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John Cobb (motorist)
 
 
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John Rhodes Cobb (December 2, 1899 – September 29, 1952) was a British racing motorist. He made money as a director of fur brokers Anning, Chadwick and Kiver and could afford to specialise in large capacity motor-racing. He was born and lived in Esher
Esher

Esher is a town in the Surrey borough of Elmbridge in South East England near the River Mole, Surrey. It is a suburban development situated 14.1 miles south west of Charing Cross....
, Surrey
Surrey

Surrey is a counties of England in the South East England of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire....
, near the Brooklands
Brooklands

Brooklands was a 2.75 miles Auto racing circuit and airfield built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue....
 race track.

eld the ultimate lap record at the track driving the 24 litre Napier Railton
Napier Railton

The Napier-Railton is an aero-engined race car built in 1933, designed by Reid Railton to a commission by John Cobb , and built by Thomson & Taylor....
 at an average speed of achieved on 7 October 1935, regaining it from his friend Oliver Bertram
Oliver Bertram

Oliver Henry Julius Bertram was an English racing driver who held the Brooklands race track record for 2 months 2 days during 1935. He was twice awarded the BRDC Gold Star....
.

Driving the piston engined, wheel driven Railton Special
Railton Special

The Railton Special, later rebuilt as the Railton Mobil Special, is a one-off motor vehicle built for John Cobb 's successful attempts at the land speed record....
 he broke the Land Speed Record
Land speed record

The land speed record is the fastest speed achieved by any wheeled vehicle on land, as opposed to one on water or in the air. There is no single body for validation and regulation; what is used in practice is the Category C flying start regulations, officiated by regional or national organizations under the auspices of the F?d?ration In...
 at Bonneville
Bonneville Speedway

Bonneville Speedway is an area of the Bonneville Salt Flats near Wendover, Utah, that is marked out for motor sports. It is particularly noted as the venue for numerous land speed records....
 on August 23 1939 at a speed of .






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John Rhodes Cobb (December 2, 1899 – September 29, 1952) was a British racing motorist. He made money as a director of fur brokers Anning, Chadwick and Kiver and could afford to specialise in large capacity motor-racing. He was born and lived in Esher
Esher

Esher is a town in the Surrey borough of Elmbridge in South East England near the River Mole, Surrey. It is a suburban development situated 14.1 miles south west of Charing Cross....
, Surrey
Surrey

Surrey is a counties of England in the South East England of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire....
, near the Brooklands
Brooklands

Brooklands was a 2.75 miles Auto racing circuit and airfield built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue....
 race track.

Racing career

He held the ultimate lap record at the track driving the 24 litre Napier Railton
Napier Railton

The Napier-Railton is an aero-engined race car built in 1933, designed by Reid Railton to a commission by John Cobb , and built by Thomson & Taylor....
 at an average speed of achieved on 7 October 1935, regaining it from his friend Oliver Bertram
Oliver Bertram

Oliver Henry Julius Bertram was an English racing driver who held the Brooklands race track record for 2 months 2 days during 1935. He was twice awarded the BRDC Gold Star....
.

Driving the piston engined, wheel driven Railton Special
Railton Special

The Railton Special, later rebuilt as the Railton Mobil Special, is a one-off motor vehicle built for John Cobb 's successful attempts at the land speed record....
 he broke the Land Speed Record
Land speed record

The land speed record is the fastest speed achieved by any wheeled vehicle on land, as opposed to one on water or in the air. There is no single body for validation and regulation; what is used in practice is the Category C flying start regulations, officiated by regional or national organizations under the auspices of the F?d?ration In...
 at Bonneville
Bonneville Speedway

Bonneville Speedway is an area of the Bonneville Salt Flats near Wendover, Utah, that is marked out for motor sports. It is particularly noted as the venue for numerous land speed records....
 on August 23 1939 at a speed of . Without this being beaten he raised the record to in 1947. The record was unbeaten until 1963 when it was narrowly surpassed by Craig Breedlove
Craig Breedlove

Craig Breedlove is a five-time world land speed record holder. He was the first to reach , , and , using several turbojet-powered vehicles that were all named "Spirit of America"....
 in the jet
Jet engine

A jet engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet of fluid to generate thrust in accordance with Isaac Newton Newton's laws of motion....
 powered Spirit of America
Spirit of America

Spirit of America is the trademarked name used by Craig Breedlove for his land speed record-setting vehicles....
.

During World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 he served as a pilot in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts....
 and between 1943 and 1945 in the Air Transport Auxiliary
Air Transport Auxiliary

The Air Transport Auxiliary was a United Kingdom World War II civilian organisation that ferried new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between UK factories, assembly plants, transatlantic delivery points, Maintenance Units , scrap yards, and active service squadrons and airfields?but not to aircraft carriers....
. He reached the rank of Group Captain
Group Captain

Group Captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth of Nations countries. It ranks above Wing Commander and immediately below Air Commodore....
.

He died attempting to improve the water speed record
Water speed record

The World Unlimited water speed record is the officially recognised fastest speed achieved by a water-borne vehicle. The current record of 511 km/h was achieved in 1978....
 at Loch Ness
Loch Ness

Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately 37 km southwest of Inverness. Its surface is 15.8 metres above sea level....
 in the jet speedboat Crusader at a speed in excess of . There is a memorial to him erected by the people of Glenurquhart
Glenurquhart

Glenurquhart is a glen running to the west of village of Drumnadrochit in the Highland Council areas of Scotland of Scotland, essentially from Loch Ness at Urquhart Bay in the east to Corrimony and beyond in the west....
. He is buried at Christ Church, Esher.

Personal life

John Cobb married twice, first to Elizabeth Mitchell-Smith in 1947. After her death in 1948 he married Vera Victoria Henderson (1917-2007) in 1950.

Awards

He was awarded the Segrave Trophy
Segrave Trophy

The Segrave Trophy is awarded to the United Kingdom British nationality law who accomplishes the most outstanding demonstration of the possibilities of transport by land, sea, air, or water....
 in 1947.

On 27 March 1953 he was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct
Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct

Instituted in 1939 by King George VI as the King's Commendation for Brave Conduct, it acknowledged brave acts by civilians and members of the military in non-warlike circumstances during a time of war or in peacetime where the action would not otherwise be recognised by an existing award....
 - John Rhodes Cobb (deceased), Racing Motorist. For services in attempting to break the world's water speed record, and in research into high speed on water, in the course of which he lost his life.

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