Prior to World war II Whitchurch was the Bristol Airport. During the war it was taken over by the Air Ministry, but post war it resumed activities as a commercial airfield until 1957 when Bristol Airport transferred to Lulsgate.
In 1959 Bristol City Council Entertainments Dept held the annual Goram Fair on the Whitchurch Aerodrome site. As part of the festivities, on 1 August 1959 Bristol Motor Cycle & Light Car Club ran a National British status car race meeting. The course was 1.0625 miles long, almost flat, & rectangular in shape with four corners known as Dundry, Hangar, Knowle, & Goram. The main race (Formula 2) was won by Henry Taylor (Cooper) 66.03 mph.
In a day of in changeable weather conditions the fastest lap was set in the F3 race by Don Pitcher (Cooper 500 ) at 72.17mph. The following weekend, 8 August 1959, the Bristol Motor Cycle Club held a motor-cycle race meeting. No further meetings were held at Whitchurch, now known as Hengrove Park.
1 August 1959 500cc Single Seaters 1 P.Robinson Stuart-Cooper 68.98mph 2 J.Pitcher Beart-Cooper 3 Don Parker Cooper Fastest Lap: Pitcher, 72.17mph Grand Touring Cars 1 E.Searle AC Bristol 57.9 mph 2 T.G.Cunane AC Bristol 3 J.McKechnie AC Bristol Fastest Lap: Cunane, 59.4 mph Sports Cars up to 1500cc 1 E.J.Greenall Lotus 2 I.E.Raby Cooper 3 K.A.Greene Lotus Fastest Lap: E.J.Greenall, 67.34mph Sports Cars over 1500cc 1 David Piper Lotus 67.9 mph 2 J.F.Dalton Aston Martin 3 Maurice Charles Jaguar Fastest Lap: Piper, 70.83mph Production Saloons 1 D.Parker Jensen 59.39 mph 2 J.M.Noble Austin A40 3 D.Clarke Austin Fastest Lap: Parker, 61.69mph 8 August 1959 - Motorcycles 125cc 1 D.F.Shorey M.V. 59.84 mph 2 A.Dugdale Ducati 57.55 3 E.L.Griffiths M.V. 57.53 Fastest Lap: Shorey, 61.68mph 250cc 1 D.F.Shorey Norrel 61.84 mph 2 T.Thorpe TTS 61.54 3 J.L.Payne REG 60.77 Fastest Lap: Shorey, 65.33mph 350cc 1 P.W.Read Norton 66.92 mph 2 J.L.Payne Norton 66.47 3 D.F.Shorey Norton 66.35 Fastest Lap: Read, 69.25mph 500cc 1 P.W.Read Norton 69.24 mph 2 T.Thorpe Norton 69.03 3 J.N.P.Wright Norton 67.36 Fastest Lap: Read, 72.07mph Sidecar Scratch Race 1 R.A.Robinson Vincent 64.91 mph 2 E.T.Young ETYV 63.70 3 T.P.Folwell Norton 62.95 Fastest Lap: Robinson, 67.00mph 1st Sidecar Handicap (Fastest 7 riders) 1 T.P.Folwell Norton 63.29 mph 2 M.J.Candy Norton 60.75 3 R.A.Robinson Vincent 65.39 Fastest Lap: Robinson, 68.55mph 2nd Sidecar Handicap (Slowest 7 riders) 1 J.Difazio BSA 59.51 mph 2 B.G.Gross Norton 62.38 3 M.J.Candy Norton 60.79 Sources: Bristol Evening Post/News of the West, 4th August 1959 Bristol Evening Post, 10th August 1959
