Collectible good condition however doesn’t have a jacket 1943 first edition.
FOREWORD
I FEEL very much honoured thatI should have been invited
to write a Foreword in the book which Sir Henry Birkin is
compiling upon his experiences in motor racing.
At the moment of writing I have not had an opportunity of
seeing his book and have, therefore, no knowledge of what the
keen student of motor racing will find in it, but ifit is, as I imagine
it will be, a complete record of his experiences, it will be a record
of gallant adventure and endeavour, by one of the finest sportsmen
and most brilliant drivers that this or any other country has ever
produced.
In motor-car racing, at any rate in this country, there are
two different kinds of drivers. Firstly, the driver who is at his
best on the road; secondly, the driver who specialises on the
track.
I have always looked upon Tim Birkin as belonging very
definitely to the first category, gallant though his performances
have been with the great single seater Bentley, and with reference
to the latter, I believe it is true to say he has completed over fifty
laps at Brooklands with that car, at 135 m.p.h. or more, and now
holds the Brooklands Lap Record of 137.89 m.p.h.
As one who has himself endeavoured to get round the Brook-
lands Track at fairly high speed, I am in a better position than
most people who have not had this opportunity, to appreciate the
terrific nature of the undertaking.
To take a very fast car round the Brooklands Track at high
speed requires the greatest courage and an iron nerve, but great
as are the qualities required for competing on the track, I have
always been of the opinion that a road race is a far more supreme
test of the individual, as in addition to all the pluck required to
compete upon the track, a far higher standard of skill and of good
judgment is required on the road.
Sir Henry Birkin has hardly ever competed in a road race
without putting up a remarkable performance. Though I was
not lucky enough to compete in either event, from the remarks
which I have heard Continental drivers make with regard to
"Tim's " prowess, I am perfectly certain that two performances
which he put up on the road stand out in particular ; one was …