From the archives of Bob Montgomery, motoring historian
SAND RACING AT PORTMARNOCK: While most readers will be aware of aviation's links with the fine expanse of sand known as the Velvet Strand at Portmarnock, Dublin, few perhaps will be as familiar with its connections with motor racing on both two and four wheels.
After the success of the Speed Trials held in the Phoenix Park as part of the two weeks of motoring events around the Irish Gordon Bennett Race in 1903, the Irish Automobile Club (IAC) sought permission from the authorities to repeat the event in 1904. This was firmly refused and for a while it looked as if that was that.
However, the go-ahead Motor Cycle Union of Ireland had already found a new venue on which to hold Speed Trials - the Velvet Strand. It held the first motoring event - motorcycle speed trials - there on Saturday, May 14th, 1904 in the presence of many IAC members.
The venue proved highly successful and the IAC decided to organise an event combining car and motor cycle speed trials there on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 6th and 7th, 1904, to coincide with the RDS Dublin Horse Show. The competition for cars was divided into two sections - touring cars and racing cars. Each section was sub-divided into classes by cost price in the case of the touring cars and by weight in the case of the racing cars.
The event attracted an excellent entry and many top drivers travelled from Britain for it. The public also found the venue to their liking and a crowd of 10,000 was reported for the two days racing.
The course was a measured mile with several cars racing abreast and a further quarter mile allowed for the cars to stop after crossing the finishing line.
The greatest interest was in the contest for the IAC Challenge Cup for racing cars weighing not more than 19 cwt. In the first heat Arthur Rawlinson drove his Darracq to a win over the mis-firing Mors of CS Rolls (later of Rolls-Royce fame).
Algy Lee Guinness, making his debut in what was to prove a most distinguished motor sport career, took the second heat, again in a Darracq, beating the Napier of Mark Mayhew. The third heat fell to a Napier driven by Arthur MacDonald (in the absence of SF Edge), who beat Maurice Egerton's Panhard, one of the cars which had competed so well in the Gordon Bennett Race the previous year.
Rolls, Lee Guinness and MacDonald lined up for the final and this time the winner by some 15 yards was the Napier of MacDonald, with Rolls claiming second and Lee Guinness third.
After the official events, several "match" races were held over a flying kilometre. This time it was Arthur Rawlinson's Darracq which ran out the winner over the similar car of Algy Lee Guinness. Rawlinson had the fastest speed of the meeting - an average 77.62 mph.
Over the following years Portmarnock was used several times by the motor cycle fraternity but 1904 remained the only occasion on which cars raced there apart from two poorly supported events in 1930 and 1931.
Portmarnock, however, did achieve a unique place in motorsport history as the first time motor racing took place on sand in Britain or Ireland. In future years, sand racing took place on several other Irish venues, most notably Tramore, Rosslare, Duncannon and Magilligan beaches.