Many years ago, a passionate group set up the Aberaman and district light motor vehicle and motorcycle club.
The sole intention was to become a chat group who once a week could share their life’s dreams of being able to race a vehicle on a track where locals and visitors to the town of Aberdare could come and spectate.
Finance was particularly hard to source so soon after the Second World War with employment being at an all time low and market trends being unsettled etc, but behind the scenes some illicit late night racing was being held within the grounds of Aberdare park from 1949, with local government relenting and agreeing to allow the first legal road race to be held around the perimeter road of this great Victorian Park in 1950.
Word soon spread of the spectacle and on a fog bound race day June 18th 1955 the BBC sent a crew of cameramen to the circuit to televise the event, this now meant the park races became the first ever live televised motorcycle road race in the British Isles.
The circuit itself measures just a mile and is considered by some of the all time greats to rank amongst the best circuits in the world.
To this end the event has managed to attract some of the best road racers in world, John Surtees, John Cooper, Malcolm Uphill, Neil Tuxwoth, Mike Hailwood, and in more recent years, King of the mountain John Macguinness, TT winner Steve Plater, Ian Lougher and Dan Cooper to name but a few .
1988 saw a young Carl Fogarty smash the lap of 45.2 seconds down to 42.5 seconds. As technology moves forward the record edges ever closer towards 38 seconds.
Within a short period of time the reputation grew and soon on a regular basis crowds of some 15000 people were drawn to a Victorian park complete with an historic road circuit accredited with the prestigious Acu national status a tremendous boost to tourism in Wales and local businesses.
Many changes being made over the coming years have seen the park outlive other prestigious events, 2018 into 19 saw the National Road Race at Aberdare Park become the only surviving Road Race on U.K. mainland. During the race weekend of 2010 the circuit was paid a visit by top gear magazine and as a result of a survey was voted as no 6 in the top ten race tracks in the world.
As the event continues to grow in stature, and technology moves forward the prestigious welsh open will attract racers looking to bag the title and break the record to be entered into the Aberdare hall of fame.