As many of our visitors know or have heard rumour, there was once a much-loved motor racing circuit at Carnaby that attracted a who’s who of solo and sidecar motorcycle racers (and perhaps the most iconic of all commentators) during its sadly fleeting existence.

Whilst Carnaby Raceway is still remembered fondly by those who raced, watched, marshalled and spannered there, we’ve realised those memories are fading and they need to be preserved, honoured and curated in order to keep them alive for future generations. So that’s exactly what we’re going to do here at HB.

Our Carnaby Raceway History Project is basically an effort to accumulate stories, pictures, documents and pieces of memorabilia related to the circuit and the Auto66 Club who operated it, which can then be shared with and displayed for those who are interested.

We were doing this for many years privately as a hobby but now we have the shop where we can display things - plus so many enthusiastic visitors with tales to tale, things to show and an appetite for learning more - we’ve decided to take it up a notch and try to curate a proper collection for the public.

We’ve been incredibly lucky to have many things donated or lent to us already including programmes, press clippings, photos, trophies, overalls, a helmet and a even a bike that was raced at the circuit! Some of these are already on show in the shop whilst some are awaiting more wall space, display furniture or framing.

We’ll try to keep you posted as we collect and catalogue new items, whilst sharing details of the ones we already have, but we wanted to get this page up as soon as possible so that people know there is a place where we are eager to hear their stories and see their treasured items of Carnaby Raceway and Auto66 history.

If you have anything you’d like to tell us, show us or lend us please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

RAF Carnaby, East Riding College & Oliver’s Mount

Whilst the focus above is on the raceway, we’re also massively interested in other aspects of Carnaby history and as such we’ll also be seeking to help curate and preserve the stories of Carnaby as an important RAF base and also latterly as a significant motorcycle mechanic/engineering training centre.

RAF Carnaby is deservedly honoured by an Airfields of Britain stone marker and a beautiful glass memorial which was constructed in the village in May 2019. The story of the facility has also been told brilliantly by local historian Gayna Wallis in a series of books which we are delighted to stock in our shop. We hope to support the fantastic work that has already been done by members the local community and hopefully offer a physical location to assist in the preservation and presentation of RAF Carnaby’s history.

We’ll also reach out a little further geographically to honour the incredibly rich history of Oliver’s Mount (England’s only real road racing circuit) which is strongly entwined with the story of Auto66 but would undoubtedly warrant a full museum all of its own. This amazing local treasure has a massive place both in motorcycle racing’s history and its present, with events such as Cock O’ The North, the Steve Henshaw Gold Cup and the Barry Sheene Festival still attracting some of the biggest names in road racing to the Yorkshire coast.
Visit https://oliversmount.com/ for more info.