Record Breaking Places

Work commenced in the autumn of 1906 and the Brooklands Automobile Racing Club was founded to administer the project and to run the establishment. In January 1907 the specialist firm of Price and Reeves took over the construction. More than 2000 labourers and craftsmen, working in shifts around the clock 6 days a week, felled and levelled 30 acres of woodlands and built two bridges across the river Wey which was also diverted in two places.

The official opening was on 17th June 1907 and the total cost of the project to Locke King was £150,000. After the opening but before the first race the circuit was used for a land speed record attempt by Selwyn Francis Edge who successfully established a 24hour record using roadside lanterns on the track completing 1,581 miles at an average speed of almost 66mph.

The first race was on 6thJuly and in order to introduce members of the public to this new sport a similar format to house racing was adopted. Vehicles were prepared in the paddock, scrutineered and given numbers. Up to 1914 the drivers even wore multi colured smocks like jockeys. A system of handicapping was also introduced firstly by varying the start times of the competitors and later by placing sand banks on the track with different cars taking different routes to even out any differences in the vehicles.

There were numerous events and meetings with short and long races. These included distances of 100, 150, 200, 500 and 1,000 miles as well as six-hour endurance and relay races. The First British Grand Prix was held here in August 1926. Attempts at records were also made at he end of the season during the winter months. These included outright lap records as well as the 1, 12 and 24 hour records. The World's Land Speed record was broken three times and 100 miles was covered in one hour for the first time.

In 1909 the Test Hill consisting of three progressively steeper gradients was constructed. In 1930 the 'Moutain Circuit' was used consisting of the clockwise use of the finishing straight, members banking and the hairpin bend at the fork. During the winter of 1936-37 the new 32ft wide road circuit was added. It was designed and named after Malcolm Campbell. It cleverly used the centre of the circuit avoiding the runway and the sewage works incorporating the Members Banking and half of the Railway Straight from the existing outer circuit to complete the lap. It also gave an excellent view for the spectators on the Members Hill and was built as a direct result of the competition from the then recently opened circuits at Donington Park and Crystal Palace.

Malcolm Campbell had raced at Brooklands as early as 1911 in a Darracq and was a regular competitor both before and after the First World War. All the Blue Bird cars were demonstrated and displayed at Brooklands. Campbell even had his own workshops at Brooklands and these 'Campbell Sheds' next to the clubhouse, now form a major part of the museum. The Vickers wind tunnel was used to design the bodywork for the Blue Bird cars and three of the record breaking cars were built at the Thomson and Tailor works at Brooklands where the designer Reid Railton worked. The body to Malcolm Campbell's final 1935 Blue Bird was built in the sheds.

Other famous drivers at Brooklands included Henry Segrave, Godfrey Parry-Thomas, Henry Birkin, Kaye Don, George Eyston and John Cobb. The latter set an Outer Circuit lap record in the Napier-Railton at 143.44mph in 1935 that was never beaten. Also the car was holder of both standing start and flying start lap records as well as the winner of the fastest short and fastest long distance races and is considered by many to be the ultimate Brooklands Racing Car.

Further details can be found at the official Brooklands Museum website.