More than 30 vintage cars raced across farmyards, cornfields and even came under fire at a Stubble Racing Revival held last weekend by The Benjafield’s Racing Club in Norfolk, UK. After a hearty breakfast, club members, and special guests including Jack Sears, Chris Craft and John Miles, all took to their cars — Bentleys, Rileys, Triumphs and Lagondas — and headed for the rally stage created at the Abrey Farm in Thetford.
The competitors faced regularity tests around tractor sheds and barns on gravel, speed trials across open fields, auto tests on grass tracks and a bit of off-roading. Benjafield’s Competitions Captain William Medcalf explained: “We wanted to end the year with an event that was the complete opposite of our Goodwood Sprint but equally as entertaining. The idea of Stubble Racing came from one of our oldest members. He described how they used to steal a car, drive it across the farmer’s fields and tear the place up until they either ran out of petrol or got shot at. Then they would all retire to the local pub and drink themselves merry. Sounded good enough to me! Apart from the stealing cars bit, it sounded very much like the Benjafield ethos — a lot of fun in and out of the cars. The Abrey family kindly offered their farm, resulting in a fantastic event that we hope to repeat.”
As well as the fun element, there were also trophies to be won, with class wins for Georgina and Julian Riley in their Riley, Sean Bramell and Warren Hanlon in their Triumph, Andrew Howe-Davies and Tim Greenhill in their Lagonda, and Paul Carter and James Ewing in their Bentley.
After a glorious day of driving in perfect weather conditions, the guests donned their 1920s and ’30s finery for a gala dinner, with entertainment including Charleston dancers, fire eaters, jugglers and a live band for dancing till dawn. Benjafield’s Racing Club was formed in 1990 and takes its inspiration from Dr. Dudley Benjafield, the man who won Le Mans in 1927, with his co-driver Sammy Davis, in a 3L Bentley.
For more information on how the Benjafields Racing Club is blazing the trail for pre-war car events visit www.benjafields.com
