Stoxnet

Crewe

Mention Earle Street, Crewe to any stock car fan that went there, and chances are one of the first words they will say in relation to this particular stadium is "dump!" It certainly was rather basic, putting it mildly, but what it lacked in facilities, it more than made up in spectacular super fast stock car action.

Having staged oval motor sport since 1976, Mike Parker selected Crewe as his replacement for White City at the start of the 1982 season. Stuart Bamforth is reported to have been sent by his fellow promoters to assess the venue prior to it staging F1 stock car action, and is alleged to have described it as a dump which wouldn't be supported by the fans. Well Bammy didn't get a lot wrong in stock car circles, but he may have misjudged just how popular the vast banked Cheshire shaleway would become.

MPP opened Crewe to F1 stock cars in March 1982 in collaboration with Jim Barrie, a local businessman. Once MPP had gone into liquidation, Barrie continued to promote by himself from 1985 until 1989, when former Aycliffe supremo, Jim Wilkinson took up the promoting rights from 1990 until the tracks final season in 1993.

Despite being limited in terms of facilities, it was the action that was the attraction for fans, with the 430 yard fast shale track offering some of the most spectacular, some might say frightening racing. The floodlights weren't the best, so parts of the track were plunged into darkness when the lighting system flickered into life. This just helped the racing seem even more insane.

The biggest meetings in terms of F1 were a couple of semi finals, a Grand National Championship and a Trust Fund race. Jim Wilkinson's Apex Promotions staged the most prestigious event in the stadium's history in 1993 by hosting the F2 World Final won by Ian King (804).

The flat out undulating nature of the track helped make Crewe an all action venue. Rob Hughes, Stock Car Magazine's Northern correspondent, christened Crewe The Astrodome. Meeting programmes would feature the tagline "We keep stock cars rolling" and "Rollover Capital".

The sight of a train of BriSCA F1 stock cars flying around Crewe, bumper to bumper, was incredible. Usually at the front of that train was Dave Berresford (260), who was very much a Crewe specialist. So much so, that he rather fittingly won the last ever meeting held in December 1993.

Like many stadia from yesteryear, Crewe ended up under a retail park. But thanks to sites like this, we can still say "we were there" whenever we decide to reminisce about the good old days.

Andre Zang

  Date Final Winner
Cars
 
1.
Saturday 20th March 1982
Sat 20 Mar 1982
212 Frankie Wainman
2.
Saturday 17th April 1982
Sat 17 Apr 1982
55 Bert Finnikin 31  
3.
Saturday 29th May 1982
Sat 29 May 1982
2 Willie Harrison  
4.
Saturday 24th July 1982
Sat 24 Jul 1982
199 Mike Close 43  
5.
Saturday 18th September 1982
Sat 18 Sep 1982
160 Andy Stott 38
6.
Saturday 30th October 1982
Sat 30 Oct 1982
212 Frankie Wainman
7.
Friday 5th November 1982
Fri 5 Nov 1982
280 Simon Gill 24
8.
Saturday 26th March 1983
Sat 26 Mar 1983
55 Bert Finnikin 38  
9.
Saturday 16th April 1983
Sat 16 Apr 1983
260 Dave Berresford 32
10.
Saturday 14th May 1983
Sat 14 May 1983
280 Simon Gill 34  
11.
Saturday 4th June 1983
Sat 4 Jun 1983
199 Mike Close 40
12.
Saturday 16th July 1983
Sat 16 Jul 1983
160 Andy Stott 29  
13.
Saturday 27th August 1983
Sat 27 Aug 1983
199 Mike Close 45  
14.
Saturday 22nd October 1983
Sat 22 Oct 1983
1 Stu Smith 38
15.
Saturday 31st March 1984
Sat 31 Mar 1984
471 Bobby Burns 33  
16.
Saturday 21st April 1984
Sat 21 Apr 1984
471 Bobby Burns 27  
17.
Saturday 19th May 1984
Sat 19 May 1984
212 Frankie Wainman  
18.
Saturday 16th June 1984
Sat 16 Jun 1984
260 Dave Berresford 35  
19.
Saturday 21st July 1984
Sat 21 Jul 1984
1 Stu Smith  
20.
Saturday 1st September 1984
Sat 1 Sep 1984
212 Frankie Wainman  
21.
Saturday 20th October 1984
Sat 20 Oct 1984
85 Ray Tyldesley 44  
22.
Saturday 27th April 1985
Sat 27 Apr 1985
212 Frankie Wainman 45  
23.
Saturday 18th May 1985
Sat 18 May 1985
1 Stu Smith  
24.
Saturday 22nd June 1985
Sat 22 Jun 1985
306 Mick Noden 48  
25.
Saturday 20th July 1985
Sat 20 Jul 1985
306 Mick Noden  
26.
Saturday 24th August 1985
Sat 24 Aug 1985
85 Ray Tyldesley 45  
27.
Saturday 31st August 1985
Sat 31 Aug 1985
260 Dave Berresford 45  
28.
Saturday 19th October 1985
Sat 19 Oct 1985
471 Bobby Burns 46  
29.
Saturday 29th March 1986
Sat 29 Mar 1986
422 Nigel Whorton 49  
30.
Saturday 26th April 1986
Sat 26 Apr 1986
260 Dave Berresford 44  
31.
Saturday 17th May 1986
Sat 17 May 1986
175 Rob Pearce  
32.
Saturday 31st May 1986
Sat 31 May 1986
317 Nigel Hardy
33.
Saturday 21st June 1986
Sat 21 Jun 1986
260 Dave Berresford 55
34.
Saturday 19th July 1986
Sat 19 Jul 1986
55 Bert Finnikin 47  
35.
Saturday 23rd August 1986
Sat 23 Aug 1986
128 John Wright 29  
36.
Saturday 20th September 1986
Sat 20 Sep 1986
55 Bert Finnikin 43  
37.
Saturday 18th October 1986
Sat 18 Oct 1986
422 Nigel Whorton  
38.
Saturday 28th March 1987
Sat 28 Mar 1987
260 Dave Berresford 40  
39.
Saturday 18th April 1987
Sat 18 Apr 1987
175 Rob Pearce 44  
40.
Saturday 16th May 1987
Sat 16 May 1987
260 Dave Berresford  
41.
Saturday 20th June 1987
Sat 20 Jun 1987
51 Mo Smith 45  
42.
Saturday 18th July 1987
Sat 18 Jul 1987
212 Frankie Wainman  
43.
Saturday 15th August 1987
Sat 15 Aug 1987
175 Rob Pearce 44  
44.
Saturday 19th September 1987
Sat 19 Sep 1987
422 Nigel Whorton 38  
45.
Saturday 17th October 1987
Sat 17 Oct 1987
57 Rob Lane 38  
46.
Saturday 26th March 1988
Sat 26 Mar 1988
53 John Lund  
47.
Saturday 16th April 1988
Sat 16 Apr 1988
515 Frankie Wainman 54  
48.
Saturday 21st May 1988
Sat 21 May 1988
33 Peter Falding 51
49.
Saturday 18th June 1988
Sat 18 Jun 1988
156 Graham Blundell 40  
50.
Saturday 16th July 1988
Sat 16 Jul 1988
265 Rob Bradsell 47
51.
Saturday 20th August 1988
Sat 20 Aug 1988
55 Bert Finnikin 56
52.
Saturday 17th September 1988
Sat 17 Sep 1988
53 John Lund 38  
53.
Saturday 15th October 1988
Sat 15 Oct 1988
53 John Lund 39  
54.
Saturday 25th March 1989
Sat 25 Mar 1989
260 Dave Berresford 39  
55.
Saturday 15th April 1989
Sat 15 Apr 1989
53 John Lund 32  
56.
Saturday 20th May 1989
Sat 20 May 1989
53 John Lund 41
57.
Saturday 17th June 1989
Sat 17 Jun 1989
422 Nigel Whorton 55  
58.
Saturday 15th July 1989
Sat 15 Jul 1989
33 Peter Falding 30
59.
Saturday 19th August 1989
Sat 19 Aug 1989
234 Mark Duxberry 34  
60.
Saturday 16th September 1989
Sat 16 Sep 1989
227 John Gibson 38
61.
Saturday 21st October 1989
Sat 21 Oct 1989
55 Bert Finnikin 46  
62.
Saturday 31st March 1990
Sat 31 Mar 1990
515 Frankie Wainman 33
63.
Saturday 21st April 1990
Sat 21 Apr 1990
55 Bert Finnikin 46  
64.
Saturday 19th May 1990
Sat 19 May 1990
53 John Lund 60  
65.
Saturday 16th June 1990
Sat 16 Jun 1990
260 Dave Berresford 39
66.
Saturday 21st July 1990
Sat 21 Jul 1990
53 John Lund 32  
67.
Saturday 18th August 1990
Sat 18 Aug 1990
53 John Lund 37
68.
Saturday 15th September 1990
Sat 15 Sep 1990
260 Dave Berresford 38  
69.
Saturday 20th October 1990
Sat 20 Oct 1990
53 John Lund 37  
70.
Saturday 30th March 1991
Sat 30 Mar 1991
260 Dave Berresford 39  
71.
Saturday 20th April 1991
Sat 20 Apr 1991
260 Dave Berresford 46  
72.
Saturday 18th May 1991
Sat 18 May 1991
53 John Lund 39  
73.
Saturday 15th June 1991
Sat 15 Jun 1991
202 Richard Mason 34  
74.
Saturday 20th July 1991
Sat 20 Jul 1991
260 Dave Berresford 39
75.
Saturday 24th August 1991
Sat 24 Aug 1991
2 Paul Harrison 54
76.
Saturday 21st September 1991
Sat 21 Sep 1991
53 John Lund 36  
77.
Saturday 19th October 1991
Sat 19 Oct 1991
53 John Lund 33  
78.
Saturday 28th March 1992
Sat 28 Mar 1992
53 John Lund 33  
79.
Saturday 18th April 1992
Sat 18 Apr 1992
33 Peter Falding 44  
80.
Saturday 16th May 1992
Sat 16 May 1992
53 John Lund 36
81.
Saturday 20th June 1992
Sat 20 Jun 1992
515 Frankie Wainman 31  
82.
Saturday 18th July 1992
Sat 18 Jul 1992
260 Dave Berresford  
83.
Saturday 15th August 1992
Sat 15 Aug 1992
53 John Lund  
84.
Saturday 26th September 1992
Sat 26 Sep 1992
53 John Lund  
85.
Saturday 17th October 1992
Sat 17 Oct 1992
515 Frankie Wainman 49  
 
Saturday 27th March 1993
Sat 27 Mar 1993
Meeting Cancelled    
 
Saturday 17th April 1993
Sat 17 Apr 1993
Meeting Cancelled    
86.
Saturday 15th May 1993
Sat 15 May 1993
33 Peter Falding 46  
87.
Saturday 18th September 1993
Sat 18 Sep 1993
1 Peter Falding 39  
88.
Saturday 16th October 1993
Sat 16 Oct 1993
515 Frankie Wainman 39  
89.
Saturday 11th December 1993
Sat 11 Dec 1993
260 Dave Berresford 23  
The entrace
An aerial photo of the track.
Mike Heywood and Paul Pennington come to grief in 1991. (Lesley Robinson photo)