The Lewes Speed Trials were speed trials held on a defunct course in
Lewes
Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of ...
, Sussex, England, sometimes known as "The Motor Road."
History
The first meeting took place on 27 July 1924, on "a private road near Lewes", location unidentified. The event was organised by the Brighton & Hove Motor Cycle and Light Car Club, on a quarter-mile course. Fastest time of the day was set by J.A. Hall, Frazer Nash-GN, in a time of 16.6 secs.
"Speed trials were held on the Race Hill at Lewes three or four times a year from 1925 to 1939, at the instance of the Brighton & Hove MC, the Kent & Sussex LCC, the Bugatti Owners' Club and the Vintage Sports Car Club
The Vintage Sports-Car Club or VSCC is an active British motor racing club that organises events, both competitive and social, throughout the United Kingdom. These are primarily, but not exclusively for pre-1940 cars.
In 2019, (thus prior to th ...
,..."
In 1933 ''
The Autocar
''Autocar'' (originally ''The Autocar'') is a weekly British automobile magazine published by the Haymarket Media Group. It was first published in 1895 and refers to itself as "the world's oldest car magazine". There are now several internationa ...
'' reported:
"The course bends slightly to the left, is one-third of a mile long, narrow, none too smooth, and slightly uphill. It leads directly off the London-Newhaven road just before reaching Lewes."
Jean Bugatti
Jean Bugatti (15 January 1909 – 11 August 1939) was an automotive designer and test engineer for Bugatti. He was the son of Bugatti's founder Ettore Bugatti.
Biography
Born Gianoberto Maria Carlo Bugatti in Cologne, he was the eldest son o ...
attended the races on 21 October 1933.
Denis Jenkinson
Denis Sargent Jenkinson (11 December 1920 – 29 November 1996), "Jenks" or "DSJ" as he was known in the pages of ''Motor Sport'', was a British journalist deeply involved in motorsports. As Continental Correspondent of the UK-based ''Motor Spo ...
, motor racing journalist, attended his first motor sport event here in 1936. ''The Autocar'' reported from the meeting on 12 June 1937: "The first appearance in competition of the new four-wheel independent-suspension
Atalanta
Atalanta (; grc-gre, Ἀταλάντη, Atalantē) meaning "equal in weight", is a heroine in Greek mythology.
There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene and who is primarily known ...
was at Lewes. G.A.T. Weldon drove this 1½-litre model."
Bill Boddy
William Boddy, (22 February 1913 – 7 July 2011) was a British journalist who was the editor of ''Motor Sport'' from 1936 to 1991. After 1991 he still contributed regularly to ''Motor Sport'' magazine, continuing a career that lasted eighty- ...
, editor of ''Motor Sport'', drove the original
HRG sports car, 1,497 c.c., at Lewes on 4 September 1937 with a best time of 27.4 sec, finishing third in the novices class. On 15 July 1939,
Sydney Allard took a class win in a time of 22.12 secs.
The Lewes Record
Comparisons of times recorded at different meetings and by different clubs are problematic. There were differences in the method of timing (the electric Bachelier method favoured by the Bugatti O.C. allowed the competitor to start in his own time) and even differences in the length of the course.
[''Autocar'', 28 August 1936, Pages 396–397.]
Lewes Speed Trials past winners
Key: R = Course Record; S/C = Supercharged.
See also
*
Brighton Speed Trials
The Brighton Speed Trials, in full The Brighton National Speed Trials, is commonly held to be the oldest running motor race. The first race was held 19–22 July 1905 after Sir Harry Preston persuaded Brighton town council to tarmac the surface ...
*
Firle Hill Climb
Firle Hill Climb is a disused hillclimbing course near Lewes, East Sussex, England, sometimes referred to as Bo Peep Hill Climb. The event was celebrated on 20 September 2015 by the Bo Peep Drivers Club.
In 1966 ''The Autocar'' reported: "
The hi ...
*
Prescott Speed Hill Climb
Prescott Speed Hill Climb is a hillclimb in Gloucestershire, England. The course used for most events (the "Long Course") is in length, and the hill record is held by Wallace Menzies who took the outright hill record in a Gould GR59M single se ...
References
Bibliography
*
John Bolster, ''Specials'', G.T. Foulis & Co Ltd, Reprinted 1971.
* Jeremy Wood, ''Speed on the Downs: Lewes Speed Trials 1924-39'', JWFA Books,
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Hillclimbs
Motorsport venues in England
Sport in East Sussex
Hamsey