STIRLING’S DINING CLUB
Stirling’s Dining Club Fine Dining Book Now Woodcote ParkSeptember, October and November Members can book for Stirling’s Dining Club evenings this autumn, with each month serving a unique offering. In September, October and November members will experience a culinary, fine dining four-course tasting menu along with matching wines. Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 SeptemberThe Season of Autumn. Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 OctoberEnjoy a wine evening hosted by specialist wine expert, Peter McCombie. Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 NovemberWe welcome the return of the Game Season. Please join us for our delicious game menu. Price: £130.00 per person and includes a welcome drink on arrival and a four-course dinner with matching wines.Dress code: Smart. To make a reservation, please visit the Booking Centre, email Central Reservations or telephone 020 7747 3474 and quote ‘Dining Club’. Cancellation policy applies.
FROM PALL MALL TO PIT LANE: THE CLUB AT DONINGTON HISTORIC FESTIVAL
From Pall Mall to Pit Lane: The Club at Donington Historic Festival Over the bank holiday weekend, our motoring correspondent Alice Locke caught up with some of the Club’s racing members at the ever-brilliant Donington Historic Festival. The spotlight was on the Pall Mall Cup, proudly supported by the Royal Automobile Club. One of two Motor Racing Legends series run in association with the Club, the Pall Mall Cup takes its name from the Club’s historic London home and celebrates the golden era of endurance racing. The grid featured a glorious mix of pre-’66 GT, GTS, and touring cars, plus pre-’61 sports-racing machinery, all battling over a flat-out, two-hour race. To add some spice (and strategy), each team of two or three competitors had to make two pit stops – one quick and one longer refuelling stop of five minutes. Variety, as ever, was the order of the day. And this round certainly served up an all-star cast: E-types, Cobras, Elans, MGBs galore – plus a mighty Mustang, a feisty TVR Grantura, and a vanishingly rare Porsche 901. Friday began with glorious but cool sunshine – ideal conditions for qualifying and a welcome respite from the previous sweltering days. Among the Club contingent Frederic Wakeman, sharing a Cobra with two team-mates, made the most of the perfect conditions. With blistering pace and impressive consistency across all three drivers, they bagged second on the grid. In endurance racing, consistency is key, and these three were all within a few seconds of each other. But as if hurling a Cobra around wasn’t enough for Frederic, he also strapped into an Audi GT3 and then a Cooper T38 alongside fellow Club member Patrick Blakeney-Edwards for the other Club-backed series: the Woodcote Trophy. Jumping between cars with wildly different handling, braking and grip is no small feat, but Frederic clearly relishes the challenge. He praised the use of Donington Park’s full Grand Prix circuit, saying the lesser-used layout made for an exciting change. Though his Cobra sadly retired just nine laps into the Pall Mall Cup, Frederic’s weekend wasn’t over. He and Patrick bounced back to win the Woodcote Trophy despite a drive-through penalty for a too-early driver change. As that series runs as a championship, the win put them in a strong position for the rest of the season. Also in the mix was Club member Karsten Le Blanc, behind the wheel of the stunning Porsche 901, shared with two teammates. A stalwart of the Pall Mall Cup since its early days, Karsten’s standout memory remains the post-lockdown comeback race, where he and his “Covid cycling group” took the win. This weekend, he too was double-duty, switching between the 901 and an Austin-Healey 3000. Karsten praised the high driving standards and the warm hospitality, calling the Pall Mall Cup a perennial favourite. He also tipped his hat to the new two-hour format, calling it kinder on the old machinery. There was an added incentive for the Pall Mall Cup in the form of a special prize for the first Club member to cross the line. That honour went to Simon Drabble, who shared his MGB with his son Alex – earning them two Club-branded caps and dinner at the Club. Simon also scooped second in class, crediting it to sharp strategy and an even sharper pit stop. Hot on Simon’s heels came another MGB – this one piloted by Club member Richard Locke (yes, my dad and co-driver!). Taking part in his very first Pall Mall Cup, Richard thoroughly enjoyed the experience and was impressed by the remarkable driving standards: no red flags, no safety cars, and barely a yellow flag was seen across the two-hour race. The weekend ended on dual high notes, with top-notch hospitality and a live band belting out classic hits. The next outing for the Pall Mall Cup will be at the Navarra Historic event in Spain this October, ahead of the season finale at Silverstone. The Woodcote Trophy will also feature at both, with additional rounds at Silverstone Festival and Spa-Francorchamps beforehand.
BROOKLANDS BRUNCH WITH POL ROGER CHAMPAGNE
Brooklands Brunch with Pol Roger Champagne Head to Pall Mall and enjoy our popular Brooklands Brunch complemented with a bottle of Pol Roger Champagne. Book Now Pall Mall, The Brooklands RoomAvailable Saturday and Sunday from 12.00-4.00pmThroughout August and September Members and their guests can choose from a range of delicious dishes whilst dining in our lively Brooklands Room, the perfect way to spend a relaxing weekend at the Club. Price: £115.00 includes a three-course brunch with a bottle of Pol Roger Champagne per person. For further information and to book, please visit the Booking Centre or contact the Central Reservations team on 020 7747 3474.
ANNUAL MOTORING DINNER INTERVIEW WITH ZAK BROWN
LEGENDS REUNITED AS ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB HONOURS PRODRIVE
Legends Reunited as Royal Automobile Club Honours Prodrive An incredible line-up of motorsport heroes gathered in London as the Royal Automobile Club presented Prodrive with its Diamond Jubilee Trophy on Thursday 31 October. The celebratory atmosphere at the Pall Mall Clubhouse reflected the great esteem in which the British company is held, as everyone reminisced into the early hours about 40 years of Prodrive success in rallying, sports-car racing, touring cars and Formula 1. First awarded in 1957, when the Royal Automobile Club celebrated its 60th anniversary, the Diamond Jubilee Trophy is only occasionally given for ‘An outstanding contribution in the field of automotive transport or motorsport’. This year’s event represented just the seventh time the Trophy has been won, and the first since 2016. Three years before founding Prodrive, David Richards won the 1981 World Rally Championship as co-driver to Ari Vatanen, and the Flying Finn was on hand to recall their time together. He was joined by Saeed Al-Hajri, who scored Prodrive’s maiden win on the 1984 Qatar International Rally, and the Porsche 911 SC RS in which he claimed that milestone victory was on display in the Pall Mall Rotunda. Few combinations in motorsport history are as evocative as Colin McRae and Prodrive’s blue-and-gold Subaru Imprezas, and one of the late Scotsman’s 1996 WRC cars was also on display. Colin’s father Jimmy – himself a five-times winner of the British Rally Championship – spoke about that golden era, as did two men who had a front-row seat during the fierce battle for the 1995 World Rally Championship. Alongside McRae as he took the title with Prodrive that year was co-driver Derek Ringer, who was joined at the event by Luis Moya – co-driver to McRae’s teammate Carlos Sainz. Robert Reid was also on hand to speak about winning the World Rally Championship with Prodrive in 2001 as co-driver to the late Richard Burns, while Petter Solberg and Phil Mills reminisced about their own title success two years later. The most decorated rally driver of all time, nine-times World Champion Sébastien Loeb, has been part of the Prodrive family since 2021 and talked about about their assault on the gruelling Dakar Rally, while Cristina Gutiérrez recalled the thrill of being paired with her hero Loeb in Prodrive’s Extreme E team. François Chatriot and many of the small team that won the French Rally Championship in a Prodrive BMW M3 joined the celebrations, while the company’s success in the British Touring Car Championship was evoked by tin-top legends Frank Sytner and Alain Menu. Prodrive stalwart David Lapworth spoke about the early days of the company, while Darren Turner, a multiple class winner for Prodrive at the Le Mans 24 Hours, said: “It does feel like a family. It’s all the team members that we’ve worked with over all this time – the technicians, the drivers, and everyone else who’s been involved.” As he accepted the Diamond Jubilee Trophy, David Richards CBE said: “Succeeding in any form of motorsport is an enormous challenge but we’ve always recruited the best people in the business, and had a clear philosophy about everything we do. The culture this has created is one of ‘just make it happen’, yet do it in a way that you will be proud of. So sometimes it’s the smaller achievements that give the most satisfaction, especially when you beat all the odds.” “We are delighted to honour Prodrive with our Diamond Jubilee Trophy,” said Duncan Wiltshire, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club. “David’s leadership is truly inspirational, and the results of his skills in organisation and motivation speak for themselves – as does the fact that so many great names are here to celebrate Prodrive’s ongoing success. “To excel in just one area of motorsport today is an exceptional achievement, but to do so in so many – and to foster so much talent both behind the wheel and behind the scenes – is a magnificent achievement.”
THE AUSTIN PEDAL CAR STORY WINS ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB 2024 MOTORING BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Austin Pedal Car Story wins Royal Automobile Club 2024 Motoring Book of the Year Award David Whyley’s The Austin Pedal Car Story, published by Porter Press International, emerged as the Royal Automobile Club’s 2024 Motoring Book Of The Year at a special ceremony in central London last night, in the presence of acclaimed motoring and motor racing authors from around the world. This exhaustive, entertaining and beautifully produced book chronicles the story of how the Austin Motor Company provided much-needed work for disabled former miners in South Wales, building small-scale versions of its roadgoing cars for lucky children. The Austin Pathfinder and J40 cars were made from 1949 to 1971. Today the originals are highly sought-after by collectors. They have recently gone back into production, and there is an annual race for them – called the Settrington Cup – at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. They rely entirely on pedal-power, with the fittest legs making them go the fastest. So this is the first time a book on cars without engines has won outright at the Awards, now in its 11th straight year and regarded as the ‘Oscars’ of the car book world. David Whyley is acknowledged as an Austin expert. He grew up near the company’s headquarters in Longbridge, Birmingham, and has spent decades researching the work, which involved interviews with many of the people involved at the time. It also includes numerous previously unseen photos. Accepting his award for The Austin Pedal Car Story, assessed by a panel of expert independent judges, he said: “To me, this book was all about securing future interest in our history, and I felt I needed to tell the story of how the motor industry helped the people of the Welsh Valleys. “I began researching this in the mid-1990s, and I was fortunate enough to meet the designer as part of that – I couldn’t believe what he had to show me, and so I was gifted the opportunity to write about these miniature marvels.” Jeremy Vaughan, Head of Motoring at the Royal Automobile Club, commented: “The range of titles under consideration is so wonderfully varied this year, perhaps more so than for any year since we started these Awards back in 2013. “David’s book may be about cars that none of us will ever drive on the roads, but the approach he’s taken to his subject, and the incredible detail he’s amassed and catalogued, is as accomplished as any definitive marque history. “Here at the Club, we love to play our part in recognising excellence in book publishing, and we’re lucky to have judges who are open-minded, knowledgeable and, of course, completely independent. I thank them all for their contributions” This was by no means the only book to scoop an accolade last night. Other books to win on the night (topping categories with and without a £50.00 price limit) included: Morgan: An English Enigma by Martyn Webb; BMW: Behind The Scenes by Steve Saxty; Goldie by John Mayhead; and The Last Eyewitness by Doug Nye. The Graham Robson Award for Best Debut Author was presented to Bob Evans for Happy Lucky Days: My Life in Racing. Full details of all the winners are listed below. Sharing the history-rich limelight at the Royal Automobile Club on Wednesday evening was Dr Clare Hay, who was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her significant contribution to the UK’s motoring book industry. Her first book, the highly acclaimed Bentley: The Vintage Years, was published in December 1986, not long after her 23rd birthday. Her ten subsequent titles on the marque and the work of Walter Owen Bentley have cemented her reputation as the pre-eminent world authority on vintage Bentley cars. Dr Hay told the audience movingly of her early life, and the grip that her subject took on her. Receiving £3000 from an insurance payout after being knocked off her bicycle, Dr Hay was able to buy her own Bentley 3 Litre as a wreck in Scotland – at a time when she didn’t have a driving licence or any means to get it home. She added that “Nobody took any interest in me or what I was doing.” But within a very short time, she had become the leading authority on vintage Bentleys, with unparalleled knowledge on each of the 3000 individual cars produced, and consulted by renowned collectors, including Ralph Lauren.
REFURBISHMENT OF THE WOODCOTE PARK CLUBHOUSE
ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUBS SIMMS MEDAL AWARDED TO MAEVING
Royal Automobile Club’s Simms Medal awarded to Maeving For its innovative electric motorbikes designed and built in Britain The Simms Medal, named after the Club’s founder, was presented to Seb Inglis-Jones, who co-founded Maeving in 2018 with Will Stirrup to open a new era for the British motorcycle industry. In the year the two friends founded their business, just 297 electric motorbikes were sold in the UK, while over 20m of them found buyers in China. However, the partners’ plan to import and sell Chinese-made models for the British market was soon parked when they decided the quality wasn’t good enough, and that removable batteries were key for ease of use in town and beyond. In 2023 Maeving launched its first models, the RM1 and RM1S and the initial batch sold out within hours. It immediately became the best-seller in its sector. Following the tradition of legendary motorcycle names including Triumph, Norton and BSA, Maeving opened its factory in the West Midlands, in Coventry, and in doing so became Britain’s first electric motorcycle manufacturer. Inglis-Jones and Stirrup met and bonded at Durham University and decided that one day they would open a business together. But the idea for an electric motorbike only came when Inglis-Jones bought one for his daily commute. “We questioned why electric motorbikes lagged in sales and identified the single most important factor: removable batteries,” said Inglis-Jones. “So our innovation addresses the primary barrier to electric adoption – insufficient charging infrastructure – by allowing riders to power up from any standard socket. “This approach contrasted with what major Western manufacturers were doing: designing heavy, high-powered models that served as alternatives to popular internal combustion-engined motorcycles, but often struggled with reliance on inadequate charging infrastructure.” A deep and shared respect for the planet was another reason why the two gave up their jobs in the corporate world to found Maeving, and since then they have recruited what Inglis-Jones calls “one of the most talent-dense engineering teams in the world, with over 200 years of combined industry experience”, to help them. The team includes Graeme Gilbert, former Head of Product at Triumph. “This idea stemmed from the notable discrepancy in electric two-wheeler sales between the East and West,” Will Stirrup added. “The level of experience and expertise in the Midlands is unparalleled. Harnessing this has made Maeving’s motorcycles the embodiment of craftsmanship and innovation. “The whole Maeving team is thrilled that the Royal Automobile Club recognises our vision with the Simms Medal.” Maeving joins a rollcall of British talent to have received the Simms Medal, which is presented only in years when the judges feel there is a worthy winner. This has included McMurtry Automotive, Williams Advanced Engineering, Riversimple and the Ariel Motor Company, as well as individuals such as Richard Parry-Jones CBE and Dr Rob Lewis OBE. A full list of previous winners is given below. Ben Cussons, Chairman of the judges on the Royal Automobile Club Technical Committee (which awards the Simms Medal alongside the Dewar Trophy) said: “Maeving’s achievement in designing and building an attractive and innovative electric motorcycle in the UK is a project that Frederick Simms would have been proud of. The business exudes the passion of its founders but has the financial backing and commercial nous that will help it achieve its ambitious aims.” Previous winners of the Simms Medal 2023 – Alex Summers for his P4t hillclimb car. 2022 – McMurtry Automotive for the conception, design and manufacture of the stunning McMurtry Spéirling, 2021 – Dr Rob Lewis OBE for the development of the Catesby Tunnel Test Facility and the associated Innovation Centre. 2019 – Zef Eisenberg: a man driven by technology and demonstrating its potential in the most extreme manner. 2017 – HIPERCAR Consortium for the development of the HIPERCAR. 2016 – Riversimple for the development of the Rasa hydrogen fuel cell electric car. 2015 – Williams Advanced Engineering for the design, development and production of the battery powering Formula E racing cars. 2013 – Lord Paul Drayson for setting four Electric World Land Speed Records for sub-999kg vehicles. 2012 – Ben Bowlby for his brilliant realisation of the groundbreaking DeltaWing racing car. 2009 – World Steam Land Speed Record team, with a special dedication to former Project Manager, the late Mr Frank Swanston, for breaking the 103-year-old world record and raising it to an average of 148.308mph for two consecutive runs over a measured kilometre. 2007 – Richard Parry-Jones CBE, in recognition of his immense contribution to the UK and world automobile industry (as the Ford Motor Company Group Vice President and Chief Technical Officer). 2006 – Bill Gibson of Zytek, for developments in the fields of motorsport and electric vehicles. 2005 – Simon Saunders of Ariel Motor Company for designing the Ariel Atom sports car. 2004 – Professor Gary Savage of the BAR Formula 1 team for its carbon fibre gearbox. 2003 – Mick Hyde of Radical Motorsport for the SR3 sports racing car.
THE ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB AWARDS COSWORTH THE 2024 DEWAR TROPHY
The Royal Automobile Club awards Cosworth the 2024 Dewar Trophy The Royal Automobile Club’s coveted Dewar Trophy was awarded to revered British manufacturer Cosworth, for developing ultra-high-performance internal-combustion engines to power some of the world’s most exciting ‘hypercars’. The Northamptonshire-based company, whose history runs in parallel with Britain’s rising dominance since the 1960s of Formula 1, was highly praised by the Dewar Trophy judging panel. Not only for the design, development and manufacture of normally-aspirated engines that give extraordinary levels of performance, but also for the business strategy behind them. The power units are at the heart of the most exciting road cars of this automotive era, including the Aston Martin Valkyrie, Red Bull RB17 and Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) T50. Cosworth is also producing the V16 engine for Bugatti’s upcoming Tourbillon hypercar. Commenting on the Dewar Trophy award, Dr Florian Kamelger, Cosworth CEO, said: “We are incredibly proud to receive the Dewar Trophy. It is a testament to the hard work of our talented team and the innovative solutions we are bringing to market. As we continue to evolve and redefine the future of luxury automotive performance, this recognition underscores Cosworth’s commitment to delivering technologies that are at the forefront of automotive excellence. “What sets Cosworth apart is, I believe, our strategic and process-driven engineering approach, one that ensures excellence in both the final product and the way it’s conceived, designed, and brought to life.” The Dewar Trophy has been associated with numerous British automotive design achievements over many decades. Named after Sir Thomas Dewar, it was originally presented in 1904 and today It is awarded for ‘An outstanding British technical achievement in the automotive industry.’ It is awarded at the discretion of the Royal Automobile Club’s Technical Committee, in any year when its panel of experts believe there are contenders of sufficient merit. Previous winners have included Dunlop, Jaguar, Ford, YASA and JCB. Cosworth won it for the first time in 1969 for the performance of its DFV Formula 1 power unit. Bruce Wood, Managing Director of Cosworth, added: “Our recent collaborations with some of the world’s most prestigious automotive and motorsport brands have been pivotal in securing the Dewar Trophy and further highlight Cosworth’s leadership in high-performance automotive engineering. “We believe that the obituary for internal combustion engines is being written prematurely; while electric mobility is part of the future roadmap, there remains a crucial space for high-performance internal combustion engines in niche applications such as hypercars.” Cosworth’s highly advanced engines are very high-revving and produce exceptionally high specific power outputs. Yet they also have to be manufactured in numbers that would be too large for most specialists, and too small for a major carmaker. Today, Cosworth’s commitment to innovation is reflected in its continuous investment in state-of-the-art development technologies and capabilities. Through developing the ability to design, prototype and manufacture these production road car units, Cosworth has shown true innovation, and is another great British success story worthy of the Dewar Trophy accolade. Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Dewar Technical Committee, said: “It is testament to the innovative nature of the British motor industry that the Royal Automobile Club is able to award the Dewar Trophy to a previous winner. Fifty-five years since it last won, Cosworth has demonstrated how it has used its outstanding design, development and manufacturing capability to become the world leader in normally aspirated ICE hypercar powertrain production. Truly an organisation that never rests on its laurels.”
LONG BAR LIVE
Long Bar Live Enjoy live music in the Long Bar each month. Each month a different musician will perform live in the Long Bar. These evenings are complimentary for walk-ins and no booking is required. The usual Long Bar food and beverage offerings will be available throughout the evenings. Jazz SambaFriday 12 September, 8.00-10.00pm Jazz Samba takes its inspiration and name from Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd’s ground-breaking 1962 album, the first ever fully-fledged bossa nova album recorded by American jazz musicians which topped the LP charts on its release and produced its own pop hit single ‘Desafinado’ Led by John Wilson’s star soloist Mark Crooks on saxophone and clarinet and the award-winning guitarist Nigel Price with John Cervantes (piano), Marianne Windham (double bass) and Demi Garcia Sabat (drums/percussion), this is a joyous celebration of the blending of Brazilian rhythms, jazz attitude and the majestic compositions of Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Donato and Sergio Mendes. Dan ReinsteinFriday 10 October, 8.00-10.00pm Dan Reinstein, a saxophonist and leading laser eye surgeon, blends his medical career with over 20 years of jazz performances at the 606 Club in London. His quintet features top UK talent and performs classic jazz standards from the ’50s to the ’90s, with music by Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Horace Silver and more. Jazz at the MoviesFriday 21 November, 8.00-10.00pm JAZZ AT THE MOVIES is a unique group that brings a jazzy twist to classic film themes and soundtracks, from well-known hits to hidden gems. Expect music from films like The Pink Panther, Gilda, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and more, featuring songs by Burt Bacharach, John Barry, Stephen Sondheim and others.