93 year-old Roy Brooks wins the Manchester to Blackpool Classic Car run as event makes its final journey after 60 years
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Six decades on from taking part in the very first of the runs in 1962, Roy Brooks won the event’s prestigious Blackpool Corporation Trophy in his 1934 Rolls Royce Sedanca de Ville – at the grand age of 93.
He was accompanied by his 62-year-old son Philip, just as he was in 1962, when Philip joined dad on the 50-odd mile classic run, at just two years old.
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Hide AdRoy now lives in Bury, but grew up in Blackpool, and he and Philip were presented with their trophy by Blackpool mayor Kath Benson and mayoress Therese Clarke.
Lancashire Automobile Club, organisers of the event, have decided to bring the annual event to an end because of the now complex traffic system around Manchester and other developments which have reduced the availability of country roads over the years.
It was first staged in 1962 as the North of England’s version of the London to Brighton Car Run, and has become known for its impressive collection of unique and pre-war vehicles, drawing in hundreds of eager spectators each year.
Although its start point in Manchester has changed over the years, its traditional finishing point at Blackpool’s Stanley Park Italian Gardens was maintained to the end.
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Hide AdA spokesman for the Lancashire Automobile Club announced: “After 60 years it has run its course, and due to continued urban spread in Greater Manchester and Preston areas, we are finding interesting routes harder to find.”