Airtime at Brooklands

Brooklands, which was established in 1907 at Weybridge, Surrey, as the world's first purpose-built motor racing circuit, was not just a remarkable sports facility. It was the place where British motorsport and aviation were born, as well as being the birthplace of Concorde and the location of numerous engineering and technological advancements throughout the 20th century's eight decades.

The creation of the Brooklands motor circuit was the brainchild of Hugh Fortescue Locke-King, and it holds the distinction of being the world's first purpose-built banked motor race circuit. Due to a blanket 20 mph (32 km/h) speed limit on public roads in Britain following the Motor Car Act 1903, the country's burgeoning auto industry was at risk of being hampered without sustained high-speed testing. To address this concern, King enlisted Colonel Capel Lofft Holden of the Royal Artillery to design the circuit, and construction began in 1906.

To meet the requirements of high-speed testing and spectator visibility, the Brooklands track was built as a 100 ft (30 m) wide, 2.767 mi (4.453 km) long, banked oval, with nearly 30 feet (9.1 m) high banking in certain areas. An additional bisecting "Finishing Straight" increased the track length to 3.369 mi (5.422 km), of which 1.250 mi (2.012 km) was banked. The track was capable of accommodating up to 287,000 spectators at its peak.

The track's surface was made of uncoated concrete, as the complications of laying tarmacadam on banking and the expense of laying asphalt made those options unfeasible. However, the surface's differential settlement over time led to a somewhat bumpy ride. Along the centre of the track, a dotted black line known as the Fifty Foot Line was drawn, which allowed drivers to theoretically navigate the banked corners without using the steering wheel.

On June 17, 1907, the track was inaugurated with a luncheon attended by many of Britain's motor manufacturers. Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, Messrs. Hugh Owen, Julian Walter Orde (secretary of the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland), and Colonel Holden were named by Mr Locke King as the main people who enabled the track's construction. An informal procession of 43 cars, including one driven by Charles Rolls, followed the luncheon to inaugurate the track. The first competitive event was held on June 28-29, where three cars competed to break the world record for distance covered in 24 hours, and the first race meeting was held on July 6, attracting over 10,000 spectators.

Inspired by the development at Brooklands, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was built soon after and held its inaugural race in August 1909.