IT'S GOOD TO BE AT BROOKLANDS AGAIN!

IT’S GOOD TO BE AT BROOKLANDS AGAIN A PLEASANT OPENING TO THE B.A.R.C. SEASON. SOME INTERESTING NEW CARS AND ONE OR TWO CLOSE FINISHES. SURFACE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE TRACK.

BRooKLANDs! It certainly seemed an astonishingly short time since the last meeting when we drove into the Paddock entrance on March 16th. Shellway once again reminded us of the approach road to Nurburg Ring, and in a moment we were doing the familiar dive down to the tunnel under the track.

It is difficult to change the face of Brooklands by alterations that are even quite drastic. Nothing of that nature is being attempted this year, and the most noticeable difference we saw was in the little Paddock, up till now occupied by Mr. Jackson’s tuning depot, the Dunlop place, and lots of little motor-cycle sheds. Now, adjoining Sir Malcolm Campbell’s big workshop, a large new building is being erected. The Paddock itself is ‘always a busy place a few hours before zero, which in this case was at 2 o’clock. A good deal of work was going on in the raw of ” stalls,” but we did not see any of that feverish rebuilding which so often goes on in these historic stalls, but there was plenty to interest us all the same. Bertram’s Delage, still driven by him, but now owned by the J.R.D.C. and entered by the Secretary, L. Klemantaski, occupied the coveted No. 1 stall. The Delage had developed a bulge in its middle, which we found to be a two-seater cockpit. Apparently a ” ride” in the Delage is to be a benefit of J.R.D.C. membership I Mechanically the Delage is always pleasing to the

eye, but bodily, as it were, it was not so good, owing to there being no time in which to apply a coat of paint. Next door lay the 4.9 Bugatti, once owned by Kaye Don and called Tiger II. Manby-Colegrave is its new owner, while Dudley Froy is to *handle it at all track events. To celebrate its change of owner

Alfa-Romeo, with a 3-litre engine, what’s more, it gave you a thrill to look at it— sleek p6rfection in every line. Lucky man ! The gentle reader is now probably asking, not so gently, when we are going to describe the racing, so we will defer giving details of the many other new cars till such time as they appear on the starting ship the car has been given a thorough coat of silver paint, which has altered its appearance considerably. It is indeed a line. Instead, we will walk to the “road,” or the ” gate,” whichever you prefer, and watch the cars leaping over the famous

pretty car, and is going to do big things this year. Probably the most Closely examined car in the Paddock was ShuttleWorth’s latest acquisition, a ” genuwine ” monoposta

bump, as they sweep off the Members Banking on to the Railway Straight.

As the field appeared from behind the hill, Changing up through the gears, we noticed that both the M.G’s. on the programme had been scratched. One was to have been driven by the Bedford man. Fred Allen, while the other was R. R, Jackson’s ” Q” type, to be handled by A. R. Samuel. Beaver was waving his arm to indicate that the alarming banging and back-firing of his 30/98 Vauxhall was not normal. He has supercharged his aged but powerful machine, which seemed to resent this slight an its dignity. The 4.9 Bugatti, Froy driving, sounded fluffy, but by the time they came round again it had recovered its tune.

By this time E. G. Hughes (FrazerNash) had taken the lead from J. F. Connell (Austin), the limit man, and Miss P. McOstrich, on an old Nash fitted with quaint little 2-seater body. Then came Bainton on his ” Special, which already looked a winner, followed by Lindsay Eccles (Bugatti 4-cyl,), ” B. Bira,” an Eastern prince who drove his Riley “Imp” in the classic grass-cutting manner, right at the inside edge of the track ; joy (Talbot 90) ; Waller, with his Silver Eagle Alvis shortened and fitted with a racing body ; Lord Avebury, driving Lace’s Singer.; and finally the 4.9 Bugatti. Just before reaching the bump the car seemed to slip its gear, but Froy continued leaving behind him clouds of blue smoke. On the final lap Bainton overhauled the men (and woman) in front, catching Hughes at the Members Bridge, to run out an easy winner by 150 yards. His speed was 95.59 m.p.h. Hughes was second and Eccles third. The Bainton

Special did more than win the first race of the season ; it showed itself to be a force to be reckoned with in the future, exceptionally steady and ideally suited to the rather peculiar conditions of Brooklands.

The high-spot of the second race was the impressive debut of Miss Doreen Evans with her brother’s Q-type M.G. Midget. This car, always a quick motor, has now been transformed by a neat little single-seater body, very narrow, and with a cowled radiator. From the very first it looked and was tremendously fast. Miss Evans, who started third, passed Mrs. Petre (Bugatti 2-litre unblown) on the Railway Straight and flew after Dunham’s Alvis, which had 17 secs. start. The Speed Twenty kept ahead, however, until the Fork was reached on the second lap. Just as everyone was saying “Well done, Doreen,” the two cars came under the Members Bridge and we saw, to our consternation, that the little Midget had been unable to consolidate its position. The brown Alvis was right on its heels, and Dunham pulled his car down to pass on the inside as he came off the banking. They roared down the Straight side by side, with the Midget’s revs, falling all the while as the faulty plug passed out.

But now both were menaced by Marker’s Bentley, a really fast car with its six-cylinder 64-litre engine in the 44-litre chassis. Seen from the” road “the three cars appeared to cross the line abreast, and it was not until we strolled back to the Paddock that we learnt the result. Miss Evans a length ahead of Dunham, with Marker the same distance astern. Speed 101.77 m.p.h. ; remarkably good in the circumstances. Incidentally, this car would probably be improved by a longer tail, to give it greater stability at the really incredible speeds it can undoubtedly attain. Froy turned out for this race, but sheared his back axle on the line. After being towed back to the Paddock it was jacked up, when one wheel promptly fell off ! The break revealed a fracture that had taken a long while to develop, and Froy shuddered to think of the 40 practice laps he had done before the meeting I It was not surprising that Major Gardner did not start in the third race, for he happened to be at Daytona just

then ! “Mr. Bira ” led for a lap, but was soon displaced by Eccles (Bugatti), Dunham (Alvis) and Bainton (Bainton Special), while the two scratch men, Shuttleworth (Bugatti 2.3.), and Marker (Bentley Six) had a furious battle in the rear. The Bugatti made a fine start, but Maker overhauled him on the second lap in the Railway Straight. He came up on the inside, and for a moment it looked as though an unpleasant situation might develop, for the two 130 m.p.h. cars approached the Byfieet Banking side by side. Taking it low clown, Marker immediately shot up to the top, but Shuttleworth pulled back a bit and all was well.

But there was no catching Bainton, in spite of his 12 seconds re-handicap. Marker passed Eccles on the Home Banking, but by this time Bainton was entering the. Straight. Dunham, too, was safe and finished second, with the Bentley a rapid third. Bainton’s speed was 104.26 m.p.h. this time. Miss Allan (Bentley) and R. E. Tongue (M.G. Magnette) fell out.

The fourth race might have been historic, but for a scratching. Delaney, of Lea Francis fame, was to have driven a new front-drive Citroen, the first time this marque has competed in a R.A.R.C. meeting. Other non-starters were Fothringham (M.(;. Magnette), Davies (M.G. Midget), Bartlett (Salmson), and Casswell (Frazer-Nash). The race was an uneventful one, unless we remark on the slow cornering of Smith (M.G. Midget). Dobb’s new 6-cyl. Riley deserved its victory, or at least its driver did. Wilkins was good with the red Alfa in getting second place, while the best performance in the race was that of Hartwell (M.G. Magnette) in finishing third after starting on the scratch mark. The little stand at the Fork gives a nice view of the Chronograph Villa corner, and it was well patronised on March 16th. Improvements have been made in the ” standing” accommodation at the Fork. We fancied Ivan Waller’s Alvis for the fifth race, and regretted afterwards that we hadn’t dashed back to the Paddock to call on our friend Mr. Linton. Waller has studied cornering, and his driving shows it : cool, vigorous and controlled. Spikins, the Singer driver, who did so well in the R.A.C. Rally last year, had a terrific tussle at the start with Connell (Austin), both giving clever displays of fast cornering. Connell nearly overdid it on one lap, though ! Driscoll got into second place on the last lap with the “

works” single-seater Austin, but turned right round at the Fork in the path of Roth (Talbot) who successfully avoided a collision, and carried on to take second place behind Waller. The Austin’s new body closely resembles the G.P. Merce-desBen z, with a rounded nose and a high faring behind the driver’s head. Perhaps Burggaller has had a say in the matter ? You may remember that he drove one of the Austins in Germany last season. Briault, with modified streamlining on his Alta, fell out on the first lap ; while Bowler’s 3-litre Bentley, which does trials, ordinary motoring, and Brooklands work all as a matter of course, coughed discreetly on the last lap. The sixth race produced a really close finish. It had been a fierce race the whole way, with four Bugattis (Rayson, Martin, Leith and Eccles), the 24-litre ex-Whitney Straight Maserati (Jarvis), a 1,500 c.c. E.R.A. (Cook) and a 2.6-litre Alfa-Romeo (Penn-Hughes), giving little indication as to who would be the ultimate winner. On the second lap Rayson, Letts (” Magic” Magnette), Cook, and Martin came round the Fork corner in a magnificent group, but Penn-Hughes dropped out at the same point. Dobbs was out in the lead, but Cook, Martin, Jarvis and Rayson were coming up fast. Cook took the lead, going down to the Fork for the last time, but he misjudged the corner in his excitement, and lost the lead to Jarvis and Martin. Luckily for him his E.R.A. showed the most terrific acceleration up the Finishing Straight, and he was leading Martin by 20 yards as they flashed over the line, with Jarvis another 15 yards astern. Martin and Jarvis both drove splendidly, and one of them deserved to win, The Maserati is now painted pale blue, and its new driver will do well at the track this year. Last season he drove the AlfaRomeo handled by Wilkins on this occasion. Martin was deputising for Dobson, and enjoyed himself thoroughly. The Hon. Jock Leith has apparently deserted his old warrior, the Sunbeam, for something rather more modern in a red 2.3 Bugatti,

Frazer Nashes provided all the excitement in a rather dull 7th race. On the very first lap Dent nearly collected a barrel, and his corners at the Fork were always spectacular. Percival was the second member of the thrill-team, his share being a neatly rolled barrel on the second lap. Driscoll’s Austin was misfiring from the first, and never got going. Greene ran a fully equipped M.G. Magna, and seemed in no hurry, being lapped by every car in the race in three circuits ! After leading for three laps Joy (Talbot 90) was ousted by the enterprising Dent, who in turn gave way to Dr. Roth (Talbot 110), who finally won by 100 yards at 64.41 m.p.h. And so came the eighth and last race of the day, to say nothing of the long

awaited monoposto All On paper the race looked good, with PennHughe’s ” 2. 6 ” as well, the Bugattis, the E.R.A. and the Maserati, but as it turned out our attention was completely taken up in watching Martin doing his stuff with Dobson’s Bugatti. If England has a potential road-racing ” ace ‘ of Continental standard he is to be found in Martin. At the Fork he could not have been faster, giving that all-too-rare impression of being on top of” his car, forcing it round in a terrific slide, front wheels slithering outwards and the rear wheels spinning furiously. When he gets his new 3.3.-litre G.P. Bugatti there is going to be some real excitement. The best one can say is that he is worthy of owning such a car.

To return to the race, as we suppose you would like to hear what happened. Well, the monoposto was decorous, Shuttleworth being new to the car, and not trying anything drastic. He retired before the end. Jarvis was good, keeping ahead of the monoposto for some time. Rayson deserved second place, as did Wilkins his third.

Yes, it’s good to be at Brooklands again!

RESULTS. First New Haw Short Handicap.

About Gi miles.

1. A. G. Bainton (Bainton Special, 4,310 c.c.) 46s.

2. E. G. Hughes (Frazer-Nash, 1,496 c.c. ), 1m. 20s.

3. A. H. L. Eccles (Bugatti 1,496 c.c. ), 46s.

Won at 95.59 m.p.h., by 150 yds., 300 yds. between 2nd and 3rd.

Also ran: I. F. Connell (Austin S.), 1m. 38s. ; Miss P. McOstrich (Frazer-Nash), Im. 33$.; “B. Bira ” (Riley), Im. 6s. ; Lord Avebury (Singer), 58s.; I. Waller (Alvis), 533.; D. Joy (Talbot), 50s.; R. A. Beaver (Vauxhall S.), 35s.; D. Froy (Bugatti S.), scr.

Second Now Haw Short Handicap.

About 61 utiles.

1. Miss D. B. Evans (M.G. 747 c.c. S.), 36s.

2. C. G. H. Dunham (Alvis 2,511 c.c.), 53$.

3. R. R. K. Marker (Bentley 6,597 c.c.), 18s. Won at 101.77 m.p.h. by 1 length. 1 length between 2nd and 3rd.

Also ran : Mrs. K. Petre (Bugatti), 39s. ; A. H. L. Eccles (Bugatti S.), 18s. ; D. Fro), (Bugatti S.), 4s.; 0. Bertram (Dclage), scr.

New Haw Long Handicap. About miles.

1. A. G. Bainton (Bainton Special 4,310 c.c.), lm. Os.

2. C. G. H. Dunham (Alvis 2,511 c.c.), lm. 6s.

3. R. R. K. Marker (Bentley 6,597 c.c.), 19s.

Won at 104.26 m.p.h. by 400 yds. 200 yds. between 2nd and 3rd.

Also ran: ” B. Bira ” (Riley), 1m. 39s. ; Mrs. A. C. Lace (Singer), lm. 32s.; Miss M. Allan (Bentley 4,398 c.c.), 1m. 23s. ; D. Joy (Talbot), lrn. 163. ; A. H. L Eccles (Bugatti), un. 12s.: Mrs. K. Petre (Bugatti), 52s.; Miss D. B. Evans (M.G. Midget S.),, 42s. ; R. E. Tongue M.G. Magnette S.), 45s. ; R. 0. Shuttleworth (Bugatti S.), scr.

First New Haw Mountain Handicap. About 6 miles.

I. H. G. Dobbs (Riley 1,486 c.c.), 8s.

2. R. S. Wilkins (Alfa Romeo 2,336 c.c. S.), 3$.

Third New Haw Mountain Handicap. About 6 miles.

1. H. W. Cook (E.R.A. 1,486 c.c. S.), 7s.

2. C. E. C. Martin (Bugatti 2,263 c.c. S.), 4s.

3. R. Jarvis (Maserati 2,494 c.c. S.), scr.

Won at 71.15 m.p.h. by 20 yds. 15 yds. between 2nd and 3rd. Also ran : L. Klemantaski (M.G. Midget S.), 33s. ; C. T. Baker-Carr (Bentley 4,487 c.c.), 33s.; H.G. Dobbs (Riley), 15s. ; E. K. Rayson (Bugatti S.), 10s. ;

D. N. Letts (M.G. Magnette S.), 10s. ; Hon. J. Leith (Bugatti S.), 4s. ; A. H. L. Eccles (Bugatti S.), 4s. ; C. Penn Hughes (Alfa-Romeo S.), scr.

Fourth New Haw Mountain Handicap. .4 bout. 6 miles.

1. E. J. H. Roth (Talbot 2,970 c.c.), 25s.

2. C. A. Richardson (Riley 1,089 c.c.), 17s.

3. D. M. Dent (Frazer-Nash 1,496 c.c.), 48s.

3. G. Hartwell (M.G. Magnette 1,087 c.c. S.), scr. Won at 66.44 m.p.h. by 150 yds. 100 yds. between 2nd and 3rd.

Also ran : E. G. Hughes (Frazer-Nash), 24s.; A. A. Rigby (M.G. Magna), 24s. ; L. Levy (M.G. Magnette), 13s.; C. A. Richardson (Riley), 13s. ; J. H. T. Smith (M.G. Magnette S.), scr. ; R. E. Tongue (M.G. Magnette S.), scr.

Second New Haw Mountain Handicap. About 6 miles.

1. I. Waller (Alvis 2,211 c.c.), 51s.

2. E. J. H. Roth (Talbot 2,970 c.c.), 41s.

3. C. T. Baker-Carr (Bentley 4,487 c.c.), 33$.

Won at 63.44 m.p.h. by 200 yds. 75 yds. between 2nd and 3rd.

Also fan: I. F. Connell (Austin S.), Itn. I Is. ; F. R. G. Spikins (Singer), Ira. 8s. ; A. Powys-Lybbe (Alvis), 1m. 4s. ; H. P. Bowler (Bentley), 1m. is.; W. A. Bowen 13usearlet (Riley), Int. Is. ; D. C. Briault (Alta S.), 51s. ; L. P. Driscoll (Austin S.), 13s. ; R. 0. Shuttleworth (Bugatti S.), scr.

Won at 64.41 m.p.h. by 100 yds. 50 yds. between 2nd and 3rd.

Also ran: D. Joy (Talbot), 55s.; A. Powys-Lybbe (Alvis), 51s. ; W. A. Bowen-Buscarlet (Riley), 48s.; S. G. Green (M.G. Magna), 48s.; J. A. Elliott (Crossley S.), 38s.; R. A. Beaver (Vauxhall S.), 28s.; R. G. Percival (Frazer-Nash), 28s.; G. Hartwell (M.G. Magnette S.), 4s. ; L. P. Driscoll (Austin S.), scr.

Fifth New Haw Mountain Handicap. About 6 miles.

1. G. E. C. Martin (Bugatti S.), 4s.

2. E. K. Rayson (Bugatti S.) 14s.

3. R. S. Wilkins (Alfa Romeo S.), 24s.

Won at 73.70 m.p.h. by 75 yds. 125 yds. between 2nd and 3rd.

Also ran: J. H. T. Smith (M.G. Magnette S.), 21s.; R. E. Tongue (M.G. Magnette S.), 21s. ; D. N. Letts (M.G. Magnette S.), 14s. ; H. W. Cook (E.R.A. S.), 4s.; How J. Leith (Bugatti S.), Ss.; R. Jarvis (Maserati S.), 4s. ; C. Penn Hughes (Al(a-Romeo S.), 4s. ; R. O. Shuttleworth (Alfa-Romeo S.), scr.