Limerick man who built a car & took on the world’s greatest drivers in the ‘30s | Season 2 – Episode 76
Wheels Nov 04, 2022
Can you imagine Limerick becoming Monaco with the world’s fastest cars racing around it’s streets. Well it took place in the 1930s and a local garage owner built a car to take on the world’s greatest racing drivers of the day.
LIMERICK GRAND PRIX
The Limerick Grand Prix was one of the most significant events in Irish motor racing, and attracted an excellent overseas entry as well as all of the top Irish drivers. The Irish Motor Racing Club (IMRC) was urged to take advantage of strong local support for a ’round-the-houses’ race in the city. The first race took place in 1935 and it is said to have been the first ever street auto race in Ireland. Auto racing was not possible in Britain because of the Motor Car Act of 1903 which introduced a blanket 20mph speed limit on all roads.
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LIMERICK CURCUIT
In Ireland this was not the case but because of the lack of racing circuits races took place in Dublin, Cork and Limerick cities. In 1935 the Limerick historic motor racing event attracted 50,000 spectators who watched Bugattis, Maseratis, MGs Lagondas and Rileys speed around their city streets. The Limerick Grand Prix proved a great hit with both drivers and spectators and plans were immediately put in hand for it to be run again in 1936. The circuit was 4.44 km (2.76 miles) long and took on average around two minutes and thirty five seconds to complete, at an average speed of 65 mph. The race involved 55 laps of the course totalling 243 kilometres (151 miles).
The first winner of the event in 1936 was Luis Fontes driving an Alfa Romeo, while other major manufacturers represented include FIAT, Austin, MG, Bugatti, Maserati, Alta, Lea Francis, Riley, Sunbeam and Frazer Nash. Eileen Ellison who raced with her Type 37 Bugatti was said put in an “excellent performance”.
THE ADARE DRA
There was a 1936 fatality – 22-year old Duke of Grafton who was killed on his birthday after he crashed on the first lap and his car went on fire. Local man Walter Doherty of W.W. Doherty & Sons Limited, of Adare Co. Limerick built his own car and raced it in 1936. He named it the DRA (Doherty Racing Automobile) and it was built along the lines of the Lincolnshire based English Racing Automobiles (ERA), the popular car of the time.
The DRA was a single seater racing car capable of competing with all of the other European racing cars. Doherty had already competed in the event having entered an MG in the 1936 race. Doherty used parts from as many as 27 different cars in his construction. These included a Straker Squire (fuel tank) and a Citroën (radiator shell). Most of the car is Riley, the engine being a Riley Nine “about 1929/30” according to Doherty. The Riley Nine was a nine horse power 1,087 cc four-cylinder engine and had a top speed 129 km/h.
Doherty revamped the engine so it “had a good turn of speed”. He admitted later that “I had a lot of trouble when testing out the model as there were all sorts of mistakes turning up due to the fact that I built it from the start with no plan only an idea what I wanted it to look like.”
RACE WINNER
There were 17 starters for the 1938 race when Tony Rolt in an ERA set fastest lap before retiring from the race. The event was notable for its attrition rate with only five cars making the finish. The win went to the MG Midget of Belfast man J D McClure at 54.21mph. Although the DRA failed to complete the race it was credited with 8th place having covered 53 laps at an average speed of 45.31mph. The Limerick Chronicle’s report observed: ‘Several of the drivers were rather inexperienced, and many rather wild skids were witnessed.’ Doherty also drove the car in the separate 1938 Irish Motor Racing Rally, finishing 4th, and in several smaller events.
As well as the Limerick Grand Prix Doherty’s car took part in races in the Phoenix Park Dublin and Cork Grand Prix. It also finished 4th in the Irish Motor Racing Rally held over the 26 Counties and in several other small events in the late ‘30s. In relation to the Limerick Grand Prix financial disagreements had reared it’s head numerous times including in December 1938. As a result the IMRC announced that the races were to be abandoned and no further racing was held in Limerick.
COMMEMORATIVE EVENTS
Doherty sold the DRA around 1945 and it was used the 1960s until the mid 1970s when it was placed in dry storage. In 2010 and 2011 the Limerick Classic and Vintage Car Club ran events to commemorate the ’30s races and many of the cars that took part in the original races participated, including the 1936 race winning MG. The cars drove around the original circuit, including going the wrong way down O’Connell St. The Club erected a plaque in Pery Square where the scrutineering took place.
One of the cars that created great interest at the revival event was an 1935 MG Midget MB. It was raced by Andrew Hutchinson of Castledawson, Co. Derry at the Limerick Grand Prix in 1936. DRA was sold by the then owners at Bonhams in 2014 for €39,771 (£34,500).
If you are enjoying our stories of Irish transport, please sponsor our work for €2 per month. Just click on the red ‘SUBSCRIBE’ button on the website homepage. Thank you for your support.
if you have an idea for a story, please email Kevin Reid [email protected]
Sources of information
- Bonhams.com
- Flashbak.com
- Forums.autosport.com
- Irish Times.com
- Limerickslife.com
- Limerick Museum Twitter
- Limerickpost.ie
- Motorsportmagazine.com
