he 41st Reunion . . . . . . . . . . . It has been agreed that this year’s Brooklands Society Reunion, at which Riley Clubs and de Dion Bouton are to be the featured marques, will form a key part of the Brooklands Museum and Mercedes-Benz World’s Double 12 event. This will be taking place over the whole of the weekend of June 28-29.

Although the overall event will be based on the Junior Car Club Rallies of the 1930s the Double 12 name is taken from races held at Brooklands in 1929, 1930 and 1931. A ban on night racing made continuous 24-hour races impossible so instead, two 12-hour events were held on consecutive days with the cars held in a parc fermé overnight. Rileys featured prominently in these races, as they did in so many Brooklands events.

In the 2008 event the Brooklands Society Reunion element on Sunday 29 June will echo the Double 12 format and the Track will be open from 8.00am until 8.00pm on both Saturday and Sunday. The Brooklands Society will feature a truncated non-competitive re-enactment of the Double 12 event on the Mercedes-Benz World handling circuit.

The 2008 Reunion offers a chance to tackle the famous Brooklands Test Hill, one-in-four at its steepest, and an opportunity to join the 41st Brooklands Society Reunion Chairman’s lunch.

Entrants from the de Dion Bouton marque will be offered a parade and photo opportunity on the Members banking.

Other activities will also be available at extra cost to Brooklands Society and Members and guest marques over the weekend and will be based on the JCC driving tests and the concours d’elegance run as part of RAC organised rallies in the 1930s. There will be demonstrations by cars from the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart and the current McLaren Mercedes Formula One team, a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the start of motorcycle racing at Brooklands plus a gala dinner on the Saturday evening and other social events.

Details are still being finalised by the Brooklands Museum and Mercedes-Benz World, but the Brooklands Society will be ready to welcome all Riley enthusiasts. Cars that raced at Brooklands will be given pride of place and all others, both pre- and post-war, will be also be able to enjoy the exclusive fee of £20 per entrant (excluding the Chairman’s lunch).

The entry costs for the other parts of the Double 12 weekend (concours d’elegance, driving test and gala dinner) have not yet been set. If Brooklands Society Reunion entrants subsequently decide to take part in the full weekend their entry costs will be reduced by the £20 paid to the Society.

Entry for the Double 12 re-enactment will be divided into the following classes: