The way we were: October 1912
Thick autumn fog nearly prevented the BMCRC running its Open Championship Meeting on Saturday, October 12, but by midday the Brooklands track was bathed in sunshine as the first event of the day, the One Hour Cyclecar race started. J T Wood (1068cc GWK) led from start to finish...
Freddie Barnes (988cc Zenith-JAP) won the One Hour Sidecar Race, while mechanical mayhem soon diminished the field of the Junior One Hour race. Casualties including early leader Les Bailey (348cc Douglas), sidelined by a broken valve. After a slow start, George E ‘Wizard’ Stanley (inset) powered his 299cc Singer through the pack to win at over 55mph.
Suitably ‘warmed up’ the crowd was on tiptoe during the ACU Championship for the Motor Car Journal Cup (five laps and up to 1000cc). Charlie Collier (998cc Matchless-JAP) won with a race speed of 74.65mph.
Immediately after his race, Wizard Stanley left for Coventry to fettle his 499cc Singer for an attack on the Class C (500cc solo) one hour record. Arriving at Brooklands on Tuesday, October 15, from a standing start Stanley clocked a 64mph lap, then 70.48mph – at 50 miles he’d posted a new record of 69.44mph. Despite some dramas, he set the hour record, recording 67 miles, 782 yards. During the hour George Stanley's Singer was held at over 3400rpm and averaged 60mpg.
Issue 40-07 - July 2013
Where legends come to life...
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