00:00It's 40 years ago, August Bank Holiday, 1986, that the very first road race was held in
00:07any city in the United Kingdom. And it was held here in Birmingham. The Birmingham Super
00:13Prix brought lots of prestige for Birmingham. I was standing on Belgrade Middleway, which
00:20as traffic wars by now, wasn't exactly the same thing, but it was the Formula 3000 cars
00:27that were doing the speeding round the tracks in those days. Now, John, you were working there at
00:32the time, weren't you? So briefly, what was it that you were doing? Well, one of the things was that
00:38I was in charge of a group of young lads who were unemployed in Sparkbrook in a factory unit,
00:45and they were making up the tyre walls, which are positioned round the racetrack at places where
00:52the drivers might have gone off the road. So there's something like 30,000 tyres, you were
00:57telling me. 30,000 used tyres. And what we didn't realise is that we were paying for these
01:05used tyres in the first year, but in fact, we were doing the trade a favour because they
01:14were useless, but not as a tyre wall. Also, there was about eight miles of Armco barrier
01:20as well, wasn't there? So you were going around making sure all that was in place.
01:24Well, yeah. Prior to each race day, the organisers walked the route, and they got a hammer with
01:35them, and they used to then bang the Armco, and if there was a loose nut and bolt, it rang.
01:44So they... And we also, because some of them were not English people, we arranged for some
01:53bacon sandwiches for them when they'd completed their walk round.
01:59Well, look, it's exactly 40 years ago. It was raining then, and a little bit of rain now, just
02:05to remind us of what it was like 40 years ago.
02:08Yeah. And one of the things was that one of the broadcasters who was doing commentary in
02:16Bristol Street, he was not, hadn't got any protection. So we in fact used one of these
02:24bags to make a waterproof jacket out of it.
02:29A great occasion, and it's almost a great occasion now to celebrate it 40 years on.
02:34The race itself was stopped halfway through due to the tail end of a hurricane called Hellrick
02:40and Charlie, which charged in across the English Channel and across Southern Ireland from America.
02:46So the race actually lasted 24 of its 51 laps. But it still brought lots of prestige to Birmingham, and
02:55it was a big sporting event that has gone down in the memory of many Brummies.
02:59So, let's see.
02:59So, let's see.
