone for the dog] prepared by Susan and her mum.  "You really got a buzz --- it was just brilliant --- We were nearly always first in the pits so so we could pick where we parked .... to me it seemed like one big happy family meeting up and having good old chat about racing. "

Tony Wicks worked out of his father's long-established WICKS COACHWORKS in Wisbech, and Tony kept his stock car and transporter at the works.  The garage in 1957, and again in 1967  [the sign says "Let the Craftsmen do it --- Keeping pace with time --- Self operated by Craftsmen".]  

The green 'un, with the always-smart Tony in overalls and tie:

The brown 'un on the pit weigh scales.  Why this odd colour?  I'll only report that when the work was going slow and the paintwork was still undecided, somebody called out  "Just paint it like **** and be done with it."

Tony on parade at Long Eaton; 

Tony on the Long Eaton programme cover in 1964.

Tony's less well-known Junior F2 car, Morris body, and there in front, in the home knitted jumper is Tony's daughter Susan all those years ago, who has now generously shared these stories and photos with me:

Veteran racer Rick Young took the following pits photo of Tony and his car  "with my 7/6d camera from Woollies when I was about 12 years old";  and well done too, catching a cheerful Tony in the background.

Here are photos of Tony and his car, courtesy of grandson Steve Taylor:  (Steve also raced F1's successfully, under his grandad's number #93, scoring a Final at Mildenhall.)

 November 2010:  

From Tony's own scrapbook: these are high-resolution images and can be enlarged a lot.

 January 2011: Dramatic photos of Chick Woodroffe in action at Cadwell Park, courtesy of Dave Chapman, who was in the right place with a steady camera hand for this series of laps:  

 August 2010:

For years I had a solitary photo here of #105 John Scott, which I snapped at Brandon in either 1964 or 1966, and labelled "Brute Force" because of its rugged looks.  Now, thanks to Ann Scott, I can add some facts and photos.  Her late husband, who passed away in 2006 [corrected from earlier error] was from Harrogate had raced under BriSCA from 1963 to 1969, also enjoying the action at non-BriSCA Aycliffe, under the name 'Cheyenne', where his racing buddy Jimmy Young 106 often joined him as 'Maverick'.   Ann says their racing "did not aspire to great heights, but we had a lot of fun."  Ann sent me the two following photos:  First, from 1969, a beautiful sunny-day shot of John storming through a corner [track???] beside another Harrogate racer, Bill Houseman 103:

Over the years I have gone to-and-fro with the name and number.  I first labelled it as Geoff Wood from Burton-on-Trent. However, a re-scan of the original photo print at higher resolution reveals Ron 'Skid' Skinner.   

One Brafield fan remembers happily watching this car in the hands of Skid Skinner, barely in control and bouncing off the fence at every other bend.  Well of course he did ----