All About the Early Days of Racing in Britain

For nearly as long as there have been cars, people have enjoyed racing them. From the very first car race put on by the Chicago Times-Herald in 1895 to NASCAR’s Daytona 500, which attracts over 10 million viewers per year on average, people have been putting the speed and performance of vehicles to the test for well over a century. And the U.S. isn’t the only country with a need for speed—Brazil, Canada and New Zealand also have a large population of racing fans, as does the United Kingdom.

In fact, Britain has an extensive history when it comes to car racing. Ask any car or racing enthusiast—or any mechanic in Minneapolis, MN, for that matter—and you might get varying opinions about what the best time was for car racing, but it’s undeniable that the early days of car racing in Britain, from the 1950s to the 1970s, were full of fascinating developments.

British racing from the ‘50s to the ‘70s

Britain was first introduced to stock car racing in 1954. These first stock car races in Britain were held on previously established greyhound or speedway tracks. Even though the cars that participated in these races were reinforced with additional armor and locked rear axle differentials, they were almost all 1930s road cars.

As the sport increased in popularity, more and more custom-built cars began to appear on British tracks. Over the years, different racing classes developed and new kinds of racing competitions were established. Stock car racing in the U.K. allows contact, although non-contact oval racing, also referred to as Hot Rods, developed during this time period.

British stock car racing classifications

There are two basic organizations of stock cars in Britain—BriSCA and Spedeworth. BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars are considered to be the most sophisticated class of stock car. These cars have a number of customized features that are specifically designed for power and performance, including enlarged bumpers for contact races. Formula 2 BriSCA Stock Cars are very similar to Formula 1 aside from a few features, including a smaller engine.

Spedeworth Superstox cars, meanwhile, are very similar to the Formula 2 classification of BriSCA Stock Cars, and they are the smallest and cheapest cars for British stock car racing. Formulas and classifications have developed over the years, but the passion for stock car racing among drivers, sponsors and fans in Britain has remained strong since its advent in the ‘50s.

You don’t have to race stock cars to care about the performance and power that you get from your vehicle’s engine, but at Quality Coaches, Inc., we have the training and expertise necessary to provide an array of vehicles with exceptional service—even race cars. For decades, our professional team has been delivering quality customer service and outstanding automotive work to customers who are looking for a dependable mechanic in Minneapolis, MN. Whether you need basic service for your vehicle or a complete engine overhaul, we are the team to call. For a free estimate on any of the work that we do or to schedule an appointment with a credentialed technician, give us a call today!

Categorised in: Mechanic

This post was written by Sharon Morgan