The Brooklands Podcast

Round the world 'bird in a biplane' aviator Tracey talks about what she has been doing over the past three years, her passion for more female aviators and her plans for the near future. Wow! What a fascinating and determined adventurer!

Mike Napier the author says;

The Vickers Wellington is the great unsung hero of World War II. One of only two aircraft types that served in the front line of the RAF throughout World War II and remained in production throughout the conflict (the other was the Supermarine Spitfire), the Vickers Wellington was the mainstay of Bomber Command for the first three years of the war and became the workhorse of Coastal Command service, played a vital role during the Middle East and Mediterranean campaigns and also contributed greatly to operations in the Far East theatre. While everyone has heard of the Wellington, few realise its incredible versatility or the vitally important part that it played in RAF operations in all of the theatres of war. I could have written about the Wellington in any of its many theatres or roles, but I decided to concentrate on the Wellington units within Bomber Command. Why? Because the Wellington holds a unique and fascinating place in Bomber Command history.

About The Book

‘A band of stubborn pioneers rose from the embers of Britain’s cities after World War Two and created the finest automobiles the world had ever seen ... High Performance tells the exhilarating tale of their journey down the fast lane.’ Ben Collins, bestselling author of The Man In The White Suit and How To Drive

‘A wonderful glimpse "backstage" at the flamboyant mavericks and crazies who populated the British motor industry in the 60s.’ Alexei Sayle

‘High Performance is a cracking read and an adrenaline-packed tribute to the time when British mavericks “blew the bloody doors off” the competition.’ The Sunday Times

'Peter Grimsdale gives a very different and uplifting slant to the story of ... the post-Second World War British Motor industry. He focuses on people who did things differently and whose achievements are with us still ... thoughtful and stimulating.' Alan Judd, The Oldie

Maurice Hamilton talks with Steve Clarke about his book...

Maurice first came across Lauda in 1971 and in this definitive biography tells his remarkable story. Based on interviews with friends, family, rival drivers and colleagues, it is a superb tribute to a brave, supremely talented and much-missed star of Formula One.

Six weeks after the 1976 crash at the notorious Nürburgring that left him burned and receiving the last rites while obituaries were written, Niki Lauda stepped back into his Ferrari at Monza to defend his first World Champion title. Jackie Stewart called it ‘the most courageous thing I have ever witnessed in sport’. Lauda and Hunt were playing cat-and-mouse for the championship. At the final race of the season in Japan, the weather was appalling and conditions treacherous. Lauda had a narrow lead and an agonising decision to make – high-speed drama at its best.

Following his extraordinary recovery from the accident, Lauda won the title in 1977 and again, following a return from retirement, in 1984 with McLaren. When he eventually hung up his helmet for good, he started his own airline and had to deal with the horrendous aftermath when one of his aircraft crashed, killing all 223 on board. He later returned to the sport in various management roles and successfully persuaded Lewis Hamilton to join Mercedes.

Richard Noble has had the ambition all his adult life to see Britain excel in engineering on the world stage and throw off the country’s dismal culture of safety first and risk aversion. His achievements in the highly insecure world of record-breaking emphatically demonstrate his commitment to his cause: he brought the Land Speed Record back to Britain in 1983 when he drove his Thrust 2 car to 633mph and 14 years later he led the ThrustSSC team to achieve the first supersonic record at 763mph with Andy Green driving. In his book Take Risk! he tells the extraordinary stories of his 11 projects in record-breaking and aviation that all saw people and companies go out of their way to join him in his exciting endeavours — and take risk.

Allan talks about the history of the car, his relationship and experience of driving it.

50 years ago, on 14 June 1970, the first Shadow racing car made its race début in the opening round of the fabled Can-Am Challenge, at Canada’s Mosport circuit. A miniature car, literally knee-high and with tiny tyres, this startling newcomer went fast enough for George Follmer to qualify it sixth but its race ended when the engine overheated.

Now, the first history of Shadow racing cars, by Pete Lyons, has just been released by Evro.

SHADOW: THE MAGNIFICENT MACHINES OF A MAN OF MYSTERY could not have a more appropriate author. Pete was there that day at Mosport, witnessed Shadow evolve to become Can-Am champions by 1974, attended the team’s Formula 1 début at Kyalami in 1973, reported on its Grand Prix exploits for four seasons thereafter — and besides all that in latter years he conducted extensive interviews with Shadowman Don Nichols, the Man of Mystery himself, in preparation for this book. From all this top-quality raw material, together with 600 images, a rather special volume has emerged and Evro is very proud to be its publisher.

Simon Taylor talks about his 50+ years friendship with Sir Stirling. a fascinating insight into the great man. Simon wrote the definitive biography "Sir Stirling Moss - My Racing Life" commissioned by Sir Stirling.

A Race with Love and Death. The story of Britain's first great grand prix driver, Richard Seaman. Chapter 17 read by the author, Richard Williams.

https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/A-Race-with-Love-and-Death/Richard-Williams/9781471179358

Round the World motorcyclist, Elspeth Beard is an architect and motorcyclist, and is noted for being one of the first English women to ride a motorcycle around the World. Later she redesigned Munstead Tower in Godalming, winning the 1994 Royal Institute of British Architects award for South East England.