Thanks to the contributors

After thanking Mr. C. A. L. Meredith for his support, so neatly expressed, we pass to Dr. M. G. Baker’s letter. The M.C.C. Rally suited him admirably, as it suited the 470 who entered. Fair enough! But his personal skill and the prowess of his 3 1/2-litre Bentley would surely be better proved by tackling a few of the milder rough bits and/or taking more elaborate final tests than were presented at Torquay.

Mr. L. Jenner, too, expresses a perfectly fair opinion, but has failed to realise that it is generally accepted that organisers, competitors and spectators all prefer a rally to be won on the roadsection than in the final tests. From the official results we observe that out of 428 starters only 104 were late or failed to finish the road-section. Amongst the ears that came through without loss of marks were R. H. Lambert’s Standard Nine, a 3-litre Bentley, a 4k-litre Invicta and other vintage cars. Mr. Jenner has taken us rather too literally in respect of Moss’s Bwlch ascent; if the DR II Aston-Martin didn’t take the famous Pass at 70 m.p.h., at least it was pretty slick.

In reply to Mr. Roger Snowdon, there are trials hills and trials lulls. Rally drivers do not want to climb muddy gradients, perhaps, but surely the 1950 ears should be able to survive one attempt at the sort of things which light ears on very small-section, beaded-edge tyres were asked to tackle for several days on end in the Welsh and Scottish Trials twenty-five years ago ? The R.A.C. British Rally next June will presumably be intended to test the endurance of cars as well as drivers, and in that ease it must of necessity be tougher than the very pleasant but comparatively easy Daily Express affair.