The Segrave Trophy Conditions of Award documentation
The Segrave Trophy is awarded to the British national who demonstrates "Outstanding Skill, Courage and Initiative on Land, Water and in the Air".[1] The trophy is named in honour of Sir Henry Segrave, the first person to hold both the land and water speed records simultaneously.[1] The award was established by Segrave's wife, Lady Doris, who was "determined to carry on his legacy".[2][3] The trophy, designed by sculptor Gilbert Bayes,[4] is awarded by the Royal Automobile Club. It has been awarded in most years since 1930;[5] it is not presented if, in the opinion of the committee, no achievement has been sufficient to deserve the award.[6] Past sponsors of the trophy include Castrol, Ford Motor Company and Aston Martin.[6][7]
The inaugural recipient of the Segrave Trophy was Australian-born Charles Kingsford Smith who flew solo from Ireland to Newfoundland, across the Atlantic, in just over 31 hours.[8] He also won the 1930 England to Australia air race, covering the distance solo in 13 days.[8] British aviator Amy Johnson became the first female recipient of the trophy in 1932 when she was cited for her flight from London to Cape Town in a de Havilland Puss Moth.[5] Since then, just five other women have won the award: Jean Batten (1936) for her solo 11-day flight from England to New Zealand, Fiona Gore (1980) for travelling in excess of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) on water, Eve Jackson (1987) for her solo microlight flight from London to Sydney, Louise Aitken-Walker (1990) for her victory in the short-lived World Rally Championship Ladies Cup and Zara Rutherford (2022) as youngest woman to fly solo around the world.[5] The Segrave Trophy has been presented posthumously on four occasions, to Geoffrey de Havilland Jr. (1946), Donald Campbell (1966), Bruce McLaren (1969) and Joey Dunlop (2000).[5] One of the 2022 winners of the Segrave Trophy was pilot Mack Rutherford, who at the age of 17, is the youngest recipient of the award.
A subsidiary award, the Segrave Medal, may also be given to those individuals who have "played a fundamental role in helping the Segrave Trophy winner to achieve their goal".[9]Peter Du Cane received the medal in 1939 for the design and construction of Blue Bird K4. Bruce McLaren's teammate Denny Hulme and their chief mechanic Cary Taylor won the medal in 1969, their team having won every race of the 1969 Can-Am season.[10] In 1993, the car designer Eric Broadley was presented with the Segrave Medal for his work with Lola Cars. Mark Wilkinson received the medal in 2001 as co-pilot to trophy winner Tim Ellison, and Lady Moss, Stirling Moss's wife, won it in 2005 for her support of her husband.[5]Audi's Wolfgang Ullrich, Tom Kristensen and Loïc Duval received the medal in 2013.[9]Carlin founder Trevor Carlin won the Segrave Medal in 2018 for helping Monger return to motor racing.[11] Additionally, the Segrave Certificate of Achievement may be awarded to a person who is not a British national, but would otherwise qualify for recognition. It has been presented just once, in 2002, to Bjørn Rune Gjelsten who was throttleman for powerboat racer Steve Curtis.[5]
List of recipients
Key
†
Indicates posthumous award
‡
Indicates Segrave Medal was awarded that year
↑
Indicates Segrave Certificate of Achievement was awarded that year
"For his east-west solo air crossing of the Atlantic from Ireland to Newfoundland in 31½ hours, and victory in 13 days, also solo, in the England to Australia Air Race, in the Southern Cross."
"For his 4,000-mile (6,400 km) flight from Belgium to what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and back in a de Havilland DH.88 Comet, taking just 3,439 minutes."
"For the land speed records over 1 hour, 12 hours and 24 hours, including an average of 140.52 miles per hour (226.15 km/h) over 24 hours of driving in Speed of the Wind."
"Awarded posthumously for his contribution to British aviation as a test pilot developing aircraft such as the de Havilland Mosquito, the Hornet and the Vampire."
"For breaking the 100 km closed circuit aeroplane record at Hatfield, Hertfordshire. Flying a de Havilland DH 108 he reached a speed of 605.23 mph (973.8 km/h)."
"For setting a new air speed record of 1,132 miles per hour (1,822 km/h) and becoming the first person to break 1,000 miles per hour (1,600 km/h) in level flight, in a Fairey Delta 2(pictured)."
"For becoming the first person since his father to achieve "the double" of raising the water speed record to 276.33 miles per hour (444.71 km/h) in Bluebird K7 on Lake Dumbleyung, Australia, and taking the land speed record to 429 miles per hour (690 km/h) at Lake Eyre in Bluebird CN7."
"For his work in developing and successfully piloting the prototype Concorde supersonic airliner (pictured in 1977), including her first supersonic flight over land."
"For his 40-year career as chief test pilot at de Havilland and later British Aerospace, including wartime service as a night-fighter pilot, scoring 20 aerial victories in the defence of Britain at the height of the Blitz."
"For his long career in motorcycle Grand Prix racing, Formula One and his successes in the Isle of Man TT, including his last, in 1979, at the age of 39, following a successful comeback to the event after an 11-year hiatus."
"For becoming the first woman to achieve more than 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) on water by reaching 102 miles per hour (164 km/h) on Lake Windermere."
"For victory in the off-road marathon the Camel Trophy, with its 1,062-mile (1,709 km) route through the Brazilian rainforest from Alta Floresta to Manaus."
"For victory in the 1992 FIA Formula One World Championship for constructors (Williams) and drivers (Mansell) (pictured in the Williams F1 in Canada in 1988)."
"For raising the land speed record to 763.065 miles per hour (1,228.034 km/h) at Black Rock, Nevada, in ThrustSSC(pictured) – becoming the first person to break the sound barrier on land."
"The Royal Automobile Club has presented the 2021 Segrave Trophy to Pikes Peak hero Robin Shute for being the only British Driver to have won Pikes Peak Overall"
"The Royal Automobile Club has presented the 2022 Segrave Trophy to youngest solo circumnavigation pilots Zara Rutherford and Mack Rutherford as respectively youngest woman and youngest person to have completed the feat."
"Fourteen-times Isle of Man sidecar TT winners Ben and Tom Birchall are the latest and much-deserved winners of the Royal Automobile Club’s Segrave Trophy, awarded for ‘outstanding skill, courage and initiative’."
At the time of winning, the Australians Kingsford Smith and Hinkler, and New Zealander Batten, were also considered British subjects. New Zealander McLaren's award was after New Zealand's Citizenship Act of 1948 but he was recognised as his McLaren team was British-based.
^"Segrave Trophy for Ken Waller". The Daily News. Vol. LV, no. 18, 681. Western Australia. 31 January 1935. p. 11. Archived from the original on 5 September 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^"From Cradle to Cockpit". The Northern Times. Vol. 36, no. 13. Western Australia. 29 March 1940. p. 5. Archived from the original on 5 September 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Motor cycling notes". The Morning Bulletin. No. 29, 134. Queensland, Australia. 6 November 1952. p. 10. Archived from the original on 5 September 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Road star's win". The Examiner. Vol. CXI, no. 235. Tasmania, Australia. 11 December 1952. p. 24. Archived from the original on 5 September 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
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