Ancient, British and World Coins, Historical Medals and Banknotes

Great Britain, British Racing Drivers Club, British Empire Trophy Race at Brooklands, 1936, uniface bronze Finishers Plaque, unsigned, figure of Victory holding BRDC insignia and wreath over a backdrop of two cars racing on the banked track by the footbridge, scroll inscribed ‘Entrant and driver of finishing car, A.P. Hamilton’, 88 x 64mm. Some scratching in centre, otherwise about extremely fine and rare; in original British Racing Green case of issue by D. George Collins, 118 Newgate Street, London

The eighth running of the annual BRDC Empire Trophy Race, known colloquially as the ‘BRDC 500’, was held at Brooklands on 19 September 1936 over the gruelling banked outer circuit. A comparatively small entry of 23 competitors (reduced to 18 on the day) bore witness to the lack of specialist machinery then considered worthy of tackling the race, which had a nasty reputation as a high-speed ‘car-breaker’ because the track surface was unkind to tyres and shock absorbers alike.
A.P. Hamilton, who was elected a member of the BRDC in 1935, drove a 2.3 litre Alfa Romeo Monza 2-seater in the race, sharing the driving with the Marquis de Belleroche. Hamilton had used the same car in the 1935 ‘BRDC 500’, but this time he had fitted it with remote control shock absorbers to assist in keeping the light chassis on the banked track at speeds of up to 145mph. For the first three hours of the race the car ran well, and was placed second when an alarming incident befell Belleroche who was struck by a piece of flying concrete which shattered the right glass of his racing goggles. Belleroche managed to get the car back to the pits for Hamilton to take over, after which the blood-stained Belleroche received medical attention for a severe cut just above his right eye; initial fears for his sight were premature.
The race itself was won by Freddie Dixon and Charlie Martin in Dixon’s silver 2-litre Riley, a well-known car and driver combination, at an average speed of116.86mph. After a prolonged pit stop for mechanical repairs late in the race, Hamilton was finally classified fourth, in 4 hours 54 min 45 sec, averaging 111.05mph. Although six other cars were running at the end, only the first four had completed the full 500 miles within the time limit. For his endeavours Hamilton received the Byfleet Trophy, the KLG Trophy presented by the sparking-plug manufacturer, and £25.
An excellent photograph of Hamilton on the Brooklands banking appears in Motor Sport, October 1936. Hamilton was still listed as a member of the BRDC in 1966