On Sunday (5 June) the De Dion bouton Club UK we be Commemorating the UK's first official motor race by recreating Charles Jarrott's run from Whitehall to Richmond Park, before heading on to Brooklands where an original Victorian De Dion Bouton Trike will be placed on loan to the Museum for a period.
On Monday 29th November 1897, Charles Jarrott, who was present at the start of the Emancipation Run from Whitehall Place on 14 November 1896, organised and took part in what was the first English motor race – in which the the criteria for motor competition (ie racing against each other and the clock) were fulfilled. This was at the meeting of the Motor-Car Club which Jarrott organised.
The members of the club drove their machines from Whitehall Place London SW1 to Sheen House, Richmond Park, where the competition took place on arrival at the Sheen House track.
Contemporary reports state that there were heats, followed by a two races. In the first one Jarrott was against FT Bidlake, who was riding a motor tricycle, the other HO Duncan who was on a De Dion motor bicycle. Jarrott had both a De Dion Bouton motor bike and trike. So there were two races, each with just the two entrants. In the motor tricycle race, Bidlake beat Jarrott. In the motor bicycle race, Jarrott beat HO Duncan.
