Shuttleworth Race Day
The final major air event of the 2024 Display Season was Race Day at the Shuttleworth Collection. Race Day celebrates Richard Shuttleworth’s passion for motorsport and air racing with one of the most unique airshows of the season. Aviation shares the limelight with racing cars and bikes from the 1920s and 1930s which participated in a Sprint down Old Warden’s runway. In the air, many aircraft connected with various forms of air racing took to the skies for some unusual formations plus mock air races.
Paul Johnson/Flightline UK reports. All photography by the author.
Unlike the Duxford Flying Finale the day before, Race Day did not see the best autumnal weather. Though it started brightly enough, as the day wore on the sky turned grey and gloomy. Sadly the end of the flying display was brought to a premature end by light rain and poor visibility.
The Shuttleworth Collection reflects Richard Ormande Shuttleworth’s passion for aeronautics and vintage vehicles. As well as being an aviator, Richard Shuttleworth was a highly accomplished racing driver competing between 1932 and 1935. As was the way in the early days of motor-racing, he took part in several different disciplines. He also competed internationally taking part in the Dieppe and Nice Grand Prix events. He also won the Donington Park Grand Prix in 1935 in a Alfa Romeo cementing himself in the motor-racing history books. His motorsport career came to end the next year after an accident at the East London Grand Prix in South Africa during 1936. His resulting injuries ruled out further involvement in motorsports but he was soon back flying again. He joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve on the outbreak of the Second World War and was killed in a flying accident in August 1940 while flying a Fairey Battle.
Race Day is perhaps the ultimate expression of Richard’s passion for speed and motor racing. As well as the flying display, the event draws many vintage racing cars and motorbikes from a wide range of private owners plus other museums. These vehicles participate in the ‘Shuttleworth Sprint’ which sees these remarkable machines stretch their legs down Old Warden’s main runway. Being held on grass, it is not a competitive event, but nevertheless some of the participants were able to show the incredible speeds that were already being achieved nearly 100 years ago. Amongst the highlights was the return of Brooklands Museum’s Napier-Railton, a 1913 Romano Demon, Ford Model T Racers, Morgan three wheelers and a 1930 Raleigh MH30 racing bike. There were also some modern Rally Raid cars from the UK military teams.
As well the eclectic collection of cars and bikes, there was a further tribute to Richard Shuttleworth early in the flying programme with a pairing of de Havilland DH60X Moth and Sopwith Pup, two of his earliest acquisitions in his collection of veteran aircraft. The Pup was actually built as a two seat Sopwith Dove, but was converted into the Pup by Richard during the 1930s and been part of the collection ever since. The Pup was not the only First World War type to take to the air with the RAF SE5a, Sopwith Triplane, Bristol M1c and Avro 504K all taking to the air in their own display slot.
Throughout the afternoon many of the flying displays featured aircraft with sporting connections. There was a lovely colourful duo of de Havilland DH82a Tiger Moth and Stampe SV4A flown by Andrew Monk and Stu Goldspink. Vintage gliders also featured with the collections Piper PA18 Super Cub giving a dual tow to the Slinsgby Kirby Kite and Slingsby Petrel.
As is tradition for Race Day, several collection aircraft featured in a mock handicap air race. This sees aircraft take to the air at timed intervals which are worked out from the aircraft’s stated performance. In theory this should see all the aircraft complete the course at the same time if they are all flown perfectly. For the 2024 air race, the collection lined up the Miles Magister, de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk, Comper Swift, Avro C19 Anson and Westland Lysander. It was certainly an eye-catching and highly unusual combination which saw the Anson and Lysander powering around the circuit in a bid to catch the lighter aircraft.
Some of the great competitions were marked during the flying display. The King’s Cup Air Race was marked with three of its most illustrious competing aircraft – The Miles Hawk Speed Six, Miles Messenger and the Percival Mew Gull. Sadly, a sequence to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of the 1934 MacRoberston Trophy Air Race from RAF Mildenhall to Australia was curtailed to just one circuit by the collection’s de Havilland DH88 Comet as drizzle and low cloud blew in over the airfield.
American air racing was also well represented with types such as the Travel Air D4000, Spartan 7W Executive and Travel Air Type R ‘Mystery Ship’ all giving solo displays. The famous Reno Air Races were also marked with Fighter Aviation Engineering Ltd’s Hawker Fury ISS leading the Fighter Collection’s Grumman F8F-2P Bearcat through a tailchase. While the overcast somewhat restricted the display Fury and Bearcat’s routine, Steve Jones and Pete Kynsey made full use of Old Warden’s display area to keep the potent fighters close in to the crowd.
More modern forms of air racing were also represented. The Formula 1 and Air Race 1 categories were highlighted with the return of the Cassutt IIIM ‘Kermit’ flown by Trevor Jarvis. This aircraft has participated in races around the world including Air Race 1 events in Tunisia, Spain and China. The much-missed Red Bull Air Race style of competition was also marked in the display with absolutely showstopping display by Chris Burkett in a Zivko Edge 540. Even though the cloudbase was fairly low, Chris managed to fill his display routine with plenty of punchy vertical gyroscopic aerobatics.
Another spectacular visiting display was given by Tony de Bruyn in his North American OV-10B Bronco. Old Warden is possibly just about the perfect venue for Tony’s display which highlights the incredible agility plus the short take-off and landing capabilities of the OV-10. As a type it has no links to air racing, but when it was being promoted to various air arms it was demonstrated by legendary American pilot Bob Hoover who flew the pace aircraft at the Reno Air Races.
But the highlight of the flying display was the British Second World War fighters sequence featuring the collection’s Gloster Gladiator I and Supermarine Spitfire Vc. They were joined by the Aircraft Restoration Company’s Supermarine Spitfire PRXI flown by John Romain for some opening flypasts. The ARCo Spitfire PRXI is no stranger to Race Day air displays having been flown in various post war races by the legendary Lettice Curtis. It closed the sequence with John Romain flying one of his wonderful solo displays in the grey skies. However, what really made this part of the display stand out was the duo, or perhaps you could say duel between Frank Chapman in the Gladiator and Stu Goldpink in the Spitfire Vc. For a few glorious minutes the two classic RAF fighters powered around Old Warden’s dog-legged crowdline with the Gladiator seemingly trying to get on the tail of the Spitfire. It was amongst the very best displays I’ve ever seen at Old Warden.
Despite the gloom, this was a very fine way to end the Shuttleworth’s re-invigorated display season which has seen many changes over the traditional format of airshows at Old Warden. Next year brings some further changes with many of the summer air displays moving to a Saturday. This is being done to attract new audiences to the Old Warden and allow for extended display days with both day and evening elements together.
