FEATURE
Top : team photo of the 1903 Napier
Gordon Bennett Cup team including messrs Edge , Jarrott and Stocks ; above : Edge ’ s epic 1902 victory superbly captured by artist Gordon
Horner ; above right : a 100hp Napier that was entered in the 1904 Gordon Bennett Trophy ; right : Charles Jarrott in 1903 on the Irish Gordon Bennett course .
in 1901 for using ‘ foreign-made ’ ( ie : non-British ) tyres . On the other hand , Edge ’ s was the only car to actually cross the finish line in 1902 after 11 hours ’ driving , all five rival cars having dropped out with mechanical maladies .
This situation forced a rethink , and for the 1903 race to be staged in Britain , a weight limit of 1000kg was imposed on all participating cars . This was the very beginning of regulations that would lead , decades ahead , to the birth of Formula 1 racing .
Britain would now capitalise on its very first motor racing win – exactly 120 years ago this year – by creating , thanks to Napier , its first truly purpose-built racing machines . The 7.7-litre , 45-horsepower cars with robust shaft-drive prepared for 1903 would draw on all Napier ’ s valuable experience so far .
There was , however , a big problem for Britain hosting the competition . Racing on mainland public roads was strictly banned , and so Athy in County Kildare , Ireland was the venue .
It was chosen by two leading motorists of the day , Count Eliot Zborowski and Claude Johnson , and they were keen to get the locals on-board with the proceedings . So Zborowski asked Napier to paint its cars green in honour of the ‘ Emerald Isle ’. In this roundabout way ‘ British Racing ’ green was created ,
www . veterancarrun . com f / veterancarrun . I @ veterancarrun 33