George Eyston

George Eyston was educated at Stonyhurst College and Trinity College, Cambridge. His study of engineering at Cambridge was interrupted by World War I when he was commissioned in the Dorset Regiment{{London Gazette |issue=28918 |page=7694 |date=29 September 1914 }} and later served in the Royal Field Artillery. After the war he returned to Trinity College and was captain of the First Trinity Boat Club.

Eyston's racing career began before World War One, when he was still a schoolboy, and raced motorcycles under an assumed name.{{cite book|last=Goodwin|first=Colin|title=The Racing Driver's Pocket–Book|date=November 2011 |publisher=Conway/Anova Books|page=8|isbn=9781844861347}} After the war (in which he was awarded the Military Cross) he reverted to his own name, moved on to car racing and entered European road races, particularly in Bugattis, with success in races such as the 1921 and 1926 French Grand Prix{{cite web|url=http://www.mediastorehouse.com/pictures_682688/GEORGE-EYSTON-RACING-AT-MONTLHERY.html|title=George Eyston racing at Montlhery|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080328090518/http://www.mediastorehouse.com/pictures_682688/GEORGE-EYSTON-RACING-AT-MONTLHERY.html|archive-date=28 March 2008|df=dmy-all}} (Commercial photo gallery)

Later he became well known for racing supercharged MGs such as the Magic Midget and the K3 Magnette.{{cite book

|title=MG Sportscars

|author=Malcolm Green

|publisher=CLB International

|year=1997

|isbn=1-85833-606-6

}} His entries with the K3 included the 1933 Isle of Man and 1934 Northern Ireland Tourist Trophy events,{{cite journal

|title=The Supercharged Magnette

|date=11 August 1933

|journal=The Autocar

}} and the 1934 Mille Miglia{{cite journal

|title=Number One

|date=2 March 1934

|author=Barré Lyndon

|journal=The Autocar

}}{{cite book

|title=MG Sports Cars

|year=1979

|author=compiled by Peter Garnier, from the archives of Autocar magazine

|publisher=Hamlyn

|isbn=0-600-36343-0

}}

He fitted a diesel engine from an AEC bus into a car built on a Chrysler chassis and used it to set high-speed endurance records at Brooklands, attaining 100.75 mph in 1933 and 106 mph in 1936.{{cite web

|title=Diesel record car in 1936

|url=http://www.brooklandsarchives.com/Gallery_E10/target26.html

|publisher=Brooklands photo archive

}}{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web

|title=Diesel record car in 1936

|url=http://www.brooklandsarchives.com/Gallery_E10/target27.html

|publisher=Brooklands photo archive

}}{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

In 1935, he was one of the first British racers to travel to the Bonneville salt flats of Utah, with his 24- and 48-hour record-setting car Speed of the Wind.

He is best known today for land speed records set in his car Thunderbolt.{{cite web

|title=Captain George Eyston: The Empire Club of Canada Speeches 1938-1939

|url=http://www.speedace.info/george_eyston.htm

}} (includes some images of Thunderbolt) Between 1937 and 1939 he set three new land speed records, wresting them from Malcolm Campbell's Blue Bird, but was twice bettered by John Cobb.

The rivalry was friendly, and in later years Eyston, as competitions manager for Castrol, assisted with Cobb's ill-fated attempt on the water speed record in Crusader.{{cite web

|url=http://www.lesliefield.com/personalities/john_cobb.htm

|title=John Cobb and the Crusader

}}, reprinted from {{cite book

|title=The World Water Speed Record

|author=Leo Villa and Kevin Desmond

|year=1976

}}

Thunderbolt's first record was set at 312.00 mph (502.12 km/h) on 19 November 1937 on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Within a year Thunderbolt returned with improved aerodynamics and raised its record to 345.50 mph (556.03 km/h) on 27 August 1938.

Eyston was also involved in the design of his Thunderbolt car at the Bean Cars factory in Tipton, Staffordshire (now West Midlands).[http://www.sedgleymanor.com/schools/schools.htm]{{dead link|date=July 2016|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}

As an engineer and inventor, he held a number of patents related to motor engineering and particularly supercharging.{{cite patent|country=GB|number=260804|pubdate=1926-11-11|title=Improvements in and connected with the method of constructing impellers for rotary pump machines|inventor1-last=Eyston|inventor1-first=George Edward Thomas}}{{cite patent|country=GB|number=348524|pubdate=1931-05-05|title=Improvements in or relating to rotary pumps and blowers|inventor1-last=Eyston|inventor1-first=George Edward Thomas}}{{cite patent|country=GB|number=375886|pubdate=1932-07-07|title=Improvements in and connected with rotary pump and like machines|inventor1-last=Eyston|inventor1-first=George Edward Thomas}} His work on developing high-power gearboxes was important for Thunderbolt, along with his invention of the Powerplus supercharger used on MGs.

During World War II Eyston served on various bodies connected with industry and was a Regional Controller for the Ministry of Production.

• Eyston was awarded the Military Cross on 18 July 1917 - 2nd Lt. (temp Lt.) George Edward Thomas Eyston, RFA., Spec. Res. For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He rendered most valuable service when carrying out reconnaissance under heavy fire. On several occasions he went forward under heavy shell and machine gun fire. He carried out his duties with great courage and determination, and was able to obtain most valuable information.{{London Gazette |issue=30188 |date=18 July 1917 |page=7227 |supp=y}}
• He was awarded the Segrave Trophy in 1935.[http://www.royalautomobileclub.co.uk/Motoring/Trophies-and-Medals#ctab4 Segrave Trophy] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120913145447/http://www.royalautomobileclub.co.uk/Motoring/Trophies-and-Medals#ctab4 |date=13 September 2012 }} – Royal Automobile Club
• He was made a chevalier of the Légion d'honneur in 1938.
• He was made an OBE in 1948.{{London Gazette |issue=38161 |date=1 January 1948 |page=17 |supp=y}}

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

;Notes

• {{note|1|1}} – Eyston was co-driver with Birkin at the French GP and Birkin drove with Lewis at the Belgian GP, therefore rules excluded Eyston from the Championship.

• {{cite book

|title=Flat Out

|author=G.E.T. Eyston

|year=1933

|publisher=John Miles

}} foreword by Sir Malcolm Campbell

• {{cite book

|title=Motor Racing and Record Breaking

|author1=G.E.T. Eyston

|author2=Barré Lyndon

|year=1935

}}

• {{cite book

|title=Speed on Salt

|author1=George Eyston

|author2=W.F. Bradley

|publisher=Batsford

|year=1936

}}

• {{cite book

|title=Fastest on Earth

|author=George Eyston

|year=1939

}}

{{commons category}}

{{reflist}}

* {{cite book

|title=The Fast Set

|author=Charles Jennings

|isbn=0-349-11596-6

|publisher=Abacus

|year=2005

}}

• [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U154322 EYSTON, Capt. George Edward Thomas], Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007, accessed 8 Aug 2012
• Captain George Eyston (obituary), The Times, London, 23 November 1979, page VIII (Obituaries Supplement)

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eyston, George}}

Category:1979 deaths

Category:1897 births

Category:Military personnel from Oxfordshire

Category:People educated at Stonyhurst College

Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge

Category:Land speed record people

Category:Brooklands people

Category:English racing drivers

Category:British automotive engineers

Category:Recipients of the Military Cross

Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire

Category:British Army personnel of World War I

Category:Dorset Regiment officers

Category:Royal Artillery officers

Category:Segrave Trophy recipients

Category:Knights of the Legion of Honour

Category:European Championship drivers

Category:20th-century English sportsmen

Category:Sportspeople awarded knighthoods