Rivers

Rivers was born in 1912. He grew up with a passion for fast cars and on leaving school joined Bentley Motors. At 15 years of age, he rode with Malcolm Campbell as his “riding mechanic”, he was the only person small enough to fit into the single seater racer, and the Grand Prix rules for that race insisted on a riding mechanic. Campbell won the race, and Rivers was hooked on the sport.

Rivers arranged the war time Rembrandt meetings, and staged the first gathering of racing cars after the war ended. For many years , he was the public relations officer for the Owen Organisation, taking films of the BRM successes and their many failures. Traveling all over the world with the F1 circus, he was very much at the heart of all the motor racing action for over two decades. A leading light in most of the motor clubs at that time, he also became known for his own motor racing in Sprints and Hillclimbs, and made a bid for the hillclimb championship in the mid fifties. His only real national success was a FTD at the May Prescott in 1955.

A bad Prescott crash in the 1960s left him with brain damage affecting his speaking voice, but he carried on with the talks and film shows of BRM, his own exploits, and the pre war Bentley story until his death five years ago.

A full BRDC member, he was awarded the Prince Michael Award of Merit shortly before his death, at a memorable meeting in the RAC club in London.

Cars owned and raced: Alvis, Bentley,Jaguar, HWM, Cooper, Bugatti, MG, HRG.Buckler
Cars driven: Almost every make and model.

The Story of Rivers’ motor racing life is told in a Show. A unique chance to see the very earliest colour film of post war Motor racing and testing.

For details / bookings / information phone Jeremy on 01926 642313, or to e-mail address below: