The Brooklands 100

The Brooklands 100 – a showcase of incredible pre-40 motorcycles – was held at the weekend in the arena of the Brooklands Museum… and where better to parade the old and bold two-wheelers that are symbolic of the Brooklands motorsport era.

Before we look at the event, here is a short synopsis of Brooklands and how the famed banked circuit played a vital role in pushing the boundaries of motorcycles.

A 1928 Norton CS1.

The Brooklands Circuit was founded in 1907. At the time, an astute businessman and industrialist, Hugh Fortescue Locke King, took note of the excitement that surrounded motorsport… seeing the potential, he set to create the first purpose-built racing circuit on a marshy piece of country estate, to showcase British engineering and to test and race cars and motorcycles. The circuit consisted of a large banked oval circuit bisected by a finishing straight. The track was famed for its high speeds and soon attained universal recognition as the home of British motorsport.

A 1910 Douglas 340cc.

In the 32 years that it was in use the Brooklands circuit had a variety of layouts and held numerous speed record attempts and the very first British Grand Prix in 1926. It played a vital role in the development of motorcycle racing, which started at Brooklands in 1908. The two-wheel scene was initially small, however an established pattern of race meetings soon emerged, speeds rose, and a growing audience became attracted to motorcycle races at the track. The Great War soon hit, and the circuit acted as a testbed for military motorcycles. In the wake of the war, Brooklands held events and speed competitions. The lap record of the outer circuit was a constant contested target, with legends such as Eric Fernihough and Noel Pope spanking there Brough Superiors around the track in a bid to secure top spot. Racing however stopped with the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 and the site was ultimately turned over to war-time production of military aircraft.

A 1913 Zenith Gradua with 996cc J.A.P side-valve.

Anyway, enough of the antiquities, lets move on to the event itself, which celebrates all that Brooklands did for the motorcycle movement.

It all started pretty wet, very wet in fact, and this has often proven to be a precursor to an event which features those little bales of hay that roll past in the wind. What also didn’t help was the nearby closure of one of the busiest orbital roads in the world, the M25. It was all looking pretty bleak.

A nice old Norton taking a beating from the rain.

The British weather, and sodding roadworks, however, would not spoil the fun… the gates to the Brooklands Museum opened up, and in flooded a wave of phenomenal old pre-1940 machines, and a bunch of eager enthusiasts who were ready to kick-start the 2024 season of pre-war motorcycles.

A 1913 Wooler with a beautiful naked unpainted tank.

The event was coordinated by the Sunbeam Motorcycle Club and featured four main themes:

• motorcycles on the Pioneer Register (manufactured before 1st January 1915)
• Brooklands competition machines (bikes that competed at Brooklands)
• a trials section
• members bikes (pre-1940 machines)

There was a wide mix of incredible old bikes, from an 1897 Leon Bollee Voiturette, to a 1902 Clement Garrard, to a 1921 Sunbeam Sprint … there were Nortons, Velocettes and Zeniths… the collection was endless and quite simply hypnotic. What really struck home, was the friendliness of the owners who had travelled not only from the UK, but worldwide, and who were happy to impart their wisdom and tell the individual stories of their old bikes.

Triumph 350 Freddy Clarke Replica (from the Brooklands Museum)

The 100 was not just a static event… most of the machines were fired up and paraded on a section of the old, banked circuit. The air was filled with smoke and Castrol, and the clatter of valves reverberated around the arena. What more could you want if you like old bikes!

A 1928 AJS H8 500cc.

Then there was Test Hill. Test Hill was built in 1909 for development and testing, and was used by manufacturers to test both the ability of cars and motorcycles to climb steep hills. The slope is 352 feet long and divided into three sections, starting with a gradient of 1 in 8, then 1 in 5 in the mid-section, with the top third having a gradient of 1 in 4.

Test Hill put the machines through their paces at the Brooklands 100, albeit the wet weather put a stopper on some of the older bikes thumping up the hill. It turns out that leather belts, rain, and hills don’t mix particularly well… still there were no “incidents of note” and all of the contenders put up a fight and laboured to the top of the steep ascent.

A 1914 Rudge Multi.

The event packed up as the sun broke through the clouds. It marked a wonderful tribute to the early riders and racers who tore around the iconic banked circuit, holding on for dear life. All in all, the Brooklands 100 was extremely well run event by the Sunbeam Motorcycle Club and volunteers at the Brooklands museum, and started the season in a very positive fashion. Bring on the next!

See below for videos of some of the amazing machines at the event:-

— written by The Girder Club —