Brighton and Hove Motor Club, organisers of the esteemed Brighton Speed Trials, have announced the discontinuation of the historic event. Citing the escalating costs of safety measures and consequent financial losses, the club has made the difficult decision to end an event that has been a staple of British motor racing since 1905.
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The Brighton National Speed Trials, revered as the oldest running motor race, began on 19–22 July 1905. It was initiated by Sir Harry Preston, who persuaded Brighton town council to tarmac the road beside the beach between the Palace Pier and Black Rock. This stretch, renamed Madeira Drive in 1909, has been the event’s home, traditionally held on the second Saturday of September each year. In 1936, Motor Sport magazine lauded it as “undoubtedly the most important speed-trials on the British Calendar.”
