A REVIEW of the EALINGS and District MCC

A REVIEW of the EALING and DISTRICT M.C.C. 200 MILE SIDECAR RACES.

B’ the time this is in print, the T.T. results will be the talk of the Town, and the two-hundred mile sidecar events will have been forgotten ; indeed, were it not for the motoring press, few people would even have known that they took place, for the attendance at Brooklands was very poor, considering the interesting nature of the programme.

Perhaps not quite so thrilling as solo racing, sidecar races should be carefully fostered, as they are one of the biggest factors in the eternal effort to “improve the breed.’ One would imagine that quite enough strains are imposed on the engine and frame of a 350 c.c. machine even when lapping at 60 m.p.h., for the track, although having a smooth appearance, develops an amazing amount of long bumps when taken at speed, and sets up tremendous forces, attempting to destroy frame and wheels ; so that when, in addition to these more or less super-normal strains, we impose side and cross stresses in the shape of a sidecar loaded with an odd hundredweight or so, we are asking a lot of a small machine.

On account perhaps of these extra stresses the percentage of minor troubles was certainly higher than in the Hutchinson Hundred for, solo machines, which shows that sidecar work brings out many small points where weakness lies ; all of which, when remedied, help to improve the machine, and act as an aid to higher speeds when ridden solo.

It was certainly not a day for the supermen of the track, and each race was won by riders who are continually trying hard to get a first, but who are usually fairly heavily handicapped on account of their mounts. The 350 C.C. race started in a very promising way. and for the first fifty odd laps proved to be quite exciting ; continual duels were being fought by Baxter and Youngs, with Marchant always close at hand and seldom really extended. Baxter rode a Rex-Acme J.A.P., which eventually proved the winner ; Youngs had an O.K.Blackbume, which put up a very good show until engine trouble accounted for its retirement on Youngs’ fortieth lap. • •

W. D. Marchant was, as usual, riding his overhead camshaft Chater-Lea, and seemed determined to pull off the hat trick, by winning the race for the third year ; in our opinion he would have done it, but on his fifty-ninth lap, when he was on level terms with Baxter, his magneto gave up the ghost, and his chances vanished.

Handley, on a Rex-Acme-Blackburne, was another who suffered from magneto trouble ; in fact, ignition trouble was the cause of much slowing-up generally, due to the rain, which began about a quater of an hour after the start, and was really responsible for spoiling what might have been a much better race. As it was, after Marchant’s demise, Baxter got and kept the lead, and he was never seriously troubled afterwards ; the next man in was Greening, riding an Omega J.A.P., followed by the painstaking Worters on an Excelsior-Blackburne,

The winner’s speed was 59.64 m.p.h., which was 2 m.p.h. slower than last year’s speed ; speed was 54.73 m.p.h., and Worters only 48.54.

The ” stars ” of the 6o0 c.c. race were Dixon, naturally on a Douglas, Horsman on his Triumph, Staniland and O’Donovan on Nortons, and an quantity in Mundey, on a New Hudson. In passing, race proved an excellent trying-out ground for one two T.T. Machines.

Dixon led for quite a long time, with Horsman Judd (Douglas), with the two Nortons following up. Even in the first lap these few had gained a good tage over the rest of the field. Their speed was in region of seventy-five miles an hour. From the first was clear that Dixon would either win or • ” bust ” ; as it happened, his machine took the latter course, and although he did not stop, his pace was almost compared to his former speed. After that, Horsman led, with Tucker and Stauiland behind, but the rate had grown easier with Dixon out ; soon Horsman and O’Donovan and Tucker were all out of the running also, the former with a smashed piston, O’Donovan with a broken valve-spring, and Tucker with a sidecar chassis that resembled an Elizabethan cottage.

With these out of the way Staniland took the lead on the 44th lap, Lawson (Sunbeam) and Mundey being the next up. After another eight laps it looked as if Staniland would also have to retire as both his front springs were broken, but to everyone’s amazement he kept on as fast as ever to come in a winner at 68.88 m.p.h. Lawson was second at 66.13, and Mundey third at 62.25. Just before the end, Anstice (Douglas) punctured, which forced him to accept fourth place with a speed of 61.69 m.p.h.

One always expects most from the 1,000 c.c. class in the way of thrills and high speeds, and for once the big ‘uns were not disappointing.

Only six started, but all men of note, and the sequel was that the smallest amongst them (not in stature but in previous deeds) carried the day. C. T. Ashby, riding his own Zenith J.A.P., finished at a speed of 72.71 m.p.h., ‘with Le Vack limping in on one cylinder with a BroughSuperior at 68.5o m.p.h., followed by Temple at 64.59 m.p.h.

After the Harley-Davidsons fell out with valve trouble, Le Vack had the race to himself, in spite of Ashby’s attempts to catch him, but on his 59th lap he was forced to go into the pits to change his rear tyre, which was stripped to ribbons, Here Ashby got the lead., and then lost it again, through his machine catching on fire ; Le Vack again led, but this time Ashby steadily reduced the distance between them until, when he was just about to come level, Le Vack appeared running on one cylinder,, having bent a valve-stem.

Ashby finished quite three laps ahead with the BroughSuperior following at 54 m.p.h. on one cylinder.

C. F. Temple ran in third on his McEvoy-Temple at 69.59 m.p.h.