| North Wales Autograss Race Meeting |
| Sunday, 24 June 2007 18:09 |
 Ill admit that I had no idea what I was letting myself in for here. I picked up on the event the week before and thought I’d take a look. After appraising the track I was disappointed to find that there were four fences separating the action from the spectators, so getting any close shots appeared to be a none starter. Once the action began, it became obvious why so many fences were required.To the untrained eye (that’s me) the event looked chaotic. What happens is that groups of cars race four laps around an oval circuit. Cars are divided into different classes based on drive system (front/rear), engine size, modification and driver age. Kids as young as 12 were competing behind the wheels of unmodified minis. The Autograss is billed as a non contact sport, but I think you’ll agree from the pictures there’s more than a little contact involved. As far as I could make out, 14 different classes exist plus a couple of junior specials. So classes ranged from under 1000cc unmodified minis through to 1421cc – 2070cc specials powered by twin motor bike engines. At the upper end of the scale these machines shift and give the spectator the impression the drivers probably have a hard time controlling all that brute force. The venue was Broad Oak farm in Broughton just outside Chester. I would definitely recommend a visit for anyone who has not seen this sport before. The venue web site can be found here and the national Autograss association web site can be found here. If you love roaring engines, loads of flying mud and fast paced action, then you'll understand why I had so much difficulty reducing the 800 photos I took to a few for presentation on the web. Hope you enjoy the mud slinging as much as I did, oh, and I strongly reccomend a visit to an autograss venue near you. Check the web sites linked in the text above for further details. Add your comment |