120th
anniversary trike racing
Riders assemble on
the Finishing Straight before racing starts (Tim Morris).
few years ago, that such an event could take place would have been unthinkable. There was no general knowledge of when or where the first British motor races took place (there being many conflicting claims); how could one race such ancient motors anyway in this Health and Safety driven age, or where indeed might it be done? The eight-year process of research that followed my publishing a new club magazine, Motorvations, the re-establishment of the original oval Victorian format of tricycle racing with my founding Team Jarrott and taking the formula to tracks around the UK and overseas, set the scene for another step up the ladder. The long awaited re-opening of the Finishing Straight at Brooklands came at just the right time, and created another milestone; the return of motor racing to Brooklands, nearly 80 years since engines were silenced by the outbreak of World War II and the site’s requisitioning by the British government. Team Jarrott now runs the oldest motor racing in the world. By any yardstick, bringing the format to the historic Track at Brooklands is a great leap forward, and everyone who took part either on Track, marshalling or the many arrange- ments in the back office, both in the De Dion Bouton UK Club and Brooklands, should be proud of what has been achieved. With special racing licences being issued for competitors, strict racing procedures adopted and an experienced team working on behalf of our hosts, Brooklands, the meeting was so popular that heats had to be held for the first two races to establish the final grids. With serendipity clearly on our side, the newly
A
erected replica Scoreboard was in full use, with all the names of the 120th anniversary racers hand painted by the sign-writer under the original title of The Motor Car Club – Harry
39
Lawson’s pioneering club that had held these Victorian motor races at Sheen House in 1897. To cap it all the weather (a big worry when the decision was made to re-enact the event on the actual late November day) seemed to replicate the original day as well being ‘cloudy but dry with a chill north easterly breeze’. Wait 120 years, and the same weather turns up! All the paperwork, racing licences, Track layout, risk assessments and competitors’ in- structions having been concluded, a team arrived on the 28th to erect the paddock shelters, test the Track and the state of the 110-year-old concrete
by Nick Pellett
John Rhodes on Robert Lusk’s (right) machine. Robert had been in hospital the day before so a last minute change of rider was agreed (Tim Morris).
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