The Place

Due to a massive oil spillage on the approach to Farm Bends, which has covered 90% of that section of the course, the Clerk of the Course has announced that for safety reasons the remainder of the meeting has been abandoned.


Phil Edge

Media Coordinator
Auto 66 Racing

Oh, dear. One of ours?

How much of the meeting was lost then?

I don't know. The email came in at 17:07 so I don't think they lost much. Don't know what race it was that dropped oil

Meeting abandoned after race 5 due to oil on track ,should have been 12 race programme

The last race I got results for was sidecars.. with a few DNFs...

Re the oil, yes and no, Helen! Carl had reported after the race that it was slippy in places from Memorial onwards plus James Cowton came off in Race 4 at Farm Bends exit. One of 'ours' possibly added to it. Sidecars finished around 3pm, I left around 4.45, meeting hadn't been abandoned then. Gary Thompson was C of C so good decision! Heavier rain in the morning than had been forecast caused a delay so they'd already decided to run the Cock O' The North race as one straight race rather than 2 legs. With the Saturday cancellation, a Scarborough meeting to forget, but they'll bounce back.

According to Gary Thompson's Facebook post on Sunday evening "...a sidecar blew it's engine on the approach to Farm Bends which left oil spread all across the racing surface which went all the way through Farm Bends and up onto the home straight."

Oh, b*gger!

The meeting was abandoned at about 5.15pm! So being only at race 5 after an hours weather stop, a couple of 15 minute delays due to weather and crashes and another delay as someone watching needed medical help, with another 7 races to go there was no chance after the oil spillage! It was a long ride home to South Wales! Lol

£20 a ticket for 5 races OUCH!!!! at least we got one sidecar race.

The sidecar that 'blew up' at Farm Bends was removed from the track at the gate leading through to the solo paddock, which is halfway up the hill out of the dip, so it was certainly not responsible for leaving a trail of oil all the way up onto the home straight. I was told that the oil left was not all over the track until they tried clearing it with a power washer and that then spread it all over the place . I didn't see this so can't vouch for it but I think the information came from a solo rider, so the 'enemy' not a 'friend' if you like

I don't think any of the outfits passing the area after the oil had been dropped had any hairy moments, I know of two certainly that didn't, so I think that possibly suggests that the oil slick wasn't as bad as suggested whilst the race was on.

Thanks for that.

Dan wrote:The sidecar that 'blew up' at Farm Bends was removed from the track at the gate leading through to the solo paddock, which is halfway up the hill out of the dip, so it was certainly not responsible for leaving a trail of oil all the way up onto the home straight. I was told that the oil left was not all over the track until they tried clearing it with a power washer and that then spread it all over the place . I didn't see this so can't vouch for it but I think the information came from a solo rider, so the 'enemy' not a 'friend' if you like

I don't think any of the outfits passing the area after the oil had been dropped had any hairy moments, I know of two certainly that didn't, so I think that possibly suggests that the oil slick wasn't as bad as suggested whilst the race was on.

I didn't see a trail of oil all the way up onto the start/finish straight. Mind you I did have my eyes shut

Joking apart, the flags were out going into farm bends but I didn't see a line of oil going in or coming out of the bends. The only thing I noticed was a patch just about where Rammy went off. Its annoying when reading comments from the solo riders about sidecars dropping oil etc but from what I read and see there are as many hold-ups from them falling over because the don't have enough wheels. You wouldn't get me on two wheels.

jc