Forgotten Hero

Today, as we drive along in our air conditioned, super-efficient, quiet, safe and comfortable hatchbacks spare a thought for those early pioneers. 107 years ago at Brooklands in Surrey (just days after the famous circuit opened for the first time) British driver, Selwyn Edge, drove his for the full 24 hours on his own setting a new world record of 1,581 miles at an average speed of over 65 mph. Impressive enough but consider that all the bodywork had been removed; he was using super skinny tyres, for the 6 plus hours of night-time racing he relied on military flares to light the edges of the track and all this without a single rest break. Hero indeed.