Matthew White Ridley, 3rd Viscount Ridley (16 December 1902 – 25 February 1964) was a British peer, landowner, public servant and race car driver. He was also the third Baron Wensleydale and seventh Baronet Ridley.
Contents
Biography
Early life and education
Ridley was the son and heir of the 2nd Viscount Ridley and Rosamond Cornelia Gwladys Guest, daughter of the 1st Baron Wimborne. He succeeded to the family titles when he was just 13 years old, after his father's death on 14 February 1916, though he was not seated in the House of Lords until he reached the age of 22. He attended Eton College and Balliol College, Oxford.
Racing
Ridley was a self-taught engineer and car racing enthusiast. At the family estate, Blagdon Hall, he designed and built his own car to challenge the speed records for Class H vehicles (501–750 cc). In 1931, he set the record for the "flying kilometre and flying mile" in the International Class A at Brooklands, with mean speeds of 105.42 mph (kilometre) and 104.56 mph (mile). He was badly injured in an accident at Brooklands at the end of the 1931 season, when his car reportedly reached a speed of 112 mph.