Raymond Mays was, and to many will always remain, Britain’s “Mr. Motor Racing”. In 1920 he started out on his career in motor racing and quickly established himself as a leading driver. His early successes, first in a Hillman and then in his Brescia Bugatti, made him headline news in the motoring press, both here and abroad.
In 1933 the success of his modified Riley Sports Car made him believe that the car might be developed into a proper racing car, to compete in the Voiturette Class of International Motor Racing. This Class, the second in importance to the Grand Prix Cars, was for 1½ litre racing cars.
With the financial support of Humphrey Cook the E.R.A. Company (English Racing Automobiles) was formed and their workshop established at Raymond’s Bourne home, Eastgate House. The first E.R.A. ran at a public demonstration at Brooklands in May 1934. The cars were to achieve many important successes in the hands of Raymond Mays and other leading drivers of the time. The ERA. cars were first raced as a “Works Team” but soon others were built and sold to customers to race on their own account. They were the first cars for many a year to represent Britain in international motor racing and to bring it regular success at such level. The E.R.A.s have been referred to as the motoring equivalent of the Spitfire aeroplane. They can be seen racing in today’s vintage events where they still have a large following. At the end of World War II, Raymond Mays’ ambition to see Britain at the top in International Motor Racing was undiminished. He had seen, throughout his long career, the prestige gained by other countries from the successes of their cars in the important motor races and to right matters, launched the B.R.M. Project (British Racing Motors) with the aim of building a world beating British Grand Prix Car. For this he sought, and obtained, the support of the British Motor and Engineering Industries. His mammoth efforts to establish B.R.M. are now legendary. The project was to meet with many difficulties before B.R.M. became World Champions in 1962. They went on to score many other Grand Prix victories. As with E.R.A., the team was based in workshops near Eastgate House, but had, by 1962, been taken by Sir Alfred Owen into the care of his family’s large engineering company, Rubery Owen. Few would disagree that Raymond Mays’ efforts, together with those who had helped him— first with E.R.A. and then with B.R.M. — “kick started” Britain’s interest in motor racing, which led to the supremacy it has since enjoyed in the sport, at most of its levels. Raymond Mays retired, as a racing driver, at the end of 1950, to devote all his time to B.R.M. In 1947 and 1948, when nearly 50 years old, he won the RAC British Hill Climb Championship driving his famous E.R.A. “R4D”.
In 1978 Raymond Mays’ lifetime service to British motor racing was
officially recognised by his being made a Commander of the British
Empire. |
