Preston

Cuerden Park in Bamber Bridge near Preston had already been used for various motorsport events when a stock car meeting was organised in September 1954. A cinder track was laid on the grass and a temporary grandstand erected.

It didn't go well. The cinders quickly sank into the grass and the racing surface became a quagmire. The massive crowd, between 12,000 and 20,000, depending on the source, caused major traffic congestion before the meeting, and many left before the end.

The promoters, including local drivers Ron and Oliver Hart, were later prosecuted for an offence under the Sunday Observance Act, for charging for entertainment on a Sunday.