THE MAIDSTONE & MID KENT MOTOR CLUB LIMITED.
The Club was formed in July 1935 at The New Inn, Maidstone. Some 35 motoring enthusiasts attended the formation and within a month the membership had passed the 60 mark and continued to grow. In May 1938 the Club became a Limited Company.
From its formation until the outbreak of the second World War the Club organised sporting events, monthly social evenings, Social Runs and visits to places of interest, including Continental Tours [to Austria, Holland & Germany]. The sporting events included the Bossom Trophy Trial, the Brian Lewis Trial, the February and October Trials, Hill Climb, Team Rallies, and “Bug Dicing”, and entry to invited events such as the Lands End Trial, and Lewes Speed Trials. The emphasis was on “off road” events and the Trials and Hill Climb attracted well known competitors such as Sidney Allard, Ken Hutchinson, and Goff Imhof, as well as local drivers.
Many of the Clubs events are to this day named after prominent members from the early years, – the Bossom Trial – A C Bossom Member of Parliament, the Brian Lewis Trial – The Rt. Hon. Brian Lewis, later Lord Essenden, the Trywhitt Drake Trial – Sir Garrard Trywhitt Drake JP. and Mayor of Maidstone.
The “Bug Dicing” referred to above was the forerunner of autocross and grass racing and to compete the cars had to comply with strict rules based on pre 1932 Austin 7 cars.
The Club continued throughout the war period and once hostilities had finished the Club Calendar was reinstated and in 1948 the first race meeting at Silverstone was organised, and was to become a regular event, which was joined in 1954 by the Sprint meetings at Brands Hatch. The mid-1950s saw, in addition to the speed events, the emphasis on road rallies with the Club organising no less than 6 major rallies a year, including the Harold Sharp, and the Hopper, in addition to monthly Natter & Noggin events during the autumn and winter months. Sporting and Production Car Trials, Autocross meetings, and of course social functions, completed the Annual Calendar. Several of the events were of National permit status which was the envy of many other Clubs. In 1953 the Club’s own regular publication, the Kent Driver, was introduced.
The Club Calendar continued with these events during the 1960s but the ever-increasing opposition to road rallies in the Southeast of England took its toll on the number of road rallies organised by the Club. 1965 saw the last Silverstone race meeting organised by the Club, but the speed events continued with two race meetings at Brands Hatch and one at the new Lydden Circuit, near Dover, just three of the twenty-three events on the Annual Calendar.
The events for the 1970s moved back to “off road” with Autocross’, Sporting and Production Car Trials, Special Stage Rallies, Farthingloe Hill Climb, and the Race meetings forming the backbone of the Club Calendar. Membership in 1969 reached 570 but in common with other motor clubs this level was not to be maintained into the 1980’s mainly due to the ever-increasing cost of motor sport to the amateur club competitor, and the increase in the number of alternative ‘local’ clubs. During the 1980s the club ran a Belgium Special Stage [known as the British Stages at St Juliaan, Heuvelland and Nieuwkerk] on the annual Ypres 24 Hour Rally with over thirty club members manning the Stage.
The 1990s see the Club with a full Calendar catering for the true amateur member as well as the semi-professionals. The events include Sprint meetings at the Lydden Circuit, Hill Climbs, Sporting and Production Car Trials, Tarmac and Grass Autotests, Scatter Rallies, and social meetings. The Club also assists with the organisation of Forest Special Stage Rallies and Historic Rallies and has an active spectator unit following its Club members on European events.
By the 21st Century the nature of events was changing due to the ever-increasing population of the Southeast which resulted in more complaints regarding road events and also those being held on private land near to populated housing developments. Suitable venues were also becoming increasingly difficult to find and a look back since the formation of the club at the venues now no longer include – for Trials – Goats Hill Farningham, Rankins Farm Hawkhurst, Boxley Warren, The Larches Detling, Harp Farm Boxley, Vinters Park Maidstone, Stock Wood Wormshill, Old Forge Farm Stockbury, Boughton Monchelsea Place, Ashtree Farm West Malling, Yorke Farm East Farleigh, Chegworth Farm Leeds, and for Autocross held at Hulkins Farm Biddeneden, Mote Park and Vinters Parks Maidstone, Rochester Airport, Great Danes hotel Hollingbourne, Keylands Farm Paddock Wood, The Bell Bredhurst, Elderden Farm Staplehurst and Kent Showground Detling. For Autotest & Autosolo used venues at Maidstone Market, Lympne Airport, Elderden Farm Staplehurst, Hempsted Valley Shopping Centre, West Malling Airfield, Army Barracks at Maidstone & Chatterden, Chatham Historic Dockyard, Greyhound Stadium Sittingbourne, Haseldens Yard Strood, Lydden Circuit, and For Speed events past venues at – Gravesend Airport, Sea fronts at Margate and Ramsgate, Circuits at Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Lydden, North Weald & Lydd Airfield, and Farthingloe Farm at Dover. Rally Stages venues at – Detling & Manston Airfields, Squirrel & Longton Woods Detling, Harold Sharp Farm Chart Sutton, Angley & Hemsted Woods Cranbrook, Isle of Grain Oil Refrinery, Bedgebury Forest Goudhurst, Nicol Farm Chartham, White Cliffs Dover, Eastwell Park Boughton Lees.
The loss of some of the above venues saw the demise of well known past events – Hill Climbs at Goats Hill Farningham and Great Farthingloe Dover, Rallies Hopper, Harold Sharp, Margate, Windows, Chico, Grasshopper, Mid Kent Stages, Rally of Kent, Trials – Bossom Sporting, with the Brian Lewis and Tyrwhitt Drake sporting Trials becoming road production Car Trials. Autoetsts lost the Invicta and the Kent Driver. Should appropriate events be run in the future then any of the above names could be used.
Now almost a quarter way through the 21st Century the club continues to run a full calendar of events with experienced organisers catering for the competing members with 12 Car Rallies, Car Trials [production], Autotests Tarmac and Grass, Autosolos, Scenic Tours, CoPromoted Sprints, and social events for all members and continues to use venues with the permission of the landowners who without them motorsport would cease to exist.
Throughout the club’s existence many well known have been vice presidents or competitors in the various categories of motorsport ranging from National status down to closed to club events. Many of the following names may be recognised – Sydney Allard, Sir Gwaine Baillie, Raymond Baxter [BBC], Lord Bossom, Mike Cannon, John Davenport, Vic Elford, Dan Guerney, Frank Gardener, Graham Hill, Goff Imhof, John Jensen, Liz Jordan, Tony Lanfranchi, John La Trobe, Ian Mantle, Pat Moss, Stirling Moss, Catie Munnings, John Surtees, David Seigal Morris, Geraint Phillips, John Sprinzel, Paul Swift, Stuart Turner, John Webb [Brands Hatch], to name but a few.
The Club continues to have very experienced Executive Officers and organising teams and looks forward to moving into the twenty first century with the Members interests paramount, encompassing events and meetings for all levels and types of motorsport.
Lyle Cathcart
President
June 2024