The Brooklands Podcast

Brooklands volunteer and bomber command researcher Ian Hunt talks with the author Michael Napier about the writing of the book in Barnes Wallis office at Brooklands Museum. The most famous and successful heavy bomber flown by the RAF during World War 2, the Avro Lancaster remains one of the most enduring symbols of RAF, and indeed British, history. This book presents a completely new and original perspective on the iconic Avro Lancaster by covering the 24-hour cycle of a Lancaster squadron. Using over 200 first-hand accounts and illustrated with numerous photographs, it describes the activities and life of aircrew, ground maintenance personnel, mission planners and the plethora of support personnel each of whom played a vital role in the operation of a Lancaster bomber squadron. Starting with the ground activities on a typical wartime Lancaster airfield and the preparations for a night raid, the book then takes the reader with the aircrews on a night bombing mission over Germany, to discover the many dangers and hazards facing the crews throughout the flight, in their own words. In the thought-provoking and deeply poignant epilogue, the aircrew review their achievements against the sacrifices they made.

Lella Lombardi is best remembered as the only woman (to date) to have finished in a point scoring position in a Formula 1 World Championship Grand Prix. But there was so much more to Lella than this groundbreaking, but career-defining statistic. A gutsy and gritty competitor, Lella won Italian National Championships in both single seaters and saloons, before going on to be a front runner in Formula 5000. At international level she won races in the World Cup Sportscar Championship and later she was the mainstay of the Alfa Romeo European touring car squad, where she was a regular class winner. Lella went on to set up her own racing team, before sadly succumbing to breast cancer at the tragically young age of 50. Many racing enthusiasts know of Lella but few know very much about her. Five decades after her landmark Formula One result, author Jon Saltinstall meticulously researched Lella's life, with the support of her family, and wrote the first complete biography of this enigmatic and pioneering racing driver. Jon's presentation includes many previously unpublished photographs of Lella's life and career.

Britain's 1st Grand Prix took place at Brooklands in August 1926. To mark the centenary, the Brooklands Museum Talks Team head Harry Sherrard collaborates with one of the world's leading motorsport journalists, Maurice Hamilton. The presentation covers the first century of British Grands Prix, including highlights such as Campbell v Seagrave at Brooklands, Moss v Fangio at Aintree, Hunt v Lauda at Brands Hatch and Hamilton v Verstappen at Silverstone.

On 25th October 2016 Simon Taylor compered a Brooklands Members Talk in the Napier Room at Brooklands Museum on the motorsport life of James Hunt, in particular 1976. Simon talks with Maurice Hamilton, Tony Dron and Freddie Hunt about their memories of the great man.

As the final rung below Formula 1 on motor racing’s ladder to the top, the International Formula 3000 Championship ran from 1985 to 2004 and nurtured numerous drivers who went on to become future stars. Jean Alesi, Christian Fittipaldi, Juan Pablo Montoya and Nick Heidfeld all became International F3000 champions on the way to Formula 1. Brooklands Members president Damon Hill impressed in F3000 before securing the Williams testing role, which led to a full-time drive and ultimately the championship. Notables who established themselves in team ownership and management included Eddie Jordan, Christian Horner, Helmut Marko and David Sears. Our speaker is James Newbold, author of "Formula 3000 – Where Legends Earned Their Stripes" whose meticulous research into F3000’s 20-year history included interviews with over 100 key figures from the era. James is joined by prominent F3000 drivers, engineers and team owners, including former Lotus Formula One driver Martin Donnelly, who was a consultant on the 2025 Brad Pitt blockbuster film, F1, and whose Jerez accident features in the movie.

Recorded in 2012 at Sir Stirling's Mayfair home by Phil Sampson/Albany Communications, this is a wonderful conversation between Murray Walker and Sir Stirling Moss. Both, in their own way, are national Treasures; Murray Walker, the voice of motorsport, and Sir Stirling Moss, Mr Motor Racing (as Murray eloquently puts it). When it comes to greatness, there is no test greater than that of time – and despite the fact that both Murray and Sir Stirling had been retired for many years, their popularity, fame, and the memories each created, unquestionably live on.

Matt talks candidly with Mark Jarman about his multifaceted career in F1 and writing the novel "The Boy Made the Difference".

A Reliability Engineer is one of those vital trackside roles, well understood within the confines of the F1 paddock, but perhaps its existence is lesser known outside of the travelling F1 circus. It’s always been a vital cog, linking trackside and factory operations, but the greater the calendar congestion, the more critical it becomes. Abbie Robison is one of McLaren's Reliability Engineers, splitting her time between weeks working trackside and the race bays at the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC). “A reliability engineer, in a nutshell, is a problem-solver,” says Abbie. “It’s about dealing with any problem we have as quickly as possible, and ensuring the car stays on track – but there is also an element of thinking ahead. I like to break it down into the reactive element of dealing with issues as they appear, and then a proactive element of thinking about how to stop those issues from happening in the first place.”

Nadine Lewis is an experienced marshal and the first female Chair of the British Motorsport Marshals Club (BMMC). She talks with Mark Jarman about her involvement in BMMC and the importance of volunteers as marshals in all forms of motorsport.

Millie talks with Mark Jarman about her work as an aerodynamicist at Aston Martin and her progression through school and university that inspired her.

Doug McKiernan is a British Formula One and aerospace aerodynamics engineer. He is currently the chief technical officer at Zero Petroleum which he co-founded alongside Paddy Lowe and Nilay Shah focusing on the development of sustainable synthetic fuels for motorsport and wider transport applications.

James Dornor is the visionary Founder & CEO of Driven By Us,, a pioneering community-driven organisation dedicated to empowering aspiring leaders from ethnic minorities and underserved groups within automotive and motorsport industries. James talks with Mark Jarman about his life and career to date in motorsport and what has motivated him throughout his lived experience and instrustry insights to creating Driven By Us, to bridge the gap between underrepresented talent and the motorsport industry.

A very entertaining Derek Daly talks with Harry about his life in motorsport. Derek graduated all the way from Irish Formula Ford to Formula One on pure merit. His rise through the junior formulae was meteoric, winning the Formula Ford Festival ahead of Derek Warwick in 1976, then taking the British Formula 3 spoils the following year. He made his Grand Prix debut the next year, less than two years after graduating from Formula Ford. After driving for the March, Tyrrell and Williams Formula One teams, Derek moved stateside, racing in the Indianapolis 500, and going on to achieve much success in endurance racing, including completing at Le Mans for Jaguar. After retirement from driving, Derek re-invented himself as a highly successful motivational speaker, drawing on his experiences in his motorsport career.

Peter Grimsdale talks with the author Midge Gillies about her passion in writing this book and the stories of six female aviators from the early days of aviation. This is the astounding story of the six female aviators who battled to become the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean by plane. In the early 20th century, the dream of crossing the Atlantic by air was as potent as putting a man on the moon would be 50 years later. But many people believed women too fragile and lacking in the skills to endure the gruelling conditions of flying long distances. In Atlantic Furies, Midge Gillies uncovers the stories of Elsie Mackay, Lady Anne Savile, Frances Grayson, Ruth Elder, Amelia Earhart, and Mabel Boll. These courageous, rule-breaking aviators risked everything to prove that women could fly the Atlantic. Some had lied to their families in order not to be stopped, others duped the press about their intentions and, ultimately, three lost their lives, but each pushed the boundaries of the possible. Atlantic Furies celebrates the bravery, panache, and drive of these trail-blazing aviators, who showed the world that it wasn’t just men who could conquer the skies.

Tom Crean was the unsung hero of Antarctic exploration, whose incredible exploits with Captain Scott and Ernest Shackleton were overlooked for 80 years. Crean, who ran away from home as a teenager, served on three expeditions to the Antarctic, and spent longer on the ice than either Scott or Shackleton. He was among the last to see Scott alive near the South Pole in 1912 and returned to the ice to bury his frozen body. Crean was also a major figure on Shackleton's Endurance expedition; he crossed the Southern Ocean with Shackleton in an open boat, trekked over the glaciers and mountains of South Georgia and returned to rescue his comrades marooned on the desolate Elephant Island. But Tom Crean never spoke about his exploits, never wrote a book nor kept a diary, taking his remarkable story to the grave. Polar historian Michael Smith, who researched and wrote the definitive account of Crean’s life, presents a fascinating account.

David talks about his father Jack Brabham and the evolution of the Brabham F1 team, through David's multi discipline motorsport successes to the development of the current radical technical Formula One era.

The powerful true story of the first flight across the Atlantic and the ordinary heroes who risked their lives in pursuit of progress. In 1919, in Newfoundland, four teams of aviators came from Britain to compete in “the Big Hop”: an audacious race to be the first to fly, non-stop, across the Atlantic Ocean. One pair of competitors was forced to abandon the journey halfway, and two pairs never made it into the air. Only one team, after a death-defying sixteen-hour flight, made it to Ireland. Celebrated on both continents, the transatlantic contest offered a surge of inspiration—and a welcome distraction—to a public reeling from the Great War and the influenza pandemic. But the seven airmen who made the attempt were quickly forgotten, their achievement overshadowed by the solo Atlantic flights of Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart years later. In The Big Hop, David grants the pioneering aviators of 1919 the spotlight they deserve. From Harry Hawker, the pilot who as a young man had watched Houdini fly over Australia, to the engineer Ted Brown, a US citizen who joined the Royal Flying Corps, David traces the lives of the unassuming men who performed extraordinary acts in the sky. Mining evocative first-person accounts and aviation archives, David also follows the participants’ journeys: learning to fly on flimsy aeroplanes made of timber struts and varnished fabric; surviving the bloodiest war that Europe had ever yet seen; and battling faulty coolant systems, severe storms, and extreme fatigue while attempting the Atlantic. David transports readers to the world in which the great contest took place and trace the rise of aviation to its daredevil peak in the early decades of the twentieth century.

The author Russell Hayes talks with Brooklands.tv's Gareth Tarr about the book's compilation. Aston Martin is the Great British survivor among car manufacturers. Created as Bamford & Martin in 1913, Aston Martin’s subsequent century-long existence has seen the company go bust seven times, win the Le Mans 24 Hours and become indispensable transport for a certain movie spy. This comprehensive and timely two-volume study by Russell Hayes covers Aston Martin’s adventure from the very beginning, setting the cars in context with the changing automotive world and rivals, and adding insights from contemporary road tests and first-hand accounts from recent company personalities. Fourteen chapters make sense of every Aston Martin for both the cognoscenti and the uninitiated, supported by a lavish array of photographs.

Recorded in Michael's studio at his home in 2024, he talks with Mark Jarman of Brooklands.tv about his life painting aircraft and how by flying in them he was able to produce the desired results!

When Hazel Hill was just 13 years old, her father came home with a challenge for her. As a scientific officer at the Air Ministry in 1934, Captain Fred Hill felt that Spitfires and Hurricanes should be armed with eight guns, instead of the four they were initially designed with. However, there were concerns that aircraft would be unable to fly with the added weight. Hazel was a talented mathematician so he asked her to do the calculations for him. They were able to prove that eight guns were possible, and the firepower of the RAF was dramatically improved ahead of the Battle of the Britain. This would prove to be absolutely vital, giving the RAF the edge it so desperately needed. Hazel's son Ted and grand daughter Felicity came to Brooklands and met with Beatrice Merridan, Head of Collections & Audience Engagement and Kathryn Selwyn, Research and Collections Officer to talk about Hazel and her dad Fred Hill.

Matthew Field and Ajay Chowdhury, authors of Spy Octane: The Vehicles of James Bond, Volume 1, reveal the extraordinary detective work that unearthed new and ground-breaking secrets behind some of 007’s most iconic vehicles and the machines that propelled Sean Connery and George Lazenby through the first seven Bond adventures. The authors share fascinating stories about the customised Toyota 2000 GT convertibles built exclusively for You Only Live Twice, including one long thought lost, as well as the Aston Martin DBS Vantage and the Mercury Cougar XR-7 convertibles featured in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. They also explore the history of Little Nellie, the remarkable autogyro designed by Wing Commander Ken Wallis, which became one of the most memorable gadgets in Bond history. Volume 1 covers the first seven EON films: Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Diamonds Are Forever. It tells the fascinating story of the Aston Martin DB5, Toyota 2000GT, the autogyro Little Nellie, the Disco Volante, the spectacular two-wheeled Ford Mustang stunt and much more. Step into the golden era of James Bond and hear the untold stories behind the cars, bikes, and aircraft that defined the world’s longest-running film franchise!

The author Suzanne Schartel talks with Brooklands Martin Gegg about the writing of the book... Hilde & Tommy - this is the authentic love story between Hilde, the youngest daughter of Fritz Gehr, director of the world-famous German NSU vehicle factory, and the legendary English motorcycle racer Tom "Tommy" Bullus. The book provides a unique insight into the eventful history of the company up to the end of the Weimar Republic as well as the incredible story of the exceptional talent Bullus. The author Susanne Schartel, great-granddaughter of the NSU director's family, skilfully interweaves the stories and personal notes of her ancestors with meticulously researched historical facts. She describes in a captivating way how fateful and momentous the first visit of the likeable chap from Yorkshire to Neckarsulm in December 1929 was for both sides. She also allows the reader to participate in the eventful life of the Swabian entrepreneurial family as well as the most important motorcycle racing events and other current affairs of the time. The richly illustrated biographical novel contains over 400 never-before-published documents and photographs from the family estate, the archives of various motoring organisations as well as from private collections and many other sources. Neckarsulm 1924: Hilde, the pretty youngest daughter of the NSU director, lives a carefree life full of comforts with her family at "Villa Gehr" on the edge of the factory grounds. Her father has been with the company for 20 years, which has developed from a knitting machine factory into one of the world's leading bicycle, motorbike and car manufacturers and is celebrating its 50th anniversary today. Hilde's light-hearted life is clouded in the late 1920s by the economic problems in the country and in her father's company. In addition, her two older sisters marry and move out of the family home. Hilde wonders whether she too will find her personal happiness one day. Find out by reading the book!

Gareth Tarr talks with the author Peter Grimsdale about the writing of the book. Silverstone, 1950 – the first post-war Grand Prix and the birth of Formula One. The king and queen, alongside 150,000 spectators, watch in dismay as Italy’s Alfa Romeos scream past to claim the first three places. British cars are hopelessly outclassed by Alfa Romeos and Maseratis. How can it be, they all wonder, that Italy, its industry reduced to rubble by Allied bombs so recently, has set new standards of speed and style that leave the rest of the world for dust? Italy’s ability to outflank its more powerful and better-equipped neighbours is nothing new. At the turn of the century Italy made so few cars that its output wasn’t recorded, by 1907 Italian cars and drivers swept the board in the first Grand Prix season. In Superveloce, Peter Grimsdale explores the mystery of how a country with no industrial revolution, hampered by poverty, came to represent an innovation and flair that other countries struggled to match. Grimsdale traces a century of Italian design genius, the rise of great marques such as Ferrari, Fiat and Alfa Romeo. We see the lives of fiercely charismatic and competitive drives like Ascari, Varzi and Nuvolari. Does the secret lie deep in Italy’s cultural heritage – in historic links between art and machine going back to da Vinci? Or is it simply ‘sprezzatura’ – the art of making something difficult look effortlessly easy?

The prototype Hawker Hurricane K5083 performed its maiden flight at Brooklands on 6 November 1935, and we mark the 90th anniversary by welcoming to Brooklands Dilip Sarkar MBE. Dilip is a globally acknowledged expert on all aspects of the Battle of Britain and, during his long career, he enjoyed a privileged relationship with many of Churchill's Few. He has written over 60 books, including the definitive eight volume, million word official history of the Battle, commissioned by the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust. He has also worked on numerous television and film projects on the subject. Made an MBE for services to aviation history in 2003, Dilip shares with us his unrivalled knowledge of the Hurricane, including accounts of missions in the aircraft given personally to Dilip by Battle of Britain veterans.

Members Coffee & Collections November 2025 - Allan Winn talks about Land Speed Records and Brooklands by Nonesuche Media

David Richards at Brooklands on 7th October 2025 talking about his life in Motorsport and Prodrive. David Richards CBE first gained prominence in motorsport by navigating Ari Vatanen to the World Rally Championship in 1981. David then established ProDrive which, over 40 years, has won events and championships across multiple motorsport disciplines including rallying, touring cars, Le Mans and Dakar. Colin McRae and Richard Burns both drove ProDrive cars to World Rally Championship success. In 1998 David became chief executive of the Benetton Formula One team and later was brought in to run the BAR Formula One team, guiding it to second place in the 2004 Formula One constructors championship, driven by Jenson Button. David continues to oversee ProDrive automotive and engineering projects, and combines this with chairing the Board of Motorsport UK.

In the pipeline for nearly a decade, 2025 saw the publication of "Formula 2 – The Glory Years". The book celebrates the wonderful era of the European Formula 2 Championship, which began in 1967 and concluded in 1984. Formula 2 pitted emerging heroes against the greats of the day and in its earlier years virtually all the top F1 drivers — names like Jackie Stewart, Jack Brabham, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt, Ronnie Peterson and Bruce McLaren — battled with young chargers in races that thrilled huge crowds at the best European circuits. We welcome to Brooklands Simon Taylor talking with Chris Chitty, Bob Constandurous and Ian Phillips who covered this epic era of motorsport. Double World Sportscar Champion and five-time Le Mans winner Derek Bell is also part of the panel. Derek finished second in the 1970 European Formula 2 Championship driving a Brabham, and he also raced a works Ferrari in Formula 2.

BMtv's Gareth Tarr talks with Sir William's grandson Michael Quinn and author Giles Chapman about the compilation and delivery of the book. This is a Jaguar book with a difference. In 1969 Sir William Lyons gave an address to the Institute of the Motor Industry under the title ‘The History of the Jaguar and the future of the Specialised car in the British Motor Industry’. Delivered just after the launch of the seminal XJ6 saloon, it is a captivating personal account that explains how he built up Jaguar and what, in his view, made Jaguars special and distinctive. His extensive text forms the heart of this book, supported by a vivid array of archive photographs and rounded off with a preface by Michael Quinn (Sir William’s grandson) and an epilogue by Giles Chapman (the book’s originator and compiler) examining Sir William’s lasting legacy and the future of the great British brand he created. Here, uniquely, is the essence of Jaguar by the man who started it all, and who so rarely aired his thoughts in public.

Recorded at his home on 5th August 2025, Karl talks with BMtv's Gareth Tarr about his latest three volume set of books "POWER UNLEASHED. TRAILBLAZERS WHO ENERGISED ENGINES WITH SUPERCHARGING AND TURBOCHARGING". Award-winning author Karl Ludvigsen takes the reader behind the scenes of the roller-coaster ride of supercharging, turbocharging and even more exotic power-boosting inventions throughout automotive and aviation history. Supercharging in all its forms is the most exciting feature ever created to go under the bonnet of a motor car. Blowers were rare yet highly desirable devices in their early heyday of the 1920s and ’30s, an era in which compressors graced supremely glamorous and race-winning cars. They also won respect from aviators eager to exploit high altitudes. Prolific use of forced induction in the air in World War II brought forth the many engineering geniuses who populate these pages. Having seemed abandoned on land, supercharging found new acolytes who perfected blowers for road and track. They rescued the turbocharger to open new avenues for high-pressure boosting in the 1970s and ’80s. Into the 21st century turbocharging has found its way into more and more cars to enhance both performance and fuel efficiency. Power Unleashed is a three-volume work of astonishing depth and detail. Greatly respected for his ability to communicate information while telling a compelling story, Karl Ludvigsen explores the global saga of supercharging and turbocharging. Complete with reader-friendly technical descriptions and magnificent illustrations, he introduces the fascinating individuals who bet their businesses on boosting. This is a landmark work in the histories of the automobile and aeroplane.

Recorded at his home on 5th August 2025, Karl talks with BMtv's Gareth Tarr about his chequered career in the automotive industries and as an author spanning 60 years. In this part he talks about the Porsche, Mercedes and Ferrari book collections.

The author Crispian Besley is in conversation with Harry Sherrard. People lie, cheat, steal and even kill for a variety of reasons, one of which is to go motor racing, a particularly expensive and egotistical sport. Join author Crispian Besley as he shares salacious tales from the track as featured in his award-winning book. ‘Driven to Crime’, was the result of years of research, and it encompasses not just those who have been ‘driven to crime’ in order to pay for their sport but also characters within motor racing who have been involved in wrongdoing. From true stories of deceit and crimes of drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement, robbery, fraud, murder, and money laundering, Crispian lifts the lid on his investigations and misdemeanours at all levels, from drivers, designers and mechanics to team owners, entrants, and sponsors.

BMtv's Gareth Tarr talks with the author John Brooks about the creation of this volume. Officially licensed with the ACO, the organisers of the annual Le Mans 24 Hours race, this authoritative book is the eighth title in Evro’s acclaimed decade-by-decade coverage of the world’s greatest motor race. As described by Motor Sport magazine, this multi-volume set covering every race since 1923 is ‘one of the modern age’s finest reference series’. Each year is exhaustively covered in magnificent photographs, a detailed and insightful commentary, and full results data. Written and photographed by an aficionado of Le Mans in the modern era, this latest instalment covering Audi’s decade of supremacy will be treasured by all enthusiasts of sports-car racing.

We welcome to Brooklands John Mayhead, award-winning author of "Goldie – the amazing story of Alfred Goldie Gardner, the world's most successful speed record driver". Despite suffering severe injuries in the First World War and ongoing disabilities, Goldie Gardner became a successful Brooklands racer between the wars. But it was his record-breaking that came to define him, driving diminutive MG based specials to a host of speed records before and after the Second World War. Of the book, one reviewer wrote "A captivating read which really transports you back to the sounds, smells and emotions of an early – and lethal – era of motorsport."

In this episode Tim Morris looks at the recent Motor Proud LGBTQ+ event at Brooklands including Stories Uncovered and the Eikon charity and in the second half a tribute to Brooklands stalwart and legend Julian Grimwade who lost his life last Saturday whilst competing at Donnington Park

Sir Ernest Shackleton became a national icon after venturing on four epic voyages of discovery to the Antarctic a century ago, including the famous HMS Endurance expedition. But after the Endurance was trapped by pack ice—and slowly succumbed to its crushing pressure—the expedition's fate, and that of its crew, looked bleak. Hundreds of miles from inhabited territory, and far from any shipping lanes, what followed is one of the greatest stories of endurance and survival ever told. The crew wouldn’t be rescued for more than a year and a half, but incredibly all 28 made it back alive. More than a century later, the wreck of the Endurance was finally located. In March 2022, a team of scientists released stunning images of the three-masted, wooden ship where it had lodged 10,000 feet deep at the bottom of the Antarctic. Our speaker is leading polar historian Michael Smith, who books have received wide critical acclaim and he is assisting with the development of a major international film about Shackleton.

Lois Pryce is a British motorcyclist, adventurer, author, journalist and speaker. She quit her job with the BBC, passed her motorcycle test and rode 20,000 miles from Alaska to the tip of South America on a small dirt bike. Her next expedition saw her ride the length of Africa solo from London to Cape Town via the Sahara, Congo and Angola. Then came an epic 3000 mile solo motorcycle ride around Iran – a country where women are not even allowed to ride motorcycles. Lois' resulting book, Revolutionary Ride, was named a Book of the Year by National Geographic Traveller Magazine, describing it as a "joyful, moving and stereotype-busting tale." Lois is an ebullient and highly entertaining speaker, and we welcomed her to Brooklands to hear more about her incredible adventures.

Brooklands Members Talks Host Harry Sherrard talks with Ian Flux about his life in motorsport. Ian Flux never got biggest breaks to move him up the international motor racing ladder, but he did become one of British motorsport’s most colourful and best-loved characters, and someone who has always lived life to the full. Fluxie has notched up nearly 50 years on track, from being a mechanic to motorcycle racing legend Giacomo Agostini to his stints in Formula 3, Thundersports and the British Touring Car Championship in a wide range of tin-tops, and his championship double in 1996 – the TVR Tuscan Challenge and the British GT Championship, driving a McLaren F1 GTR. Fluxie tells it how it was, covering not only the highs — including five championship titles — but also the many setbacks. Along the way you’ll laugh with him about much of it, particularly the pranks, but also learn about some dark times that he has never previously divulged. Come and strap yourself in for an evening of lots of laughs!

John Tye, Concorde pilot and Brooklands volunteer talks with Alan Smith, Concorde test pilot about Alan's time working with Brian Trubshaw on 002 and Delta Golf during the 1970s.

Former land speed record holder Richard Noble returned to Brooklands to tell us about his new project, an attempt on the water speed record. Inspired by the exploits of John Cobb and his designer Reid Railton, the Thrust team has set out to break the current WSR of 317.596mph, which was set by Australian Ken Warby back in 1978. That the record has stood for so long indicates both the danger and the difficulty involved in mounting a challenge. Since that record was set, two challengers have died in the process. The Thrust WSH (water speed hydrofoil) team is therefore proceeding with maximum research and risk mitigation efforts. To produce a truly innovative design the team has access to advanced technologies and resources not available to earlier challengers.

Richard Noble came to Brooklands on the 23rd January to talk about his World Speed Records. In part one he recounts his land speed record challenges. What a story!

When Eric Fernihough lost control of his motorcycle at over 170mph, he was the last British rider to have been the ‘world’s fastest’ on two wheels. An orphan, an adopted son, a public schoolboy, a Cambridge graduate, an engineer, a noted tuner, a European motorcycle champion, a multiple Brooklands race winner, ‘Ferni’ was a motorcycling household name in the nineteen thirties. On a new road in far-away Hungary, he rode to his death on 23 April 1938. His life story, which this book tells, spanned more than thirty year’s of furious competition for the world’s absolute motorcycle speed record before World War 2. First in 1900 was a Frenchman on an American motorcycle. French motorcycles took the lead in 1902 until an American boardtrack rider rode his best ever at England’s Brooklands Motor Course in 1911. An English rider and machine promptly took the title back before the Americans recovered it. With the world at war, in 1916 an Australian was the fastest on a remote dirt road near Adelaide. After a short period of American supremacy on the sands of America’s Daytona Beach, Brooklands was the setting for more world’s record efforts before the long, straight roads of France became the new battleground. British riders and motorcycles were unbeatable until German technical ingenuity, and a BMW rider Ernst Henne, became dominant during the lean years of the Great Depression. Eric Fernihough set out to challenge this German hegemony. With supercharged big-twin JAP engines in Brough Superior motorcycles, he drove to the south of Budapest and set the absolute world’s motorcycle speed record there at 169.79mph in April 1937. Gilera-mounted Piero Taruffi just squeezed past him before Henne took the title again at 173.68mph. Back in Hungary, Fernihough was aiming for over 175mph when he crashed and was killed. Drawing on Fernihough’s personal papers and photographs at Brooklands Museum, the Mutschler collection in Germany, Henne’s private albums at the BMW archives and many other sources, this book has hundreds of never-before-published photographs and drawings. It is the first detailed history of the world’s absolute motorcycle speed record and the first biography of a great motorcycle rider. Most of the images are reproduced from 'Speed Monarch: the short life of Eric Fernihough and the world's motorcycle speed record' by Terry Wright which is published by Loose Fillings Publishing and can be ordered online at www.loosefillings.com or leading motoring booksellers. Credit to Katy Coubrough for the excellent image production as seen in the book.

Doug Nye is one of the world’s foremost motorsport journalists and authors. In 2023 he celebrated his 60th year as a racing journalist, having joined Motor Racing magazine in 1963. He went on to work for Motoring News and Motor Sport before going freelance. He remains a regular contributor to many racing and classic car publications in the UK and worldwide. He is the multiple award-winning author of more than 70 books covering motor sporting history. His books include works on Lotus, Cooper, BRM, Ferrari and McLaren, and biographies of pre-war British ace Dick Seaman, Juan Manuel Fangio, Sir Stirling Moss, Sir Jack Brabham, Phil Hill and Jim Clark. Doug is consultant historian to Goodwood Motorsport, and is one of the co-founders of the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival Meeting. In much demand throughout the world for his unrivalled motorsport knowledge, we look welcome Doug to Brooklands for a most insightful and entertaining evening.

Max Chilton talks with Harry Sherrard about his fascinating and varied career in Motorsport. After starting his career in karts aged 10, Max Chilton progressed up the racing ladder through Formula 3 and GP2, reaching Formula One in 2013 with the Marussia team. He achieved the distinction of being the only driver to finish every race of his rookie season. A further season in Formula One followed, then Max moved stateside to drive for Chip Ganassi Racing in the IndyCar series. In the 2017 Indianapolis 500, Max dominated the latter part of the race, leading 47 of the last 72 laps, ultimately finishing fourth. Further IndyCar seasons followed, before a switch to the World Endurance Championship, including the Le Mans 24 Hours. In June 2022, with a performance that anyone who witnessed it will never forget, Max took the electric McMurtry active-downforce car up the Goodwood hillclimb in 39.08 seconds, to set an astonishing new Festival of Speed shoot out record.

From bamboo biplanes to supersonic airliners and the pioneer designers who created them A History of Aviation at Brooklands in 100 Objects. The author Nigel Spooner writes; The book is a history of aviation at Brooklands in 100 objects that are arranged into seven episodes, each of which covers a particular era of that history. Choosing what to include and what to leave out has been a difficult task – there can be no such thing as a perfect list! The objects include aircraft, engines, places and many other elements that played a role in the transformation of Brooklands from a marshy water meadow to one of Europe’s largest aircraft factories. The intent with each one is not to indulge in too many technical details but rather to explore the stories and people behind them. I have also included relatively brief biographies on each of the six featured designers that are intended to show their personal contributions to the Brooklands history.

Although Derek never won in Formula 1, due to ill fortune and so often being in the wrong car at the wrong time, he did achieve the results he deserved in sports car racing, winning the Le Mans 24 Hours and the World Championship in 1992, plus finishing series runner-up with Jaguar in 1986 and 1991. In the twilight of his racing career, that world title was a fitting companion to the one he had earned as a short-track oval racer nearly 20 years earlier. Derek Warwick has been a popular and highly respected figure in motor racing for nearly 50 years, known for his tough and determined personality as well as his talent and bravery behind the wheel. He was always a fan favourite for his humility and straightforwardness, which earned him respect and admiration from the motorsports world. Now, with characteristic honesty and humour, his forthcoming book will tell his inspiring story in a memoir that holds nothing back, published by EVRO.

Neil Laughton is a former Royal Marine Commando, helicopter pilot and Special Forces Officer who went on to become one of the world's greatest adventurers and a multiple Guinness World Record breaker. He has organised and led more than 50 expeditions on seven continents – by land, sea and air. His amazing adventures include piloting the world’s first road legal flying car on a 10,000 km journey from London to Timbuktu; crossing the Sahara desert on KTM motorcycles; a 1,000 km journey across the spine of the Himalayas on Royal Enfields; circumnavigating the UK & Ireland on a jet ski; summiting Mt Everest with Bear Grylls, and skiing to both the north and south poles. He organised and led Flying for Heroes, a 1,000 km flying journey in Paratrikes from Mt Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) to Mt Kenya with wounded soldiers from the Help 4 Heros charity, and he has recently taken part in a humanitarian mission to Ukraine. Neil’s book ‘Adventureholic – Extraordinary journeys on seven continents by land, sea and air’ was published in 2023 and became an Amazon No. 1 bestseller.

Our speaker is author and journalist Rachel Harris-Gardiner. Her award winning book, Speed Queens, on which her talk is based, is a history of women in motorsport, from the first known motorised race for women in 1897 to the modern era, and covering both circuit racing and rallying. Some of the best-known female competitors such as Brooklands’ own Kay Petre and Gwenda Stewart, rally stars Rosemary Smith, Pat Moss and Michele Mouton and the only female Formula 1 points scorer Lella Lombardi are covered, but Speed Queens is not just concerned with big names and historic “firsts”. For every woman to be the first to do something on wheels, there were usually several others striving for success.

Throughout the second half of the 20th century, international relations across the globe were dominated by the Cold War. From 1949 until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, NATO and the Warsaw Pact countries created the best-equipped armed forces that the world had ever seen, and which faced each other directly across the Iron Curtain in Europe. Our speaker is Michael Napier, an ex-RAF Tornado pilot turned author, who saw frontline service during the Cold War as well as combat experience over Iraq. Michael examines the airpower of the major powers at both strategic and tactical level throughout the 40 years of the Cold War, including the aircraft types, the units that operated them in the roles in which they were deployed.

The exploits of the SAS in North Africa in the early years of the Second World War are well known; attacks behind enemy lines, destruction of hundreds of German aircraft on the ground and generally creating mayhem for the Afrika Korps. But little of this would have been possible without the Long Range Desert Group. Experts in desert navigation, the LRDG was formed to carry out deep penetration, covert reconnaissance patrols and intelligence missions behind Axis lines. As the commando tactics of the SAS developed, a reliable mode of transport to and from targets, often across hundreds of miles of desert, was provided by the LRDG to the SAS, using their ubiquitous 30 cwt Chevrolet trucks. Our speaker is Richard Pinches, whose father, Peter Pinches, served in North Africa with the 7th Armoured Division. Richard is a Second World War re-enactor and historian, specialising in the North African campaign and the LRDG. His talk covers the vital but often overlooked role of this uniquely skilled and capable unit of the Desert Rats.

Vicki Butler Henderson in conversation with Harry Sherrard

Karun Chandhok in conversation with Harry Sherrard and two pieces of music celebrating Donald Campbell.

Brooklands celebrates 50 years since our Concorde delta Golf's first flight.

Vicki's grandfather raced a Frazer Nash at Brooklands and, with heritage like that, small wonder that she made her career in the motoring world. She started racing karts at the age of 12 and went on to compete in a multitude of cars and categories. Notable achievements include becoming the first woman to win a Maserati race in the history of the marque, when she competed in a support race at the British Grand Prix in 2004. Vicki has been a motoring journalist from the age of 18 and in 1994 joined the Top Gear team on BBC, before moving to Channel 5 to present Fifth Gear, staying with the show when it moved to the Quest channel. Her journalistic skills have featured in a wide variety of newspapers and magazines, including Auto Express, What Car?, Performance Car and the Sunday Times, earning Vicki the accolade of being the UK's number one female four-wheel journalist. We welcomed Vicki to Brooklands and she delivered a fascinating conversation about her outstanding career.

Who were aviation’s greatest pioneers, influencers and heroes? A light-hearted look at the men and woman at the forefront of more than a century of aviation, from Brooklands’ own Harry Hawker, to Amy Johnson, to Chuck Yeager and beyond. Concluding with an audience vote as to who should head the Hall of Fame. Our speaker is Andy Richardson, former Avro Vulcan crew member turned civil aviation consultant and historian. Andy returns to Brooklands having delivered a sell-out talk about his Vulcan career.

Unconventional and controversial, in the 1990s the Benetton Formula 1 team rose through the ranks to challenge the big names of Williams, Ferrari and McLaren. After black flags, disqualifications, a pitlane inferno and political manoeuvring, the tumultuous 1994 season ended with Michael Schumacher sealing the World Championship title for Benetton, after a controversial clash with Damon Hill in the season finale in Australia. Our speaker is Damien Smith, former editor of MotorSport magazine and author of the new and authoritative history of this most colourful of Formula 1 teams. Damien is joined by senior Benetton engineer Pat Symonds and other former team personnel.

10 June 1907, Peking. Five cars set off in a desperate race across two continents on the verge of revolution. An Italian prince and his chauffeur, a French racing driver, a conman and various journalists battle over steep mountain ranges and across the arid vastness of the Gobi Desert. The contestants need teams of helpers to drag their primitive cars up narrow gorges, lift them over rough terrain and float them across rivers. Petrol is almost impossible to find, there are barely any roads, armed bandits and wolves lurk in the forests. Updates on their progress, sent by telegram, are eagerly devoured by millions in one of the first ever global news stories. Their destination: Paris. More than its many adventures, the Peking-to-Paris provided the impetus for profound change. The world of 1907 is poised between the old and the new: communist regimes will replace imperial ones in China and Russia; the telegraph is transforming modern communication and the car will soon displace the horse. In this book bestselling author Kassia St Clair traces the fascinating stories of two interlocking races - setting the derring-do (and sometimes cheating) of one of the world's first car races against the backdrop of a larger geopolitical and technological rush to the future, as the rivalry grows between countries and empires, building up to the cataclysmic event that changed everything - the First World War. The Race to the Future is the incredible true story of the quest against the odds that shaped the world we live in today.

Karun is in conversation with Harry Sherrard. Karun Chandhok was born into a motor racing family where his father, grandfather and even grandmother used to race! After winning Indian and Asian championships, Karun moved to England where he was a front-runner in Formula 3, which served as a launch pad up to GP2 and then Formula 1. Karun was a test driver for the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team in 2007 and 2008, before racing in Formula 1 for Hispania Racing and Team Lotus in 2010 and 2011. He went on to compete at Le Mans and in the Formula E series. Since 2016, Karun has been a regular driver and consultant for the Williams Formula 1 team’s Heritage business, showcasing their World Championship winning Formula 1 cars. He is also a Goodwood Revival regular, winning the Whitsun Trophy in the CanAM McLaren M1A in 2019. Best known today as commentator and technical analysist of the Sky Sports F1 team, Karun also sits on the Board of Motorsport UK. We are delighted that Karun made time in his busy schedule to come to talk to us at Brooklands.

On 13th February 1974 G-BBDG took off for the first time. Our panel of Allan Winn, Terry Selman, Gordon Roxburgh and former Chief Concorde Pilot Mike Bannister discuss Delta Golf's remarkable journey from test flights to arriving here at Brooklands and and most importantly, what it was like to fly her. UPDATE - WE ARE DELIGHTED THAT CONCORDE PILOT JOCK LOWE JOINS US FOR THIS PANEL TALK. Allan Winn Allan's role in beinging Delta Golf to Brooklands was to fight the legal, regulatory, technical, financial and commercial battles to get it to Brooklands in the first place, and then get it restored and into service as a genuine revenue-generator forthe Museum. Mike Bannister Mike's proudest association with DG comes from my time at British Airways, the owners of the aircraft. Whilst at BA he was one of a very small group that decided where each Concorde should go after retirement. Mike lobbied heavily for Brooklands and managed to convince the others that the Museum was the right site and that DG was the perfect 'Concorde' to be allocated. Terry Selman Joined BOAC (BA) from school to complete a 5-year apprenticeship, went on to obtain UK CAA maintenance engineers licences before taking up a position as an Overseas Line Station Engineer. In 1975 attended 3-month Concorde training course in Bristol after which posted to RAF Fairford and Brize Norton to provide maintenance support during the Pilot, Flight Engineer training program. After completing the training program, he was posted to Bharain for 2 years to provide line station support for the first Concorde commercial passenger flights. Gordon Roxburgh Gordon Roxburgh, founder of the ConcordeSST website, used the power of the internet to bring together and lead a group of over 100 volunteers, many new to Brooklands Museum and to aircraft engineering for that matter, to help restore G-BBDG. The Team also worked on the restoration of the Concorde Simulator. Many of the team are still volunteers today at Brooklands and other museums around the country.

In 2024 we mark the 80th anniversary of the most infamous prisoner breakout from Nazi Germany. The Great Escape from Stalag Luft III was immortalised by the 1963 Hollywood blockbuster; but what really happened? Our speaker is Joanna Bristow-Watkins, whose father, Squadron Leader Alec Bristow, was a Mosquito pilot who was shot down and incarcerated in the notorious Stalag. He kept a diary as a POW, from which Joanna has drawn her fascinating talk. What was it really like for an RAF Officer in the camp? How challenging was the planning and construction of the famous Tom, Dick and Harry tunnels? What actually took place on the night of 24th March 1944? And what were the after-effects of this bold affront to the Nazi Regime?

In 2024 we mark the 80th anniversary of the most infamous prisoner breakout from Nazi Germany. The Great Escape from Stalag Luft III was immortalised by the 1963 Hollywood blockbuster; but what really happened? Our speaker is Joanna Bristow-Watkins, whose father, Squadron Leader Alec Bristow, was a Mosquito pilot who was shot down and incarcerated in the notorious Stalag. He kept a diary as a POW, from which Joanna has drawn her fascinating talk. What was it really like for an RAF Officer in the camp? How challenging was the planning and construction of the famous Tom, Dick and Harry tunnels? What actually took place on the night of 24th March 1944? And what were the after-effects of this bold affront to the Nazi Regime?

The last episode of 2023 and we look back over the year with two reports on electric 2 and 4 wheels, and samples of live music from the year.

Richard Jenkins talks with Gareth Tarr about the making of the book and what he learnt about the family and organisation along the way.

In this episode Tim talks to Stuart Edmondson, CEO of the Bloodhound LSR project and Mike Bannister on the 20th anniversary of Concorde's last flight.

Brooklands volunteers John Bottomley and his son-in-law Phil Kirby enter a 1904 Dreadnought motorcycle and a 1901 Raleigh pushbike in the 2023 London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. This conversation looks back at how it came together and its success.

John in conversation with Harry Sherrard about his life in aviation. John Tye’s job at British Airways was supposed to be only temporary, a way for him to pass the summer before starting university. Instead, it would kickstart a forty-six-year career in aviation and take him all over the world. Told in an irrepressible and infectious style, Life of a Concorde Pilot is the story of how, despite a somewhat turbulent start to life in a Middlesex orphanage, John would go on to fly the world’s only supersonic airliner. A true insight to the life of an airline pilot, with many amusing anecdotes along the way, it follows his ups and downs from his career on the ground at BA to flying with Dan Air and then back to BA, through to Covid and his reluctant retirement at the end of 2022. Full of the fascinating details only a pilot can give, this is a memorable journey to the edge of space and beyond.

British Racing Motors was founded just after the Second World War with the objective of building an all-British Grand Prix car for the post-war era as a national prestige project, with financial and industrial backing from the British motor industry channelled through a trust fund. In due course it fell to one of the partners in the trust, Alfred Owen of the Rubery Owen group of companies, to take over the team in its entirety. Between 1954 and 1970 the team entered its works F1 cars under the official name of the Owen Racing Organisation, scoring World Championship success with Graham Hill in 1962. In celebration of BRM's 70th anniversary, the Owen family commissioned the build of an authentic new BRM Type 15 Mk 1 V16 Chassis IV, based on the design of the original 1950s race car. We welcome to Brooklands members of the Owen family who present the story of how the project was conceived and then executed, whilst also sharing artefacts and film from the extensive BRM archive.

American Car Day with Be Bop Boulevard, Gary and his 1930 Cadillac, Marnie and her 1954 Chevrolet 3100, French Car Day serenaded by Blue Boy and Toulouse with guitarist Paul Steward ex-marketing manager at Brooklands! Cressida talks about her 1927 Delage, Graham with his 1973 Citreon DS23, Martin and his 1926 Citreon B12 truck.

Allan Winn talks about how Brooklands acquired the Napier Railton as it celebrates 90 years since its first show at the track. Martin Gegg share the Bert Denley story. The Rob Walker Blue Plaque is unveiled at Dorking and Chris Roberts talks about the Hawk aircraft as it gets its new wings at Brooklands.

We are at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and BMtv intrepid reporter Fiona Easterby talks with the Brooklands team and meanders around the Cartier Style et Luxe paddock

Alex Patterson talks about the clubhouse renovation and lift installation and MG South East celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the marque.

Duncan tells the story of the Beast and his ownership. Originally conceived in 1911, the FIAT S76, better known as the Beast of Turin, is one of the most outrageous cars ever built. Its colossal inline-four engine displaced 28.4 litres and produced 300 hp at just 1000 rpm. The chassis featured a rigid axle suspension system with leaf springs. Brakes were only installed on the rear axle. Only two were built, and Fiat sold the second Beast to a wealthy Russian Prince named Boris Soukhanov, who hired racing driver Pietro Bordino to drive it at Brooklands and attempt to break the land speed record. But when Bordino took it onto the track, it was so terrifying that he refused to go over 90 mph. After many changes of ownership, the Beast was acquired by Duncan Pittaway in 2003, and a lengthy restoration process began. Duncan discovered that the original engine from the first S76 had survived and managed to acquire it. After several years of hard work that saw the double chain-drive gearbox, body, and many other components being rebuilt using the original Fiat drawings, the Beast of Turin was brought back to life.

After an early career in motorsports PR, representing several F1 drivers and the Jordan Grand Prix team, Louise Goodman broke the mould by entering the male-dominated and highly competitive world of motorsports commentary in the 1990s. Dubbed ‘the first woman of Formula One’ Louise made her name as part of ITV’s Grand Prix presentation team, working alongside F1 luminaries Murray Walker and Martin Brundle, becoming the female face of ITV’s then new ‘Grand Prix’ programme. Best known today as ITV’s co-presenter of the British Touring Car Championship alongside Steve Rider, Louise has also fronted programmes from the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Goodwood Revival and the Le Mans 24 hours, amongst many others. With her insider knowledge gained from a 30 year involvement in top level motorsport, Louise delivers a unique insight into the pit lane beyond the camera. Louise is joined on stage by leading motorsport author, journalist and broadcaster Maurice Hamilton and host Harry Sherrard.

Featuring the opening of the Sir Barnes Wallis exhibition and conversation with Sir Barnes' surviving daughter Elizabeth Gaunt. Also the Award for Best Learning Programme "Learning without borders" from the Bourne Education Trust.

Tim takes a trip up in the new clubhouse lift and presents Philip Hogg and his aviation career with BOAC.

A tribute to Lady Susie Moss and those Ladies who have left their mark on Brooklands history.

Nigel Limb suffered multiple injuries in a motorcycle racing accident in 2015. His life-support was about to be turned off, but he miraculously began to recover and woke up from a coma. Nerves severed in the accident mean that he is partially blind and partially brain dead, but this has not prevented him from living life to the full. Notwithstanding his disabilities, in 2022 Nigel (a.k.a. blindblokeracing on social media) broke the British record for a partially sighted drag strip run, hitting speeds of 83 mph in 8.74 seconds on an Electric TT Zero bike. Nigel and his wife Julie have an incredible and inspiring story to tell about the aftermath of his life changing accident and his determination to show that people with sight loss can achieve amazing things.

Wing Commander Manjeet Ghatoara and Air Specialist 1(Technician) Catherine Ryan talk about todays RAF, reflecting on its past and looking into its future.

The author of the book Richard Jenkins talks about the history of the team. Ken Tyrrell’s famous Formula 1 racing team will forever be associated with Jackie Stewart and the three World Championship titles they won together. But the Tyrrell story is far bigger than that, embracing nearly 40 action-packed years, from initial forays as an entrant in Formula Junior in 1960 to eventual demise in 1998. Along the way, the team with its larger-than-life proprietor was always universally respected in the world’s Formula 1 paddocks, often as the plucky underdog. In compiling this comprehensive history, the author has interviewed dozens of surviving team members — including most of the drivers and many mechanics — to gather their memories and present an energetic, touching, compelling and above all entertaining narrative. in the 50th anniversary year of Tyrrell’s last championship title, this book will be treasured by all racing enthusiasts.

Formed in 1940, the Special Operations Executive put Churchill’s instruction to “Set Europe ablaze” into action. The organization's F section sent more than 400 agents into France, 39 of whom were women. They were given months of arduous fitness, gun, explosives, endurance and code training before parachuting into occupied territory. The women were warned of the likelihood of arrest, torture and a brutal death before they volunteered. None demurred. Of the 29, 13 never returned, having been executed in Hitler's concentration camps. Our speaker is Dr Kate Vigurs, a professional freelance historian and author of “Mission France. The true story of the women of SOE". In her presentation Kate will focus on the missions of the skilled and courageous women of SOE, tracing their journeys from recruitment, to training, to work undertaken in the field, to evasion from, or capture by, the Gestapo.

On the night of 16/17 May 1943 the RAF’s recently formed 617 Squadron carried out what was probably the most famous air raid of all time. A combination of the genius of Barnes Wallis and the astonishing courage and skill of the crews saw two major German dams breached and a third damaged, leading to loss and disruption to the Nazi war economy. Normally kept top secret, the aerial reconnaissance photos of the ruptured dams and consequent flooding were transmitted around the world, giving the Allies a major propaganda coup. How was the technology for the raid developed? Was the raid worth the lives of the 53 aircrew who perished on the night? How accurate was the epic 1955 Dambusters movie? Harry Sherrard presents a fascinating talk on the 80th anniversary of the raid for a fascinating presentation about one of the greatest feats of arms of World War 2.

Philip Hogge first learned to fly in 1958 by completing a gliding course with the Air Cadets. He then obtained an RAF Flying Scholarship while still at school and learned to fly a Tiger Moth, gaining his Private Pilot’s Licence. In 1962 he joined BOAC where he flew the Britannia 312 (the last propeller service across the Atlantic), then Brooklands built VC10s, Boeing 707s and eventually 747s. He was Flight Training Manager on 707s and then 747s, before becoming Chief Pilot on 747s, and finally GM Flight Operational Services in British Airways’ flight operations department. Airline flying in the 1960s was still an era of glamour, adventure and excitement in what Phil fondly recalls as the Golden Age of Flying. He has written two volumes of short stories in which he recalls, in fictional form, the challenges and enjoyment he and his colleagues shared in those days.

Patrick Lynch, the author of "At The Greatest Speed", tells the story of Gordon Bennett who was an American millionaire who inherited a fortune from his publisher father. He supported emerging technology and sport and, in 1899, fascinated by the new motor cars, he instigated the International Gordon Bennett Cup. The inaugural race took place in 1900 between Paris and Lyon, with three countries participating. The 1903 Cup, which was held in Ireland, was a world first in its use of a closed-circuit course, setting the template for future circuit racing. It was also the first international motor race in the British Isles, and was contested by future Brooklands racer Selwyn Edge. Bennett’s promotion of these events boosted the global car industry and established international motorsport.

This episode is given over to the VSCC Winter Driving Tests held at Brooklands at the end of January.

Britain’s V bombers comprised the RAF’s strategic nuclear strike force aircraft during the Cold War. The three models of bomber were the Vickers Valiant, the Handley Page Victor and the Avro Vulcan, which famously flew extremely long-range ground attack missions against Argentine positions in the Falklands War in 1982. Our speaker Andy Richardson served in the RAF from 1960 to 1980, including six years crewing on the Avro Vulcan. His talk will cover the need for these machines in the Cold War era, their design and development, how crews were selected, trained and lived and how events would have unfolded if they ever had to launch in anger.

People lie, cheat, steal and even kill for a variety of reasons, one of which is to go motor racing, a particularly expensive and egotistical sport. This intriguing book, the result of years of research, encompasses not just those who have been ‘driven to crime’ in order to pay for their sport but also characters within motor racing who have been involved in wrongdoing, sometimes through no fault of their own. Over 60 true stories cover webs of deceit and numerous crimes including drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement, robbery, fraud, murder and money laundering. The author investigates misdemeanours at all levels, from drivers, designers and mechanics to team owners, entrants and sponsors. This book will appeal not only to motor racing enthusiasts and cognoscenti on both sides of the Atlantic but also to anyone who enjoys reading about crime.

Tim Morris looks forward to events taking place in the first three months of 2023 at the museum and highlights Mike Wilds talk of nearly 60 years in motorsport.

Tim looks back at two guest speakers who are no longer with us, Paddy Hopkirk and Tony Brooks. He links Synth Pop with Brooklands and in the news section looks at the new events from 2022 and those to look forward to in 2023 and the success of Innovations day in November.

Brooklands welcomes an FIA world champion – Mike Wilds, who won the 1986 Group C2 World Sportscar Championship with Ecurie Ecosse. Mike began racing in 1965 and has competed in a vast array of machinery, including Formula 3, Formula 5000, Le Mans prototypes, GTs and Touring Cars, driving for works teams and collecting 12 British Championships along the way. In the early 1970s Mike reached Formula 1, securing a works BRM drive, before famously being sacked by the team’s mercurial owner, Louis Stanley, for impugning the BRM engine! Mike, who is one of Britain’s most popular racers, will share with us a wealth of anecdotes from his incredible 50 + year motorsport career.

Tim looks back at what was delivered at Brooklands in 2022 and highlights our last talk of the year, car designer Peter Stevens.

The author of this fascinating book on S.F. Edge talks with Brooklands Gareth Tarr about the life of this motoring pioneer. Selwyn Francis Edge, invariably known simply as ‘SF’, was a highly significant pioneer of motoring in Britain. When, in 1902, he drove a Napier to victory in the Gordon Bennett Cup, a mighty event on public roads between Paris in France and Innsbruck in Austria, he initiated serious British endeavour in motor racing. He was deeply involved in the birth of Brooklands, setting a 24-hour solo driving record there when the circuit opened in 1907. As a towering industry figure most closely associated with Napier and AC Cars, he played an important role in the growth of car manufacture in Britain. In the words of ‘Bentley Boy’ S.C.H. ‘Sammy’ Davis, ‘His keen grey eyes, the bushy eyebrows and the hawk-like face… made him a notable figure in any assembly.’ This biography uncovers the life of an extraordinary man whose achievements deserve to be far more widely recognised.

Including Motorsport Day with Mike Ward, the C16 Streamliner with Glenn Billqvist and Phil Reid with Wendy Amy.

Peter Stevens is probably best known as the designer of the ultimate 1990s supercar, the McLaren F1, but that is just one of many accolades he has won in a storied career in vehicle design. Motorsport clients have included the Brabham and Williams Formula One teams and he was consultant designer for BMW and Toyota Le Mans projects. Notable road car designs on his CV include the Jaguar XJR15 supercar, the 1980s Lotus range and the MGs of the 2000s. He was appointed Visiting Professor, Vehicle Design, Royal College of Art and delivers vehicle design masterclasses internationally.

Outright winner of the St Mary's Trophy race at the Goodwood Revival; multiple class winner at Rally GB; management stints with the Brabham and McLaren Formula One teams; BBC Television's Formula One pit lane commentator; ITV's Formula One studio analyst; Sky Sports motorsport expert; host of the British Grand Prix after party. Tony Jardine has an impressively diverse motorsport CV and has worked with the great and the good across all motorsport disciplines. Enjoy a fascinating talk by this multitalented motorsport personality.

With Paddy Hopkirk and Steve Parrish in conversation with Charley Boorman.

THE WORLD'S GREATEST AIRCRAFT. CONCORDE'S MOST EXPERIENCED PILOT. THE DEFINITIVE STORY. For over a quarter of a century, Concorde was the world's only successful supersonic airliner, carrying passengers at speeds faster than a rifle bullet - and at heights that provided a glimpse of the edge of space. As Chief Concorde Pilot for British Airways, Mike Bannister knows her like no one else. From displaying Concorde with the Red Arrows over London to landing her back at Heathrow in her last scheduled flight in October 2003, he has seen Concorde's full journey. Now he shares the inside story of this unique and awe-inspiring aircraft for the first time, including his role in the investigation to uncover what really happened when Concorde fell to earth on 25th July 2000. Loved and missed like no other aeroplane, Concorde is part celebration, part history, part detective story and part courtroom drama.

Celebrating the Aston Martin Heritage Festival, introduced by John Johnson and Kay Petre. Interviews with some of the owners by Gillian. What a day!

Martin Shelley tells the story of Frank Halford, the English aircraft engine designer, best known for the series of de Havilland Gipsy engines, widely used by light aircraft in the 1920s and 30s.

From the Motorcycle Show July 2022. Including Project Pitstop, BSA coming to England, Hollis Motorcycles and Eddie about his Fast Lady Combo.

In 2019 a team of intrepid aviators undertook the most challenging expedition ever attempted in a single-engined World War II era aircraft. After years of planning, the team from Spitfires.com flew a silver Spitfire right around the world, taking in some of the most famous landmarks on the planet from the Grand Canyon in the West, to the snow-capped peak of Mount Fuji in the East. The Spitfire is recognised as an emblem of freedom across the globe, and the expedition promoted the ‘Best of British’ worldwide, showcasing the nation’s heritage in engineering excellence, through an aircraft that changed the course of history. The expedition reunited the Spitfire with many countries that owe their freedom, at least in part, to this iconic aircraft. 120 days after departing Goodwood on 5 August 2019, having visited 24 countries, having flown 22,130 nautical miles, and having overcome many challenges, the Silver Spitfire touched down once again on the West Sussex turf, piloted by Matt Jones. Matt, the chief pilot, delivers a unique, inspiring and abundantly illustrated talk about his adventures on this epic expedition.