THE Timeout team continues to revel in the opportunities afforded to us by the new archive we have now digitised.

Huge thanks are due to Andy Garth of Brighton and Hove Stuff who has helped us with our archiving and given us new access to a whole swathe of photographs taken over the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

Today’s spread includes picture of damage to the beach and its buildings caused after storms in the late 60s but mainly today we focus on classic photos of the Speed Trials events from days gone by.

These pictures of nailbiting races from 1986, 1987 and 1988 show the cars, bikes, drivers and spectators who frequented this petrolhead’s dream of an event a generation ago.

The Brighton National Speed Trials is still held on the seafront today but is commonly held to be the oldest running motor race in the world.

The first race was held in July 1905, when Sir Harry Preston persuaded the town council to tarmac the surface of the road adjacent to the beach between the Palace Pier and Black Rock to hold motor racing events.

It was at this point that the stretch was named Madeira Drive, in 1909, and the event is still held there, normally on the second Saturday of September each year.

In 1936 Motor Sport described the event as “undoubtedly the most important speed trials on the British calendar”.

It has run almost every year since, although they were not run between 1939 and 1945 due to the war and the 1969 event was skipped due to a fuel crisis.

These days, the event is run as a quarter-mile sprint for both cars and motorcycles, held under the auspices of the Motor Sports Association.

It is organised by the Brighton and Hove Motor Club, with the sprint section of the Vintage Motorcycle Club in charge of the motorcycles.

Entrants run individually, no longer racing side by side following several accidents.

Following a fatal motorcycle crash in 2012 the council considered banning the event but it continues thanks to widespread public support.