Kaye Don

Infobox Person
name = Kaye Don


caption =
birth_date = 10 April 1891
birth_place = Dublin, Ireland
death_date = 1981
death_place = Chobham Surrey
other_names = Kaye Earnest Donsky
known_for = 1930 Speedboat World Record
occupation = Motor Racer
nationality = flagicon|IRL Irish

Kaye Don (born Dublin, Ireland) was a world record breaking car and speedboat racer who became a motorcycle dealer on his retirement from road racing and set up Ambassador Motorcycles.

Biography

Kaye Earnest Donsky, known as Kaye Don, was born in Dublin on 10 April 1891.cite web|url=http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/dd.htm|title=The Golden Era - Drivers|last=De Jonghe|first=Rudiger de Jonghe|accessdate=2008-06-07] Kaye Don began his career as a motorcycle racer but soon switched to cars and won the inaugural 1928 Ards-Belfast circuit, Northern Ireland, Tourist Trophy with a Lea-Francis. In 1928 he had three ex-works Sunbeam cars which he named "Cub", "Tiger" and "Tigress". Don regularly raced at Brooklands and driving a Sunbeam on 22 September 1928 he set an outer circuit lap flying start record of convert|131.76|mph|km/h and increased this to convert|134.24|mph|km/h on 5 August 1929.cite web|url=http://www.historicracing.com/top100.cfm?driverID=3293&today=on&fromrow=1|title=Top 100 Historic Racing Drivers|accessdate=2008-06-07] Driving a Wolseley Viper at Brooklands Don achieved many class records between 1928 and 1930. Driving the V-12 Sunbeam Tigress at Brooklands on 9 June 1930, Kaye set a new Outer Circuit lap record of convert|137.58|mph|km/h.

Kaye Don died in Chobham Surrey in 1981 aged 90. In memory of his heroic achievements at Brooklands race track the area has a street named after Kaye Don in the borough of Elmbridge District. [cite web|url=http://www.londontown.com/LondonStreets/kaye_don_way_e30.html|title=London Boroughs|accessdate=2008-06-07] Perhaps the best memorial to him was made by Kaye Don in a victory speech to the Empire Club of Canada in 1931, when he was the holder of land and water world speed records and said "One or two experiences that I have had have been somewhat thrilling". [cite web|url=http://www.empireclubfoundation.com/details.asp?SpeechID=1391&FT=yes|title=A Complementary Luncheon for Mr Kaye Don, famous British Sportsman|date=10th September, 1931|accessdate=2008-06-07]

iver Bullet

The Sunbeam "Silver Bullet" was the last attempt on the land speed record by Sunbeam of Wolverhampton. It was built in 1929 for Kaye Don. Powered by two Sunbeam supercharged aero-engines of 24 litres each, it looked impressive but failed to achieve any records. [cite web|url=http://www.sunbeam.org.au/history/|title=A History of Sunbeam|accessdate=2008-06-07]

peedboat World Record

In 1931 Don was selected to compete in the Harmsworth Trophy Race on the Detroit River. Billed as a match between the Wood brothers, Gar (in the new "Miss America IX") and George (in last year's "Miss America VIII"), and the "Englishman" Kaye Don, driving Lord Wakefield's powerboat "Miss England II". While preparing for the race, Gar Wood became the first man to exceed convert|100|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on limit on water but three days later, Kaye Don became a new water speed world record holder by beating Wood by just convert|1.25|mi/h|km/h|2|abbr=on. Before an estimated crowd of over a million spectators, Don also won the first heat of the race. "Miss America IX" had suffered hull damage from pounding through "Miss England"'s wake. Despite working overnight, she was barely ready the next day and Wood requested a delay to allow repairs to be completed, something he'd previously been known to concede to. Don stuck to the rules though, a matter which still rankles with some today.cite book |title=American Powerboats: The Great Lakes Golden Years
author=James P. Barry |pages=38 |publisher=MBI Publishing |date=2003 |isbn=0760314667 |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=m0hOchN05zIC&pg=PA38&lpg=PA38&dq=%22miss+england%22+segrave&source=web&ots=0BpOIv8Lno&sig=EnRCfnwR8teATYSiqEGqum_LUbI&hl=en ] "Miss America IX" made it to the second heat, but only by Wood racing flat-out to the start line, a mistake that cost him dearly later on. During another close race, Wood was leading Don when "Miss England II" suddenly flipped over rounding one of the turns, fortunately without injury to Don and his co-driver. Gar Wood finished the race first, but both he and Don were disqualified because they had jumped the starter's gun by seven seconds. George Wood completed the final race to win the trophy.cite book |author=Kevin Desmond |title=Race Against The Odds: The Tragic Success Story of Miss England II |url=http://www.sigmapress.co.uk/desmo806.html |isbn=1 85058 806 6 |date=2004 ]

Isle of Man Accident

One evening in May 1934 Kaye Don, practising for the next day's race, took a corner at over convert|60|mph|km/h and hit another car, crashing through a hedge and landing upside down. His friend and mechanic, Francis Taylor, was killed. On his recovery from the crash Don was charged with manslaughter and tried by a Manx court. Because of his speed, having no lights in the evening darkness and admitting faulty steering, he was found guilty by a jury after a three-day trial and sentenced to four months' imprisonment on the Isle of Man. This experience effectively ended his racing career. [cite web|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,747564,00.html?promoid=googlep|title=Don Before Deemster|publisher=Time Magazine|accessdate=2008-06-07]

Ambassador Motorcycles

In the 1940s Don established and developed Ambassador Motorcycles. The company produced many different models until it was taken over by DMW in 1962 and Kaye Don retired.

ee also

* Ambassador Motorcycles
* Harmsworth Trophy
* Miss England II
* Silver Bullet land speed record car

References

External links

* [http://www.lesliefield.com/other_history/speedboat_kings_13_kaye_don.htm Speedboat Kings - Kaye Don]
* [http://www.geocities.com/kelada2000/cars.htm Kaye Don at Hampton Wick]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/yourplaceandmine/down/A1066286.shtml History of the Ards TT with artists impression of Don's 1928 victory]
* [http://www.empireclubfoundation.com/details.asp?SpeechID=1391&FT=yes Speech by Kaye Don to the Empire Club of Canada 1931]