B.R.D.C. Personalities- EARL HOWE

B. R D. C. Personalities EARL HOWE

It is extremely difficult to assess exactly how much racing owes to Lord Howe, who as President of the British Racing Drivers’ Club does a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes to help the Sport.

Certainly there is no more admired and popular figure either at home or abroad, and with his rakishly tilted cap (which, of course, gives place to a crash hat and visor before going into action), blue suit, red carnation and long cigarette holder, Earl Howe cuts an unmistakable figure in any gathering of speed fans. Educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, during the Great War he commanded the Howe Battalion or the R.N.D. in Belgium and also served aboard “Queen Elizabeth.” After the War he went into politics and as Viscount Curzon was MY. for South Battersea from 1918 to 1929 and acted during the latter

part of this period as A.D.C. to His late Majesty King George V.

He did not make his racing debut mail 1928 when be drove a Bugatti in the Tourist Trophy Race retiring after four hours.

Several years passed before he scored his first great and well deserved victory—Le Mans in 1931, partnered by the late Sir Henry Birkin at the wheel of an AlfaRomeo. In that year he acquired the famous 11-litre Delage with, which he set up a Brooklands Outer Circuit class record of 127.05 m.p.h. which still stands.

He has piloted a variety of marques including Bugatti, LeaFrancis, Mercedes, Talbot, AlfaRomeo, Delage, M.G., Maserati and lately E.R.A., and driven on almost every circuit in Europe, on the Roosevelt Raceway in New York and in South Africa, where he scored his most recent win—the Grosvenor Grand Prix of last year.

A Commodore in the R.N.V.R., Earl Howe has recently been appointed to H.M.S. Osprey and his new duties make more and more demands on his time. He is also the very active President of the British Roads Federation and a member of the Roads Group of Peers in the House of Lords. Nevertheless, he still manages to attend practically every Motor Sporting event of importance, and when not driving himself usually acts as a Steward or Observer. Abroad he often represents Britain as a Commissar Sportive.

As to the future, he is having a novel li-litre two-stroke engine, designed by Mr. J. L. Jameson, fitted to his E.R.A. chassis, the first appearance of which is awaited with interest.