World's first motor race medallion

-

The "engraved" side of the commemorative medallion (Photo : Wikimedia)

Regular readers of this irregular web log may remember the thunderous silence surrounding revelations over the world’s first motor race.

It wasn’t when you first thought it was!

Unless you read about here of course. Or here.

In short, its was a race between two steam engines in 1867 when the Red Flag Act was in force. That slight legal technicality may have resulted in it being conducted covertly and no-one would have heard about it had not The Engineer magazine published a short paragraph about it after it had occurred.

I tried to stir things up in 2017 as the 150th anniversary approached but interest from anyone in the Old Trafford area of Manchester amounted to a big fat zero. They seem to have no interest in historic sporting events whatsoever, even - or especially - if the first ever motor race finished on their doorstep.

Steam car builder and researcher Karl A. Peterson was who first put me on the trail of this intriguing matter and he contacted me this week about an article in Hemmings that appeared back in 2017, around the 150th anniversary of the first race.

Not only that, he found a commemorative medallion for the “8 Mile Winner”.

Any celebration of flouting the Red Flag Act seemed unlikely to me and the font looked “hinky” as our North American cousins might say. I shared my thoughts on this with Karl and he replied – probably rolling his eyes a little – that the image had been photo-shopped.

The original image is of a common French agricultural award or motoring souvenir of the 1899 era. Karl found it on Wikimedia while doing some research, noting that the author who posted the submission, DonnyDave1963, is not a registered user

Karl – who could easily pass any MI5 entrance exam – cites a GPS for both images as Studcross, Epworth, England.

Also, an anonymous contributor left a comment about a medallion on my original post of January 2010.

Here is what "Unknown" said in January 2020.

"I have in my possession the medal which was presented to I W Boulton for winning the aformentioned motor car race - however it is inscribed "8 miles winner 1867" which could possibly suggest that there were other races over different distances?" 

We suspect Unknown or Donny Dave – who may well be the same vintage as me if that’s his birth date – is having a little joke. This latest development probably will not throw any more light on what little Karl and I have turned up so far.

It’s a curious subject to spoof, though. Maybe acceptance and recognition of this sporting escapade from long ago is growing.

The other side - front - of the medallion. That does not look like a steam car to me. (Photo : Wikimedia)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vintage Thing No.36 - the Honda CJ250T

-
Image
Tempted? It was during a rather ribald discussion with some of my motor cycling friends that the question arose -- what is the motorcycling equivalent of an Austin Allegro? My Austin Allegro is a particularly nice example but that doesn't stop them taking the piss out of it. I know that it is not one of the world's greatest cars and some people voted these chubby little cars the worst ones of all time but I like to point out that much of the Allegro's vital organs are shared with the Mini, which, at about the same time, was voted the greatest car of all time. It seems odd to me that two cars with the same engine, gearbox and the clutch from the same manufacturer, and with suspension systems that follow the same damperless and space saving concept, could be both the best and the worst between them. But, as we say in Cornwall, "There it is and there you are." And as some deeply philosophical type might also say, "Less is more." After a great deal of...
Read more

95th Exeter Trial 2025

-
Image
Arkley-MG all set for the 95th Exeter This year’s event saw me entered again as part of the Team Inappropriate massseeve but also I had chosen as my running chumrades those dirt -dashing do-badders from downtown Doublebois, Adrian Booth and Darren Wilton in Age’s Triumph TR2. Add in Age’s sister Gill and her beau, Pat, in Katy the MX5 and I felt comfortably surrounded my fellow enthusiasts. In the navigator’s seat for the first time was my belle, Sally Livsey. Sal was supposed to have been with me on the Camel Classic but had been ill. How she would find an overnight, long-distance classic trial in January would soon be revealed. I had also volunteered to be a travelling marshal, despite many of my trialling viewing this as a kiss-of-death if I hoped to actually finish any event. First time out for Nora, the TR2 On the eve of the 2025 Exeter Trial, I fitted a new battery isolator switch. This was because, twice in the week before, the Arkley-MG had occasionally suffered from an inapp...
Read more

Vintage Thing No.44 - The Citroen C15D

-
Image
This the pre-facelift C15D and is now quite rare If you want a truly recreational vehicle, you could do a lot worse than one of these. This is my 1986 Citroen C15D van, known to other members of my family as Mighty Whitey. It's old enough now to qualify for classic insurance but for the last 14 years has been my principal vehicle. During that time I've had engines, motorbikes, a lathe, a coal bunker and a Shetland pony in the back but not all at the same time. I’ve camped in it, too, visiting various parts of the UK but also France, Holland and Belgium. If I put the passenger seat fully forward, there’s just enough space for me lie diagonally across the load space. On an inflatable mattress, I sleep incredibly well in it. It’s just an ordinary panel van really but, whereas all those designer SUVs are too specialised to be useful only as fashion statements, for versatility nothing can touch Mighty Whitey. My van has acquired many names over the years. It was fleeting kno...
Read more