Sunday 14 October 2018

Spectacular engine runs and special guests will thrill spectators at the eighth annual Autumn Motorsport Day at Brooklands Museum on Sunday 14th October, organised in conjunction with Ginger Beer Promotions. This is the Museum’s end-of-season celebration of all things motorsport, highlighting everything from grass-roots competition to the pinnacle of the sport - Grand Prix racing. As well as displays and Club stands, there will be plenty of action from cars taking part in demonstration laps on the circuit at neighbouring Mercedes-Benz World. And to top it off, a motoring event at Brooklands wouldn’t be complete without Test Hill ascents, where the packed crowd will be treated to brave drivers blasting their way to the famous summit.

Following its wins in the 2018 British Touring Car Championship Drivers, Manufacturers and Teams championships, Team BMW, run by West Surrey Racing, will be bringing Colin Turkington’s BMW 125i M Sport to the event. One of the team’s drivers, possibly even Colin himself, will be on hand to drive the car in the lunchtime demonstration session. Also to be seen on display on the West Surrey Racing stand in the Paddock, and joining the 2018 winning car, will be Colin Turkington’s 2009 Championship winning BMW 320i.

The star cars cover all eras and include some early models like a 1907 Berliet, 1929 Fiat 525 SS and of course, the Museum’s own multi-world record breaking 24ltr 1933 Napier-Railton. More up to date racers include a Lister Chevrolet, Ginetta G20 and a fleet of NASCARs.

Visitors will also have the chance to win a Scalextric set - kindly donated by Scalextric c/o Hornby Hobbies. The competition will be for the fastest lap time on a racing simulator. For a £1 donation to the Museum, children aged 8 – 11 years will be able to compete for the fastest lap to be in with a chance of winning this super prize. Due to cockpit size, a height restriction will apply.

The timetable for the day is as follows:
09.00 Gates open
10.00 Museum display areas and aircraft open
11.00 Fastest lap competition opens
12.00-13.00 Mercedes-Benz World Track demonstrations
14.45-15.30 Ascents up Test Hill
17.00 Event finishes

In between the special displays and activities, visitors can sample all of Brooklands Museum’s regular attractions which underline its position as the Birthplace of British Motorsport and Aviation. The story of the first British Grand Prix (which was held at the Weybridge Track in 1926) is told through the Grand Prix Exhibition. Half hour virtual supersonic ‘flight’ experiences will be available on Concorde and the 4D Theatre will be operating three motion simulator rides: a seat with the Red Arrows aerobatic team on one of their dynamic displays, a ride behind the driver of the Napier-Railton as it speeds round the historic banked Race Track or a lap of Le Mans with British racing legend Mike Hawthorn in 1956 in his Jaguar D-Type.

One entry ticket gives access to all the action and exhibition and viewing areas on the Museum site and at Mercedes-Benz World. With extra catering facilities to keep crowds warm and fed, the Sunbeam Café and soft indoor play area for youngsters, this is a fantastic day out for families, petrol heads and enthusiasts. Ideally located for easy access from junctions 10 or 11 of the M25 and within walking distance from Weybridge train station, there is no better way to welcome the autumn. This rare unmissable chance to see world-class and exotic competition cars up close is one of the last motoring extravaganzas on the Brooklands calendar for 2018.

Discounted tickets for this premium event are available in advance from the Museum Shop or on-line which is priced as follows: Adults £13.50 (adv)/£16 (on the day), Senior Citizens/Students £14.00/£11.50, Children (5-16) £7/£8, Children under 5 FREE. Family ticket £35.00/£40.00 (2 adults & up to 3 children). Concorde Experiences are £5 for adults and £3 for children and 4D Theatre rides are £4 for adults and £2 for children.

BTM & LBPT members £2.50

For more details about Brooklands Museum visit: www.brooklandsmuseum.com

Tags: Brooklands Museum, Brooklands Race Track

12th - 16th February 2018

Hundreds of families will be spending February half term on the factory floor in the recently completed Aircraft Factory and Flight Shed at Brooklands Museum in Weybridge, Surrey. Inside the newly restored Bellman hangar, visitors will be able to clock in and don factory workcoats as they begin their ‘Brooklands Apprenticeship’. A series of workshops and interactives explore some of the skills used over the 80-year history of aircraft manufacture at Brooklands. On a new mezzanine level, the story of design at Brooklands is told and visitors can design their own military and civilian aircraft from different eras of aviation including those of the future. Leaving the Factory and entering the new Flight Shed visitors will see some of the Museum’s collection of complete aircraft, including opportunities to sit in the cockpits of the Hawker Hunter and Harrier, as well as displays on radar, ground-to-air radio and pioneering pilots.

The Museum’s collections of pre-war racing cars and motorbikes, the incredible Barnes Wallis ‘Stratosphere Chamber’ and the Brooklands Aircraft Park, featuring post-war aircraft including the Sultan of Oman’s VC-10 will all be open as usual. As well as this, there are racing and flying simulator rides in the 4D Theatre, special Kids Tours on Concorde and for children aged 5-11 years the chance to design your own sky scene in a special aviation-themed Family Workshop with the Brooklands Learning Team. The drop-in workshop is FREE to attend and runs from 11am – 12noon and again from 1pm – 3pm. All materials are provided.

However, if visitors really want to feel the wind through their hair, the Museum’s long-established and hugely popular rides in vintage-style cars* and on London Bus Museum’s iconic double-decker buses* will also be operating during weekdays in Half Term. Car rides take in the challenging summit of Test Hill and the Members’ Banking, the steepest part of the original Race Track, as long as it’s not too wet or slippery, from 11am–1pm and again from 2 – 3.30pm. London Bus Museum’s double-decker bus trips will run every half an hour from 11am until 3.30pm, except for a short break over lunchtime.

The Sunbeam Café is the ideal place for refuelling and add to this a visit to the Museum Shop to pick up a souvenir and you have the recipe for a perfect day out come rain or shine. And don’t forget to look out for the Museum’s larger than life mascot, Bertie Bear, who will be roaming the site looking for fans to have his photograph taken with!

Normal admission prices apply for half term week and are: adults £13.50, seniors £11.50, children (5-16 yrs) £7, family ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children) £35. The half-hour Concorde Experience is £5 for adults, £3 for children, 4D simulator rides are £4 for adults, £2 for children. *A minimum donation of £1 per passenger is requested for car and bus rides. The main visitor entrance for the Museum is via Mercedes-Benz World, on Brooklands Drive off Wellington Way between Weybridge and Byfleet.

For full details of events, directions and general Museum information, please telephone 01932 857381 or visit www.brooklandsmuseum.com. The Museum is open daily from 10am – 4pm in winter. Last entry is one hour before closing.

Tags: Brooklands, Brooklands Museum, Brooklands Race Track, Flight Shed, Aircraft Factory

Re-Engineering of Brooklands gets budget boost

Brooklands Museum took a major step forward in its ground-breaking Re-Engineering Brooklands redevelopment programme with the announcement in last week’s Budget of a £1million grant from the Government. The award coincides with the start of construction work at the Museum to enable the re-interpretation of key parts of Brooklands’ aviation and motorsport history.

The Brooklands Aircraft Factory and Race Track Revival project is an £8million programme of work which will see the Grade-2-listed Aircraft Hangar restored and re-opened as the Brooklands Aircraft Factory. The new exhibition will display aircraft and objects dating back to the birth of British aviation, enabling visitors to see the individual stages of aircraft design and manufacture and try these skills out for themselves. Alongside the Hangar, a new Flight Shed will be built to display working historic aircraft and provide environmentally controlled storage for Brooklands’ unique archive and a new restoration workshop.

As part of its restoration the Bellman Hangar will be moved from its current position on the Finishing Straight of the original 1907 Race Track to an adjacent site, allowing that part of the track to be restored to its pre-World War Two condition. For the first time since 1939, the key elements of the world’s first purpose-built motor-racing circuit, the Finishing Straight, banked Track, Clubhouse and Paddock will be seen together, as the legendary pre-War racing drivers would have seen them.

Key parts of the project are to inspire young people in the STEM subjects and also to provide an Aviation Heritage Skills course for the Museum’s volunteers to enable them to look after the Museum’s extensive collection of historic aircraft.

A successful fundraising campaign, including an award of nearly £5million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, had seen work start on the site last October, but rising construction costs as well as the clearing of land which had been contaminated during the site’s aircraft manufacturing history had left a funding gap which needed filling to ensure the project could go ahead. Following a meeting with Brooklands’ local MP the Rt Hon Philip Hammond, the Museum applied to the Chancellor of the Exchequer for support from the LIBOR Fund, which was granted in the Budget.

Mr Hammond said: “I have always taken a close interest in the development of Brooklands Museum and, when Director Allan Winn told me about the potential delays in progressing the Aircraft Factory and Race Track Revival Project because of the increase in building costs, I was glad to be able to offer to approach the Chancellor of the Exchequer to explore whether the Project could be supported with LIBOR funding.

“So I am delighted that the Chancellor has recognised the exceptional importance of the Museum by providing £1 million in funding to bridge the gap and allow this fantastic Project to go ahead.”

Allan Winn, Director and CEO of Brooklands Museum, said: “This support from the Chancellor of the Exchequer is crucial to enabling the delivery of our ambitious plans for the site and to help us tell the extraordinary story of Brooklands’ role in British aviation history. We are very grateful to the Chancellor for his support and to Philip Hammond MP for his role in helping us secure it”.

The Brooklands Aircraft Factory, the new Flight Shed and the restored section of Race Track are scheduled to open in summer 2017.


Brooklands Museum

BROOKLANDS - the world’s first purpose-built motor racing circuit, constructed at Weybridge, Surrey in 1907 - was more than a great sporting arena. Brooklands was the birthplace of British motorsport and aviation, home of Concorde and the site of many engineering and technological achievements throughout eight decades of the 20th century.

The Museum displays a wide range of Brooklands-related motoring and aviation exhibits ranging from giant racing cars, motorcycles and bicycles to an unparalleled collection of Hawker and Vickers/ BAC-built aircraft, including the Second World War Wellington Bomber, Viking, Varsity, Viscount, Vanguard, VC10, BAC One-Eleven and the only Concorde with public access in South East England. With displays in original buildings, motoring and aviation events and an extensive learning programme for schools and colleges, the past is brought to life again for over 185,000 visitors a year.

The Museum is open 360 days a year from 10am to 4pm (10am – 5pm in summer) and the admission prices are Adults £11, Seniors £10, Children (5-16 yrs) £6, Family ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children) £30 with supplements payable for the half hour Concorde Experience and 4D Theatre rides.

Visit www.brooklandsmuseum.com for more information.

Tags: Local, What's On, Brooklands, Brooklands Museum, Brooklands Race Track

The Brooklands Double Twelve Motorsport Festival 18-19 June 2016

Silver theme takes the stage as entries open for unique motoring event at Brooklands Museum.

Entries are now open for the 2016 Brooklands Double Twelve Motorsport Festival, organized by Brooklands Museum and the Vintage Sports-Car Club.

The well-established format of three separate competitive events (Speed Trials, Driving Tests and Concours d’Élégance) held over two days, with aggregate scores from any two going towards overall Double Twelve awards, continues. But the status of the Concours is raised this year with its own full awards and the inclusion of a special “Anything Silver” class in recognition of the 25th anniversary of the official opening of the Museum in 1991.

In true Brooklands tradition, the Double Twelve Motorsport Festival will be held on the weekend closest to the date the original track opened in 1907, which this year is 18th and 19th June.

The three stand-alone competitive events are:

• The Double Twelve Speed Trials (Sprint) on the Mercedes-Benz World Circuit on Saturday
• The Double Twelve Concours held at the Museum across both days
• The Double Twelve Driving Tests on both sites on Sunday

The structure of the competitions allows entrants to choose which elements best suit them and their vehicle across both days making full use of the historic terrain at Brooklands and the circuit at neighbouring venue Mercedes-Benz World. For the first time this year, all three competitions will have their own individual awards, in addition to the aggregate trophies – hitherto, the Concours results have only been recognized as an element of the aggregate awards.

The classes within each competition are structured to give all ages of car from veterans to 1970s classics, and all types from nimble sports cars and thoroughbred racers to stately tourers, an equal chance of picking up an award, making this a very inclusive weekend for competitors, and an enthralling one for spectators.

Saturday’s Speed Trials are essentially for Pre-war cars (but do include an Invited class for 1950s Sports Cars) and this year will form a round of the VSCC’s inaugural MSA-registered Speed Championship; the Driving Tests and Concours are open to vehicles up to the 1970s, and include classes for vehicles of a type that could have raced at Brooklands had the track re-opened after World War Two, such as Jaguar XK120s and AC Cobras.

The special “Anything Silver” class for the Concours, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the official opening of Brooklands Museum to the public in 1991, caters not only for cars with silver-painted or polished aluminium coachwork, but also those with “silver” in their model names, such as Rolls-Royce Silver Ghosts. Other notable classes in the other competitions include one for that perennial favourite, the aeroplane-engined Edwardian car, in the Speed Trials, alongside those for standard and modified sports-cars of differing eras.

Each event will have its own class and overall winners, but to qualify for a Brooklands Double Twelve award, an entrant must compete in any two of the three events and the combined scores of these will decide their Double Twelve placing.

A full list of classes now appears on the Double Twelve pages of the Museum website and at the VSCC website at www.vscc.co.uk, along with entry forms to download. All the up-to-date Festival information can be found on the Double Twelve button at www.brooklandsmuseum.com. Entrants are offered the exclusive use of a hospitality area in the charming, period splendor of the Edwardian Clubhouse, the chance to drive on motoring ‘hallowed ground’ and when competing, will be in the capable hands of the VSCC and Brooklands Marshals.

In addition to the competitive events, there is a list of other attractions throughout the weekend. The Vintage Mobile Cinema will be in attendance, showing period Brooklands films and news reel footage during both days, the Test Hill Challenge will be running on both days, providing much merriment as it invites practically anything on wheels (or legs) to reach the summit of that most famous peak, with Sunday lunchtime seeing a cavalcade of vehicles on the Mercedes-Benz World circuit.

Many Car Clubs will be coming along to showcase their cars, and the Sinclair C5s will be back. The weekend will culminate in the prize-giving ceremony in the main Paddock on the Sunday. For spectators, a day ticket gives access to all areas on both sites, Paddock and grandstand views along with the Museum's exhibits, collections and facilities.

Spectator tickets will be at the normal Museum admission prices of £11 for adults, £10 for Seniors and Students, £6 for Children (aged 5-16) and £30 for a Family ticket admitting 2 adults and up to 3 children. The Concorde Experience is £5 for adults and £3 for children, and rides in the 4D Theatre, including the Napier-Railton Experience, are £4 for adults and £2 for children. Visit www.brooklandsmuseum.com for more information.

Entry forms are now available on the Brooklands Museum and VSCC websites or for further information about the competitive events and the Test Hill Challenge, please contact Steve Castle, Head of Track & Air Events at the Museum at stevecastle@brooklandsmuseum.com or call 01932 857381 ext 244 or the VSCC Competitions Department at comps@vscc.co.uk or call 01608 644777 Ext 4.

Tags: What's On, Brooklands, Brooklands Race Track, VSCC Competitions, Napier-Railton Experience, Test Hill Challenge, Test Hill, VSCC, Steve Castle, Brooklands Museum, The Brooklands Double Twelve Motorsport Festival

A fire-breathing aero-engined monster, a Formula 5000 car and hundreds of other exotics will star at Brooklands Museum’s annual Italian Car Day

Every square inch of Brooklands Museum’s 32-acre site will be crammed with Italian sports and super cars and motorcycles of all ages, each of them with that inimitable Mediterranean twist, for the 22nd Italian Car Day to have been organised at Brooklands in conjunction with Auto Italia magazine. The event, on Saturday 2nd May, is one of the biggest in the Museum’s calendar, with over 1,200 examples of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Fiat cars on show.

One of the highlights on display will be the amazing ‘Il Drago Ruggente’. Built on a 1924 Delage chassis, it is powered by a 27-litre Isotta Fraschini V12 engine from a World War 2 Caproni bomber. It is owned by Glenn Billqvist, who will be bringing it from Sweden especially for this event.

Max Wakefield’s rebuilt Lola T332 will be in action on the Mercedes-Benz World circuit in the midday parades as a tribute to the former Italian female Lola and F1 racer driver Lella Lombardi, together with ‘Il Drago’ and selected Fiat 500s, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Maseratis, Lancias and Alfa Romeos, amongst others. Later in the afternoon, the action will return to Test Hill on the Museum site.

Supporting the event this year is prominent UK Ferrari specialists Hoyle-Fox, which will be displaying a “concours” Ferrari 330 GTC and a recently restored rare right-hand drive Dino 246 GTS in the desirable ‘Chairs and Flares’ option - so called because of its Ferrari Daytona seats, widened wings and Campagnolo wheels.

Throughout the day, the Paddock in front of the Clubhouse will be reserved for especially rare and interesting cars, with an extensive trade village selling models, spares and collectibles and additional food outlets around the site ensuring no-one goes hungry or thirsty.

The Museum’s motoring and aviation displays will be open as usual, including the Concorde Experience, 4D Theatre Napier-Railton Race Experience (extra charges apply) and the F1 Simulator. Entry for this event starts at £13 for adults if purchased in advance or £16 on the day, with family tickets at £35 in advance or £40 on the day. Advance tickets are available online until April 27 from www.brooklandsmuseumshop.com and from the Museum Shop in person until May 1.

Italian cars should enter the Museum site via the Campbell Gate off Brooklands Road (with a fast access lane for ticket holders). Parking for visitors in non-Italian cars will be in The Heights off Wellington Way - please follow event signage on the day. Gates open at 8am for ticket holders and 8.30am for those paying on the day.

Tags: What's on, motoring, Brooklands, Museum, Brooklands Race Track, Italian Car Day