Mercedes-Benz World and the Brooklands Museum are organizing the Brooklands Motoring Festival 2008 that will feature competition that will combine a Concours d’Elegance with driving tests called the Brooklands Double Twelve.
The Brooklands Double Twelve will be held between the 28 and 29 June 2008.
Mercedes Press Release:
BROOKLANDS CREATES A NEW “DOUBLE TWELVE”
A great new motoring event in the making 28/29 June 2008
THE BROOKLANDS MOTORING FESTIVAL 2008, organised
by Brooklands Museum and Mercedes-Benz World, will feature a unique competition combining a Concours d’Elegance with driving tests - the “Brooklands Double Twelve”.
The competition element of the two-day event planned for 28 and 29 June 2008 will borrow its name from the historic Brooklands Double Twelve meetings organised by the Junior Car Club (JCC) from 1929, but will take for its inspiration rallies organised by the JCC and the Royal Automobile Club in the late 1930s. In these events, the elegance of the competing car (and even of its crew)
was often rated as being as important as the skill shown by the drivers in tricky manoeuvres.
In the new 2008 event, competitors will, over the two days, take part in a series of driving tests using many of the test layouts used in the 1939 JCC Rally at Brooklands, and have their vehicles judged against the exacting criteria of a Concours d’Elegance. The tests will take place in such thrilling and evocative environments as the Members’ Banking and the notorious Test Hill of the original circuit, as well as on the modern handling circuits at Mercedes-Benz World. Marks awarded in the two disciplines will be added
to give an overall score, ensuring that the class and overall winners will be selected from the best drivers using the best-kept vehicles.
Following the precedent set by the hugely successful Brooklands Centenary Festival of June 2007, there will be cars and motorcycles of the Brooklands era, but there will also be classes for classic and other special vehicles from more modern times, so that spectators will have the unique opportunity to see vehicles from all decades of the last 100 years competing for prestigious Brooklands Double Twelve trophies.
In addition, there will be spectacular displays from the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows Display Team, Formula One, Formula 3 and other modern vehicles bringing the thrills right up to the present-day.
Director of Brooklands Museum Allan Winn says: “This unique event takes the traditional Concours d’Elegance to a different level. Beauty, preparation and condition will be important, but so equally will be performance and driving skill. It is that combination of two disciplines which will make the event exciting for competitors and spectators alike, and pay true homage to the heritage of Brooklands as ‘The Ascot of Motor Racing’. We hope that everybody will enter into that spirit by dressing to the appropriate period as well.”
Peter O’Halloran, Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz World commented: “Finally we will have a world class concours event in the UK which can go on to rival the best in the world.”
For enquiries about The Brooklands Motoring Festival 2008 - featuring The Double Twelve, Call 0870 400 4000.
