Motocross 1977: British round of the World 250cc Championship at Hawkstone Park, documentary film

Girling Motocross Grand Prix - The film of the British round of the World 250cc Moto-cross Championship, 1977 held at Hawkstone Park Motocross course.

Guennady Moisseev won his second 250cc world championship as KTM swept the top three positions with Vladimir Kavinov finishing in second place and André Malherbe taking third place in the final standings.

Hawkstone Park Motocross Circuit, typically referred to as Hawkstone Park or Hawkstone, is a motocross circuit situated near Market Drayton, north Shropshire, England. The circuit is arguably one of the world's most famous motocross circuits, having staged many grand prix and international events from the 1950s, right through until the present day.

The Hawkstone circuit is approximately 1.8 miles (2.9 km) long (although the layout can be shortened for youth or clubman events if required). It is famous for the track surface, which consists of deep, loamy sand. During the course of a race meeting, the circuit becomes very rough and bumpy, testing the skill of riders. The centrepiece of the circuit is the famous 'Hawkstone Hill', a steep hill that eventually rises to a 1-in-3 ascent at the top of the hill. The crest of the hill can be seen from the A53 road (Shrewsbury to Market Drayton) several miles away. At the top of the hill, riders have to contend with a hard sandstone surface, before dropping back down the hill in a fearsome descent, beginning in an 8-foot (2 m) almost vertical drop, followed by a bumpy descent that tests riders' skill and bike control. Other famous obstacles include the 'whoop' section, a series of large man-made bumps that require a great deal of skill and courage from riders in order to tackle them at speed. A fall in this section is usually heavy and spectacular. (3 times World Motocross Champion David Thorpe crashed spectacularly here in front of TV cameras at the 1986 500cc British Motocross Grand Prix).

The site used for motocross events first held a motorsport event in 1938, a hill climb event, staged by the 'Crewe and Nantwich Light Car Club'. The event used the Hawkstone Hill, the winner being the driver who was able to get the furthest up the hill. These quaint beginnings were soon halted by the advent of World War II, but soon after the end of the war, motocross (or scrambling as was known) made its debut at Hawkstone Park. The event was held by the Salop Motor Club, who still organise events at Hawkstone Park, and manage the motocross circuit to this day. Qualification for the motocross races was determined in a similar fashion to the hill climb events, the riders who made it the furthest up the hill qualified for the race.
1950s & 1960s

From there, the circuit moved onto greater heights, in 1951 the first national level meeting was held and in 1954, the circuit staged a round of the FIM European Motocross Championship. 33,000 spectators witnessed British rider Phil Nex take the victory.

1960 saw one of the largest crowds in Hawkstone Park's history, for the Brian Stonebridge Memorial Trophy (in memory of 1950s rider Brian Stonebridge who died in a motoring accident). 54,000 spectators attended the event, with buses being laid on from nearby towns such as Shrewsbury for spectators.

Grand Prix events continued at the circuit until 1965, by which time, the dusty conditions had deemed the circuit too dangerous for top level motocross competition. British rider Jeff Smith won the final 500cc Grand Prix of the decade in 1965, aboard his BSA.

The 1950s and 1960s were arguably the hey-day for Hawkstone Park. Thanks to coverage from the BBC Grandstand programme (which incidentally included Murray Walker as commentator), "Scrambling" was quite popular with the general public, and major events at Hawkstone regularly saw five-figure crowds in attendance.
1970s & 1980s

Grand Prix Motocross returned to Hawkstone for 1975, where Suzuki rider Gerrit Wolsink took victory. However, riders in the 500cc voiced their disapproval with the dusty conditions, and so in 1976, a Grand Prix was staged for 125cc machines, in the inaugural FIM 125cc Motocross World Championship, Belgian Gaston Rahier taking victory.

The circuit then hosted a series of successful 250cc Grand Prix events in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and the Salop Motor Club also introduced the popular "New Year's Day" event during this period. The New Year's Day event was staged on January 1, each year until 1999, and saw British Motocross Championship riders, along clubmen and youth riders tackle a shortended version of the Hawkstone circuit.

Popular singer Roy Orbison visited Hawkstone Park as a spectator at the 1965 500cc British Grand Prix. An avid motorcycle fan, he was offered the chance to try a lap of the circuit. Unfortunately he crashed, broke an ankle and appeared live on 'Saturday Night at the London Palladium' that evening with his foot in a plaster cast.

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