Brooklands Bulletin Issue 71 Sept/Oct 2021

brooklands bulletin

Maria Costello’s racing life

Brake components

Clutch & Gearbox

Cooling & Fuelling

Electrical

Engine & Mechanical

Steering & Suspension

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Welcome

When you are surrounded by the history of cars, motorcycles, aircraft, racing, and manufacturing at Brooklands in its heyday, it can be easy to forget some of the other areas that mark out this hive of innovation. Not least among these is explored in this issue as we discover how Brooklands helped give rise to the modern era of Formula 1 with carbon fibre tubs. Not only has this type of construction made the cars quicker, it has saved many lives thanks to its strength.

The link between Brooklands and McLaren, which was first with an allcarbon fibre Formula 1 car, is reinforced with the launch of the Driven by Design exhibition. Having had a sneak peak behind the scenes before the opening, I can tell you this is a must-see for everyone coming to the Museum. On display are a McLaren Senna GTR prototype, Senna GTR concept car, and a 720S made from Lego to enthuse future generations of designers and engineers.

I was also privileged to visit the Heritage Skills Academy (HSA), which is now fully up and running in The Flight Shed. This fantastic course is bringing on young heritage engineers who are key to the ongoing viability of the machinery we love at Brooklands. Talking to some of the apprentices, it’s abundantly clear that our future is in safe and highly skilled hands. The HSA team is happy to organise tours for Members and I would absolutely recommend taking the opportunity to see how Brooklands continues to help shape the future.

Alisdair Suttie Editor Brooklands Bulletin

Become a Member

Brooklands Members is the official support organisation for Brooklands Museum and is dedicated to raising funds for the preservation of the historic Brooklands site.

Members receive the Bulletin six times per year and enjoy free admission to the Museum, except when major events are taking place, in which case additional charges may apply. Club Level Members have access to the Clubhouse Bar on Thursday, Friday and Sunday lunchtimes.

For full details of membership benefits, contact the Members Administrator, Sarah Dover 01932 857381 ext 226; or wwwbrooklandsmembers.co.uk where you can find the latest news on Brooklands.

Front Cover photo: Mike Venables

Driven by Design opens

A new exhibition in collaboration with McLaren Automotive has opened at Brooklands. Driven by Design is part of the supercar maker’s 10th anniversary and includes three cars from the firm’s collection.

Visitors can see a McLaren Senna GTR prototype up close alongside a Senna GTR concept car and a full-size Lego model of a McLaren 720S. The exhibition forms part of the Museum’s commitment to encourage younger people into careers in science,

technology, engineering, maths and design.

Andy Palmer, Vehicle Line Director at McLaren Automotive, said: ‘We’re thrilled to support the new Driven by Design exhibition at Brooklands Museum. It’s a fantastic way to celebrate 10 years of McLaren Automotive and a great way for children and parents alike to get up close with special development cars that are usually at the McLaren Technology Centre, nearby in Woking. Visitors can learn

how we create our cars, including from members of the team.’

Museum Director Tamalie Newbery added: ‘The lesson of Brooklands is that anything is possible with determination, ambition and spirit. We are very grateful to McLaren Automotive for choosing the Museum to exhibit these beautiful examples of engineering excellence and to be able to tell the stories of the people who developed them.’

Sun shines on Relived Jumble, classics, Bangers & Cash

Brooklands Relived marked the 95th anniversary of the first ever British Grand Prix, held at Brooklands, and was a huge success. Not even early morning downpours dampened the enthusiasm of everyone who attended and visitors were treated to demonstration runs from Grand Prix cars from all eras.

There were also runs from the Motorcycle Team on a selection of bikes, as well as from cyclekarts (above). Kindly provided by the CycleKarts GB club, these are two-thirds scale replicas inspired by 1920s racing cars and were a big hit with spectators for their close ‘racing’.

Other highlights of the day included seeing the Tyrrell Formula 1 car of Sir Jackie Stewart being driven on the Finishing Straight, and the Napier-Railton driven by Allan Winn.

There was also some virtual racing action with the Racing Pride F1 Sim Racing Challenge, which was won by teenage visitor Sam.

The Members’ Retro-Jumble and Classic Car Show was a great success, with a surprise celebrity visitor.

Throughout the day, the Motoring Team were shadowed by the camera crew from Middlechild, who were filming for the next series of Secrets of the Transport Museum. During the afternoon, we were joined by Sarah Crabtree from Bangers & Cash and were filmed with her.

The Finishing Straight was packed with Members’ classic cars and there was a real buzz among the visitors. John Clark won Car of the Show with his magnificent 1957 Bentley S1 and you can watch the prize-giving on BM.tv.

To donate an item for inclusion in our next sale, please use the ‘Donate an Item’ page on the Museum website at: www. brooklandsmuseum.com/explore/Our-Collection-Enquiries/donateobject. Please include a brief description of what you are offering. A member of the Museum staff will then contact you to discuss your offer.

Chris Bound

Review from Members’ Chairman 2019-2021

It is customary for the Chairman’s Message in the Bulletin to become a Chairman’s report each year in advance of the AGM. This year, I have expanded my report to cover the 27 months since our last AGM in June 2019. We are proceeding with our postponed AGM on Wednesday 15 September, which will be a ‘hybrid’ event, to which you are invited to attend either in person at the Museum or virtually via Zoom. Full details are on page 45.

I must start on behalf of the Committee by offering our sympathy to those of you who have suffered directly from Covid, and expressing the hope that the worst is now behind us. Set against the health and financial impact Covid has wrought across the world, the problems the Committee has faced are relatively minor, but as a group that cares deeply about the future of Brooklands they have been extremely challenging and time consuming.

At our last AGM in June 2019, our membership was growing, albeit at a slightly lower rate than in some previous years, and was in excess of 6400 by the end of the year. In January 2020, the Committee met and reviewed our financial position, which was robust and healthy. Given that assessment, we were happy to add significant funds from our reserves to the proceeds of the Winter Raffle, and voted to donate a total of £25,000 to the project to refurbish the reception area in the Clubhouse and install a lift to improve access for disabled guests and visitors. This was the largest contribution to any project that we had ever made, with the exception of the Scoreboard project, which was largely funded by the Life Membership scheme. Although that donation left our reserves quite low, we anticipated we would build them up over the coming year, as historically been the case. Most years, we have lost about 20 per cent of our Members. Recruitment during the year, both online and at events, has always exceeded that number, hence the steady increase in Members over the past decade. This ‘churn’ is quite normal for membership organisations similar to ours, especially those who offer discounted or free entry to their sites, and we have always accepted it as a fact of life.

At our next Committee meeting, the landscape had changed completely. With the Museum closed, and our programmes of talks and events cancelled or postponed, we entered the first of a series of unprecedented lockdowns. We realised that income from membership subscriptions was going to be absolutely vital, and our priority was to explain the position openly to the Members, and to encourage them to continue with their membership. We also recognised that for some this would be difficult, given the impact Covid was having on the personal finances of so many people. There was a difficult balance to strike between encouraging renewals, but at the same time recognising the financial circumstances of many of our Members. After much discussion, we introduced a ‘pause’ in membership to cover the period the Museum was closed, but encouraging Members to renew as normal if they could afford to do so. I think this was the right approach, but based on the number of queries about the arrangements that we subsequently received, undoubtedly the message was not communicated as clearly as it should have been. I apologise for this, but in mitigation would point out that the issue was complex, and we were in previously uncharted waters.

by Angela Hume, also proved a challenge,

of events covering the following year, and had no clear policy and were simply postponing events until the situation returned to normal.

rearranged for a date that was not suitable

involved a lot of work and often frustrating

Our programme of events, managed by Angela Hume, also proved a challenge, though I suspect Angela might use rather more colourful language! Bookings and deposits had been taken for a full programme of events covering the following year, and while many individual venues and hotels were offering either partial or full refunds, others had no clear policy and were simply postponing events until the situation returned to normal. The Committee decided unanimously that no Member should be financially disadvantaged if events they had booked were cancelled or rearranged for a date that was not suitable to them. Angela was authorised to make repayments as required and, although this has involved a lot of work and often frustrating exchanges with suppliers, thanks to her efforts we have achieved our objective that none of our Members who had booked events in 2020 would be out of pocket.

Our popular programme of talks was also suspended. Steve Clarke and his team quickly recognised we could deliver our talks in a different way while the Museum was closed and asked the Committee to approve the purchase of additional equipment to enable virtual talks via Zoom to go ahead. That request was unanimously agreed, and the programme of talks has been incredibly successful. We owe a special vote of thanks to Mark Jarman and Tim Morris for converting the relatively small amounts of money involved into practical solutions. Mark and Tim have gone on to expand their output via Brooklands Members TV, which has undoubtedly grown faster than would have been the case without the intervention of Covid, and has now developed the capability of delivering live streaming as required.

We recognised our communications with the membership had to be enhanced during closure of the Museum, so increased the frequency of the e-newsletter and maintained publication of the Bulletin. Bulletin editor, Alisdair Suttie, and Martin Gegg have managed to deliver every issue on time, with varied, informative and entertaining content, despite encountering significant challenges along the way. Our social media channels have become even more important too, and it is an area that requires significant expertise to be successful. We are incredibly grateful to Tim Morris, our former Membership Administrator, who agreed to manage these channels for us.

We took the decision not to proceed with an AGM in 2020, but to audit the accounts for 2019 in the normal way and make them available to Members in advance of our planned 2021 AGM. We eventually achieved this, overcoming challenges that could not have been anticipated. The 2019 accounts were circulated with the voting papers for the AGM, and have been accepted and formally approved by the membership. Gareth Tarr has recently received the 2020 accounts, which are currently being reviewed, and we hope to present them at the forthcoming AGM. As voting will have closed in advance of the AGM, the formal proposal to accept them will be tabled next year.

The decision to open up voting at our AGM flows from the provisions of our revised (2018) constitution, and would have been introduced this year even without the intervention of Covid. The process has been straightforward, and undoubtedly successful, with around 600 Members participating. The precise voting figures will be announced at the AGM. Kevin Lee has worked with Mi-Voice, the company administering the process, to ensure it delivers a

straightforward way for all Members to participate, regardless of whether or not they are able to attend the AGM in person. We anticipate this will continue in future years.

Two members of the Committee are not standing for reelection this year, Robert Hall our previous Vice-Chairman (and who was awarded Honorary Membership in 2020), and Steve Clarke who has headed the Talks Team so effectively and built a strong team of volunteers around him. We thank them both for the massive contribution they have made and look forward to seeing them around Brooklands for many years to come.

Those departures mean that there will be two new members joining the Committee at the forthcoming AGM: Mark Jarman (currently serving as a co-opted member) and Chris Bass (founder member and editor of the Bulletin until 2019). We know them both well and are looking forward to them joining the Committee.

This review period has been by far the most difficult in our history, and we now need to plan carefully for a gradual recovery, aiming to increase the number of Members to previous levels and to work ever more closely with the Museum Director and her team to deliver an experience that Members appreciate and enjoy. One of the lessons we have learned throughout this period has been the need for strong and consistent communication with our membership, explaining not just what is changing or happening, but why. I have had more contact with Members by email and telephone during the last 18 months than ever before, usually only when a problem has been encountered, but often the perceived problem is simply a misunderstanding. This is clearly not the fault of the Member concerned, and emphasises the importance of communicating clear and effective

messages at every opportunity, and through every channel available.

I have praised several Committee members by name in this review, but would like to extend my thanks and gratitude to all members of the Committee for contributing so effectively to our efforts to support the Museum. I would additionally like to place on record our thanks and appreciation to Sarah Dover, our Membership Administrator, who has worked tirelessly under difficult circumstances to provide an efficient membership system and resolves any problems that arise with charm and diplomacy. In the words of Tina Turner, Sarah is ‘Simply the Best’.

Finally, I should also place on record the support we have received from Sir Gerald Acher, the Chairman of our Trustees. From the outset, Gerry recognised the threat posed by Covid required us all to work together in a co-ordinated way, and this demanded thinking ‘outside the box’. We enhanced our channels of communication with the Trustees and approached problems in a collaborative and constructive manner, and have usually managed to agree pragmatic rather than dogmatic solutions, which has been of considerable benefit.

I apologise for the length of this review, but I hope you have found it informative. You will, of course, be able to question me about points raised within it at the AGM either in person or via Zoom.

Neil Bailey

The Talks programme adapted quickly to the Covid difficulties by moving to online presentations, such as the one with author Peter Grimsdale.

Sir Gerald Acher has helped guide the Trustees through the Museum’s most challenging period with collaborative, constructive solutions.

MARCH-APRIL 2021

Brooklands on TV New series puts Museum in spotlight

The Bulletin and Members Newsletter proved invaluable channels of communication during lockdown.

MUSEUM updates

Director’s Message

Things are really motoring, or flying, now that summer is here! Brooklands Museum is full of visitors and buzzing with the excitement of Car Rides, vehicle demonstrations and events. We are grateful to all our visitors for maintaining sensible, covid-secure measures so everyone feels comfortable and safe at the Museum. So, if you haven’t visited for a while, come and remind yourself how special Brookland is. While you are here, you can see the new McLaren: Driven by Design exhibition, which is proving extremely popular with young and old, and sample the delicious, new menu in the café.

On the 7 August, we had a wonderful day, full of the Brooklands spirit, as we celebrated the 95th anniversary of the first British Grand Prix, held here in 1926. It’s part of the reason why Brooklands has such an important and unique place in the history of motorsport. Alongside the usual cacophony of vintage cars and motorcycles being put through their paces on the historic Finishing

Motoring Volunteers

Straight, we had a display of Grand Prix cars from the past 100 years, loaned by a range of people including the National Motor Museum Beaulieu, the Tyrrell family, McLaren, and Mercedes.

The day felt particularly special, as a culmination of the return to ‘normality’ after all the challenges that Covid brought. As I look back on the past two years, I am staggered by how much has been achieved despite the pandemic. Many people have said how much better the Museum is looking, with the new admissions area, signage, wayfinding and improved parking meaning the historic Finishing Straight is no longer cluttered with modern cars.

We have two new exhibitions with McLaren: Driven by Design, and Brooklands’ Darkest Hour, as well as the new interpretation in the Aircraft Park, on the Race Track, and on all the historic buildings. Over the past winter, we developed exciting plans for the Museum’s longer-term future, described in the last edition of the Bulletin. It

has been a very challenging but productive time for Brooklands.

The good work is continuing: the Members have been helping with maintenance to the Scoreboard, the external staircases to the Clubhouse are being rebuilt, and work has started on repainting the final sections of the Vanguard aircraft. We have funding for more renovations to the Clubhouse later in the year.

This summer is the perfect time to make use of your Membership and we look forward to seeing you on your next visit.

Tamalie Newbery

starter motor or solenoid, we took it out into the sunshine for some investigation. No faults were found and suspicions have once again fallen on the battery.

In the Dunlop Mac workshop, a big tidy up is under way. We have a habit of hanging onto all sorts of things that ‘might come in handy’ but probably never will. That’s fine until you can’t find what you actually want and jobs take twice as long as they should. Extra shelving has now been put up and, following a clear-out, the place is starting to look much tidier.

After a flurry of activity preparing cars for the Museum’s reopening, it’s been a quieter couple of months for the Motoring Team.

The long-term project to restore the Ford 10 to a drivable condition has progressed. For a long time, there has been a problem with the clutch either dragging or slipping. The decision was taken to whip out the engine and gearbox to assess the cause of the fault, and all became clear. On top of the gearbox is a greasing point to deliver a shot of grease onto the clutch release bearing. This, however, relies upon an internal tube to direct the grease to exactly the right spot. On inspection, we found the vital tube was missing. Due to this, any well-intentioned efforts to carry out routine maintenance have resulted in grease being randomly squirted into the clutch housing, where it has been liberally spread over the clutch plate and friction disc. Everything has now been cleaned up and the search is on for a replacement tube.

Another project has been to overhaul the brakes on the ex-BOAC Bedford crew-bus. After months of inactivity, corrosion had set in and the master and slave cylinders had seized up. The parts were stripped, cleaned and reassembled. After refilling with fresh brake fluid, all seems well.

The Lagonda has been showing signs of electrical gremlins and sometimes been difficult to start. Suspecting a poor connection to the

With the imminent 95th anniversary of the very first British Grand Prix, we were tasked with rearranging the cars in the Jackson Shed. The Museum Curators asked for the Olympus Wolf to be positioned in its rightful place between the Cooper and the Arrows. This started a major reshuffle. With the Lorraine Dietrich predating the 1926 race by about a decade and still requiring major work before it can run again, it was moved into the adjoining workshop. The Bugatti and the Halford Special were put into the space freed up by the Lorraine Dietrich and every other car was moved two spaces to the left. The Wolf was pushed out of one set of doors and back in through another. The new Mercedes EQ Silver Arrow 01 was turned through 180-degrees and put in the space vacated by the Wolf. In the end, only two of the cars remained in their original positions!

Chris Bound

Outreach Team

The Outreach Team volunteered to renovate the scoreboard, which needed some tender loving care. The job was more involved than we originally thought, and David Warr and Simon Williams deserve our thanks for working through the very hot weather to get this project under way.

David Norfolk

Royal visit

Weybridge aircraft

Dear Sir,

Dear Sir,

Following the recent sad death of HRH Prince Phillip Duke of Edinburgh, the attached photo of my Grandfather, Michael Still, shows what we believe to be an antitank weapon, developed by Vickers, during the Duke’s visit to Brooklands. The photo appeared in The Surrey Comet We thought this may be of interest to you. I’m afraid we don’t have a date for the visit - and thought you may even be able to help with this?

Kind regards, Stephen Still

We have photos of the event labelled 1958, possibly the 24 April - Editor

The future looks bright

On talking to my friend John Bamford at our golf club about Brooklands, he told me that his father had worked at Wisley airfield at the same time that I was apprenticed at VickersArmstrongs Weybridge. Wisley airfield was used by Vickers for testing and final fitting out of the aircraft before delivery to customers.

John also told me that he had a picture of all of the aircraft that were either manufactured or designed at Weybridge from 1907 to 1987. I asked him if I might see it, so he brought it along to show me. It was brilliant, every aircraft from the BE2C biplane designed at Farnborough but built at Weybridge in 1907 to the TSR2 all on one page.

I managed to get a few VC10 test flights out of Wisley, as they needed to see if passengers were affected in this aircraft with the engines in the rear. It was OK until you went to the toilets which were in the rear alongside the engines…

Kind regards

John Burch

Who was Jim Ames?

Dear Sir,

I always enjoy reading my daughter’s copy of the Bulletin and visiting the Museum with my grandchildren. In the July-August issue, I was fascinated to read about the proposed developments for Brooklands. The plans sound very exciting and very much in keeping with the way the Museum has moved forwards in a manner sympathetic to the site’s history and geography.

It is always difficult trying to balance the desires of different groups with the commercial pressures that modern museums face. However, I felt the article in the Bulletin laid out the ideas clearly and made the case concisely. It is also in keeping with Brooklands’ long tradition of innovation to find solutions to modern challenges. You have my full support and I look forward to visiting and seeing the changes as they happen.

Best regards,

Evelyn Petty

Dear Sir,

I have been researching the history of EAD Eldridge’s Land Speed Record Fiat Mephistopheles and I am seeking any information about his friend and mechanic, Jim Ames, who worked with him approximately between 1919 and 1927 when Eldridge moved to France.

Jim Ames was involved in the rebuilding of Mephistopheles, including the fitting of the six-cylinder Fiat Aviation engine. I have not been able to find out any information at all about him other than his name, so anything would be gratefully appreciated. Please email me on: cliveroberts146@outlook.com; or telephone: 01372 373479

Many thanks

Clive Roberts

Gazettes on offer

Dear Sir,

I have some copies of The Brooklands Society Gazette from 1976 to 1997, which are now spare as I’m trying to clear some space. They all seem to be in excellent condition, considering the age, and I’m open to offers to buy them at (say) £1 a copy. There are some issues missing, but if anyone is interested, I would be happy to let them know what’s available. I can be contacted on: 07958 561699.

Kind regards

Frank Thaxton

forthcoming events

2021 Museum Events

The Events List is subject to change, so please check the website: www. brooklandsmuseum.com. Email events@ brooklandsmuseum.com or telephone the Museum on: 01932 857381 for information. Test Hill, car rides and engine runs are subject to operational conditions. Due to the Coronavirus situation, please check the website for the most up-to-date information on events. Some events may have limited capacity. Thank you for all of your support.

September

5 American Day. All things US descend on Brooklands.

26 Emergency Services Day. Enjoy the history of the blue light services.

October

3 Mini Day. A day for all things great and small.

2021 Members’ Events

For Members’ Tours and Trips information, please contact Angela Hume on: angelahume@brooklandsmembers. co.uk

September

4-5 Bournemouth Air Festival and SS Shieldhall. Rescheduled from 2020, everyone should have an email confirming their new booking.

5 Shere Hill Climb. A great event that gives a donation to Brooklands Museum. Spectator tickets are now available online at: www.sherehillclimb.co.uk

10 Italian Car Day in association with Auto Italia magazine. Celebrate la dolce vita at one of the biggest events in the Brooklands year.

24 Transportfest (London Bus Museum). All aboard for a great day out.

31 Vintage Sports-Car Club Driving Tests.

9-13 Jersey International Motoring Festival with Scenic Car Tours. A chance to spectate or compete in the hillclimb and sprint, plus scenic driving routes. Some places still available.

28 Shelsley Walsh. Visit the oldest continuous motorsport venue in the world and drive up this famous hillclimb. Excellent local food and accommodation included. Check website for more details.

30-3 Oct Llanerchindda Weekend. This ever-popular weekend in the heart of Wales takes in the Brecon Beacons and Cambrian mountains for some excellent driving roads. Now fully booked but check with Angela Hume for late availability.

October

November

21 Military Vehicles Day. From bicycles to tanks for the family and enthusiast to enjoy.

Brooklands Members Talks: update

Following on from the success of the Talk with Maria Costello, which was superbly led by Steve Parrish, you can now see this on BM.tv on YouTube if you didn’t catch it live or want to see it again. Peter Grimsdale’s Talk about his book Racing in the Dark was thoroughly enjoyable, as were others with Tony Hutchings, Derek Daly, and John Watson.

On 16 September, Air Marshal GA ‘Black’ Robertson talks about his father and his book Fighters in the Blood. The Story of a Spitfire Pilot and the son who followed in his footsteps. This is a fascinating tale and one you won’t want to miss.

Another date for your diary is 14 October, when Harry Sherrard will be in conversation with Tiff Needell. The television presenter and former racing driver has many stories to tell, so book early for this one. Steve Parrish makes a return journey to Brooklands on 18 November for a Talk with Henry Cole, all-round motorcycling enthusiast and presenter of various television shows.

27 Castle Combe Track Day. Stretch the capabilities of you and your car on one of the best circuits in the country. More details to follow

This is another Talk that promises to be as entertaining as it is informative, so contact the Talks team to book your place now. You can also view previous talks on our BM.tv channel. You can find a link on the BM.tv section of the Museum website. Please note the new number for the Talks Booking Line is: 07955 462392. The email address is: talks@brooklandsmembers.co.uk

Steve Clarke and The Talks Team

12 Stirling Moss Celebration. A tribute to the former Brooklands Members’ President.

CELEBRATING SIR STIRLING

The Stirling Moss Tribute on 12 September brings together a world-class gathering of cars to celebrate the career and life of this true racing hero.

Sir Stirling Moss’ fame reached far beyond the world of motorsport and he used this to great effect as the first President of the Brooklands Trust Members. It is a very fitting tribute, then, to bring together many of the cars that he raced and rallied to mark his amazing career and a life well lived at the Stirling Moss Tribute.

This one-off event on the 12 September at Brooklands Museum will allow Members and visitors the chance to see more than 35 of Moss’ cars up close and in action on the Finishing Straight and Members’ Banking. It’s a unique opportunity that has never been seen before and is unlikely ever to be repeated.

Among the highlights of the day will be the Rob Walker Racing Lotus 18 which Moss memorably raced to victory at the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix, beating the Ferraris of Richie Ginther and Phil Hill. Also attending will

be the Ferguson P99, which remains the only four-wheel drive car to win a Formula One race.

Sir Stirling was known for his love of competing in British-built cars and one of the centrepieces of the Brooklands tribute is a 1958 Vanwall. Moss won three races with this car in the 1958 season, securing the first World Constructors’ title for the team. He missed out on the Driver’s Championship by a single point to Mike Hawthorn when Sir Stirling famously campaigned for his rival’s points to be reinstated at the Portuguese Grand Prix. He never regretted his decision and it’s this sportsmanship that distinguished Moss as one of the true greats.

Alongside the demonstration runs, there will be displays of Moss’ race and rally cars, a selection of classic Jaguars, live music, and commentary from Simon Taylor. There is also a Members’ parking area for period road cars.

Booking for the Stirling Moss Tribute

Brooklands Members enjoy free entry to the Stirling Moss Tribute. Tickets must be booked in advance and shown on entry to the Museum. Members also benefit from free entry to the Paddock on presentation of their Membership card. Members can join owners and drivers of the participating cars in the Brooklands Driving Club by purchasing an advance ticket for this for £40. It provides a breakfast roll, self-service buffet lunch, and all-day tea and coffee. The Italian Grand Prix will also be screened live during the day. There are a limited number of Brooklands Driving Club tickets, so book now to avoid disappointment.

Tables for Club Members in the bar must be booked in advance, either by telephone to Brooklands Hospitality on: 01932 858005: or by email: hospitality@ brooklandsmuseum.com. You will receive a confirmation email and booking number.

Moss is the only driver to win a Formula 1 race in a four-wheel drive car with the Ferguson P99.

Moss’ driving versatility was shown by his ability to win in rallies, such as with this Sunbeam Alpine.

Stirling Moss drove the Lotus 18 to a magnificent win in the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix.

COMPOSITE LEARNING

Four decades after McLaren took the world’s first composite Formula 1 car victory, we uncover an intriguing Brooklands connection to the revolutionary use of carbonfibre.

Words: Max Kingsley-Jones Photos: John Barnard, Evro Publishing, Max Kingsley-Jones, McLaren, John Watson

Many will remember July 1981 for the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. However, in motorsport, the month marked a seminal moment when the first victory of a new breed of ‘space-age’ Formula 1 machinery arrived constructed from carbonfibre composite.

On Saturday 18 July that year, John Watson won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, taking McLaren’s first Formula 1 victory in almost four years in John Barnard’s carbon composite MP4/1. This revolutionary creation by one of Formula 1’s most innovative and creative engineers would start a fashion that every other team had to follow, and its origins can be

traced back to a meeting of minds between Barnard and a British Aerospace stress engineer at Brooklands more than two years previously.

As Barnard explained to author Nick Skeens during his 2018 talk at Brooklands about his superb biography The Perfect Car, his first visit to Weybridge four decades earlier had been to understand

The carbon composite monocoque developed by John Barnard with help from Arthur Webb of BAe at Brooklands. It served as an effective survival cell in big accidents, as John Watson can attest.

McLaren: Driven by Design now open at Brooklands Museum

how he could incorporate a new material into the heart of a Formula 1 car he was conceptualising. Barnard had just joined forces with racing boss Ron Dennis, who was assembling the knowhow and funding to propel his Woking-based Project Four team into Formula 1. Barnard and his game-changing racing car would be the nucleus of the project.

The final Grand Prix season of the 1970s was one which saw every team trying to copy and surpass Colin Chapman’s all-conquering ground-effect Lotus 79 which had taken Mario Andretti to the 1978 World Championship. Andretti famously said his Lotus was ‘painted to the road’ thanks to the incredible levels of downforce created by the ground-effect concept.

‘We were all striving for the best ground effect,’ said Barnard, who had recently left California-based Chaparral where he had designed the successful 2K ground-effect Indy car. ‘I had a year in which to design and get a Formula 1 car built for Ron.’

Key to improving the aerodynamics was to make the wing underbody as wide as possible, which in turn meant minimising the width of the bottom of

the monocoque.  ‘In doing that you start to narrow the geometric shape of the monocoque where you’re getting a lot of your torsional stiffness from, and then I’m thinking, how do I replace that?’ explained Barnard.

At the time, the state-of-the-art Formula 1 monocoque would have been a metallic structure and Barnard understood a new material was needed that was stronger and stiffer than aluminium to provide the required torsional and bending strength. He said: ‘I started thinking about materials and one or two F1 people had already used carbonfibre. Graham Hill’s Embassy car had been stiffened up with some unidirectional carbonfibre, so I’d heard about it but I didn’t know much about the material.’

BAe was known to be producing structures in carbonfibre and a colleague at Project Four had a contact at the nearby Weybridge plant. Barnard headed to Brooklands on a fact-finding visit, after which he was introduced to stress office engineer Arthur Webb, who headed the factory’s Structural Applications Development Programme in Carbon Fibres.

The material’s high strength qualities were first identified in 1963 from a process developed at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) at Farnborough, which was patented by the UK Ministry of Defence. As Webb looked at ways to employ the material in aviation, he found the RAE’s attitude extremely conservative: ‘They said we won’t be able to do it as we don’t have the background for certification, and we’ve got to go in little steps.’

The first approach was to use carbonfibre to reinforce metal taking the stress loads, ‘bumping it up to certification loads’ in Webb’s words. An early application to reinforce aluminium floorbeams was ‘obviously a dead-end approach’, so Webb started a programme to identify parts of primary aircraft structure that could be created entirely from carbonfibre. A key milestone was approval for the middle of the VC10’s three rudder sections to be replaced with a carbonfibre unit on a small number of BOAC aircraft. Webb added: ‘This was the first properly certificated carbonfibre structure flying anywhere. These were designed, fabricated and tested at Weybridge.’

The middle of the VC10’s three rudder sections was the carbonfibre structure properly approved for use in service. A small number were used on BOAC aircraft, all designed, fabricated and tested at Weybridge.

Watson, on the left, says it was Barnard’s, on the right, integrity as an engineer that convinced him the carbon composite McLaren was safe to race. His faith was well founded.

Webb’s discussions with Barnard led to a gentleman’s agreement between BAe and Project Four/McLaren for Arthur and the Weybridge stress office to support the team’s plan ‘to use carbonfibre to make a step change in the stiffness of the car,’ said Webb. At that time, BAe Weybridge was producing carbonfibre honeycomb cowl doors for the RB211 on the Lockheed TriStar under a Rolls-Royce contract. Webb said: ‘We had looked at various ways of tooling these, and this became applicable to what John wanted to do.’

John Barnard continued: ‘Arthur helped me with some of the calculations, because calculating the requirements for a load input is much more complicated than for an aluminium-steel structure. You are always dealing with fibre direction with carbon composite, and you need to know much more about how the load’s going in and what direction it has.’

As Barnard expanded his understanding of the carbon composite material, he set about designing the mould tool to produce a homogonous carbon composite structure. Central to that was the fundamental desire to reduce the number of pieces being used to maximise the monocoque’s strength and lightness. The ambition was to deliver a 66 per cent improvement in the stiffness of the chassis combined with a 30 per cent weight reduction.

Barnard opted for a ‘male’ mould tool design, where the carbon composite (unidirectional carbonfibre over aluminium honeycomb) was wrapped around the outside and cured in an autoclave, which increases temperature and pressure simultaneously. ‘The tool comprised five pieces of aluminium casting all machined and bolted together, which was undone from inside and extracted through the

cockpit opening,’ explained Barnard.

As he worked on his revolutionary carbon composite plan, Lotus was pursuing a similar thought process. Crucially, the Chapman-led approach was less advanced as the Lotus tub incorporated panel sections created from Kevlar and Nomex honeycomb overlaid with carbonfibre cloth that was cured, and then folded and attached to an aluminium frame.

After failing in their quest to locate a UK composites specialist prepared to produce the tub, Ron Dennis and Barnard discovered the aerospace division of Hercules Inc in Salt Lake City in the USA. The company was an established player in production of high-tech structures, building components for US military and space programmes. The introduction came via a US associate from Barnard’s time with Chaparral called Steve Nichols, who subsequently joined McLaren’s design department.

‘Steve gave me Bob Randolph’s name. Ron and I jumped on a plane with our one-third scale wind tunnel model and set off to Utah for a meeting,’ Barnard said. Randolph, who was vice-president and general manager of Hercules Aerospace Composite Structures, greeted the idea of a carbon composite racing car with a totally different viewpoint to the UK specialists. Barnard recalled Randolph’s response: ‘He

said wow, we’ve never done anything like this, but we’d love to have a go because we’ll learn something. That why Hercules started making our first monocoques.’

Brabham’s designer Gordon Murray had pioneered carbonfibre panels to strengthen an aluminium monocoque, ‘black metal’ as Webb dubbed it, but was unconvinced about the material’s strength in a highspeed impact. Barnard said: ‘Gordon was quite vocal, talking about it exploding in a cloud of black dust.’ In reality, at that time the crashworthiness of racing car structures wasn’t scrutinised, whether they were made of metal or any other material. ‘There were no FIA regulations in terms of crash tests or structure tests,’ added Barnard. ‘We didn’t test, and we couldn’t test. Until something had a big smash, whether it was an aluminium or carbon monocoque, you weren’t really sure what was going to happen.’

By the time Barnard’s design was ready for testing in March 1981, Project Four had the backing of Philip Morris and had joined forces with the McLaren racing team based in Colnbrook. The first Barnarddesigned McLaren was designated ‘Marlboro Project 4’ – or MP4. The red and white

The weave of the carbonfibre can be seen in this image. Understanding how forces worked on this new material were key to its strength.

Ford Cosworth-powered MP4/1 made its race debut at the Argentinian Grand Prix on 12 April, 1981 with McLaren’s lead driver John ‘Wattie’ Watson at the wheel. He said: ‘The first time I drove the car, I called it my Chuck Yeager moment. No one knew what would happen when you broke the sound barrier and likewise no one really knew what would happen in a full carbonfibre monocoque Formula 1 car if you had a big accident.’

Webb admired how Watson ‘took our word for it that it was safe, and he got in that car and drove it. I think that was a very brave thing to do.’ Wattie commented: ‘It was a matter of trust and John Barnard’s integrity as an engineer. There might have been other people in the paddock who I wouldn’t have had the same degree of faith in.’

After middling results in its early races, the MP4 suddenly came good in the summer of 1981, with Wattie scoring three consecutive podiums – third in Spain, second in France, and then that historic win at the British Grand Prix. With his usual frankness, Wattie admitted the British win came with a slice of luck: ‘Silverstone is a very quick circuit, so the turbo Renaults should have walked that race. However, the reliability of their engine in race conditions was still in that early phase of development, so they lost power and I won.’

With bodywork removed, the MP4/1’s monocoque tub clearly shows how all of the major components are attached. It contributed to the McLaren’s strength and low weight.

John Watson ready for his ‘Chuck Yeager moment’ with Barnard’s state-of-the-art MP4/1 at its unveiling ahead of the 1981 Formula 1 season.

With wheels removed, the sleek design of Barnard’s MP4/1 is clear. This one was driven by Niki Lauda, who lifted the 1984 World Drivers’ Championship title.

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Wattie went on to take three more wins in the MP4/1 in the next two seasons and was in the mix to win the 1982 Drivers’ Championship that went right down to the final race in Las Vegas. Team-mate Niki Lauda also took two wins in 1982. In its second iteration, Barnard’s creation finally realised its full potential as the TAG-Porsche

V6 turbocharged MP4/2 won consecutive drivers’ titles in 1984, ’85 and ’86 with one for Lauda and a pair for Alain Prost, as well as the constructors’ trophy in 1984 and 1985.

Two decades later, Boeing launched the world’s first carbon composite airliner, the 787

Monza mayhem proves carbon’s Herculean strength

John Watson’s fiery crash at the 1981 Italian Grand Prix, shown live on television networks around the world, was to be the ultimate testament to the strength of John Barnard’s carbon composite design. After putting a wheel on the kerb at Monza’s second Lesmo as he chased the leading pack, Wattie’s MP4/1 spun backwards across the track, impacting the barrier at a 45-degree angle at more than 140mph.

‘When the car came to a standstill, I looked up and there was this engine sliding across the racetrack,’ recalled Wattie, calmly describing his huge accident. ‘It was only when I got out of the car I realised the gearbox was wedged in the barrier and the engine had separated from the gearbox and torn off the back of the monocoque.’ The MP4 was lying in several pieces and the chassis a write-off, but the cockpit was undamaged. The tub was subsequently displayed at Hercules’ headquarters in Salt Lake City.

‘The way carbonfibre fails is totally different to metal structures, which meant we could introduce structural fuses so that an overload in one part of the structure wouldn’t necessarily transmit

Dreamliner, which is perhaps the ultimate interpretation of Barnard’s original vision.

‘I’m sure if we’d been given the job in racing, we’d have got there in half the time!’ he quips. McLaren Automotive is now working to take recent lessons from making its new carbon fibre MCLA lightweight architecture to the airline industry exactly 40 years on from building the MP4/1.

and wreck the whole thing,’ explained Arthur Webb. ‘The attachments were made so they would fail at a given g-load, so the engine would detach from the tub in the event of a severe crash. The engine and drivetrain accounts for approximately 30 per cent of the mass of the car, and that represents an awful lot of kinetic energy in a high-speed crash. That’s what saved Wattie in his big accident at Monza.’

Barnard believes Wattie’s shunt definitely changed a lot of people’s thinking in the pit lane about composites and created interest from a surprising quarter: ‘I was contacted by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) who said they’d seen the accident on TV and wanted to have a look at the monocoque, as they were trying write rules about composite structures for aircraft. A couple of CAA guys came down to examine the monocoque and how the engine fixings and so on had ripped out, but the monocoque had stayed intact. I thought this is a bit of a turnaround, the aircraft boys coming to look at a racing car!’

Thanks to John Barnard, John Watson and Arthur Webb for their assistance with this article.

John Watson at Silverstone driving the MP4 to its first win, which was at the 1981 British Grand Prix.

Above, John Barnard with his creation during the launch of his biography The Perfect Car at the RAC Club in 2018. Author Nick Skeens gave a talk at Brooklands following the book’s launch. Right, The Perfect Car by Nick Skeens is a superb biography of John Barnard and it covers in detail the period of innovation as carbonfibre was developed for use in Formula 1.

A BIT OF COSTELLO

Following on from her Members Talk, we find out a bit more about motorcycle racer Maria Costello and what fuels her passion for two wheels.

Words: Anna Jackson Photos: Mike Venables

We often see parallels of Brooklands’ long motorcycle racing history today. The British Motorcycle Racing Club, also known as ‘Bemsee’, was founded in 1909 and organised the first motorcycle race at Brooklands. Each year since 1925, the club has awarded the Mellano Trophy to the winner of the Hutchison 100 or, more recently, to the Rider of the Year. This trophy is housed and displayed in the ERA Shed at Brooklands Museum.

In the same case as this prestigious prize is a list of every rider who was awarded the Brooklands Gold Star for lapping the track at 100mph. There are

three women on this list. Opposite the trophy is a case of racing memorabilia relating to one of Brooklands’ star riders, Jessie Ennis, so where better to interview one of the fastest women on two wheels in the current era than in front of the achievements of female riders from almost a century ago?

Maria Costello MBE is the only woman to hold the female lap record at all three International Road Races, which are the Isle of Man TT, Ulster Grand Prix, and Vauxhall International Northwest 200. Sitting in between the Norton ‘LPD1’ and Brough Superior bikes, both with sidecars, Maria looks right at home. You also get the sense that she’s sizing them up and imagining what it would be like to race

Maria Costello getting ready to enjoy her ride on the 1938 OK Supreme 350 JAP that is part of the Brooklands Museum collection.

Explaining the thrill of racing at the Isle of Man TT to author, Anna Jackson on the left. Maria holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest lap of the Isle of Man Snaefell course by a woman.

them. As we chat, it becomes clear she’s a fan of the classics, especially the 1929 BMW R63 she raced at the Goodwood Revival, which she thinks are better to ride than the more modern machines. ‘They’ve got more character,’ she muses, staring wistfully at the Brough Superior.

We move on to the Isle of Man TT, and her smile and passion is so infectious I start to think maybe I should enter it one year. There’s no fun in the TT, she explains, it’s hard, serious work. ‘It’s the best place in the world to race,’ she says. ‘Even when I’m there with friends, I’m not enjoying myself as my mind is constantly on every

bend and straight, figuring out where to get that extra tenth of a second advantage. The TT is all about focus.’

For Maria, who’s had more than her fair share of injuries, racing in the TT is a form of meditation. It’s what helps her get back on the bike. I tell her about Kay Petre, whose illustrious racing career at Brooklands was cut short following a major accident. Maria agrees that it must have been hard for Petre to get back in a car after such a major shunt, but she explains that sometimes the passion behind racing is what helps you stay out of the doldrums it’s so easy to fall into mentally.

In a sport as dangerous as motorcycle racing, you can’t take part if you’re not absolutely focused at all times on the job in hand. Poor concentration can be the difference between living and dying. The passion helps you overcome the mental challenges and Maria goes on to say that she couldn’t do it on her own. Recently, she talked with the London Trauma Team and Military Surgeons, about mental health and recovering from accidents and injuries. It seems to have been inspiring and echoes the sentiment throughout the interview that you can’t succeed on your own. Yes, racing is a competition and you need to

At speed on the OK Supreme, Maria’s natural talent on two wheels is obvious. Afterwards, she enthused about the character of classic racing motorcycles.

play the game, but you need to support each other.

For all her racing accolades, Maria is just as impressive off track. Founder of Woman on a Motorcycle, and heavily involved with the FIA’s Girls on Track, she is passionate about equality. When she started racing 20 years ago, all of her heroes were males. Although she hadn’t always wanted to be a motorcycle racer, for her there just weren’t any examples of women riders. It wasn’t until she saw Sandra Barnett racing that she began to think ‘I can do this’. This idea of representation and making women and

A life on two wheels

Maria Costello is every bit as renowned within motorcycle road racing circles as John McGuinness or Joey Dunlop. She’s earned her reputation the hard way, competing at the Isle of Man TT races for many years and racing alongside male rivals on an equal footing. The huge physical demands on the TT course means there’s only one way to get on the podium there and that’s to be among the very best riders.

In a career that spans more than 20 years, Maria has set a Guinness World Record for the fastest women to lap the Snaefell Mountain Course at 114.73mph. She has been a regular rider for BMW Classic at the Goodwood Revival and is a road safety ambassador for the Institute of Advanced Motorists. Maria was also inducted into the Fédération Internationale de Motorcyclist Women in Motorcycling Commission in 2013.

As a woman competing in a male-dominated sport, Maria has used her position to promote female motorcycling and pioneered women-only track days. This started with only 11 riders at the first event, but now routinely sees 70 women riders at tracks such as Donington and Silverstone.

In 2021, Maria is competing in the ACU/FRSA British F2 Sidecar Championship with Vicky Cooke.

Three icons of racing together in one image. After enjoying her ride on the OK Supreme, Maria gave a Talk to Members hosted by fellow racer Steve Parrish.

Maria receives a piece of the original track from Steve Parrish as a memento. This is a traditional gift given to all of the Brooklands Members Talks guests.

girls accept they can do something is what Maria believes in so strongly. She says bluntly: ‘In all-female track days, women can develop their skills and confidence. A handful of male riders can be intimidating with what they see as banter but can be very off-putting for women riders. From that man’s perspective, everything is good, but others experience it in another way.’

Maria’s intention to provide opportunities for women to hone their skills in a safe, ego-free environment shows the world that women on motorcycles are normal. She laughs and mentions her young nephew who thinks every motorcyclist he sees is his aunt, and he thinks it’s cool to wear a helmet. A woman

on a motorcycle shouldn’t be cause for surprise and Maria is working hard to make that idea the norm.

When asked to explain what it’s like to ride a motorcycle, Maria uses the Norton and Brough Superior as references, pointing out the hand shift gears and other technical elements that would surprise some modern riders, but would spark an enthusiastic conversation with anyone interested in riding or driving. She turns in her seat, and stares longingly at LPD1 for a while.

In 2019, she became the first, and so far, only woman to compete at the Isle of Man TT in both a sidecar and on two wheels. Asked what it’s like to be in a sidecar, picturing Dastardly and

Muttley, Maria explains: ‘It’s the thrill of it, of kneeling on the road and feeling your toes brushing the surface. It also helps that I know the track so well.’ In a modern sidecar, she can reach top speeds of 103mph, and even faster in a classic. On her first outing, she recorded a quicker time than her more experienced mechanic, which caused a few raised eyebrows. Then again, this is one of the UK’s best road racers and she’s going all out for a sidecar lap record at the next TT races, and we have no doubt she will add this to her long list of achievements.

You can see the Talk with Maria Costello in conversation with Steve Parrish on BM.tv on YouTube.

The OK Supreme 350 JAP

While visiting Brooklands Museum for the Members Talk, Maria Costello couldn’t resist trying out one of the bikes. The one that Maria took out was the OK Supreme 350cc JAP, owned by John Ferris.

This bike was restored from a pile of parts by Motorcycle Team member Colin Wood at Brooklands and is now resplendent in its blue livery. This colour is unusual for the period, but it’s the correct one for OK Supremes raced during the 1920s. The bike in the Museum collection is a 1938 example and has been run at Mallory Park and Montlhéry, France, and for demonstrations at the Museum.

Maria enjoyed her time on the bike and said afterwards: ‘Classic racing bikes have so much character. They are a challenge to ride, but that’s what makes them so enjoyable, and the Supreme was loads of fun. I could have ridden it all day.’

Sitting in front of the Norton sidecar outfit, Maria is passionate about motorcycling. She has pioneered all-female track days to encourage more women onto two wheels.

FIRST LOVE

first airline job as a pilot. I’d learned to fly a bit late in life, before that I had been a loadmaster with IAS Cargo Airlines on B707s and DC8s. When IAS went bust in 1980, I had a PPL so I did an instructor’s course and became a pilot.

Words and photos: Ray Hopper

Ididn’t fly the Vickers-Armstrongs VC2 Viscount for very long and I’m sure there must be many more experienced pilots out there who did. However, it was my first airline job as a pilot, so I did get to love her. I have happy and nostalgic memories of my time flying one of

the most successful British aircraft, and I feel very proud and privileged to have done so. I will try to recall some distant memories, with the help of my old log books, and hope it might be of some interest to you.

I was first introduced to the Viscount in 1982 at the age of 42 and it was my

In the early 1980s, British Air Ferries (BAF) at Southend had acquired a fleet of Viscount 802 and 806s from British Airways and were recruiting crews for their new fleet. I was lucky enough to be offered a job, so in March 1982 I found myself at Southend on a Viscount course.

Although I found the Viscount delightful to fly and had no problem with handling what was a big aeroplane, these VC802s and 806s were equipped with the Smiths flight system which was new to me and I found it very difficult to cope with. The compass card was set and the heading was indicated by a pointer which moved around it - most odd. I had always been used to the heading being at the top. It was so different to what most pilots were used to that, with the simulator, there was a separate ‘box’ which was a Smiths flight system trainer. It was very confusing, but I managed to pass and did my base training

Ray Hopper, a former Viscount Captain, tells us of his experiences fl ying the Vickers-Armstrongs VC2 Viscount and the problems of a rather unusual compass.

This Viscount was one of the aircraft flown by Ray during his time at British Midland Airways. Most routes were domestic, but he also regularly flew to Paris from the East Midlands base.

Another of the British Midland Airways Viscounts in the foreground, with a Jersey Air Ferries version behind. The Channel Islands were a routine destination for Ray.

BAF had a contract with Air Algerie with four aircraft based in Algeria at Ghardaia operating domestic services, and I was detached there for line training. We were allocated to crews where my training captain was Cpt Stewart Fairclough and I remember well my first line flight. It was the morning schedule from Ghardaia to Algiers as P2 u/t, or second pilot under training. Algiers was very busy when we arrived and we were put in the hold. After a while, air traffic control asked me our position and, because of my lack of familiarity with the Smiths’ system, I hadn’t a clue. It was most embarrassing. We were outbound in the hold, so the heading was pointing down. All very straightforward now, but then I had to ask the captain. Stewart was an excellent training captain and he did his best to sort me out, though I must have been a great challenge.

Other schedules were Oran via Adra and Bechar, and Tamanrasset via Ovargla, In Amenas and Djanet, which was a sand strip on the Libyan border. Tamanrasset is right down south in the middle of the Sahara. This was before the days of GPS, so navigation was DR (dead reckoning) until within range of the VOR (VHF omnidirectional range). This was great experience for me, but the contract didn’t last and, before I had finished line training, we had to bring the aeroplanes home. Unfortunately, after a few weeks, I was laid off through lack of work, so it was back to instructing and flying an Islander on night mail.

However, the following year I managed to get a job with British Midland Airways (BMA) as a Viscount pilot, based at East Midlands Airport (EMA) and joined them in March 1983. These were Viscount

810 series, mostly 815s. The first one I flew, training with Captain John Bowker who was the Viscount fleet captain, was G-AZNB which I believe is the one whose cockpit section is in Brooklands Museum’s hangar display. These Viscounts did not have the dreaded Smiths flight system, some were just raw data, but the 815s had been acquired from South African Airways and were equipped with a Sperry flight system, which was primitive but much easier to use and worked well. The other Viscounts I flew with BMA were G-BMAT, G-BAPF, G-AYOX, and G-BFZL. I think these have all been scrapped now as it seems only 700 series and 806s are in museums.

The routes we operated with BMA were nearly all domestic. There was a twice daily schedule from EMA to Glasgow, schedules between Leeds Bradford Airport and Heathrow, and Teesside and Heathrow. There were also flights to the Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Amsterdam, Paris Charles de Gaulle, plus quite a few charters covering most of the UK’s airports. The

BMA Viscounts were kept very busy and were usually full as they were very popular with passengers thanks to their large windows and comfortable seating.

My love affair with the Viscount only lasted for four years. One of the reasons I had wanted to join BMA was a dream to fly the B707, but by the time I was due to be promoted to jets they had gone, and I was moved onto the McDonnell Douglas DC9 based at Heathrow. A year later, I’d had enough of short haul so I joined HeavyLift Cargo Airlines and, after a couple of years travelling the world on the Short Belfast, they bought a B707. At last, I moved onto that and they gave me a command, so I flew the 707 after all.

I’m retired now, but looking back I have great affection for the Viscount. It was probably the most successful, and popular, British aircraft and was powered by the most reliable turboprops ever built. I don’t remember ever having a technical problem and l consider it a great privilege to be able to say I flew such an iconic aeroplane.

from Southend and at Stansted with a Captain Russell on Viscounts G-APEX and G-AOHM.

A sad end for one of a total of 444 Viscounts built, which was the first gas turbine-powered aircraft to carry fare-paying passengers on a scheduled service. Ray never experienced any technical problems with this aircraft.

On the ramp at Ghardaia in Algeria, this is Viscount G-AOYJ. Ray found the Smiths flight system tricky to use, which led to an embarrassing moment with Algerian air traffic control. Fortunately, his training captain was on hand to sort out the confusion.

THE NEXT GENERATION

The Heritage Skills Academy is working in partnership with Brooklands Museum to provide the next generation of engineers for historic vehicles. We meet the team and some of the apprentices.

Words: Alisdair Suttie Photos: Nick Dimbleby, Martin Gegg

The youth of today is not interested in old vehicles, just the latest high-tech gadgets. That notion is thoroughly debunked the moment you walk into the Heritage Skills Academy (HSA) workshop at Brooklands Museum. It’s a hive of activity that could be a scene from the 1920s as metalwork is fashioned into shape and mechanical parts are inspected.

The HSA in partnership with the Museum set up at Brooklands at the beginning of 2021, adding to the apprentice training scheme’s existing site at Bicester Heritage

that has been running since 2015. It was founded by John Pitchforth, who recognised the desperate need to bring new blood into the heritage engineering sector to ensure vital skills and knowledge were passed on to a new generation.

With help from some of the UK’s leading restoration firms, the courses started as an alternative to usual college-based garage mechanic lessons that were the only other offering. John said: ‘We knew the existing courses didn’t fit with what heritage engineering firms needed, so we saw the chance to create a course dedicated to classic cars that also has a relevance to motorcycles, steam, and aviation. So much of the knowledge and skills, as well as the interests, cross over and are transferable. We’ve had great support from within the classic sector as many businesses are aware their existing staff are looking to retire in the near future.’

The HSA started off modestly, but it has now grown to 110 students enrolled and this will rise to 146 before the end of 2021. Each student spends most of their working

The Heritage Skills Academy is based in the Flight Shed at Brooklands, where students learn a wide variety of techniques to restore classic vehicles.

Ollie Lees, on the left, and Johnny Sinclair contemplate the next step in stripping and preparing a Mini bodyshell that is one of the HSA’s project vehicles.

Director of Coachbuilding and Trimming Andy Kelly is a passionate car restorer and lecturer, which shows in the way HSA students are keen to learn from him.

The partnership between Brooklands Museum and the Heritage Skills Academy, and the Federation Skills Trust charity, is helping to ensure engineering experience is passed on to new generations.

time with their employer and then comes to the HSA’s workshops for one week in every six. However, due to the pandemic, this has been condensed to one week in four for the time being to allow students to catch up on time lost for face-to-face learning. The course lasts three and a half years, after which the students are, qualified, skilled and very knowledgeable.

Throughout the HSA course, each student has the opportunity to try a wide variety of restoration skills. There are lessons devoted to engines, coachwork, electrics, and trimming, and each goes into the sort of detail demanded by

the best restoration companies in the world. However, there are two distinct paths that students follow, one for Mechanical Technician and the other for Coachbuilding and Trim Technician.

Owain Johns, Development Director of the HSA, explained: ‘Our course is different because we work closely with employers and industry experts to shape it. We also look to build a family feel, and put an emphasis on recruitment and ensuring we have strong retention of students. We want our students to succeed and go on to long careers in this industry. For the students and the Heritage

As well as learning about the engineering side, HSA students at Brooklands are taught about the wider history and context of the machinery they are working on.

One of the HSA students in the Flight Shed gets to grips with an English Wheel, which is used to shape metal sheets in to curved sections.

As well as learning how to restore classic vehicles to the highest standards, students learn about the safe use of equipment, such as this spot welder.

free time at the HSA at Brooklands, students enjoy the opportunity to learn about the Museum’s collection, such as here in the Aircraft Factory.

Skills Academy to work long-term, we have to deliver world class training. This is why we are working with 85 employers in the industry right now and expect more to join as we progress.’

As the HSA grew from its modest start in 2015, it became clear it needed another site to add to the original Bicester workshop. This is where Brooklands partnered with the HSA to create the new space in the Flight Shed. A versatile workshop has been built, with plenty of space for each student to work and for several project vehicles to be worked on simultaneously. There are also stations for trimming, bodywork, electrics, and a classroom all within the Flight Shed. Owain Johns added: ‘Brooklands is an incredibly powerful, inspirational location

for the apprentices to come and learn. It gives them access to resources, cars and expertise they simply wouldn’t get elsewhere.’

It’s important the classroom sessions are held inside the workshop as Andy Kelly, Director of Coachbuilding and Trimming, said: ‘The students can see what we are learning about all around them. When we’ve finished discussing something, they are straight back to work to put that new knowledge into practice. Their enthusiasm is amazing and it’s a huge benefit to go from sitting together at a table to standing at a workbench in just a few steps.’

It’s plain to see the advantages of this approach when talking to the apprentices, such as 18-year old Johnny Sinclair, who works for the Morgan Motor Company.

Johnny said: ‘I started at Morgan when I was 16 and didn’t know about the HSA, though I’ve always loved classic cars. The training officer at Morgan suggested I enrol with the HSA even though Morgan builds new cars. All of the skills taught by the HSA are ideally suited to my day-to-day work, though, and it covers a wide range of subjects.’

During our visit, Johnny was handily stripping down a rusty Mini bodyshell, which will be useful experience for restoring his own elderly Mini Clubman. When there’s been some free time while at Brooklands, Johnny has also enjoyed having a look around the Museum: ‘It’s been interesting to see so many racing cars and motorcycles up close. Our tutors encourage us to look at the details and how things are

built, which helps with understanding how to restore classic vehicles.’

Alongside Johnny is another Morgan apprentice, Ollie Lees. He’s another keen fan of classics and currently drives an Alfa Romeo GTV6 as his daily car. Twenty-year old Ollie said: ‘Before Morgan, I worked for a classic car restorer, mostly on Aston Martins and Jaguars. It was good to learn about these cars, but I found after a while that I wanted to learn more. The Morgan apprenticeship has given me that and the HSA course at Brooklands is ideal. It’s night and day compared to the college course I attended before because the HSA is so thorough.’

Another reason Ollie is enjoying the HSA course is the mix of machinery around him at Brooklands. ‘There’s such a

history of aviation here that adds another layer to the learning,’ said Ollie. ‘Seeing how aircraft are put together and how some of those techniques were applied to the racing cars of the period makes your mind boggle at how clever and intricate so much of the engineering was back then. It really makes me want to carry on these skills so they are not lost and we can keep these machines alive and running as they should be.’

Such passion for heritage engineering from the HSA’s apprentices shows that younger people are just as dedicated and enthusiastic as older fans of classic cars, motorcycles, and aircraft. As the next generation of restorers comes through, we can be sure that Brooklands’ machinery is in very safe hands.

Working side by side, the HSA and Brooklands is providing the next generation of engineers to keep heritage vehicles operating, with help from generous sponsors, such as King Dick Tools.

One of the greatest attractions for HSA students learning at Brooklands is the chance to study up close classic race cars, such as the Napier-Railton.

As Bentley celebrates 100 years since its first race win at Brooklands, we look at how and why these British sports cars went so well at the Track.

BENTLEY JOYS

Words: Stuart Newman Photos: Brooklands Museum Collection

The car where Bentley’s success at Brooklands began with Frank Clement at the wheel of EXP2 in the 1921 Junior Short Handicap race, Bentley’s first win at the Track.

Think of motorsport and Bentley in the 1920s and what springs to mind? For many, it will be all about the marque’s stunning run of success in the Le Mans 24 Hours, with a quartet of victories in 1924, 1927, 1928 and 1929 along with a further triumph in 1930. Others, however, will look back to a time when Bentley first made its name as a formidable challenger for motor racing spoils on home soil at Brooklands.

As many Members will know, this year marks the centenary of Bentley’s first-ever race victory. It came at the famous Surrey track on Bank Holiday Monday, 16 May, 1921, courtesy of ‘Bentley Boy’ Frank Clement, who went on to triumph at Le Mans with John Duff in 1924 at the wheel of a 3 Litre Sport. Driving the company’s 3.0-litre powered EXP2, Clement won the Junior Short Handicap event, held over

one lap of the Outer Circuit, at the Brooklands Automobile Racing Club (BARC) Whitsun meeting having earlier entered the 100mph Short Handicap. Clement’s average speed was 72.5mph.

By winning only the third race a Bentley had ever entered, which is an astonishing achievement, a gauntlet was duly thrown down to the rest of the motorsports paddock with the message that here was a marque that needed to be taken seriously. Indeed, that landmark victory came just a week after Clement had given Bentley its race debut, at the wheel of EXP2, in the Essex Motor Club’s Short Handicap encounter for cars over 1700cc. For the record, the car was hampered by running on just three cylinders after it oiled a spark plug while waiting on the start-line.

Once Clement had scored that

ground-breaking maiden victory for the Cricklewood-based concern, Bentley would go on to register some notable triumphs at the track in countless illustrious events. To prove that maiden Whitsun win was no fluke, Clement and EXP2 notched up victory number two, claiming the spoils in the 90mph Short Handicap event at Brooklands’ August Bank Holiday meeting at an average speed of 80.44mph.

Walter Owen (WO) Bentley initially began to enter his cars in motorsport events in 1919, the year Bentley Motors Ltd was formed. Each sprint or hill climb event duly led up to that first race win two years later, showcasing the cars’ phenomenal capabilities and competition prowess. WO passionately believed victory in motorsport was crucial to Bentley Motors’ success, declaring: ‘The racing policy was part of the very foundations of Bentley Motors, for the two vital purposes of testing and publicising our cars.’

The powerful Bentleys caught the eye of the spirited daredevil men and women of the day who were keen to use WO’s potent machines to satisfy their lust for speed and competition. It was little surprise that, following Clement’s breakthrough victory in 1921, the remainder of the decade saw a Bentley factory-supported team sweep all before them on the racetracks of Britain and Europe, including Brooklands. The Surrey track was perfect for the Bentleys, thanks to the circuit’s super-quick oval-style layout, which incorporated its trademark banked corners where the Members’ Banking was 29-feet high and the Byfleet Banking rose 20-feet, which were designed to maintain high speeds.

In the wake of that triumphant year of 1921, Bentley registered another significant achievement the following September with a new Double Twelve record for a 24-hour run. The new benchmark of 86.79mph bettered the previous best by 6.69mph and covered a total of 2,082.96 miles. It was set by 1924 Le Mans winner John Duff in Chassis 141, a new production version powered by the engine from EXP2. Duff’s

A three-car crew of 3 Litres, with WO driving here, secured the team prize at the 1922 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, paving the way for Bentley’s future successes at Brooklands.

Herculean solo effort had come at a cost, however, as his back was rubbed raw by the aluminium seat. Chassis 141 also gave Bentley its Le Mans entrée in 1923, the maiden year of the classic endurance race. The 3 Litre Sport, driven by Duff and Clement, was classified a superb equal fourth.

Following the 3.0-litre engined EXP2, Bentley’s motorsport progress was maintained by the legendary 3 Litre model itself, introduced in 1921. Quickly pressed into racing action, it demonstrated its promise by coming 13th in the 1922 Indianapolis 500, which was Bentley’s only foray into the US classic. In the same year, Bentley claimed the team prize in the testing Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man after its entries finished in an encouraging second, fourth and fifth positions. Clement again led the way in the 3 Litre that

Bentley Girl

Bentley’s Brooklands glory wasn’t just confined to the ‘Bentley Boys’. Although women weren’t permitted to race in mixed Brooklands Automobile Racing Club events at the track until 1933, Margaret Allan, who was one of the leading British female race and rally drivers of the inter-war years, proved the men didn’t have it all their own way by scoring a number of notable successes.

At the wheel of a 3/4½ Litre, Allan triumphed at an Inter-Club meeting in 1933 before following it up the next year with a fantastic win in the Ripley Junior Long Handicap at Easter.

The pinnacle of her Brooklands achievements arrived in 1936 when she claimed a popular victory in the Whitsun Long Handicap. Allan was driving the worldrenowned ‘Old Mother Gun’, Le Mans winner in 1928 and now fitted with a 6½-litre engine, and won at an average speed of 115.25mph. Her fastest lap of 122.37mph also qualified her to become one of only four women to earn a 120mph badge.

finished as runner-up, while WO himself shared the fourth-placed car. However, it was back at Brooklands that the Bentleys truly began to make their mark during the 1920s with a host of excellent results and performances.

Following on from the early triumphs of the 3 Litre, further victories were racked up the 4½ Litre and Speed Six in both 6½ Litre and 8 Litre forms. The 1929 season was a

particular success for Bentley. Following an encouraging second place for Sammy Davis and Sir Roland Gunter, driving a works 4½ Litre, in the prestigious Double Twelve in May, Bentley Boys Woolf Barnato and Jack Dunfee scored a magnificent victory at the wheel of the celebrated double Le Mans-winning ‘Old No1’ Speed Six in the following month’s BARC Six Hours. For good measure, factory team-mates

Sammy Davis and Sir Roland Gunter in a 4½ Litre model finished as runners-up in the 1929 Double Twelve. By this time, Bentley’s success at Brooklands was well established.

Jack Dunfee (left) and Woolf Barnato won the 1929 BARC Six Hours with the ‘Old No1’ Speed Six. They are flanked by mechanic Walter Hassan (left) and Stan Ivermee.

Margaret Allan piloted the famous Old Mother Gun to victory in the 1936 Whitsun Long Handicap race. She was one of four women to earn a 120mph badge at Brooklands.

Humphrey Cook and Leslie Callingham finished third in a 4½.

Further glory followed to round out the year in October when the ever successful Clement, this time partnered by Jack Barclay, triumphed in the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) Brooklands 500 in a 4½ Litre. The duo led home a Bentley 1-2, with Sammy Davis and Clive Dunfee driving a Speed Six in second place. By this time,

A quick pit-stop for the ‘Old No2’ Speed Six of 1930 Double Twelve victors Woolf Barnato and Frank Clement. The difficult wet conditions are evident in this image.

The start of the 1930 Double Twelve, with the Dorothy Paget-entered Blower of Glen Kidston and Jack Dunfee (No5) in second spot, chased by the two works Speed Sixes.

Dr Dudley Benjafield (left) and Eddie Hall toast their second-place finish in the 1930 BRDC Brooklands 500 aboard the 4½ Litre Blower of Dorothy Paget.

Bentley truly ruled the roost at Brooklands and had five cars on the grid for the 500-miler, which was destined to become the fastest long-distance race in the world at that time.

The momentum and success continued in the 1930 season when Bentley, led home by Barnato and who else but Clement, scored another dominant 1-2 result in May’s Double Twelve endurance encounter at the wheel of the ‘Old No2’ Speed Six The event was split into two gruelling 12-hours legs and it saw Davis, this time partnered by Clive Dunfee’s brother Jack, classified second in an identical model.

To bring the curtain down on a successful year’s racing for Bentley at Brooklands, Dr Dudley Benjafield and Eddie Hall earned a runners-up slot in the BRDC Brooklands 500

Speed stars

Race victories aside, Bentley also proved itself as the go-to machine for speed records at Brooklands. Famed Bentley Boy Sir Tim Birkin set the absolute Brooklands Outer Circuit lap record of 137.96mph in his famous red single-seater 4½ Litre Blower in 1932, a benchmark that stood for two years.

This time set by Birkin is the fifth fastest speed ever recorded on the Outer Circuit, bettered only by, among others, the Barnato-Hassan Special (142.60mph), which sits second on the all-time list. Incidentally, the overall record holder, the Napier-Railton (143.44mph), uses a Bentley Speed Six steering box.

The lap speeds of 120mph and 130mph were always regarded as something of a holy grail at Brooklands, to the extent that drivers hitting these benchmarks were duly rewarded with badges marking their achievement. In all, a select band of three Bentley drivers

in a 4½ Blower entered by wealthy sponsor Dorothy Paget. The BRDC Brooklands 500 once again fell to Bentley in 1931, with the relatively unheralded partnership of Clive Dunfee and Cyril Paul claiming the spoils in a Barnato-entered Speed Six. The victory was also notable for being the last ever win for the illustrious ‘Old No1’.

As the most successful marque ever to compete at the legendary Surrey circuit, Bentley and Brooklands became synonymous with each other during the glamorous so-called Golden Age of motorsport in the 1920s and 1930s.

earned a 130mph badge, with 15 receiving a 120mph badge. Those who earned a 130mph were Kit Baker-Carr, George HarveyNoble, and Richard Marker. The 120mph badge was claimed by Margaret Allan, Kit

Baker-Carr, Dr Dudley Benjafield, Sir Tim Birkin, Cyril Dodson, George Duller, Clive Dunfee, Dudley Froy, Beris Harcourt Wood, Richard Marker, RC Merton-Neale, Ted Pacey, Cyril Paul, HW Purdy, and CJ Turner.

The final victory for ‘Old No1’ came in the 1931 BRDC Brooklands 500, thanks to Clive Dunfee and Cyril Paul’s triumph in the Woolf Barnato-entered Speed Six (No46).

Richard Marker, here in a 6½ Litre, was one of just three Bentley drivers to earn a 130mph badge. The others were Kit Baker-Carr and George Harvey-Noble.

Sir Tim Birkin set a Brooklands lap record of 137.96mph in his 4½ Litre Blower in 1932. This stood as the benchmark for others to aim at for two years.

Remember Brooklands in your Will

Since 1907 extraordinary people have been making their mark at Brooklands in the fields of Motorsport, Aviation and Engineering, leaving legacies that still resonate today.

Brooklands Museum depends solely upon income from our visitors and the generosity of our supporters and sponsors to fund the restoration and interpretation of our objects and site.

If you have been inspired by the pioneers of Brooklands, please help us ensure the enjoyment of future generations at the museum by including a gift to Brooklands Museum in your Will.

If you would like to receive further information about making a charitable gift in your Will or other ways you can help support Brooklands Museum, please contact the Chief Executive’s O ce: email tnewbery@brooklandsmuseum. com, call 01932 857381, or visit our website

www.brooklandsmuseum.com

members’ matters

Members AGM and annual address

This year’s Members AGM and Museum Director’s annual address will be held on 15 September in the Napier Room at Brooklands. This will be a live event with Members welcome to attend in person, and the AGM starts at 7pm. The Members Bar will be open from 6pm and food is available.

Those unable to attend the AGM at Brooklands can also take part via Zoom webinar. The login details for this will be made available closer to the AGM through the Members’ Newsletter and on the website.

The meeting will begin with the Members 12th AGM and reports, with a live question and answer session. This will be followed by the Director’s presentation and Q&A. The AGM gives Members the opportunity to ask questions of your Committee and the Museum Director, to hear how we dealt with the shutdown, and find out about planning for the future.

Kevin Lee, Brooklands Members Secretary

Hanging on for the Motorcycle Track Day

I’ve been a ‘hanger on’, a bit like a leech, of the Motorcycle Team at Brooklands for a number of years and have enjoyed joining them all at a number of events, so when John Bottomley asked if I’d like to go with him to Castle Combe I didn’t hesitate. Well, perhaps just a little after seeing the weather forecast. The drive to the circuit lived up to the BBC’s predictions and it was certainly wet and windy. John located where the early risers of the Brooklands contingent were gathered and we joined them.

Over the years, I’ve been to several track days and felt that to take part you needed to be either young, which I am certainly not, or mad, which perhaps I am. However, this was different. The day was organised by Classic Bike Track Days and John had done a deal, quelle surprise, with proprietors Darin and Rob to include five 15-minute sessions just for

Brooklands Members, with the number of bikes in each session limited to 20. What better arrangement could there be for getting your leg over, go out onto a proper racetrack and show your potential?

I’m not sure how many the Brooklands contingent numbered, perhaps you can count them in the photo, but as diverse as the Members were, so too were the bikes. That goes for all the other bikes in the paddock as there were 1980s 250cc Honda and Yamaha Grand Prix bikes, Ducati 916s, Suzuki GPZs, and one chap on a Honda CBX 1000 six-cylinder machine. I have one of these Hondas and would certainly not contemplate doing a track day on it! There was also not one but two Rotary Nortons.

The Brooklands mounts were equally eclectic. From Simon Combes with his Ducati 916 and ‘modern’ Gilera Saturno, through a gaggle of Norton singles and twins, via John’s Ducati and Yamaha to the ancients of Michael Digby and John Young – ancient applying to both the bikes and the riders!

I thought the circuit organisation was excellent. Sadly, the morning sessions were very wet, but as the day wore on the weather improved and the afternoon sessions were pretty much on a dry track. Simon Combes looked very smooth and indecently quick, and John Young was fast too on his JAP Special that was easily

Wisley help

identified by the plume of smoke which followed it. My ‘host’ got to ride both his Ducati and Yamaha, the latter complete with its lovely new ‘Saarinen’ front brake. A special mention for Michael Digby who, after a stressful morning, got out for three sessions on his lovely and absolutely oil tight 1935 Triumph Tiger 70.

If there were any downsides, it was that Mr Digby missed the morning sessions as his car door had blown shut and locked automatically with his keys inside. The circuit staff were brilliant in effecting an evidence-free break-in and Michael was set to go. The second was the Member, whose name I sadly don’t know, who was having his first ride on a lovely ‘low boy’

Dominator, which was a bit recalcitrant and eventually lost all gears.

Overall, though, a brilliant day and John pitched it at exactly the right level. If you have a bike and would like to get it out on the track but are a bit twitchy, then fear not, this is a track day tailored for you. Sadly, I will not be out to join you on my CBX as I haven’t got the stabilisers fitted!

My thanks to John for inviting me, to the weather gods who spared us from all that the BBC promised, and to all those members of the Brooklands Motorcycle Team whose company gave me so much pleasure throughout the day.

Alan Stanton

John Burch

A friend has loaned me three photos of his father, John  Bamford, working at Wisley on a radar system and a photo of his retirement in 1977. I wondered if any ex-Vickers-Armstrongs workers from Wisley knew John, are in the photo themselves, or recognize anyone in the photo. I guess the radar system was put up to assist test flights from Wisley.

CARS AND MOTORCYCLES

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If you are looking for a specific vehicle then please also get in contact as I may have or could source what you are looking for?

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Super in every respect

This book is unique. In every respect, SuperFinds is an impressive publication weighing in at a very respectable 4kg, with 400 pages and hundreds of unpublished images. It is the work of Michael Kliebenstein, who I had the privilege to interview back in the tail end of 2020 for a Members’ Talk: https://vimeopro.com/ brooklandsmembers/bmtv/video/4823916990

SuperFinds contains almost 900 prints from the 1960s and ’70s, all the work of Corrado Cupellini who spent a lifetime chasing and collecting images of important race and sports cars from around the world. Cupellini was a pioneer in the developing old car movement during that period. He had a mission: to explore, discover and rescue motor cars of merit before it was too late. He travelled the world following his passion and this extraordinary book is a photographic record of his astounding journey of discovery.

These are images of a pre-digital bygone era, a mixture of monochrome and colour prints, displaying all the charm of real Kodachrome film captured on a basic Minolta camera in a natural habitat with no post-production processing or filters. These wonderful negatives were discovered by the author in a cardboard box in a garage in Bergamo, near Milan, Italy and numbered in excess of 9000 images of Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Bugatti, Maserati and many more marques filmed around the world by Cupellini. At the time, the majority of these cars were abandoned and only recognised for their scrap value. How the world has changed.

A passionate lament

Stephen Bayley approaches the subject of cars from a very particular point of view. In The Age of Combustion, he applies his considerable knowledge of design and aesthetics to the impending demise of the internal combustion engine and how this invention has impacted on the world over the course of the past 140 years. Made up from many of his columns printed in Octane over the past decade, some of the short chapters may seem familiar to anyone who reads the magazine. However, Bayley has extended many of them and other chapters are new. His writing style is not to all tastes and Bayley isn’t one to shy from a controversial or contrary view, but this makes his book more entertaining as it regularly challenges one’s own ideas.

There’s no doubting Bayley’s love for the car in its many forms. It’s clear he is as fascinated and frustrated in equal measure at some of the directions car companies and designers have taken. He also includes short snippets about his favourite cars, which are just as insightful into what has shaped the author’s ideas.

Arranged over more than 200 pages and handsomely produced as you’d expect of a book written by a design critic, The Age of Combustion’s format makes it easy to dip in and out of. Bayley describes his book as a ‘threnody’ of lament as the cars he loves are superseded, but it’s more passionate than that and worth a read for this alone.

Alisdair Suttie

This is not a book to race to the end, more a meander, stopping off to absorb the scenery and reflect on the sheer beauty of just what designers, engineers and coachbuilders including Pinin Farina, Zagato, Touring, Vignale, Saoutchik and Bertone created during this post war period. SuperFinds is like meeting up with an old friend and discovering something new every time you turn a page. It would be doing SuperFinds a great disservice to dismiss it as a coffee table book, though the sheer scale of its contents means you will need to invest in a very strong coffee table.

Steve Clarke

AROUND THE COLLECTION

Brooklands Members

Members’ Administrator

Sarah Dover 01932 857381 ext 226 Mon-Fri members@brooklandsmuseum.com

Chairman

Neil Bailey 07970 206778 chairman@brooklandsmembers.co.uk

Secretary

Kevin Lee 01932 562246 kevin@abbeywalls.com

Tours and Trips

Angela Hume 07884 184882 Angelahume@brooklandsmembers.co.uk

Outreach

David Norfolk 01372 373929 david@davidnorfolk.wanadoo.co.uk

Talks

Steve Clarke 07860 355525 steveclarke@brooklandsmembers.co.uk

BM.tv

Mark Jarman 07710 783536 nonesuche@gmail.com

Bulletin Editor

Alisdair Suttie 07768 372440 brooklandsbulletineditor@gmail.com

Contributors

Katherine Allen, Chris Bound, John Burch, Steve Castle, Debbie Crawt, Sarah Dover, Martin Gegg, Peter Guest, Christopher Harris, Ray Hopper, Angela Hume, Anna Jackson, Max Kingsley-Jones, Jennifer Larwood, Kevin Lee, Andrew Lewis, CJ Moore, Stuart Newman, Julian Nowell, Alan Stanton, Gareth Tarr, Mike Venables

Advertising, Design and Production: Hine Marketing, Tel: 01452 730770

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Address change and Bulletin distribution

queries

01932 857381 ext 226 members@brooklandsmuseum.co.uk

Brooklands Museum, Brooklands Road, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 0QN 01932 857381 Fax: 01932 855465 www.brooklandsmuseum.com

Brooklands Museum

Chairman Sir Gerald Acher CBE LVO gerryacher@brooklandsmuseum.com

CEO Tamalie Newbery ext 243

Director of Engagement & Heritage

Alex Patterson ext 247

Visitor Experience Manager

Jenny Pettit ext 302

Volunteer & HR Manager

Aimee Nelson ext 303

Learning Officer

Laura Barclay ext 257

Curatorial and Archive Enquiries

Beatrice Meecham ext 253

Chief Operating Officer

Amanda Squires ext 255

Head of Track and Air Events

Steve Castle ext 244

Concorde Bookings

ext 266

flyconcorde@brooklandsmuseum.com

Hospitality Sales Manager

Andrew Webber ext 251

hospitality@brooklandsmuseum.com

Marketing Director

Sam Hart ext 225

Email addresses are available on the Museum website www.brooklandsmuseum.com/about/ contact-us

Racing improves the breed and this was the clear thinking behind Dunlop establishing its Tyre Depot at Brooklands. Built in 1921, it’s the oldest of the sheds in the motoring village, though the tyre company’s history goes back much further.

Dunlop was founded in 1889 by Scottish vet John Boyd Dunlop and Irish financier William Harvey du Cros. Dunlop’s idea for a pneumatic tyre was inspired by watching his son riding a tricycle on cobbled streets. Noticing how much the solid rubber tyres caused the trike to jiggle and squirm, Dunlop realised an air-filled tyre would offer a more cushioned, comfortable, and quicker ride.

Cycling was the main thrust of the Dunlop business to begin with, but the growing motoring scene saw the company launch its first car tyre in 1900. By 1902, motorsport success was already part of the Dunlop approach with victory in the 1902 Paris-Vienna race. The car was a Renault driven by its creator, Marcel Renault.

Realising that racing accelerated the testing and development of tyres, Dunlop set up shop at Brooklands to take advantage of Britain’s first dedicated race track. Norman Freeman was Dunlop’s racing

Parking arrangements

manager at Brooklands, who oversaw the supply of tyres to racing drivers and teams, and studied the effect of racing on the tyres. The workshop even supplied tyres for Sir Henry Segrave’s Sunbeam 1000hp World Land Speed Record car that took the record to 203.79mph in March 1927.

However, it was David McDonald (pictured) who supervised tyre fitting at race meetings and who the drivers got to know. As a result, the Tyre Depot became known as ‘Dunlop Mac’s’ and the name has stuck ever since.

Please note that for all events marked ‘Parking in The Heights’, designated vehicles only can enter via the Campbell Gate, off Brookland’s Road. All other Members including Club level and visitors please park in The Heights or main public car park unless otherwise specified.

Parking arrnagements for other weekend events are:

Club level Members: entry via Campbell Gate and parking outside the Paddock. Period and classic vehicles only inside the Paddock by invitation. Please abide by staff directions.

All other Members and visitors: entry via main public entrance off Brooklands Drive.

This issue of the Brooklands Bulletin (incorporating The Spirit) is published on behalf of Brooklands Members, supporters of Brooklands Museum Trust Ltd, by Hine Marketing, Hill Farm Studios, Wainlodes Lane, Bishops Norton, Gloucestershire GL2 9LN. The statements and opinions expressed in the Bulletin are not necessarily those of the Brooklands Members’ Committee or Brooklands Museum Trust Ltd.

While every effort has been made by the Publishers to include correct information, they are unable to accept responsibility for errors or omissions. The Publishers, Brooklands Members and Brooklands Museum Trust Limited cannot accept responsibility in the event of misinformation or lack of source relating to images supplied by a third party by electronic or other means.

Charity number 296661. Please quote this if making donations or requesting them via a funeral director.

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