Walter Thomas Clifford Earp (1879–1921) was a British pioneer racing motorist. He was born in 1879, in

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...

, Surrey, England. His parents were Arthur Clifford Earp (1855–1886), a sculptor, and Emily Wood. He attended

Ardingly College Ardingly College () is an independent boarding and day school in the English public school tradition located near Ardingly, West Sussex, England. The school is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and of the Woodard Corp ...

, Sussex. His surname was often spelled Clifford-Earp. He had a brother, also Arthur Clifford Earp, born 1 January 1883, who was also a racing motorist, and on occasion acted as his riding mechanic. He was a protégé of S. F. Edge and sometimes faced adversity, being considered a 'trade' professional in an age of amateurs. During the eliminating trials for the Gordon Bennett Cup at Douglas, Isle of Man, in 1904 Clifford Earp, with brother Arthur acting as riding mechanic, crashed into a stone wall on the promenade, both being hospitalised. In July 1905 Earp on a hp Napier finished eighth in The Gordon Bennett Cup on the Auvergne circuit in France. In July 1905 Earp, on a 90-horsepower Napier, completed the flying-start kilometre in 23 seconds at the inaugural

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 ...

. On 27 January 1906 he broke the world record for 100 miles' distance in a race for the Minneapolis Automobile Club trophy at Ormond-Daytona Beach, Florida on a 90 hp Napier in a time of 1 hour, 15 minutes and 40.4 seconds, with riding-mechanic H. H. Baker. At about the 35-mile mark he shed his rear tyre and completed the rest of the race on the rim. In 1907 he drove his 60 hp

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

car 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, ...

to four new world records: The Thames motor car was manufactured by the Thames Ironworks, Shipbuilding, and Engineering Company Ltd., of Greenwich.''The Sydney Morning Herald'', Tuesday 14 January 1908, p. 10.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Earp, Clifford 1879 births 1921 deaths English racing drivers Riding mechanics Brighton Speed Trials people People educated at Ardingly College