Motor Racing THROUGH Birmingham? (I kid you not!)

I just discovered that back in the 1980s and 90s, Birmingham used to have motor races actually AROUND the City, on a defined circuit - it's the only city in the country to have an Act of Parliament specificall defining its abillity to hold motor races around a set track - it would be illegal anywhere else!

The British Touring Car Championship used to have a race around the city centre, culminating (along with all the support races) in the SuperPRIX... And, even better, Birmingham101 has made a video of the entire 1989 BTCC SuperPRIX race available online to watch! Go check it out, you'll marvel at the sheer impracticality - and yet, the absolutely incredible spectacle - that is a fully-fledged motor race around Birmingham city centre... There's more images and video highlights on the Birmingham101 SuperPRIX web pages.


On another note, I'm now at home for three weeks, as it's the start of my xmas holidays. Why do people drive so fast on the M6? I was driving back at 80mph most of the way in my little Clio, at times having to speed up to 100 to overtake lorries hogging the left and middle lanes (!), and then as soon as I pulled back into the middle lane, still doing ~100, cars were shooting past me in the fast lane doing at least 120! This wasn't an isolated incident either, I had vans (even a French van!) doing over 100... It's pure madness!

Glad to be home though, but I have work at 10am today until 7, and then pretty much every day until New Years' Eve. Great. I'll be a bit better off, but totally zonked. Great. ¬_¬

Technorati tags:
Birmingham SuperPRIX BTCC holidays motorway driving