[Oldies] The Jerez de la Frontera Grand Prix... Before! (1/2)

The Jerez Grand Prix… Before!

Some Spanish enthusiasts take us on the web in what were the competitions in Jerez before the construction of the current circuit…
A big thank you to them, whose names we will cite at the end of the article, starting with Jaime Barriga Rodriguez who very kindly allowed us to dig into his personal archives to write this article.

It’s the start of the week, so let’s take the opportunity for a little trip down memory lane…
Article published in two parts due to the large number of photos.

Part one: the beaches

In the 50s, there was no circuit in Andalusia yet, while motorcycle racing was becoming more and more popular in a Spain that was gradually being rebuilt after the war.
Local clubs therefore began to organize races on the only flat surfaces of the time; The beaches!

This begins jointly on the beaches of Sanlucar and some Cortadura, directly on the isthmus of Cadiz, but in 1956 a slightly more organized competition took place which quickly took over the others; THE "Gran Premio Motorista de la Playa de Valdegrana” which will take place from April 1956 to 1965.
After a first edition, on July 25, 1956, which only included one Gymkana event, but interesting prizes for the time (500, 300 and 200 pesetas for the first three!), the “circuit” adopted on August 25 1957 has a length of 2 km and is traced in the shape of an oval on the beach of the port of Santa María.
It will also host the finish of the Seville-Puerto de Santa María race.