Great British Engineering Still Going Strong

I was indeed honoured to be invited to be the co-pilot in a 1934 Bentley Derby in the recent Classic Car Hill Climb event in Funchal, Madeira. The Rampa dos Barreiros was the first speed race to be held in Madeira in 1935 and was won by Ribeiro Ferreiro at wheel of a fabulous Bugatti.

The magnificent Bentley is owned and cherished by Dr Tito Noronha and was driven by his son Martim, who knew how to burn rubber!. The object of the race was to make two circuits of Funchal in the same time. Even with 82 year old instrumentation the Bentley performed magnificently with a first run of 1 minute 53 seconds and a second run showing just 0.33 seconds difference! I didn't know what I was doing with the 2 professional stop clocks, so it was down to Martim's skill and experience to bring us home.

So much so, the Bentley won its’ class and came 10th overall from 80 participants.

When I first agreed to be co-pilot I was unaware that I would have to step into a racing car with no doors. So it was leg up and over and then slide in gracefully. The betting on the day featured the writers’ kilt and whether modesty would be preserved when stepping into the vehicle. Happily all went well and nobody did get to find out what’s under an Irishmans’ kilt!

A short video of the event can be seen at http://www.tinyurl.com/2fyurydp