Hawkstone Park Motocross Circuit
Encyclopedia
Hawkstone Park
Hawkstone Park is an historic landscape park with pleasure grounds and gardens formerly belonging to Hawkstone Hall, near to Market Drayton, in Shropshire, England, UK, one mile east of the A49 road....
or Hawkstone, is a motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
circuit situated near Market Drayton
Market Drayton
Market Drayton is a small market town in north Shropshire, England. It is on the River Tern, between Shrewsbury and Stoke-on-Trent, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" and earlier simply as "Drayton" ....
, north Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The circuit is arguably one of the world's most famous motocross circuits, having staged many grand prix and international events from the 1950s, right through until the present day.
The Circuit
The Hawkstone circuit is approximately 1.8 miles (2.9 km) long (although the layout can be shortened for youth or clubman events if required).It is famous for the track surface, which consists of deep, loamy sand. During the course of a race meeting, the circuit becomes very rough and bumpy, testing the skill of riders.
The centrepiece of the circuit is the famous 'Hawkstone Hill', a steep hill that eventually rises to a 1-in-3 ascent at the top of the hill. The crest of the hill can be seen from the A53 road
A53 road
The A53 is a primary route in northern England, that runs from Buxton in Derbyshire to Shrewsbury in Shropshire.-Route of Road:The A53 begins in the centre of Buxton off the A6 road, before meeting the A515 road at a roundabout. Out of the town, it has a junction with the A54 road before...
(Shrewsbury to Market Drayton) several miles away.
At the top of the hill, riders have to contend with a hard sandstone surface, before dropping back down the hill in a fearsome descent, beginning in an 8 feet (2 m) almost vertical drop, followed by a bumpy descent that tests riders' skill and bike control.
Other famous obstacles include the 'whoop' section, a series of large man-made bumps that require a great deal of skill and courage from riders in order to tackle them at speed. A fall in this section is usually heavy and spectacular. (3 times World Motocross Champion David Thorpe
David Thorpe (motorcyclist)
David Thorpe is a British motocross racer and a three-time World Champion.Thorpe's early career saw him excel in both motocross and football, and at one stage he was even offered a contract with professional side Queen's Park Rangers, before opting to concentrate on motocross...
crashed spectacularly here in front of TV cameras at the 1986 500cc British Motocross Grand Prix).
There is also a Race control area including a commentary tower, offices, scrutineering area and press room, a first aid building, toilets and shower area for riders, and a large paddock and car park area.
Early history
The site used for motocross events first held a motorsport event in 1938, a hill climbHillclimbing
Hillclimbing is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course....
event, staged by the 'Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
and Nantwich
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
Light Car Club'. The event used the Hawkstone Hill, the winner being the driver who was able to get the furthest up the hill.
These quaint beginnings were soon halted by the advent of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but soon after the end of the war, motocross (or scrambling as was known) made its debut at Hawkstone Park. The event was held by the Salop Motor Club, who still organise events at Hawkstone Park, and manage the motocross circuit to this day. Qualification for the motocross races was determined in a similar fashion to the hill climb events, the riders who made it the furthest up the hill qualified for the race.
1950s & 1960s
From there, the circuit moved onto greater heights, in 1951 the first national level meeting was held and in 1954, the circuit staged a round of the FIM European Motocross Championship. 33,000 spectators witnessed British rider Phil Nex take the victory.1960 saw one of the largest crowds in Hawkstone Park's history, for the Brian Stonebridge Memorial Trophy (in memory of 1950s rider Brian Stonebridge
Brian Stonebridge
Brian Stonebridge was a leading British motorcycle racer of the 1950s competing in scrambles, now known as motocross.Stonebridge began riding for the Matchless scrambles team in 1950, winning a gold medal in that year's International Six Days Trial. In 1952 and 1954, he was a member of the British...
who died in a motoring accident). 54,000 spectators attended the event, with buses being laid on from nearby towns such as Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
for spectators.
Grand Prix events continued at the circuit until 1965, by which time, the dusty conditions had deemed the circuit too dangerous for top level motocross competition. British rider Jeff Smith
Jeff Smith (motorcyclist)
Jeffrey Vincent Smith MBE is a former world champion motocross racer.His achievements include two FIM 500cc Motocross World Championships , two British Trials Championships, multiple British Experts Trial wins, four individual race wins in the Motocross des Nations, one Scottish Six Days Trial win...
won the final 500cc Grand Prix of the decade in 1965, aboard his BSA
Birmingham Small Arms Company
This article is not about Gamo subsidiary BSA Guns Limited of Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham B11 2PP or BSA Company or its successors....
.
The 1950s and 1960s were arguably the hey-day for Hawkstone Park. Thanks to coverage from the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Grandstand
Grandstand (BBC)
Grandstand was a British television sport programme. Broadcast between 1958 and 2007, it was one of the BBC's longest running sports shows, alongside BBC Sports Personality of the Year.Its first presenter was Peter Dimmock...
programme (which incidentally included Murray Walker
Murray Walker
Graeme Murray Walker, OBE is a former Formula One motorsport commentator...
as commentator), "Scrambling" was quite popular with the general public, and major events at Hawkstone regularly saw five-figure crowds in attendance.
1970s & 1980s
Grand Prix Motocross returned to Hawkstone for 1975, where Suzuki rider Gerrit WolsinkGerrit Wolsink
Gerrit Wolsink is a Dutch former Grand Prix motocross racer who competed in motocross Grand Prix world championships in the mid- to late 1970s. He is best remembered for being a five-time winner of the 500cc United States Grand Prix of motocross.A dentist by training, Gerrit Wolsink chose a career...
took victory. However, riders in the 500cc voiced their disapproval with the dusty conditions, and so in 1976, a Grand Prix was staged for 125cc machines, in the inaugural FIM
Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme is the governing body of motorcycle racing. It represents 103 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regional continental unions....
125cc Motocross World Championship, Belgian Gaston Rahier
Gaston Rahier
Gaston Rahier was a motocross racer from Belgium. He was three-time FIM World Champion in the 125cc division, claiming the title in 1975, 1976 and 1977 . He later went on to race in and win the famous Paris-Dakar rally for BMW motorcycles, in 1984 and 1985...
taking victory.
The circuit then hosted a series of successful 250cc Grand Prix events in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and the Salop Motor Club also introduced the popular "New Year's Day" event during this period. The New Year's Day event was staged on January 1, each year until 1999, and saw British Motocross Championship riders, along clubmen and youth riders tackle a shortended version of the Hawkstone circuit.
In 1984, 500cc Grand Prix events once again returned to Hawkstone Park, where Belgian Georges Jobé
Georges Jobé
Georges Jobé is a former five-time FIM motocross world champion from Belgium. In addition, Jobé also won several Belgian national motocross championships in a professional motocross career that spanned from 1979 to 1992....
famously jumped over rival André Malherbe
André Malherbe
André Malherbe was a Belgian motocross racer. He won three F.I.M. 500cc motocross World Championships.Born in Huy, the son of a motorcycle dealer, Malherbe began racing at an early age and earned his racing licence in 1973. He rode a Zündapp to win the 1973 FIM 125cc European motocross...
during the second Grand Prix race. Overall winner was British rider David Thorpe
David Thorpe (motorcyclist)
David Thorpe is a British motocross racer and a three-time World Champion.Thorpe's early career saw him excel in both motocross and football, and at one stage he was even offered a contract with professional side Queen's Park Rangers, before opting to concentrate on motocross...
, who finished highly in the 1986 Grand Prix despite a heavy fall, before taking another popular victory in the 1988 Grand Prix.
In 1989, a whole new generation of riders competed at Hawkstone, as the circuit staged its final 125cc Grand Prix. Overall winner was American Trampas Parker
Trampas Parker
Trampas Parker is an American former two-time Grand Prix motocross world champion.He was the 1989 F.I.M. world champion in the 125cc class on a KTM. In 1991 he won the 250 world championship on a Honda. He was the first American to claim two motocross world championships...
, whilst hidden away with the back-markers was Belgian rookie Stefan Everts
Stefan Everts
Stefan Everts is a motocross racer from Belgium, who retired in 2006 after securing his record 10th World Title. He also holds several other motocross records....
, who later went on to dominate Grand Prix motocross.
1990s
Hawkstone Park had alternated as the venue for the 500cc British Grand Prix with Farleigh Castle circuit in WiltshireWiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
during the 1980s, but from 1990, the circuit was used on a permanent basis. Unfortunately this coincided with a major decline in popularity for 500cc events, as the major motorcycle manufacturers switched their attention to the 250cc series. Whilst the circuit was still used for national events, it was in the 1990s that Grand Prix racing was to leave Hawkstone Park. The circuit staged 500cc Grand Prix events until 1994, holding another event in 1997 and then held its final Grand Prix event of the decade in 1999, Sweden's Peter Johansson
Peter Johansson (motorcyclist)
Peter Johansson is an Swedish former Grand Prix motocross racer.Johansson finished third in the F.I.M. 500cc motocross world championship three times, in 1996, 1998 and 2000. In 1999, he finished in second place behind Andrea Bartolini. Johansson retired after the 2000 season.- References :...
taking the overall victory on a gloriously sunny July day.
Present day
Hawkstone Park was to have a new lease of life however, as it staged its first pre-season International event in 1999. Held every March, the International event sees some of the world's top riders competing at the circuit, gaining race speed prior to the full Grand Prix season. The event is seen as the "curtain-opener" to the British Motocross season, with crowds of over 10,000 regularly attending the International events.Hawkstone Park also stages several amateur and historic race meetings every season along with a round of the ACU
AutoCycle Union
The Auto-Cycle Union is governing body of motorcycle sport in Great Britain . Founded in 1903 and acquiring its current name in 1907 its aim was to develop motor sport through clubs and arrange touring facilities for members...
British Motocross Championship. The venue has also staged the British Trials Grand Prix, utilising the steep, rocky woodland surrounding the circuit as opposed to the motocross track itself.
In the past, the circuit has also been used for enduro
Enduro
Enduro is a form of motorcycle sport run on courses that are predominantly off-road. Enduro consists of many different obstacles and challenges...
events, utilising the motocross circuit and the woodland surrounding much of the circuit to created an extended lap of several miles.
The circuit is seen as one of the toughest motocross circuits in the UK, with many fans calling for it to return to the MX1 Motocross Grand Prix schedule. However, this is unlikely to happen, due to the high costs in staging a Grand Prix event, along with the relatively remote location and infrastructure in the local area. Despite this, Grand Prix motocross will returned to the circuit in 2009, with the circuit hosting the opening round of the MX3 Motocross Grand Prix series. The Grand Prix event also featured the opening round of the European MX2 championship. Victory in the MX3 class went to Frenchman Julien Vanni, with fellow French rider Christophe Charlier winning the MX2 event. Despite the racing being described as some of the most exciting to take place at Hawkstone Park for some years, disappointing crowds meant the event made a financial loss, and is uncear whether the Grand Prix will be staged at the circuit in 2010.
Other information
Popular singer Roy OrbisonRoy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
visited Hawkstone Park as a spectator at the 1965 500cc British Grand Prix. An avid motorcycle fan, he was offered the chance to try a lap of the circuit. Unfortunately he crashed, broke an ankle and appeared live on 'Saturday Night at the London Palladium' that evening with his foot in a plaster cast.
The circuit has only suffered one fatality in its 60 year history as a motocross circuit, when 21 year old Richard Fitch was killed whilst competing in a national championship in June 2005. Following fundraising efforts, a memorial bench in Fitch's memory was erected opposite the circuit's race control, shortly after the finishing line.
The circuit is not to be confused with the Hawkstone Park
Hawkstone Park
Hawkstone Park is an historic landscape park with pleasure grounds and gardens formerly belonging to Hawkstone Hall, near to Market Drayton, in Shropshire, England, UK, one mile east of the A49 road....
follies situated nearby. As race meetings are only staged occasionally during the year, the motocross circuit is signposted using temporary billboards and signs, however a common mistake for first time visitors is to follow the permanent road signs and end up at the historic Hawkstone Park
Hawkstone Park
Hawkstone Park is an historic landscape park with pleasure grounds and gardens formerly belonging to Hawkstone Hall, near to Market Drayton, in Shropshire, England, UK, one mile east of the A49 road....
follies!
Riding at the circuit
The circuit is classed as private property and is not open for general practice. The circuit only stages a handful of race meetings per year, usually run by Salop Motor Club, or with assistance from the Salop Motor Club. Most events are open for amateur racers registered with either the AMCA or ACUACU
ACU may refer to:Educational institutions* Abilene Christian University, a private Christian university located in Abilene, Texas* Ahram Candian University, a private Egyptian university located in 6 October City, Giza, Egypt...
governing bodies, although some of the higher profile events are limited to National championship riders or professional international riders.
Generally the circuit is seen as one of the toughest in the UK, and is not recommended for a novice, especially in its Grand Prix format. The deep sand and bumpy surface sap the energy of even the best riders and to ride at speed around the circuit takes a lot of hard work and concentration.
However the circuit is picturesque, and provides a rare opportunity for amateur riders to ride on an International standard circuit.
Other Motorcycle Sports
- Hawkstone Park was originally used for car and motorcycles hill climbs in the inter war years.
- Hawkstone Park has in recent years held a round of a major UK Hare and Hound series, which utilises the woodlands and the motocross circuit.
- Hawkstone Park is also a major trialsMotorcycle TrialsMotorcycle trials, also termed observed trials, is a non-speed event on specialized motorcycles. The sport is most popular in the United Kingdom and Spain, though there are participants around the globe....
venue. It the 1980s it held the traditional first trial of year, the British Experts (since discontinued). In 2005 and 2006 it held, very successfully, the British round of the World Trials Championship.