Davidstow — A History of Cornwall's F1 Race Circuit

Davidstow — A History of Cornwall’s F1 Race Circuit, by Peter J Tutthill. West Country Motor Books, £9.95.

Those who like me were ignorant of Cornwall’s Formula One connections have no further excuse with the publication of this soft-back, describing the six meetings at Davidstow between 1952 and 1955. Boasting the first ever F1 wins for Lotus and Connaught, the airfield track also saw the only bridge collapse at a British circuit, and appears to have featured even worse weather than Knockhill.

Every race and entry is listed, including such fascinating motoring footnotes as the Halseylec, the Sphinx, and a Cooper-Connaught with convincing Disco Volante body, while Ken Tyrrell’s foreword recalls that he holds a lap record from Davidstow. Tutthill cites weather and isolation from “the mainland” in apologising for some poor photographs, and some really are grim: but history is history. G C