Founded in the year nineteen twenty-four February 1980
Founded in the year nineteen twenty-four February 1980
Founded in the year nineteen twenty-four February 1980
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ac<strong>in</strong>g a white, low-chassis. 100 m.p.h., 4.5-litre Invicta<br />
at this time, with sponsorship notably from India Tyres,<br />
a car with which he twice broke <strong>the</strong> Class C Brooklands<br />
Mounta<strong>in</strong>-circuit lap-record, <strong>in</strong> 1931 and 1932. Then<br />
came <strong>the</strong> great breakthrough. Seek<strong>in</strong>g ever more speed<br />
and acceleration, Mays and Peter Berthon, with Victor<br />
Rilev’s bless<strong>in</strong>g, thought up and produced <strong>the</strong> celebrated<br />
“White Riley”, supercharg<strong>in</strong>g this six-cyl<strong>in</strong>der car with<br />
a Jameson blower. This Riley emerged from Bourne a<br />
def<strong>in</strong>ite w<strong>in</strong>ner; it twice broke <strong>the</strong> Brooklands Mounta<strong>in</strong><br />
lap-record <strong>in</strong> Class F, putt<strong>in</strong>g this to 76.03 m.p.h. by 1934,<br />
etc. It was <strong>the</strong> technical <strong>in</strong>tegrity of this car that gave Mays<br />
<strong>the</strong> revolutionary idea of form<strong>in</strong>g ERA — English Rac<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Automobiles — <strong>in</strong> order to have a British contender that<br />
could combat foreign superiority <strong>in</strong> pre-war voiturette<br />
rac<strong>in</strong>g. Humphrey Cook put up <strong>the</strong> money, Berthon<br />
coped with <strong>the</strong> eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g problems, and down at<br />
Brooklands Reid Railton of T & T’s designed, and had<br />
made, <strong>the</strong> simple chassis. The Bourne headquarters not<br />
only raced a team of ERAs, it also sold <strong>the</strong>se impressive<br />
supercharged s<strong>in</strong>gle-seaters to would-be aces, <strong>in</strong> 1,100<br />
c.c., 1,500 c.c. and 2,000 c.c. configurations. One early<br />
customer was Dick Seaman, although he soon found<br />
fault with <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>ability of <strong>the</strong> courageous little “factory”<br />
to prepare his car properly and went over to a Ramponirevamped<br />
1927 GP Delage, which was a great <strong>in</strong>centive<br />
to <strong>the</strong> ERA challenge.<br />
For this patriotic ERA venture Mays was wellfitted.<br />
He had <strong>the</strong> bus<strong>in</strong>ess acumen to obta<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> required<br />
support, <strong>in</strong> which his great personal charm (noticed not<br />
only by <strong>the</strong> ladies) undoubtedly helped. He had <strong>the</strong><br />
aforesaid 100% enthusiasm for motor-rac<strong>in</strong>g. Yet at this<br />
difficult time, Ray was also to prove his great skill as a<br />
very capable rac<strong>in</strong>g driver, whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong> brief spr<strong>in</strong>ts or <strong>in</strong><br />
long-distance races. He was very fast, without bend<strong>in</strong>g<br />
<strong>the</strong> cars he drove. He was extremely precise, was always<br />
beautifully turned-out, and justifiably delighted if he<br />
won. Space precludes a description of how often he did<br />
just that. Let me say, of his ERA <strong>year</strong>s alone, he was<br />
right at <strong>the</strong> top. At Shelsley Walsh, where his later black,<br />
highly-boosted 2-litre Zoller-blown ERA R4D was a prewar<br />
legend, as had his light-green ERAs been before that,<br />
Mays made f.t.d. at n<strong>in</strong>e meet<strong>in</strong>gs, beaten <strong>in</strong> all that span<br />
only by Fane’s Frazer Nash. He left <strong>the</strong> record at 37.37<br />
sec. After <strong>the</strong> war, at <strong>the</strong> age of 48, Ray showed that he<br />
had lost none of bis skills. At Shelsley Walsh he made<br />
five more f.t.d. runs, putt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> hill-record to 37.52 secs.<br />
He won <strong>the</strong> RAC Hill Climb Championship <strong>in</strong> 1947 and<br />
1948. \ remember <strong>the</strong> excitement of it — <strong>the</strong> word would<br />
go out that <strong>the</strong> black ERA was be<strong>in</strong>g started-up, and <strong>the</strong><br />
starter would be alerted so as not to hold Mays for more<br />
than a moment on <strong>the</strong> l<strong>in</strong>e, lest <strong>the</strong> ERA’s plugs oil-up.<br />
Previously he would have <strong>in</strong>spected <strong>the</strong> condition of<br />
<strong>the</strong> start<strong>in</strong>g area, and now he would blast away, to <strong>the</strong><br />
shatter<strong>in</strong>g note of <strong>the</strong> exhaust, skilfully controll<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong><br />
sp<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> tw<strong>in</strong> rear tyres, chang<strong>in</strong>g up impeccably,<br />
on <strong>the</strong> Wilson box. <strong>the</strong> car’s steer<strong>in</strong>g-column cranked to<br />
his lik<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>in</strong>cidentally, to set yet ano<strong>the</strong>r f.t.d. or courserecord.<br />
Not only at Shelsley Walsh, but at Brighton and<br />
elsewhere. was this absolutely-polished control of <strong>the</strong><br />
cars, with <strong>the</strong> creation of which Mays was so closely<br />
associated, to be seen. They were great moments for<br />
anyone fortunate enough to be present.<br />
However, it was <strong>in</strong> his race victories that Raymond<br />
Mays showed such true prowess. I can but list some of<br />
<strong>the</strong>m here, a few of <strong>the</strong>se races very close-fought <strong>in</strong>deed,<br />
as aga<strong>in</strong>st Pr<strong>in</strong>ce “Bira”, <strong>in</strong> ano<strong>the</strong>r product of Bourne,<br />
for example It is <strong>in</strong> his dark knitted helmet, w<strong>in</strong>d-cheater,<br />
and spotless sh<strong>in</strong> and blue tie, that I th<strong>in</strong>k of Mays,<br />
forever flick<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> steer<strong>in</strong>g-wheel before corners to catch<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>cipient skid — but he rema<strong>in</strong>ed a force for younger<br />
drivers to contend with <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> era of compulsory<br />
crash-hats. Mays won <strong>the</strong> Eifelrennen, was twice victor<br />
at Picardy, won at Albi, with Cook as co-driver, was<br />
first <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> International Trophy race at Brooklands,<br />
won <strong>the</strong> Empire Trophy and Nuffield Trophy at<br />
Don<strong>in</strong>gton, won <strong>the</strong> Formula Libre race at Phoenix Park<br />
and he twice won <strong>the</strong> coveted Brooklands’ Mounta<strong>in</strong><br />
Championship race. He also won <strong>the</strong> Campbell Trophy<br />
race at that Track and his “places” <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> lead<strong>in</strong>g events<br />
are legion. At <strong>the</strong> Crystal Palace he won <strong>the</strong> Coronation<br />
Trophy and Crystal Palace Cup races. A rac<strong>in</strong>g driver.<br />
Mays had little <strong>in</strong>terest <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Brooklands outer-circuit,<br />
but he will forever hold <strong>the</strong> absolute lap-records for <strong>the</strong><br />
Brooklands Mounta<strong>in</strong> and Campbell circuits, <strong>the</strong> former<br />
with a 1.5-litre ERA <strong>in</strong> 1936, at 84.31 m.p.h., <strong>the</strong> latter <strong>in</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> 2-litre ERA <strong>in</strong> 1939, at 77.79 m.p.h.<br />
Mays drove o<strong>the</strong>r rac<strong>in</strong>g cars, such as a Talbot-<br />
Lago at Reims, and <strong>the</strong> Ferrari Th<strong>in</strong>wall Special. He <strong>the</strong>n<br />
turned his attention to ano<strong>the</strong>r enormous ambition — <strong>the</strong><br />
creation of BRM — British Rac<strong>in</strong>g Motors — to try to put<br />
this country on <strong>the</strong> Grand Prix map. These were very<br />
try<strong>in</strong>g <strong>year</strong>s for Mays. Smok<strong>in</strong>g cigarette after cigarette,<br />
he would attend <strong>the</strong> latest let-down of those fabulous<br />
but reluctant 1.5-litre V16 BRMs, with <strong>the</strong>ir highlyblown<br />
eng<strong>in</strong>es <strong>in</strong> which t<strong>in</strong>y pistons and a centrifugal<br />
supercharger had been <strong>in</strong>sisted upon. Perhaps, to grasp<br />
<strong>the</strong> essential f<strong>in</strong>ance and o<strong>the</strong>r help, too many Industrialchefs<br />
were stirr<strong>in</strong>g up Mays’ soup: maybe Rolls-Royce<br />
alone should have been asked to design and develop<br />
<strong>the</strong> BRM V16 eng<strong>in</strong>e. Alas, <strong>the</strong> project didn’t get go<strong>in</strong>g<br />
until too late. But Mays, as ever, devoted all his time and<br />
attention to this great venture, until o<strong>the</strong>rs took over, and<br />
even <strong>the</strong>n he reta<strong>in</strong>ed very close associations with it, and<br />
affection for it. It is said that so persuasive was Ray that<br />
he could arrive late at a Board Meet<strong>in</strong>g of hard-boiled<br />
Bus<strong>in</strong>ess Executives and Heads-of-Industry, when <strong>the</strong>y<br />
decided to throw-<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> sponge so far as help<strong>in</strong>g BRM<br />
was concerned, and almost immediately he would charm<br />
more f<strong>in</strong>ance out of <strong>the</strong>m.<br />
For <strong>the</strong>se two patriotic endeavours — ERA BRM<br />
— and his very f<strong>in</strong>e rac<strong>in</strong>g career, but particularly for<br />
his enormous and undulled love of motor-rac<strong>in</strong>g, will<br />
Raymond Mays be for ever remembered with affection,<br />
and not a little sympathy, by his army of friends and<br />
followers.<br />
Raymond Mays may have been born just that<br />
much too early, before high-pressure promotion and<br />
universal sponsorship that would have carried his<br />
<strong>in</strong>spired ideals forward. He ran a motor bus<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>in</strong> a<br />
mild way, specialis<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> tun<strong>in</strong>g-equipment for Fords,<br />
and sell<strong>in</strong>g Rovers. He enjoyed fast long-distance<br />
driv<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong> road, before <strong>the</strong> war <strong>in</strong> Derby-built<br />
Bentleys, which he used for Cont<strong>in</strong>ental travel to race<br />
venues and as, practice-cars on arrival. He was a very<br />
good ambassador for <strong>the</strong> cars he used <strong>in</strong> this manner,<br />
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