My fascination for Formula One began when I was a teenager.
I am not sure the number of the hours I would have spent imagining myself
driving one of those cars at high speeds, braking to imaginary sharp bends and
overtake every car possible on the virtual track. It is this imagination that also
made me look at the streets of Bangalore as an F1 track. Be it any road, I
would have compared it to some remote part of an F1 circuit with my favourite
being 'the street impression' of Monte-Carlo near my place. It was fun!
With each year, my interest in Formula One grew and I
started to focus more on the history of the sport - a practice which is
on-going. Collecting information, books and stories is still a very integral
part of my life. In one such story seeking moments, I bumped into a forum where
I saw motor-racing pictures from the 1950's Bangalore. It evoked my curiosity.
Several weeks of communication and persuasion with Melanie (granddaughter of
Fred Webb), who provided me her time, lots of key information and the rare
photographs - on basis of which this article is written.
A SMALL PEEK IN THE PAST
What was Bangalore like in the 1950's? It was a leisure city
which had the blessings of mother nature precisely for its weather not
exceeding 30 degrees for most of the year. Winters weren't bad either, hovering
around 10 degrees during nights and rains were a delight to experience. This
remained till the 90's. Apart from few areas, the city was relatively calm and
amidst these less chaotic surroundings, I grew up.
Then came the new millennium
- the IT boom in India and majorly in Bangalore resulted in many IT firms being
built across Bangalore and in short span of time traffic congestion became the
biggest worry among the residents. It still is - but there are other things
which Bangalore provides and thus we all tend to overlook the temporary
ailments of traffic.
Let's go back few decades in time and try to imagine how was
it like to race in Bangalore in the 50's? Ever wondered who started the trend
of motorsports here in the capital city of Karnataka?
I have lost count in number of things we Indians embrace to
this date courtesy of British empire. Whether we like it or not, to a large
extent - a series of practices, words, regulations,...... and these have
influenced many innovators and thinkers across India. One such individual named
Fred Webb was known in Bangalore for his then Webb Sales and Services - a haven
for cars and motorcycles in Bangalore.
MEET FRED WEBB
From the 1940's till his demise, he was one of the chief architects
who conceptualised the culture of motorsports in Bangalore. His presence in
India was not by accident or through service; he remained in India as a result
of his father Walter John Webb's choice to stay back after serving with the
British army for 10 years in 1881. Walter John Webb along with his wife chose
to settle in Ootacamund (Ooty).
It was here in Ooty where
Fred Webb was born on March 27 1908. Having done his schooling at a nearby church
school, he left for Bangalore at a young age to work at a motor garage called
Nankervis.
With an inclination towards cars, his raise in the world of
automobiles was not by any means a fluke and was a combination of passion, hard
work and courage. In 1927, Fred Webb
worked as a service manager in a firm of distributors for Chevrolet cars. It
was here he showcased his racing pursuits and took part in an endurance test, driving
a new 1933 Chevrolet for nearly twenty-three hours continuously and covered
about 2771 miles. What an effort! Aptly, for his super drive, the General
Motors honoured him with a trophy for achieving this feat.
A few years of hard work coupled with his fervour for
motorcars, his name was soon to be well recognised in the Automobile Trade and
its circle; these reasons were enough for him to establish his own firm.
A visionary by nature and possessing an industrious mind,
Fred Webb built his firm from the scratch. In 1939, he brought Ford cars to
Bangalore through a dealership at a time when the second world war had just
begun, and in a short space of time he added Chevrolet cars and trucks in his
list of dealerships. With his business flourishing he was quick to diversify
his interest and became the proprietor of Webb’s Farm Mechanization, dealers for
the famous Ferguson tractors for Mysore State and Coorg.
With each year his name and position in India's automobile
trade grew in stature which helped him to secure a dealership with the Tata-Mercedes-Benz
vehicles. He expanded his business towards two-wheelers as well. Under the
flagship of Webb's scooter mart, Lambratta scooters dealership became popular
in the state keeping in mind of the growing economic households.
 |
| Fred Webb waving the chequered flag |
A prominent personality in the automobile industry, the
state transport department often consulted him to come up with solutions on
matters related to traffic.
BIRTH OF BANGALORE MOTOR SPORTS CLUB
Fred Webb was a keen follower of the automobile and its
evolution across the globe. This obsession was taken further along with few
other like minded gentlemen, the likes of Cyril Doveton, John Webb (Fred's son)
to name a few to hold a meeting which paved the way for the establishment of 'The
Bangalore Motor Sports Club' in 1954.
 |
| Formation of Bangalore Motor Sports Club |
Since becoming its President in 1955, Fred Webb endlessly
laboured to put Bangalore Motor Sports Club on the sports map of India. Part of
his efforts included to host races at the Bangalore-Yelahanka airstrip and
Jakkur aerodrome. He also invited several participants from abroad to be part
of these races.
 |
| A parade of fast exotic cars |
An assortment of exotic cars were in display on the roads of
Bangalore - a sight which attracted most people from the city and from the
nearby villages.
 |
| Fred Webb and the talented drivers of the yore |
A man known for his quick wit and sense of humour - he
was actively involved with the Bangalore Golf Association and also donned the
hat of being the President of Mysore State Amateur Boxing Association. He was
ably supported by his wife Gwen Webb, a keen horticulturist who actively
participated in many of the charitable organisations in Bangalore. Their son
John Webb, like father was smitten quite early by motorsports.
 |
| John Webb - son of Fred Webb with his MG TC |
The father-son duo actively took part in many of the races
held at Madras (Chennai) Sholavaram airstrip, Coimbatore's Sulur aerodrome and
at Colombo's Katukurunda airstrip. A versatile sportsman with having interests
in various sports, it was not a surprise that he was second in command to
Fred's business.
 |
| Fred Webb (far right) all set to race |
LEGACY
Fred's motto towards life was plain and simple. Life to him has
always been a series of experiments and experiences, many of which pleasant,
quite a few to the contrary. But essentially, he felt it was meant to be lived,
not to be brooded upon. These words to this date is etched in the memories of
his family members.
Having lived in India all his life, he choose to spend his
final days in Bangalore at his residence in Brunton Road. He passed away in
1984. His son John remained in Bangalore and six years later while holidaying
in Perth, Australia - he too passed away. The 'Webb' family continues to shuttle between Western Australia and Bangalore - and make constant efforts to preserve the legacy of their family.
During this time, the Bangalore Motor Sports Club now known
as Karnataka Motor Sports Club, played a crucial role in establishing the
national federation for motorsports. It is well known in the Indian motorsports
fraternity for hosting the state rally (K1000) to date for close to 40
years.
It is common to associate IT with Bangalore in today's
world. However, before it became the IT capital, Bangalore was home to some of
the motor racing legends of India, hosted many thrilling races and was the birth
place of many automobile innovations. People who have seen Bangalore before the
millennium can imagine such a possibility - but with the present traffic woes,
the motor-racing tales of the yore will remain a pack of stories to share for the
generations to come.
