Here and There., July 1933

Here and There.

The Alpine Trial, 1933.

ALTHOUGH the Regulations for the fifth International Alpine Trial

are not yet available, the R.A.C. has issued Some preliminary particulars. The Trial will commence at midnight on Sunday, 30th July, the preliminary inspection Of cars taking place On Saturday and Sunday, 29th and 30th July. The start will be from Munich, the first stage finishing at Mera,no, a distance of 436 km. The second stage is from Merano to St. Moritz, 327 km. ; the third from St. Moritz to Turin, 372 km. ; the fourth from Turin to Grenoble, 396 km., and the fifth stage Grenoble to Nice, a distance of 380 km.-giving a total to be covered in five days of 1,911 km. Nineteen Alpine passes are included in the Route, on four of which the cars will be timed, including the Stelvio, which is 18.5 kin, long and rises to a height of 2,759 metres. The states that the general regulations

will follow closely those of 1932,but there will be a number of alterations, of which the following are the most important. The number of groups will be increased from four to five, viz., Group 5 over 500 c.c. and up to 1,100 c.c. ; Group 4 over 1,100 c.c. and up: to 1500 c.c. ; Group over 1,500 c.c. and up to 2,000 c.c. ; Group 2 Over 2,000 c.c. and up to 3,000

; Group 1 over 3,000 c.c.

Cars eligible will be standard production ears, but auxiliary water tanks will not be permitted. Water replenishments during the Trial, however, will be permitted. A mean speed will be allotted to each group as follows : Groups I and 2-45 k.p.h.; Group ‘344 k.p.h. ; Group 4-43 k.p.h., and Group 5-42 k.p.h. These speeds will have to be maintained throughout each days’ run. An allowance of five minutes early or late will be allowed at each control, and marks will be deducted for cars checking in early or late. The mean speed will be the basis for marking the timed hill climbs, but speeds higher than the average will not gain any advantage. In the majority of cases it is not expected that the ayera.ge speeds in the five groups will be attained, and the organisers hope that the resultant loss of marks will pro

duce. a definite order of merit in each group at the end of the trial.

There will be team prizes in each group and also first, second and third individual prizes. Every entrant, driver and assistant driver of a car completing the Trial will be entitled to a ” plaquette souvenir” and there will be two ladies prizes irrespective of groups. Although cars nominated as members of a team will not normally be permitted to compete also for individual prizes; if a team. loses two of its members during the course of the Trial the remaining member will be classed as an individual competitor, and be eligiblefor one of the individual group awards. Entries will be received up to 5th July at single fees and from 5th July to 15th July at double fees. The entry fee is 100 Gold Francs and 150 Gold Francs in addition for a team entry. All entries of British cars will be made through the Royal Automobile Club,

It will be remembered that last year British cars scored an outstanding success in the Alpine Trial. This year to encourage and assist the event, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Ltd., has made a substantial donation towards the cost of organization, and the R.A.C. is Making every effort to support British competitors and so maintain the prestige which has been established in previous years.

Immediately the Regulations are received by the R.A.C. they will be translated into English and copies will be available for all intending competitors.

The R.A.C. Tourist Trophy Race.

The Regulations for the International Tourist Trophy Race have now been issued by the R.A.C. The Race will take place on Saturday, 2nd September, and official practising on Wednesday and Thursday, 30th and 31st August. It will be held on the Ards Circuit, near Belfast. Three important alterations have been made to the Regulations for this year’s Race. The length has been extended-from 30 to 35 laps, making a total distance of 478 miles. This increase is accounted for by the speed at which the Tourist Trophy Race is now run. In 1928, the first year on the Ards Circuit, the time taken by

the winner was just under six hours ; last year -4t was exactly an hour less.

The original intention of the R.A.C. being that the Race should take about six hours, the length has now been increased to re-establish this condition. The second amendment tightens up the Regulations governing the eligibility of cars to compete. The Tourist Trophy Race is for standard type cars, with certain permitted alterations. To ensure that only such cars compete the R.A.C. will, on receipt of an entry, notify the entrant of the number of cars corresponding to

the type entered which must already have been manufactured, thus ensuring that the car entered is a production model and not a car built specially for racing. The third amendment affects the prize money. Since 1931 there have been five cash prizes, in addition to the Tourist Trophy, for the cars finishing in the first five places irrespective of class. Thus if the handicap worked out favourably to cars in the smaller classes, it was possible that none of the larger cars would appear in the prize list, or the reverse might apply if the handicap proved favourable to the larger cars. Accordingly this year the

prize money Will be allocated as follows. To the winner, irrespective of class, £300. To the first, second and third cars over 1,500 c.c., £300, £200 and £100 respec tively ; and to the first, second and third cars up to 1,500 c.c., £300, £200 and 4100 respectively. The winner of the Race, being also the first car in one of these groups, will receive altogether £600 (as

compared with £500 last year), and the possibility of one particular type of car taking the whole of the prize fund has been eliminated. Sir William Morris has generously offered the sum of £1,500 for prize money. In addition to the above alteration, the handicap has been revised in the light of last year’s experience. It is not easy

to compare this year’s with the handicap of 1932 owing to the increase in the length of the Race, but the possibility of two pit stops has been taken into consideration.

Copies of the Regulations may be obtained on application to the Secretary, R.A.C., Pall Mall, London, S.W.1.