The British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) is an exclusive invitation-only members club for

racecar driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organis ...

s who are judged to have achieved success in the upper levels of

motor sport ''Motor Sport'' is a monthly motor racing magazine, founded in the United Kingdom in 1924 as the ''Brooklands Gazette''. The name was changed to ''Motor Sport'' for the August 1925 issue. The magazine covers motor sport in general, although from ...

for a number of seasons. Except under exceptional circumstances, members must have been born in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

. The BRDC owns and operates

Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is a motor racing circuit in England, near the Northamptonshire villages of Towcester, Silverstone and Whittlebury. It is the home of the British Grand Prix, which it first hosted as the 1948 British Grand Prix. The 1950 ...

in the United Kingdom.

Early days

The club was founded in April 1928 by Dr. J. Dudley Benjafield, one of an informal group of British racing drivers known as the "

Bentley Boys The Bentley Boys were a group of wealthy British motorists who drove Bentley sports cars to victory in the 1920s and kept the marque's reputation for high performance alive. In 1925, as the marque foundered, Bentley Boy Woolf Barnato bought the c ...

". The BRDC began primarily as a socialising club for Benjafield and his fellow drivers, but by the time of its inauguration, its 25 members had devised a set of objectives for the club: *To promote the interests of motor sport generally. *To celebrate any specific achievement in motor sport. *To extend hospitality to racing drivers from overseas. *To further the interests of British drivers competing abroad. In 1929, the BRDC became involved in the promotion and organisation of racing events. Its first event was the BRDC 500-Mile Race at

Brooklands Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfields, ...

on 12 October of that year, a race won by a

Bentley 4½ Litre The Bentley 4½ Litre is a British car based on a rolling chassis built by Bentley Motors. Walter Owen Bentley replaced the Bentley 3 Litre with a more powerful car by increasing its engine displacement to . A racing variant was known as the Blo ...

, unsupercharged, owned and driven by Bentley-dealer Jack Barclay and Le Mans-winner F.C. Clement. The event was such a success that the 1930 event, scheduled for 4 October, was accorded International status. The Earl of March and S.C.H. Davis won the event outright in an Austin Seven. From June 1935 the BRDC published the monthly magazine ''

Speed In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a scalar quanti ...

''. The final issue was April 1939, after which it was incorporated into its rival ''

Motor Sport ''Motor Sport'' is a monthly motor racing magazine, founded in the United Kingdom in 1924 as the ''Brooklands Gazette''. The name was changed to ''Motor Sport'' for the August 1925 issue. The magazine covers motor sport in general, although from ...

''.

World War II and aftermath

Members who died or were killed during the Second World War included:

Cecil Kimber Cecil Kimber (12 April 1888 – 4 February 1945) was a motor car designer, best known for his role in being the driving force behind The M.G. Car Company. Biography Kimber was born in London on 12 April 1888 to Henry Kimber, a printing engi ...

(a vice-president), The

Earl of Cottenham Earl of Cottenham (), of Cottenham in the County of Cambridge, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1850 for the prominent lawyer and Whig politician Charles Pepys, 1st Baron Cottenham. ) He served as Lord Ch ...

, A.V. Ebblewhite, Hugh P. McConnell, T.E. Rose Richards, J.P. Wakefield,''Motor Sport'', June 1942, Page 125: Obituary. E.K. Rayson, G.L. Baker, John Carr, Percy Maclure, A.F.P. Fane, B.P.W. Twist, R.O. Shuttleworth, C.S. Staniland, N.G. Wilson, H.E. Symons, R.P. Hichens, J.A. Driskell, and

Lionel Martin Lionel Walker Birch Martin (1878 – 21 October 1945) was an English businessman who co-founded the company that became Aston Martin. Early life He was born at Nansladron at Pentewan near St Austell in Cornwall, and was an only child. His fat ...

. After the war the club opened a "Le Mans Fund," for the benefit of the

Automobile Club de l'Ouest The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (English: Automobile Club of the West), sometimes abbreviated to ACO, is the largest automotive group in France. It was founded in 1906 by car building and racing enthusiasts, and is most famous for being the organ ...

, raising a grand total of £358 and 11 shillings, to assist with the rehabilitation of the facilities at the Le Mans circuit. "It will be remembered that these installations were almost completely destroyed during the war, mainly by Allied bombing."

Membership status

In the modern era full membership status is offered only to those who are judged to have been successful at an international level for a number of seasons. Full membership has been awarded to every British or Commonwealth Formula One World Champion. Associate status is awarded to those who have made a significant contribution to motor sport. Honorary membership may be awarded in special cases, such as a notable World Champion who may not otherwise qualify. Membership is only open to British or Commonwealth drivers however Irish drivers who were born in the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between th ...

or the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

before 1950 would be considered British by the club and eligible for membership. This rule allowed for

Eddie Jordan Edmund Patrick Jordan, OBE (born 30 March 1948), also known as EJ, is an Irish businessman, television personality and former motorsport team owner. Born in Dublin, Jordan worked first at the Bank of Ireland. He won the Irish Kart Championshi ...

to join the club. Once invited to join, prospective members must be proposed and seconded by existing members, then in turn, approved by the existing membership, board of directors and BRDC President. The BRDC's membership was initially restricted to experienced and successful male drivers, and was by invitation only. When Le Mans-winner

John Duff John Francis Duff (January 17, 1895 – January 8, 1958) was a Canadian racecar driver who won many races and has been inducted in the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame. He was one of only two Canadians who raced and won on England’s famous Br ...

joined the club in 1935 he was proposed and seconded by existing members. However

James Robertson Justice James Robertson Justice (15 June 1907 – 2 July 1975) was a British actor. He is best remembered for portraying pompous authority figures in comedies including each of the seven films in the ''Doctor'' series. He also co-starred with Grego ...

was a member of the club, with a limited track record. In 1946 eligibility was described thus: "It is pointed out that, normally, membership is confined to gentlemen who have competed in an open motor road-racing event or taken a first, second or third place award in a Brooklands Automobile Racing Club's Meeting. Every candidate must be proposed by one and seconded by another member of the club, to both of whom he is personally known." Women have been elected Honorary Member of the Club since 1928, however it was not until 1994 that they were able to become Full Members. As a consequence, the

British Women Racing Drivers Club The British Women Racing Drivers Club (BWRDC) is a membership body which represents the interests of professional women racing drivers from the United Kingdom. The BWRDC celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2012. It holds its own awards and champi ...

was founded in 1962 by Mary Wheeler.

Race promotion and circuit ownership

In the post-war era, the BRDC expanded its activities, taking over the lease of

Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Towcester on the former A43 main road, from the M1 motorway junction 15A and about from the M40 motorway junction 10, Northampton, Milton Keynes and B ...

from the

RAC RAC or Rac may refer to: Organizations * Radio Amateurs of Canada * RATCH-Australia Corporation, electricity generator * Refugee Action Collective (Victoria), Melbourne, Australia * Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, US * Rent-A-Center, ...

in 1952. In 1966, the club formed a subsidiary company, ''Silverstone Circuits Limited'', responsible for the development of the

British Grand Prix The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor race organised in the United Kingdom by the Royal Automobile Club. First held in 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 and has been a round of the FIA Formula One World C ...

and – after its purchase in 1971 – the circuit itself. Aside from the GP, other notable BRDC-organised events at Silverstone included the

BRDC International Trophy The International Trophy is a prize awarded annually by the British Racing Drivers' Club to the winner of a motor race held at the Silverstone Circuit, England. For many years it formed the premier non-championship Formula One event in Britain, al ...

. In recent years, Silverstone and the British GP have become an ongoing contentious issue between the BRDC board and

Bernie Ecclestone Bernard Charles Ecclestone (born 28 October 1930) is an English business magnate. He is the former chief executive of the Formula One Group, which manages Formula One motor racing and controls the commercial rights to the sport, and part-owns ...

's Formula One Management, with differences of opinion over the costs involved and the state of the circuit's infrastructure. Also within the remit of the club are: *The BRDC Marshals' Club. *BRDC Club Races. *BRDC 500 Summer Races. *The BRDC

Walter Hayes Walter Leopold Arthur Hayes (12 April 1924 – 26 December 2000) was an English journalist, and later public relations executive for Ford. Hayes was key in developing Ford's Formula One program, by signing Jackie Stewart and funding the build ...

Trophy.

Young driver support

The support and development of young British drivers has become an important part of the BRDC's existence, not least with its involvement in the annual

McLaren Autosport BRDC Award The Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award is an award set up in 1989 to reward and recognise young racing drivers from the UK. As its names suggest, the award is backed by Aston Martin, motorsport magazine Autosport, and the British Racing Drivers' Cl ...

to honour and promote a young driver from a British championship who, in the eyes of the judges, shows the most talent and potential. Among the BRDC's promotional and developmental schemes is the ''Stars of Tomorrow'' karting championship. The BRDC also provides financial backing to selected young British drivers competing in junior formulae. In 2008, the BRDC announced the creation of its SuperStars program, designed to advise and financially support Britain's most promising young drivers. 1992 BTCC champion

Tim Harvey Tim Harvey (born 20 November 1961) is a British racing driver, best known for being the 1992 British Touring Car Champion, and the 2008 and 2010 Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain champion. A household name in the 1990s, Harvey won sixteen race ...

was appointed Director of the program. The current director is Andy Meyrick.

2022 BRDC Superstars

Significant people

In the recent past the Club Presidency has been held by former Formula One World Champions

Sir Jackie Stewart Sir John Young Stewart (born 11 June 1939), known as Jackie Stewart, is a British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland. Nicknamed the "Flying Scot", he competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Cham ...

and

Damon Hill Damon Graham Devereux Hill, (born 17 September 1960) is a British former professional racing driver from England and the 1996 Formula One World Champion. He is the son of Graham Hill, and, along with Nico Rosberg, one of two sons of a Formu ...

. , Former F1 Driver

David Coulthard David Marshall Coulthard (; born 27 March 1971) is a British former racing driver from Scotland, later turned presenter, commentator and journalist. Nicknamed 'DC', he competed in 15 seasons of Formula One between and , taking 13 Grand Prix vi ...

is the President of the BRDC, having replaced

Paddy Hopkirk Patrick Barron Hopkirk (14 April 1933 – 21 July 2022) was a rally driver from Northern Ireland. Hopkirk was appointed MBE in the 2016 New Year Honours list. In early 2016, Hopkirk became the IAM RoadSmart Mature Drivers Ambassador. Early ...

. The club's current Chairman is John Grant, since 2012. The position has recently been held by former touring car driver Stuart Rolt, (from 2005 – 2008 and from 2010 – 2012) and Robert Brooks, Chairman of

Bonhams Bonhams is a privately owned international auction house and one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. It was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. This brought to ...

auctioneers, from 2008 – 2010.

Presidents of the BRDC

References

External links

Official websiteSilverstone Racing Club
{{BRDC International Trophy Motorsport organisations in the United Kingdom Professional associations based in the United Kingdom 1928 establishments in the United Kingdom Sports organizations established in 1928