From 1933 until 1939 the Brooklands Automobile Racing Club in Surrey, England held an international race called the Double Twelve. The Double Twelve hour race came about because night time noise restrictions meant 24 hour racing was not permitted at Brooklands. The event was divided into two daylight sessions with the cars being locked up overnight. For the first time large and small cars started together and raced for 250 miles - the faster the car the more severe the course as it negotiated its 100 circuits.