David Cornwallis and the Radio Caroline 648 car
David Cornwallis drives the appropriately numbered 648 Radio Caroline BMW. David gives us great support by getting our name out there at racing tracks across the country.
Chesford Grange hotel, Kenilworth – November 2024
Susannah and I went to the Classic Sports Car Club annual celebration at the Chesford Grange hotel, Kenilworth last week. 300 people from the Club were there..........wow!
Anyway, just to explain what happened to my complete and utter astonishment. A guest professional racing driver gave an interesting talk and then there was prize giving etc for various CSCC competitions / race series etc – all normal stuff and then...............the last item on the agenda...!!
I was awarded Spirit of the Club for 2024 – 300 people stood up and clapped! Blimey!! Almost completely overwhelming and very emotional too – been doing it since 2009 which the CSCC Competition Director pointed out !! Done 150 odd races, finished all of them, yes, all of them except one ......and I must say thanks to David Stallard the excellent CSCC photographer for his help with great photos over the past year too www.davidstallardphotography.com.
So a big thank you to all our supporters – we’ve really enjoyed the fun and are very pleased to represent Caroline on the UK race tracks.
David (inset) with his well earned Spirit of the Club award
Oulton Park – July 2024
We entered the Old Girl in the Swinging Sixties race at Oulton Park Cheshire on Saturday 19th October. Needed to be careful as there was a new gravel pit at the end of the fast straight past the pit lane – once one has landed in one of those it’s like trying to drive on marbles!! Usually you cannot get off the patch and have to sit out the rest of the race with the marshalls. We did stay on the track for 40 miniutes!! Brent Fowler and two lovely very fast LOTUS Cortinas beat us and we came 4th in class. That was the last event this year.
Thank you all very much indeed for the just superb support we’ve had over this years racing – it really is much appreciated – thank you very much.
David and the 648 car at Oulton Park
Snetterton – September 2024
Just had a good race at Snetterton with the great Classic Sports Car Club in a really wild mixture of cars! Blimey! Jags, Morgans, Camarro – not in our class but yes, I do notice them in the rear view mirror, of course!!.....I pulled into the pits at the end of the race and was told that Radio Caroline had been talked about a lot by the commentators during the race – mentioned we had been out on track with the Caroline Old Girl since 2009!
Obviously I didn’t hear any of it but it’s all on Youtube! Here’s a pic of the back of the Old Girl Photo from David Stallard our really great club photographer. 46 car starting grid 35 finished and we were no 35! All just great fun and representing Radio Caroline is just a serious privilege. I love it.
We will be at Oulton Park Cheshire over the weekend of 19th/20th October. Please come and find me for a chat – we’ll be there flying the Caroline flag on the truck.
David and the 648 car at Snetterton
Anglesey – July 2024
Drove from home on Friday 19th July in fantastic sunshine and by the time I arrived at Trac Mon circuit in Anglesey it was pouring with rain! Took the Old Girl to scrutineering on Saturday and then discovered that the fire extinguisher outside emergency control was rock solid and not at all serviceable. Absolutely by chance a friend of mine had a spare in his van so we fitted that in the rain and I took the car back to the scrutineers and she passed! It’s just a beautiful track with two 30 minute qualifying runs and two 40 minute races on Sunday in excellent weather with some fantastic views over the strait to Caernarvon. Michael, a friend of Ray Clarks, came to find me in the paddock and we had a fun chat in the sunshine.
Thanks to everyone for their support.
Next event is Brands Hatch last weekend in August.
David and the 648 car at the Trac Mon circuit in Anglesey
Thruxton – June 2024
We took the Old Girl down to Thruxton Circuit near Andover for their Historic Race weekend – hundreds of cars, many makes and models Yet again another very well organised event involving the excellent Classic Sports Car Club and quite a few other specific model / make clubs.
The weather was great AND we managed to come First in Class with the 648 Old Girl going like hell on the fastest UK circuit...wow! Just brilliant fun. I don’t think I’ve ever driven the Old Girl so fast – just great to be on the circuit and doing one’s best to go like hell..............yeh, yeh.................
So seriously very many thanks to everyone who has helped – much appreciated and hope to see you all at Trac Mon Anglesey on weekend 20th July.
The Thruxton line-up (David and the 648 car on the left)
Silverstone – June 2024
We entered the Swinging Sixties race at Silverstone last weekend – all jolly good fun, bit chilly. All arranged as usual with the fantastically well run Classic Sports Car Club – been with them since 2008!! A lot of much faster competitors than me , many in other classes – was told after the race that I was 15 seconds behind the next person – that’s spread over 1.6 miles!
I had several chats with visitors to the meeting including one lovely local guy and his wife who were just amazed we are still broadcasting! Packed them off with brochure and photies – they were really excited about listening to us.. Our next race is at Thruxton w/e of 23rd / 24th June – fastest track in the UK.
Love all this – please come and find me for a chat – will be flying the Caroline flag on our transporter so should be easy to find us in the paddock.
Thruxton – May 2024
The Radio Caroline BMW and pilot were invited to a private track day outing at Thruxton circuit – the fastest track in the UK! Wow! A good friend of mine Martyn Richardson had hired the whole track for the day. Lots of interesting modern sports cars and some older non race cars like a Rover 3.5 litre saloon and a Land Rover Defender (!) tearing round the track, not something one has seen before on a racetrack, eh?! Our Old Girl did well on the timing, not anywhere near the modern car speeds but hey....all jolly good fun company, weather was fantastic and we chatted to several people about Caroline.
Thank you very much Martyn for inviting the Radio Caroline race car and its "pilot" – very generous and much appreciated – thank you
Darlington – 15th October 2023
We competed at Croft circuit near Darlington last Saturday and to say it was cold at breakfast time would be an understatement! Interesting track with two chicanes and one serious hairpin corner which literally one had to drive round in max second gear and pay very serious attention too. Mixed race with a lot of people much much faster than me –– E-type Jag, TVR Griffith, Mini Marcos – not in my class at all BUT one needed to look in the rear view mirror regularly!!
My wife Susannah and cousin Sarah were in the grandstand at the end of the grid straight and got talking to various people about Caroline and the next time I came tearing down the straight they were all standing up and shouting encouragement!! Crikey!! So thanks to them all.
I would also like to say thank you very much indeed to everyone who has supported us in 2023 and also to thank the guys and gals who run the fantastic Classic Sports Car Club – it is just a brill club, just excellent and great fun with loads of fun people – so thank you all very much.
Oulton Park Swinging Sixties – 23rd September 2023
We entered the Swinging Sixties race at Oulton Park, Cheshire on 23rd September and your Radio Caroline fairly slow driver came First in Class! Blimey! Weather was drying out the damp start surface and then it improved a lot but was a bit dodgy under the trees overhanging parts of the track. Not quite smooth racing tyres are definitely not great on slippery surfaces and a few people went off. Me and the Old Girl managed not to leave the track....mmmm. I repeat my mantra: Gotta finish!
A first class performance from David Cornwallis and the Radio Caroline 648 car
Up and Away
Has Caroline ever been airborne? I was offered a Spitfire flight by my three lovely sons Jamie, Tommy and Willy! Wow! Piloted by Jez Britcher (thanks a lot Jez). We flew from Biggin Hill to Horsmonden church in Kent, did a couple of victory rolls and a loop the loop! There were family and friends on the top of the church steeple waving a Radio Caroline flag and an RAF Ensign flag. I would like to thank very much indeed everyone at Biggin Hill – just fantastic, just absolutely brilliant atmosphere, really stunning – thank you.
Castle Combe Monday – 28th August
On Monday 28th August we raced at Castle Combe – 48 cars on track – quite a few didn’t finish but we did. Just gotta finish, haven’t you? Interestingly I had several people asked if Caroline was still broadcasting and what was good was that they were quite young!- 20s, 30s and 40s – that’s young , isn’t it?!
We will be at Oulton Park on Saturday 23rd September qualifying in the morning, race in the afternoon. Please come and find me in the paddock for a chat. The Caroline beavertail will be there flying the Caroline flag.
David with Spitfire and a short video of his flight
Donington Park for a Swinging Sixties – 5th August 2023
We took the Caroline 1968 BMW to Donington Park for a Swinging Sixties race on Saturday 5th. The weather was just appalling, just really awful – people skidding off the track all over the place. Once you’re on the grass escape verge there’s no way of stopping apart from the rather rigid barrier! Mmmm. It was all really skiddy stuff but hey, we just did it quietly AND we finished (that’s the important bit - lots of others didn’t!) I Managed to completely leave the track on the sharp LH corner before the pit lane entry but managed to drive off it! So kept racing! Yeh!
We will be at Castle Combe track on Bank Holiday Monday 28th August so do please come and find me for a chat with my great mates We’ll be flying the Radio Caroline flag on the truck so look out for that.
Swinging Sixties under poor conditions with the 648 car on the right
Classic Nostalgia Weekend at the Shelsley Walsh Hill climb – 23/24 July 2023
We took the Radio Caroline 1968 BMW to the Classic Nostalgia weekend at the Shelsley Walsh Hill climb organised by the Midland Auto Club. All jolly damp and very skiddy indeed on Saturday but brilliant on Sunday.
The place was packed with people and competing in classic Morgan three wheelers up to out and out very serious racing cars. We clocked 72 seconds up hill in the wet on Saturday but managed 54 seconds on Sunday. The Old Girl isn’t really set-up for this type of competing – gearings all wrong – so we are a bit slow.
I gave away probably a dozen Caroline brochures there and some photos of the car. And we had some good fun chats with lots of people. The next event we are going to compete in is Swinging Sixties at Donington Park – a fantastic track. Please come and find me in the paddock for a chat. The Caroline beaver tail truck will be there flying her flag as usual!
Thanks to Chris Blewett for this short video, and to Steve Shelley Photography for the others.
648 car video
Anglesey 24 Hour 1st - 2nd July 2023
Help me make it through the night!
We took the Radio Caroline 1968 BMW to Trac Mon on Anglesey last weekend and did four races including one starting at 2.45am on Sunday morning! Yes, 2 am! The club had organised a whole weekend of racing along the idea of a UK 24 Hours Le Mans idea. That was a bit of a different experience – trying to work out where the corners were in the dark rushing to the next one at 90 mph! Photo is of the Radio Caroline BMW racing past the lit up pitt lane – rest of track was much darker! Many thanks to my mate Dave Nursey for being so fantastically helpful with everything backing me up and secondly the brilliant Classic Sports Car Club for organising the event in the first place. We ended up being 2nd in class for the whole weekend!
Next outing is Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb Classic Nostalgia weekend 23/24 July. Please do come and find me for a chat – that’d be really great.
David Cornwallis (right) with Dave Nursey
Swinging Sixties at Silverstone 28th May 2023
We took part in the Swinging Sixties series with my Old Girl held on Silverstones Grand Prix circuit last weekend – 60 cars on the track at once (!) and very fast track in parts with some seriously hairy corners! I messed up on a couple of corners 180 degree bends and a bit difficult to see coming up until if you’ve done it two or three times and remembered at speed what’s coming up and how to deal with it!! Yeh! Lots of much more powerful cars in the race Mustangs, TVR Griffiths, Lotus Elans, Datsun 240Z – lovely chap – and my main competitor class wise Ford Cortinas. Spent a lot of time paying attention in the rear view mirror and making sure I didn’t get in other much faster peoples way.
All jolly good fun and had a long chat with a lovely chap who started taking pics of the car in the paddock. He was really chuffed to be given a Caroline brochure and photo of the car. Brill stuff – God! I love it. Last thing that happened at prize giving after the race was that loads of my friends and competitors sang me Happy Birthday – must have been 30 or 40 of them – it was just really lovely, a real treat. So thanks very much to all of them. And thanks v much to David Stallard CSCC photographer for the excellent photo showing me in front of everyone! Wow!
The 648 car leads the pack!
Thruxton 6th and 7th May 2023
We entered the Radio Caroline 1968 BMW 1600Ti in the Swinging Sixties race at Thruxton over the weekend of 6th and 7th May. It’s supposed to be the fastest track in the UK for everyone (including me – yeh, yeh!) I think it is but actually once I got used to the long sweeping curves and the short instant ones my right foot went down a bit harder! We came third in class out of a total of 6 entries in our class (1400cc to 1600cc). The two BMWs in the picture are 2 litre and no, I didn’t beat them!
We will be at Silverstone weekend of 27th and 28th May racing on the Grand Prix circuit – all 3 miles of it! Please come and find me in the paddock for a chat. It’s all jolly good fun and actually I find it very relaxing.............. and the Caroline connection just puts the cream on top of the cake so to speak – just love it all.
The 648 car with David at the wheel
Snetterton 26th March 2023
God! It was freezing at Snetterton racetrack last Sunday – East Anglian horizontal rain and wind uuurgh! Anyway later in the day after lunch all cleared up and we had a good fun race me beating a Cortina (which I don’t usually do!) Quite a few cars didn’t complete the 40 minute race for various reasons BUT we did!!
The 648 car ahead of the Cortina!
Cadwell Park, October 2022
We entered and took part in the Swinging Sixties Group 1 race at Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire on last weekend of October.
Interesting track with lots of curves, ups and downs and a couple of near straight bits. There was a lot of oil on the track at qualifying plus it was mixed with rain water so all was a bit slippy! Mmmm! By the time we arrived at race time it had all improved dramatically and we came First in Class for the last race of the season.
We popped into ex RAF Metheringham (WWII Lancaster bomber station, one of 27 in Lincolnshire) on the way home and were met with great enthusiasm by the lovely volunteer staff who were very enthusiastic about handing out Caroline brochures to visitors. I was allowed into the pilots seat of this C47 Douglas and "flew it" on the ground! Wow!
Thanks very much to everyone who have generously supported us in 2022 and look forward to seeing you all in 2023.
David with his First in Class cup at Cadwell Park
The 648 car in the lead
The C47 Douglas at RAF Metheringham
Ollon-Villars Hill Climb, September 2022
We've just been to the Ollon-Villars Hill Climb in Switzerland with the Radio Caroline BMW and had a great time. Nearly 9 kilometres up some pretty hairy closed main roads (no barriers to the left or right on some of it!). We were invited to the launch of the Villars Automobile Club and I stood next to Jackie Stuart!
266 cars "competed" including Ford GT40s, Porsche 917s and even a Scotsman who had driven all the way from Orkney!
We're off to Silverstone next weekend 9th October
David and the 648 car at Ollon-Villars
Cotswold Motor Museum, June 2022
Here’s a couple of photos from our Radio Caroline weekend at the Cotswold Motor Museum, Bourton on the Water with Roland and Viviane Beaney on 27th 29th May.
We were joined by Steve and Anne Swallow – all the way from Manchester and Phil Meek too. The museum was very busy and the customers had to walk past us to the front door so we had chats with loads of people – all jolly good fun with a serious mix of nationalities too. And luckily the weather held out – just! What an absolute pleasure the whole weekend was.
David and his growing number of awards
The recreated 1960s studio at the Cotswold Motor Museum
Anglesey Circuit at Ty Croes, Anglesey, Wales May 2022
We travelled up to Trac Mon (Anglesey circuit) with fantastic views across the Menai Straits. Had two races in the Swinging Sixties Series and we came first in class in both (bit of a shock!)
Weather was fantastic and I had a few chats with Caroline listeners too! Off to Brands Hatch on 4th June.
David with the 648 car and his two first in class awards
David Cornwallis – on his way to second in class at Snetterton April 2022