Ernest Eldridge

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Ernest Eldridge
Champ Car career
2 races run over 1 year
First race1926 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Last race1926 Sesquicentennial Classic
Heat #1 (Atlantic City)
Wins Podiums Poles
0 0 0

Ernest Arthur Douglas Eldridge (18 July 1897 – 27 October 1935) was a British

racing driver
who broke the world land speed record in 1924. His was the last land speed record set on an open road.

Early life

Eldridge was born on 18 July 1897 at

Order of St John of Jerusalem
, possibly as an ambulance driver. He may have also served in the French Artillery.

He married Majorie M. Tooth in 1915 at

bigamist
, he married a second time in 1925 to a French woman named Marie, whom he eloped with while still married to Marjorie.

Not much is known about the years between 1918 and 1921 when he reappeared at

B.E.2e at Brooklands in September 1922.[4] He learned to fly in a Sopwith Grasshopper at Brooklands and finally received his pilot's licence (Number 7944) on 21 August 1923 at Stag Lane Aerodrome, Edgware
. His licence lists his profession as Automobile Engineer.

Racing career

The early part of his racing career is littered with failures of large, often aero engined, racing cars. His first racing appearance was in 1921 with a rare chain-driven Isotta Fraschini which was lapping at more than 90 mph.[5]

In 1922 Eldridge startled the Brooklands crowd by appearing with a 240 horsepower (180 kW) Maybach aero engine in his 1907 Isotta Fraschini chassis, which had been stretched to accommodate the giant power plant. This 20-litre racer had a tiny two-seater body made by Jarvis of Wimbledon and caused something of a sensation, even when monstrosities were not uncommon in motor racing circles. It won its first race at more than 101 mph (163 km/h) but over all was not terribly successful. He sold it to another British racing driver, L C G M Le Champion.

Eldridge and the Mephistopheles at the start of the record attempt

Eldridge then turned to a 10-litre

Land Speed Record on 12 July 1924 at Arpajon, France, at an average of 146,013 mph (234,985 km/h) over the flying kilometre. In October 1924, at Montlhéry: "Mr. Eldridge covered 210 kilometres 230 metres in the hour, and at one time attained 218 kilometres (over 136 miles) an hour. This is claimed to be a world's record."[7]

The Mephistopheles posed for a promotional photo many years later (after some major modifications to its bodywork)

In 1925 he sold Mephistopheles to Le Champion and decided to enter the world of

Indy 500, no doubt tempted by the prize money. He drove one car with Douglas Hawkes in the other.[8]

While in the United States, he tried a

Altoona Speedway – qualifying only for the latter[2] – before returning to Europe to break records at Montlhéry
. Whilst attempting speed records over the Christmas Holidays the front axle disintegrated, the car somersaulted, and Ernest was left with serious head injuries and the loss of an eye.

Once recovered, he continued to take records with other cars, including a Chrysler at Montlhéry, and then became the "Record Attempt Manager" for Capt Eyston.

In 1929, they meant to co-operate in a joint assault on the 750cc world records with a French-built

Bibendum
' as he manipulated the chassis round Montlhéry."

The Ratier project was scrapped, though, as the two friends became involved with the first-ever

supercharged, if it were to have any chance of heading off a rival 100 mph attempt by Malcolm Campbell in a blown Austin Seven
.

Kimber agreed, and Eldridge supervised the work as the engine was fitted with one of Eyston's Powerplus superchargers. And he was there at Montlhéry as Eyston's signaller, "Uncle Ernest stood out in the middle of the straight opposite the timekeepers' box with a little flag in his hand. He would raise or lower it in accordance with the lap speed I was putting up."

Eyston had also been successful attacking records over longer distances with Hotchkiss and Panhard machinery, as well as the Rolls-Royce-engined, Speed of the Wind record breaker, that Eldridge helped design and went to Bonneville to manage the record attempt. It was whilst returning from a trip to Bonneville to supervise the record attempts that Eldridge contracted the pneumonia that he subsequently died from in Kensington. He was 38 years old.[1][2]

Ernest was considered a colourful character. He spent the family fortune on gambling, racing and flying. He once lost £60,000 playing "

chemmy
", in Monte Carlo in 1922, on the turn of one card.

World Land Speed Record 1924

  • Speed over 1 km −146.01 mph 234.98 km/h
  • Speed over 1 mile −145.89 mph 234.79 km/h
  • Driver – Ernest A. D. Eldridge.
  • Car – FIAT Special Mephistopheles II (Mefistofele)
  • Date – 12 July 1924.
  • Place – Arpajon, France.
  • Engine – Fiat A.12
  • This was the last land speed record set on a public road.

Motorsports career results

Indianapolis 500 results

See also

Notes

  1. ^ A form of debt factoring, or money lending. The discounter buys invoices that will fall due in the future, at a discounted price, but pays immediately. They then receive their own full payment in the future.
  1. ^ a b Brown, Allen. "E.A.D. Eldridge". OldRacingCars.com. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "E. A. Eldridge". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  3. ^ Ancestry.com. British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914–1920 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2008. Original data: Army Medal Office. WWI Medal Index Cards. In the care of The Western Front Association website.
  4. ^ The Manchester Guardian. 22 September 1922. p. 7. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ^ Motor Sport, February 1968, Pages 88–91.
  6. ^ The Manchester Guardian, 1 November 1923, Page 12.
  7. ^ The Manchester Guardian, 3 October 1924, page 9A.
  8. ^ Chicago Daily Tribune, 2 May 1926, page A8.
  9. ASIN B0008978K8
    .

References

External links

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