Named after the winner of the 1952, 1953 and 1959 Autosport National 500cc Championships, Don Parker was a giant of Formula 3 racing with many notable performances at our historic Motor Circuit chalked-up against his name. So dominant was Parker – the son of a horse trader who ran away from home aged 12 – his grid of rivals aspired to “do the little man in the maroon Kieft”.
Gallery: These crazy 500cc Formula 3 cars do 5mpg
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From Stirling Moss to Peter Collins, a legion of successful racers would build their careers competing against Don in tiny matchbox machines kitted out with powerful 500cc motorcycle engines from the likes of Norton, JAP or Vincent. It was a class of racing that evolved following the Second World War with "impecunious enthusiasts” developing shed-built, relatively low-cost vehicles to learn their racing craft both on the track and behind the spanners.
Today, on the final day of the 78th Members’ Meeting, the racing remained as competitive as it was in Don’s heyday in the early 1950s, with drivers setting about their work quickly in the lightweight Formula 3 cars following a breathless 15-minute sprint format. If you missed the nimble masterclass of on-track action, then we hope this gallery softens the blow.
Photography by Joe Harding.
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