[Miles_Snowdon]

It was John Noakes death that prompted me to Google slot car racing etc. and led me here. Below is a photo of me (centre) and the Mark Brothers whose christian names escape me. We had taken our track to the studio and demonstrated our expertise. We'd even been alloted a dressing room next door to Jimmy Savile (Top of the Pops was being recorded in another studio)

We'd recently run a 24 hour team relay race which had impressed the BBC. My memory of slot racing in those is somewhat sparse but here are a few memories:-

• Racing at Bromley Tech. High in an "International" against Holland
• Drag racing in Croydon - a warehouse near the old aerodrome. We rewound the motors with very thick copper as well as the controllers. They only had to last 5 seconds!
• I certainly remember vacuum-forming. We would do this ourselves either over an Airfix or other model or over a hand-carved wooden mould. My favourite was an Oldsmobile Toronado as it had a very wide track and long wheelbase.
• Experimenting with 4wd but friction losses were too high.
• Bec Models
• Somewhere in Eltham
• Somewhere in Southgate

Happy memories. Looking forward to some replies, Miles

 

[Miles_Snowdon]

I've been digging around a bit more and found a couple of trophies. One is BHRA Junior Eliminator, March 1967. I think that was slot car drag racing probably at Croydon. The other is a shield entitled N.S.M.C.C 1967 INTER-SCHOOLS Runner Up. Anyone know anything?

 

[Miles_Snowdon]

All I remember about Eltham was visiting and being rather impressed by the shop! As for Bec Models we were in and out of there a lot. My brother was into model trains and I think that that was the main focus of the shop. Tooting Bec was a few minutes by bike across Tooting Bec Common from Battersea Grammar. I don't remember going to a club under a carpet shop. That might have been after my time once I'd discover girls and motorbikes!

I was in the same year as Steve Gurl and we'd been at Primary School together too, I think. He and I used to mess about on pushbikes together and it was while doing tricks near his house that I broke my arm one summer. I think they lived at the top end of Streatham Common. I lost touch with him at about 16 years old but he went into music, apparently.