As we Reawaken the BRM marque, we are all incredibly conscious of the role of the town of Bourne, and where the story started. The vision of Raymond Mays, the dedication and skills of those in the town, along with their tenacity, and the backing of Sir Alfred Owen and Rubery Owen, enabled British Motor Sport to be firmly established, with a legacy that continues in this small Lincolnshire market-town today.
This time 60 years ago, the significance of the 1962 World Championship victories to the town was still hitting home – Graham as Driver’s Champion, and BRM as the Constructors’ Champions. Technology and travel in those days was at a slower pace, so it was a few days before those who had been in SA were able to tell the stories in person.
Some of the team had returned home soon after the victory in South Africa to celebrate belated Christmas celebrations with family; including Tony Rudd and Dick Salmon; others had stayed in South Africa for an extra few days to explore the country – with the blessing of Sir Alfred Owen and Tony Rudd. The victorious Hill had travelled onwards to New Zealand to drive a Ferguson P99 for Rob Walker in the Tasman series.
60 years later, once again we aim to build on the success and all that was achieved by introducing the next generation to motorsport, and encouraging them to think of careers in this sector. December saw Silverstone Interactive Museum run their Schools Outreach Programme across 7 schools, reaching over 600 pupils across all ages.
We also aim to build on the successes of the last year, the Jubilee Celebrations and the BRM Exhibition, Bourne Heritage Centre, Bourne Bookshop to name a few have all brought BRM back to a wider consciousness – and not forgetting the Raymoind Mays pub.
2023 will see further development of the Schools Outreach Programme and other links with the town, and of course the BRM Association Track Day at Blyton Park in April – and for those of you keen on more BRM nostalgia, I will be showing some historic BRM footage at the Bourne Motor Racing Club event on Thursday February 9th 2023.
Warm Regards
Nick Owen
