Boreham Racetrack

The Boreham Story was a promise of fame for the youngest of British Motor Racing circuits in 1952. Here once grew an orchard. A big Orchard. Only the slow serenity of good farm life encompassed it.

Then in 1944 bulldozers of the U.S.A. military machine came to dig out the many thousands of fruit trees. Long runways were laid from which Marauder bombers flew against the enemy. For the first time speed came to Boreham.

Peace finally returned to Boreham and the runways lay idle. The land went back to the farmers, but the runways were unused, unproductive and wasteful.
In the fifties the farmers welcomed many cars and motorcycles to use it as a testing track. Then the enterprising West Essex Car Club began to use it as a racing track. Speed was back in Boreham. In the early months of 1952. the motor racing company was founded to develop and maintain the London's nearest race track, with great hopes for the future.

The track was re-surfaced and a bridge built over it leading to the control centre, pits and paddock. Covered grandstands went up with seating for 3,500, one opposite the pits with other a Waltham Corner, Orchard Comer and Railway Corner. Each had its own catering and with kiosks and good loudspeaker system all round the track all was set. New staggered pits for swift and easy entry by racers in difficulty were introduced and the stands big informative score-boards showed lap-by-lap positions, speed and time of the first six leaders.

The circuit itself is well worth a mention as being one of the fastest in the country as the time. The start position was opposite the hanger on the Hanger Straight, the first bend being called Hanger Bend, a right-hander then a fast straight to waltham Corner, another right-hander then down to Tower Bend a left-hander and up to Orchard Corner, a right hander, then down the fastest section of the track called Dukes Straight, to the last corner called Railway. Track racing started in 1950, when Co-Partnership Farms agreed to let the west Essex Car Club, founded in 1949, to hold a speed trail there. Motor racing began in 1951. President was Hon Gerald Lascells and many other well-known names at the time were involved. But the real problem was gaining new suitable venues. The idea came of using disused airfields, with their suitable perimeter of track roads of 50 feet wide and 3 miles long. One such location was Boreham.