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Car TT Centenary 4 October 2004 The Isle of Man is planning to commemorate the first Royal Automobile Club
Tourist Trophy Race for Cars with a glittering programme of events in September
2005.
The first international race was held in September 1905 with cars setting off
from Alexander Drive, Douglas, on a 52-mile course.
On September 10 next year, the Island will salute those pioneers with a
re-enactment lap of the course to be driven by an array of cars dating from 1905
to 1922.
The centenary plan has won the support of the prestigious Royal Automobile Club,
organisers of the very first race. As a result, the Club has agreed to allow the
original tourist trophy to be displayed on the Island during the 2005 programme,
which is being put together by Douglas-based F.A.D.
International.
The company organised smaller celebrations to mark the 90th anniversary of the
race 10 years ago on behalf of sponsors, Flemings Bank.
FAD's Brian Adams explained:
"The first Tourist Trophy Race for Cars, staged on the Isle of Man in
September 1905 was a remarkable moment in history. It was adventurous, exciting
and, for many who witnessed it, spellbinding. It was the first event of its kind
in the world. And it paved the way for the development of one of the milestone
inventions of all time.
"Cars are being sourced from that inspirational era between 1905 and 1922 when
the race was held on the Isle of Man. Drivers and passengers will be invited to
wear period costume and we hope they will be joined by street actors to help
create a festival atmosphere worthy of the centenary."
It is against this background that the Isle of Man will draw on its unique
motoring heritage and celebrate in style from September 7-12 next year. As well
as the main re-enactment on the Saturday (September 10, 2005), the organisers
are hoping to present a unique assembly of 'TT Heroes' representative of winning
cars from 1922 onwards, through the years when the Tourist Trophy earned the
description of Britain's greatest motor race.
An Old Time Music Hall show, looking and sounding as it would 100 years ago,
will be staged at the Gaiety, the Island's
celebrated Matcham theatre, recognised as one of the finest examples of its kind
in the British Isles.
Speed Trials are planned, and a Gala Charity Dinner with invited celebrities
from the world of motorsport will round off the programme. In between, a
centenary Championship Golf Tournament will be played at the Island's famous Castletown links.
Brian went on:
"It will be a celebration steeped in atmosphere, enriched by the evocative
sights and sounds of automobiles spanning the years, reflecting the full
spectrum of engineering and design capabilities. Half a dozen car clubs have
been invited to send around 50 cars each to witness the celebrations and enjoy
the centenary programme."
The Porche Club of Great Britain, which has staged two national events involving
hundreds of its members on the Isle of Man in the past four years, is one of the
invited clubs.
Chairman David Newton said:
"The significance of the first race of its kind in the world and the role
played by the Isle of Man in making that historic event possible, cannot be
over-estimated.
"We are honoured to be invited to attend and delighted that our marque, which
has played its own definitive part in the development of supremely engineered
cars, will be represented at what is clearly going to be a unique and memorable
celebration."
The Veteran Car Club (VCC) and the Vintage Sports Car Club (VSCC) are lending
their support to the re-enactment in a bid to find an impressive list of cars to
take part.
Tourism Minister David Cretney, whose department is backing the Car TT
centenary, said he was excited at the prospects for the event and the business
it should create.
He added:
"One hundred years on from that first race, our enthusiasm for motorsport has
not waned. It has served us well. Apart from it being a defining moment in
history, the original race and the circumstances which surrounded it also made
it pivotal in the subsequent establishment of the motorcycle TT races and the lasting impact they have had in terms of
world motorsport heritage and the Island continuing to be of great interest as a
mecca for two and four wheel enthusiasts.
"I believe it is a centenary which we should mark in the best way we can and I
look forward to welcoming some of our many friends from the world of motorsport
to join with us for the occasion."
1905 Race - Background & Result by Brian Adams
How did the Isle of Man become the Birthplace of British Motorsport? For the
answer, we have to turn back the clock to 1904 and some enterprising legislation
on the part of Tynwald.
Following the success of Englishman Selwyn F. Edge in the Gordon Bennett section
of the Paris-Vienna race, it was decided to hold elimination trials for the
British entry in the 1904 'Gordon Bennett'. But then, as now, the UK government
turned its back on the prospect of closing public highways for racing. Eyes
turned instead to the Isle of Man where, at record speed, Tynwald passed the necessary law to close Manx roads
in time for the trials.
The story had begun ... and the following year heralded the first Tourist Trophy
car race over four laps (52 miles each) of virtually the same course used for
the 1904 trials.
Douglas, the Island's capital, was at that time an
enterprising new seaside resort and the event was timed to extend the holiday
season. Cars, drivers, mechanics and officials were welcomed by the boatload.
The number of entrants on September 14, 1905, the day of the race, had dwindled
from the original 53 to 42, of which 31 were British. Winner of the 208-mile
race was John S.Napier in an 18hp Arrol-Johnston. He also clocked up the fastest
lap in one hour, 31 minutes and 9.6 seconds, averaging 34.2mph. Percy Northey
took second place in a 20hp Rolls Royce and Norman Littlejohn was third, driving
a 14hp Vinot. Eighteen cars completed the course, six ran out of fuel, 17
retired and one ran out of time following long repairs after an accident. The
combined value of the cars taking part in the 1905 race was put at £50,000.
The equivalent value in the first years of the 21st century would be well in
excess of £3 million.
The horses used to tow competitors to the start line were nicknamed "hay motors"
Organising the 2005 Car TT Centenary
FAD International's Project Manager for the 2005 Car TT Centenary and the man
who is steering the car elements of the programme, is 51-year-old Eddie
Fitzgerald, a leading figure in motor sport in Ireland who has also officiated
at historical events in Sweden as well as Silverstone, Thruxton and Oulton Park
circuits. He is involved in meetings at Ireland's Mondello Park and for the past
three years has helped stage the Motor Sport Ireland Show at the RDS in Dublin,
where visitors have topped the 30,000 mark.
In 2003, Mr Fitzgerald became Event Director of a festival to mark the centenary
of the Irish Gordon Bennett Races, staged in counties Kildare, Carlow and Laois.
Run along a section of the original route, the feature sprint attracted 106 cars
covering a timeline from 1903 to 2003, and included the Napier which won the
original race. More stories >>>
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