CLIFF DAVIS WINS BROOKLANDS MEMORIAL TROPHY

CLIFF DAVIS WINS BROOKLANDS MEMORIAL TROPHY

Till B.A.R.t. Members’ Meeting at Goodwood on July 25th concluded this year’s MOTOR SPORT Brooklands Memorial -frophy emu est. It carries a handsome trophy and replica. Itch d by Oscar Moore, and a first prize of £50, ‘cc rut prize of E20, and third prize of

This time Cliff Davis won by two points (tot al )7), driving his wellknown Cooper-M.G. joy 7’t111 and his newer Tojeiro-Bristol Loy 500. He deserved his success, particularly for hi, courage in continuing in the third race after :I series of frightful spins as he approached Woodcote Corner in his Cooper-M.G. In spite of an episode from which many drivers would have. retired. Davis went rapidly back into action in the. required direction, finishing third and gaining the two points needed to beat Peter Gammon (M.G.) and 11. A. Mitchell (Frazer-Nash), who tied for second place with 15 points each. Incidentally, Mitchell spun off at the same place last year and thereby lost his chance of the Trophy.

The first race was a closed-car handicap-all were over five lapsand Leonard Potter, from the limit mark, kept his 745-c.c. DynaPanhard ahead with the approved wheel-lifting tacties, to win -an extremely exciting finish, of the ” half-a-wheel” order, from Grace’s 21 Riley on the run in. Officially Potter won by 0.2 sec., at 58.25 m.p.h. Everartf’s D.11.2 was third, nraking fastest lap at 75.65 m.p.h.-his car had two exhaust pipes, to the single pipe of Sir J. Boles’ H.11.2. A scratch race followed, Cohn Chapman showing driver-superiority by beating Desoutter by 3.2 see., at 69.711 m.p.h., both driving

Lotus •automobiles. Watling-Green wood’s R.W.-G. was third. Chapman lapped fastest, to the tune or 71.76 m.p.h. The next scratch race saw all eyes on the popular Davis. It paid to watch him, for in trying to catch Ganunon he got into a series of high-speed gyrations on his fourth lap, entering a cabbage patch before regaining the road. Gaitunon went serenely on. but naturally Beauman in the ex-Hawthorn Riley had passed Davis during his

” So Gammon won at 75.79 m.p.h., .Davis gamely chasing Beauman to finish third, only 0.6 sec, behind the Riley, a piece of courage the crowd was not slow to appreciate. Davis had made fastest lap. at 77.56 m.p.h. it was an eventful race, for Green’s H.R.G. left the road at Woodepte and Steed’s J.A.G. demolished part of the chicane.

Mitchell, driving, like Aseari, so that helooks slow, was never challenged in the fourth (Scratch) race, winning in his sombre FrazerNash at 79.85 rn.p.h. Davis was out again in his Tojeiro and after setting fastest lap at 81.51 m.p.h.. caine home in second place, securing his 17 trophy points. Brooks was !bird in liely’s FrazerNash.

The. next scratch race 5, as ntitable for it ding-dong struggle het, cell Head’s NK.120 and Moore ‘s similar-engined 11.W.M. Moore decided to have no more nonsense on the last lap and WWI by 0.4 sec.. at 76.73 m.p.h., after a lap at 79.12 m.p-.h. Three more N K 120s followed Head home, Keeling’s in third place. Waring spun hi:. Lago-Talbot at Woodeote and on lap one Goodhcw’s Damen seized up.

Watling-Greenwood upheld his earlier good showing by winning the first of the open handicaps, his very neat Ford-powered R.W,G. averaging 69.9 m.p.h. and lapping at 72.21 m.p.h. Cuff-Miller, in spite of a straw-bale encounter, got his Riley Nine home second, ahead of Chaprnan’s Lotus. Scarf had a miraculousescape when the steering-arm of his Buckler broke going into Woodcote. The car hit the sandbank before the stands ncs and rolled completely over but the driver got up and walked in unhurt.

The next race was badly handicapped, the limit-man. Lusty in a TC M.G., leading all the way. to win at 66.51 m.p.h. from Desolater’s Lotus and Harewood’s I Oitre MG. Beauman lapped in the Riley at 76.73 m.p.h. but was tmplaced.

Much the same happened in the next race. Greig’s MG. being unassailed and winning at 68.25 m.p.h. Everard got his 1).11.2 home a good second, ahead of Sessions’ Silverstone Healey. hut tIre. back-markers, hoping to wrest points from Davis for the Brook lands Trophy, never got a look in. although Mitchell tried very hard. lapping in impeccable style at 81.36 m.p.h.

R. C. Symondson was a popular winner of the Fast handicap but one, in the ex-Campbell 3.3 Bugatti, at. 74.68 m.p.h.. tying for fastest lap with Head’s fast X1(120, which was third, with Sessions’ Healey the nteat in the Molsheim/Coventry sandwich. Even more popular was P. J. Morgan’s Victory in the 10th and last race, in a very Le Mans-like 3-litre Bentley which, persuaded firmly through the chicane, easily disposed of the modern A.C. with which it had started. winning at a thunderous 61.27 m.p.h. from Llewellyn’s _M.G. and Pigott’s M.G. Fastest lap went to Greig’s M.G. at 69.68 m.p.h. and the race was notable for the presence, almost for the. first time in history surely, of a No. 13-M. Anthony’s 21-litre S.S. It finished safely.

The weather proved fickle, a sun-top heat wave deteriorating into shivery showers. Better luck for the next Members’ Meeting, an additional B.A.R.C. fixture, at Goodwood on September 12th.