Frank Newton
Frank Newton (1873-1961)
1902 Joined the MMC
1903 Joined Napier
In July 1907, Newton won the Century Stakes at the first meeting ever held at Brooklands, attended by 13,500 people.
On 23 September 1908, he won the Montagu Cup at Brooklands, driving a Napier motor car nicknamed 'The Meteor', after having fought "a terrific duel" with Dario Resta, where their cars "banged wheels at top speed". "For a moment, it looked bad, but both drivers regained control." After the race The Brooklands Automobile Racing Club awarded Frank the Montagu cup and was given a certificate authenticating that he drove 1 complete lap at an average speed of 113.01 MPH.
In 1908, also at Brooklands, Newton drove a 90hp Napier for its Australian owner Selwyn Edge, who had a £500 bet with D'Arcy Baker that his car could go faster than Felice Nazzaro's Fiat, but the Napier suffered from mechanical trouble.