Brooklands Centenary Event
Sunday 17^th June 2007.

It was billed as a once in a lifetime event, and to be honest, it was just that. To really appreciate the significance of this event you have to be well into pre WW11 motors and motorsport. You have to know the difference between any old engine fumes, and the superb aroma of Castrol R because the place was full of the latter.

Although the official celebrations had started on the Saturday, we were taking part in the Triple-M Register weekend that was based in Old Windsor on the Friday and Saturday and moved on to Brooklands on Sunday, the actual day 100 years after this world’s first was opened.

This was the first weekend of the floods! We drove our 1935 MG NB down south through absolute awful weather including a 3 mile stretch of the M1 around Sheffield that took over 2 hours, with the water temp touching 100 degrees at times. Thank God for Water Wetter!

The Register event got underway proper early Saturday morning with a scenic drive through the Cotswolds. The morning was fine but around noon the heavens opened again and it continued to rain for the rest of the day. How much water does a 70 odd year old car let in? Lots.

Photos by Terry Hartley - click on image to enlarge

Happily Sunday had brilliant weather. A 30 min drive to Brooklands and we were ushered into a dedicated parking area. Only pre-war cars were allowed to park in the Brooklands grounds so by 10 am the scene was just like it would have been back in the 30’s. Cars parked in Marque groups, over 80 MG’s along with masses of Bentley, Alvis, Riley, Lagonda, Sunbeam etc cars and many makes you have only read about. But that was only the ‘Participating Spectators’ area. All the cars with Brooklands competitive history were parked in front of the clubhouse, all around the tuning sheds and in the paddock. Loads of them. From the massive specials with aero engines right down to diminutive 3 wheeler Morgans, motorbikes and cycles, they all raced at Brooklands in their time. Many people had been encouraged to wear period dress, so there were plenty of sights to be seen, from glamorous to comical. Think of the Goodwood Revival but more 20’s and 30’s.

You were reminded how brave (or foolhardy) these early drivers must have been because even when parading around bits of the original and new track (albeit enthusiastically) some of the big specials had ‘moments’. The Blitzen Benz, a 4 cylinder car of 21.5 litres. The 24 litre Napier-Railton of John Cobb. ‘Babs’, the 27 litre land speed record car that killed Parry Thomas at Pendine and many other legendary cars made their way through the paddock and down to the Byfleet banking then to a demonstration circuit comprising of the old Campbell straight and the new Mercedes Benz test area. MG’s were very well represented with race cars including Double 12 M types, C types, J3’s & J4’s, P’s, K3’s, L’s, N’s, Q’s and the delectable ex Evans’ R type. We put on a good show to the thousands that were there and by the end of the day everyone knew that MG’s were the most campaigned cars of the Brooklands era.

Were there any disappointments? Only two. If anything Mercedes Benz, who now own all the Brooklands complex, stamped it with their brand too much. We could have done without seeing several long periods of them demonstrating their latest models on track as well as last years McLaren F1 (well that was okay, I suppose). Also, and I will never understand this, why was the scheduled 1 hours flying demonstration of ex Brooklands developed aircraft cancelled? Because too many people were at the event!!! What’s that about then when they controlled the sale of tickets? But at least the weather was nice and sunny.

Travelling back up to Leeds on Monday it rained all the way!

Review by

Terry and Sue Hartley