RAIN did not put paid to a grand day out at Brooklands on Thursday when petrol heads gathered to gear themselves up with the latest news on this year’s Double Twelve Motorsport Festival.

Brooklands Museum Director, Allan Winn, introduced the programme with a picture of the inaugural meeting at Brooklands back in 1907.

He also spoke about plans for a £7.1 million project to recreate the original finishing straight at the famous track, and to rebuild the hanger at the Brooklands Aircraft Factory to show how aircraft were made there during the Second World War.

Eager visitors such as Peter Clark were the first to hear about this year’s plan for motorsport action as the full list of classes were announced before taking part in trials.

James Taylor of the Vintage Sports Car Club who, along with Brooklands Museum, organises the Double Twelve event, spoke of what was in store for this year’s festival in June.

The 60th anniversary of the launch of the MGA and the 45th of the Ford Escort’s triumph in the World Cup Rally to Mexico are among the landmarks to be celebrated with special classes.

True to tradition, the festival will be held over the weekend closest to the date on which the original track opened in 1907, which this year is Saturday and Sunday, June 13 and 14.

The two-day event will feature speed trials, driving tests and a concourse across the museum site and at neighbouring Mercedes-Benz World, giving both spectators and competitors a huge variety of action.

Three standalone competitions include the Double Twelve Speed Trials on the Mercedes-Benz World circuit on the Saturday; the Double Twelve Concourse held across both days; and the Double Twelve Driving Tests on the Sunday.

Toby Kilner of Tin Snails introduced visitors to the fun of the Tin Snail Driving Challenge, in which Citroen 2CVs are driven around an obstacle course, but have their steering working the wrong way round, so if you turn the wheel to the left, the car goes to the right.

Contrary to what you might think, it is almost impossible to teach yourself to do the opposite!