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[elansprint72]

Latest news:

Press Release from VSCC

Legendary Land Speed Record Car to feature at VSCC SeeRed

For Immediate Release 12 May 2011

The 24 Litre Napier-Railton Endurance Record and Track Racing Car from the thirties will perform demonstration runs over the weekend at VSCC SeeRed 21-22 May 2011.

Now owned by Brooklands Museum in Surrey, the team from the Museum will transport the car up to Leicestershire and run the 12 cylinder, Napier Lion engined machine on the only circuit racing track in the UK with Pre-war history in demonstration laps during the lunchbreak of the action packed VSCC SeeRed race meeting.

Commissioned by the Brooklands driver John Cobb, and designed by Reid Railton, the car was built by Thomson and Taylor at their engineering works within the Brooklands site in the early 1930s. It first raced at Brooklands in August 1933 and then went on to break many Land Speed Record attempts at Bonneville Salt Flats. In total, the car secured 42 world and international records between 1933 and 1937, and its Brooklands race wins included the 1935 BRDC 500-mile race at an average speed of 121.28mph (an average speed for a 500-mile race not exceeded until Indianapolis in 1949) and the 1937 BRDC 500km race at an average of 127.05mph.

In the 1950s the car was used to test aircraft parachute deployment; then the Hon Patrick Lindsay acquired the car and used it in VSCC races in the 1960s. Purchased by the Brooklands Mueseum Trust in 1997 it is regularly demonstrated by the museum at events all over Europe and America.

The car was demonstrated at Donington Park in 1935 shortly after having taken the 24 hour speed record at Utah in the USA, still fitted with the headlights from the record attempt. The photograph, with the famous ‘Beleisha Beacon’ that used to be the original start line, will be re-created by the VSCC and Brooklands Museum on Saturday 21 May.

The car will be on display all weekend in the ‘free access’ paddock allowing the general public the opportunity to view the vehicle and learn more about its history.

The VSCC SeeRed Vintage and Historic Race Meeting has a programme of 16 races spanning the Vintage and Historic eras, the earliest car entered is Simon Llewellyn’s 1915 Luverne the latest being the Lotus 16 of Eddie McGuire thatwill race in the well supported Historic Seaman and Flockhart Trophies Race for Pre 1961 racing cars.

Tickets for SeeRed cost £15 per day on the gate, savings can be made by booking in advance before Tuesday 17 May (£10 per day for VSCC members or £12 per day for the general public). To book call01608 644999. Children under 16 go free. Parking and paddock access is free. Action starts from 9.00am each day until late afternoon.

To see a full programme of the races over the weekend please visit the SeeRed website, www.vsccseered.co.uk Donington Park is located near East Midlands airport, just off junction 23a of the M1 motorway near Derby and Nottingham.

Gillian Carr
PR Manager
Vintage Sports-Car Club
T: 01608 644777 ext 3
E: gillian.carr@vscc.co.uk

[Derwent Motorsport]

Well I am entered in the GTS race and I would point out that many of the GTS cars (Pre 66) are newer than the Lotus 16! LOL
Strange that the PR did not mentioned the outright record for Brooklands which stood for over 30 years as the fastest lap on any UK circuit.
You can't get the PR writers these days!!

[RogerFrench]

It's also strange, or perhaps a sign of the times, that the Napier-Railton's records are referred to as Land Speed Records.

When I was a lad, there was only one Land Speed Record. John Cobb held it, it's true, but not in that car. Any other records were class records.
I seem to remember Jenks, or maybe it was the Bod, getting irritated about the same thing.

O tempora! O mores!