BROOKLANDS AT ITS BEST.
BROOKLANDS AT ITS BEST. A Great August Meeting.
TimAugust Bank Holiday meeting at Brooklands was certainly one of the best yet held, and we regret that its date prevents our commenting upon it at length. The races were fast and they were also very close, wherefore the large concourse of spectators was presented with the two main ingredients for exciting contests.
J. G. P. Thomas was asked to do too much, not by the handicappers, but by his competitors. He drove magnificently. Twice during the afternoon he beat the record for a lap, but on each occasion he had to be content with second place, for the very good reason that he was inadvertently baulked. I have never seen such dexterous work at the wheel as Thomas did on the banking behind the public enclosure. He did all that mortal man can do, but to pass a crowd of cars while you are stepping it out at over two miles a minute, is a hazardous enterprise, and unless the way is absolutely clear, it is a suicidal venture. Mr. A. V. Ebblewhite who we believe was mainly responsible for the handicapping, works out his figures with due regard for everything, and does, we believe, allow about a second for ” passing ” by the backmarkers, but he cannot budget against a baulk, and that is what Thomas had to contend with.
The best race of the day was, fittingly enough, that for the President’s Gold Plate. It was a fight all the way between Capt. Waite on the little Austin, and Mr. Tommy Hann on his Lanchester “Softly-Catch-Monkey.” Waite started four seconds ahead of Hann and caught his man, but was repassed. They raced together for eight miles, and at the finish there was not a length between them. All the time, Capt. Barnato was gradually creeping up on the duellists, and he very nearly caught them. He was a trifle slower on his last lap than on the two preceding ones, otherwise he would have won the Plate.
In the 90 m.p.h. Long Handicap, Gillow on the Riley and Kaye Don on an A.C., had another great match which ended in favour of the former by a length, much to the chagrin of the big crowd in the public enclosure who had ” gone ” almost solid for Kaye Don !
Mr. G. Duller started favourite in the August Private Competitors’ Handicap, and won after a fine race in which he beat Felix Scriven, by fifty yards. The results were :
AUGUST PRIVATE COMPETITORS’ HANDICAP (5f MILES).
T. Mr. G. Duller (Thomas Special) … 28 secs.
2. Mr. Felix Scriven (Austin) … … 34 sees.
3. Mr. J. D. Benjafield (Bentley) 9 secs. There were eleven miners with George Duller at virtual scratch, and he overhauled the field to win by fifty yards at 851 miles an hour.
THE 41ST MO M.P.H. SHORT HANDICAP (51 Mrt,ris).
r. Mr. J. D. Benjafield (Bentley) … 13 secs. 2. Major L. Ropner, M.C., M.P. (Vauxhall) (” Silver Arrow “) r3 3. Mr. T. G. John (Alvis)
secs.
… 17 secs. (Driver : Mr. C. M. Harvey)
There were seven runners, of whom Major Ropner was a warm favourite, but Mr. Benjafield, startingoff the same mark, was the faster and he beat him by eighty yards, at 91.56 m.p.h.
THE 30TH 75 M.P.H. SHORT HANDICAP (51 MILES).
I. Mr. Felix Scriven (Austin) secs.
2. Mr. V. Gillow (Riley) … . … 23 secs.
3. Mr. C. W. Chinnery (Gwynne) min. 19 secs.
Chinnery was the dark horse, but after starting well, he slackened appreciably and was caught in the second lap by both Scriven and Gillow, between whom there was about twenty yards at the finish. There were twelve runners. Winner’s speed : 84.83 m.p.h.
THE 26TH LIGHTNING SHORT HANDICAP (5f MILES).
i. Capt M. Campbell (Sunbeam) … 23 secs. (“Blue Bird “) 2. Mr. J. G. P. Thomas (Leyland Thomas)… Scratch
3. Major L. Ropner, M.C., M.P. (Vauxhall) 48 secs.
Thomas just failed to get through, though he passed Ropner. Campbell averaged 103.8 m.p.h. and won from the scratch man by twenty yards. Thomas’s second lap was accomplished at over 127 miles an hour, and was a record for the track.
BROOKLANDS AT ITS BEST-continued.
THE 16TH 90 M.P.H. SHORT HANDICAP (51 MILES).
I. Mr. E. 14. Meeson (Mr. Kaye Don) A.C. 2. Capt. W. Barnato (Wolseley) 3. Mr. E. C. England (Austin)
41 secs. 49 secs. 52 sees.
Kaye Don had matters all his own way and won easily at 89.17 m.p.h.
40111 ioo M.P.H. LONG HANDICAP (8f MILES).
x. Capt. W. Barnato (Mr. G. A.
Vandervell) (Talbot) … x min. 20 secs. 2. Mr. J. G. P. Thomas (Leyland-Thomas) Scratch 3. Major L. Ropner, M.C., M.P. (Vaux
hall) • • • •• • •-• • •• i min. 8 secs.
Despite the fact that he put up another record lap at 128.36 m.p.h., Thomas could not catch Vandervell. When he started it did not look as though he could get anywhere near to him or Ropner, but he thrilled the crowd with a terrific second lap and only failed by three hundred yards. There were seven runners. Vandervell’s speed was 93.95 m.p.h.
x. Mr. V. Gillow (Riley) … .•• 2. Mr. E. L. Meeson (Kaye Don) (A.C.) 3. Mr. F. L. Rapson (Mr. J. G. P. Thomas) (Lanchester)
A splendid race, in which Kaye Don failed by less than a length to catch Gillow, who won from a field of eleven runners at 81.63 m.p.h.
Tug BROOKLANDS PRESIDENT’S GOLD PLATE RACE (81MILES). 1. Mr. T. Hann (Lanchester). (” Softly
catch-Monkey “) … i min. 3 secs.
2. Capt. A. Waite, M.C. (Austin) … 59 SECS.
3. Capt. W. I3arnato (Wolseley) .• • 39 secs.
One of the best races ever seen at Brooklands with Hann and Waite fighting out a terrific struggle, while the faster men gradually overhauled them. Five cars finished within fifty yards with Hann less than a length in front of Waite, to win at 78.07 m.p.h. There were ten runners.
T-trz 26TH LIGHTNING LONG HANDICAP (8,1 Mrr4us). I. Capt. M. Campbell (Sunbeam) (” Blue Bird”)
2. Major L. Ropner, M.C., M.P.
(Vauxhall) … I min. zo secs.
3. Mr. R. T. T. Spencer (Sunbeam) I min. 14 secs. Spencer looked like winning, but began to miss on one cylinder, and Campbell, despite penalisation as a result of an earlier win, led by a quarter of a mile at the finish. His average speed was 107.55 m.p.h. There were only four runners and of these, J. G. P. Thomas retired in the first lap with car
burettor trouble.
Tim Jean 90 M.P.H. LONG HANDICAP (8/Lus). 37
min. secs. Scratch
secs.