Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
User avatar
By Melanie Moxon
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1525388
I have been going to Santa Pod Raceway for seven years starting as a spectator, then as a driver (Sportsman ET) and now as a crew member. In that time frame I have seen various types of aircraft landing on a small grass strip at the south end of the site.

Google earth shows it to be a strip of some 700m (ignoring the tapered bits at the end) in the Red Circle albeit with a path/track through the middle of it as per the image below:

Image

I have walked all the way down to the bottom of the camping field (Orange box) and been down to the end of the strip to collect a race car (Yellow, 1/4 mile strip Purple 1/2 mile shut down area) for towing and neither view provides any more information than the above picture, there is (or was) a windsock and a Nissen hut (blue circle). Podington is marked as a disused airfield (which relates to what is now the racetrack) but the grass strip it is not marked on a 1:250000 scale or upwards map.

I have been asked if I know anything about it and I cannot find any info relating to it, my assumption is that it is a private grass strip owned by a farmer, hopefully somebody on these forums has some information.
User avatar
By Melanie Moxon
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1525421
Sooty25 wrote:it is a shame santa pod don't make the slow down strip available, 700mtrs of tarmac would do nicely.


Only problem with that is the 3ft concrete walls at either side, the gantry and the large earth embankment and light posts on the left (if you were using it as runway 23).

Fast forward the vid to 2:24 for the run (cuts out the waiting and the burnout) and you will see what I mean.

#1525470
I went to many of the first meetings there back in the mid 60s.
The farmer who owned the land was Ernie Braddick and I believe ownership passed on to his son(s).
Not seen by myself but one of the race organisers told me the 'shutdown' area ie southern part of the dragstrip/runway was extensively used by crop sprayers, but that was in the '70s.
I stopped going there about 20 years ago so the grass strip shown is a new one on me although it appears to be close to a T2 hangar buried in the trees.
There used to be a strip at Chapman's Farm, Sharnbrook about a mile north and there's another just on the eastern outskirts of Woolaston about 3 miles west.
#1525752
Hi
I can confirm it is a private strip about 800 m with a public footpath going across it at about 500 m from
the threshold of R25 , at the eastern side of the runway now sits a solar farm .

It is a delightful strip. :thumright:
#1525780
mattmoxon wrote:
Sooty25 wrote:it is a shame santa pod don't make the slow down strip available, 700mtrs of tarmac would do nicely.


Only problem with that is the 3ft concrete walls at either side, the gantry and the large earth embankment and light posts on the left (if you were using it as runway 23).

Fast forward the vid to 2:24 for the run (cuts out the waiting and the burnout) and you will see what I mean.


I used to run a Zip Kart with a 250cc Honda moto cross engine in the '80s, but not at Santa Pod. I could manage about 14 sec for the quarter mile, but with your eyes only a couple of feet above the ground, it was most exhilerating with 'tunnel vision' setting in quite quickly; all I did was aim to go between the traffic cones at the finish line!
User avatar
By Melanie Moxon
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1525791
Thanks for the responses :thumleft:

Jandakot1 wrote:Hi
I can confirm it is a private strip about 800 m with a public footpath going across it at about 500 m from
the threshold of R25 , at the eastern side of the runway now sits a solar farm .

It is a delightful strip. :thumright:


Good to know, yes the solar farms are quite vast; they appeared a couple of years ago.

Is it the farmer that owns it then?

It will be interesting to see how the three new wind turbines will affect its use!

Sooty25 wrote:oh yeah, doable if you had to, but not recommended!


I'd take it for a forced landing over a field filled with rapeseed that is for sure.

chevvron wrote: I used to run a Zip Kart with a 250cc Honda moto cross engine in the '80s, but not at Santa Pod. I could manage about 14 sec for the quarter mile, but with your eyes only a couple of feet above the ground, it was most exhilerating with 'tunnel vision' setting in quite quickly; all I did was aim to go between the traffic cones at the finish line!


I'll bet it did, I have only ever driven a Go-Kart on the usual rent-a-wreck tracks and it feels far quicker than it probably is even doing that, so running a 14 sec 1/4 mile must feel silly fast. Terminal speed around 90-95mph?
#1525813
I clocked about a ton most runs. When I bought it, the kart was geared for the Silverstone Grand Prix (about 125 ish) so I fiddled with sprockets and took it down to a theoretical 100mph at max rpm (11,000). This seemed to work out as I was reaching max rpm about 50 yds before the end ot the quarter at Long Marston.
User avatar
By TheFarmer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1912608
To be honest, if he/she/(they) hasn't (haven't)* got it registered as a strip to be used, it isn't for public use. I've checked the FFA database and it's not on there either (not that I can disclose it even if it is).

I think it's someone's private strip. :thumleft:

*Hey, I think I've mastered** this whole pronoun thing. 8)

** Mistressed.
MikeB liked this
User avatar
By TonyC
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1912616
aileron wrote:Old thread revival….. Does anyone have details of PPR contact for this strip on the South side of Santa Pod? There’s an event this weekend on I’d like to fly in to attend if possible. Many thanks in advance.


It's still a private strip. Sackville Farm is your best bet.