ONE OF THE BIGGEST motor racing celebrations in Bourne was held in the autumn of 2012 to mark the 50th anniversary of the BRM world championship victory which brought so much prestige to the team and to the town.

Thousands of people lined the streets on Sunday 7th October for a packed programme of events that had taken over a year of planning by an organising committee.

The Formula One world championship title was won in 1962 after an eventful year on the track and victory was finally sealed during the South African Grand Prix at East London when the BRM car finished the course with Graham Hill at the wheel after the opposing Lotus had been forced to retire.

The win created a great deal of jubilation and celebration in Bourne where the team were given a civic reception and then in 1999, a Heritage Racing Day was held to celebrate the centenary of BRM founder Raymond Mays (1899-1981) coupled with 65 years of ERA and 50 years of BRM. The event was such as success that sufficient money was raised to erect a permanent motor racing memorial in South Street.

The 2012 celebration was on a much grander scale with the town centre virtually sealed off and a park and ride bus service was organised by the Delaine company to ferry visitors in throughout the day from car parks in North Road and Raymond Mays Way.

Three grandstands were erected in Abbey Road and two in North Street and all of the seats were sold out a month before the event but crowds more spectators were able to watch the events free by lining the pavements.

The day’s programme began at 11 am with news headlines from 1962 being read out over the loudspeakers, a feature designed to create the right atmosphere for the period half a century ago and throughout the day, music from the 1960s was played.

Then a cavalcade of pre-1963 classic cars drove through West Street, North Street and Abbey Road followed by a fleet of VIP tourers followed by the homecoming of the historic BRM team transporters.

The history of the BRM was marked with demonstration runs by some of the famous vehicles associated with the company with former drivers and mechanics driving along the route at 30-second intervals including Graham Hill’s car P578/1 nicknamed Old Faithful and driven by his son, Damon, who himself won the world championship in 1996. Also in the line up was Sir Jackie Stewart at the wheel of a BRM P261.

At 2 pm a starting grid formation was assembled to match that of a 1962 Grand Prix race including BRM, Lotus, Lola and Cooper cars, followed by a demonstration run and then came more historic vehicles and their competitors and another appearance from works drivers headed by Damon Hill.

This was followed by a VIP parade of honour before the celebrations came to a close at 4.30 pm.

Other events throughout the day included a fly past by a Dakota from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, a trade show and exhibition and food stands at the Abbey Lawn. Churches brought forward their usual Sunday morning services in order that worshippers could enjoy the day and then opened their doors to serve refreshments for visitors, among them volunteers from the Methodist Church in Abbey Road where bacon rolls, sandwiches and soft drinks were on offer. The Abbey Church hosted an art exhibition, the Salvation Army also provided refreshments and screened a selection of BRM-themed videos at their hall in Manning Road while the Baptist Church in West Street had a Lamborghini on display.

The Conservative Club in North Street had a Scalextric model exhibition on show with a replica of the East London track where Graham Hill sealed the 1962 world championship. At the Darby and Joan hall in South Street, there was an exhibition of BRM photographs while the Heritage Centre at nearby Baldock's Mill was open for the day to enable visitors see their permanent exhibition devoted to Raymond Mays and the BRM.

Schoolchildren were also involved in the preparations and pupils from Mays House at Bourne Academy spent their lunch hours the previous week preparing 10,000 information packs for sale on the day. The Bourne Abbey Primary Academy in Abbey Road also held a barbecue, tombola and a book stall on the lawn in front of their school.

There were also examples of private initiative and local fundraiser Anne-Marie Brown sold refreshments from the driveway of her home in Abbey Road, the profits going to the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance and the Ugandan Child Education Trust Kintende.

The Mayor of Bourne, Councillor Helen Powell, resplendent in a dress from the 1950s, said that she was delighted with the success of the event. “I am absolutely ecstatic”, she said. “The town has had a really good party feel today and it has most certainly put us on the map. What has been particularly impressive is the magnificent work that such a small group of people organising the day have done. It is a wonderful boost for local businesses and the general economy of the town.”

BRM 2012 committee member Anthony Delaine-Smith said: “This has been a day to remember in Bourne and it is unlikely we will ever have something on this scale taking place ever again. It has been a community event and we have been so happy to see that so many people became involved.”

The event raised a total of £30,000 for good causes, the money being divided equally between the Outdoor Swimming Pool in Bourne and the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance Charitable Trust.

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