V.C.C. Speed Trials

An entry of 31 veterans and 29 Edwardians was received for the Veteran C.C. Rally and Speed Trials of June 19th. The speed event took place in the grounds of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, over a course which was uphill for half the distance and embraced a left-hand bend and an artificial hairpin in the parade ground. The prize for the oldest car to arrive at the Rally was won by Pidgeon’s 1897 Hurtu. The “arrivals prize” went to Humphries’ 1904 Humber amongst the veterans, this vehicle being only two seconds late, whereas Col. Alcock’s 1904 Lanchester was 4 sec. early and P. Alcock’s 1902 de Dion 5.2 sec. early. So far as the Edwardians were concerned, Thornley’s 1910 Adler took the prize, being a mere 10 sec. early, whereas the runners-up, Boddy (1913 Hispano-Suiza) and Upton (1913 Lanchester) were both 15 sec. early, Boddy relying on a domestic alarm-clock which, he is now convinced, gains.

The Editorial Hispanc-Suiza caught fire rather beautifully as it left for the hill-climb, in which it got away badly, bottom gear not being present and Boddy being fearful of stalling in the high second gear. Thereafter the driver confesses to having done all those things that he has long criticised in print as constituting unforgivable errors on the part of sprint drivers!  Fastest veteran time was made by Abbott’s 1904 Mercedes, in 54.4 sec., and Heal, in the 1910 F.I.A.T., made f.t.d., in 44.6 sec. Class positions were determined on formula and were:

VETERANS,  UP TO 4 hp. 

1st:  F.J. Pidgeon (1897 3-1/2-h.p. Hurtu), also best time.

VETERANS, 4-7 hp.

1st:  E.H. Jarvis (1900 6-h.p. Panhard Levassor).

2nd: E. P. Shaw (1904 5 hp. Minerva).

3rd: G. Mawer (1904 7 h.p. Oldsmobile).

Best time : L. P. Hunt (1902 Century).

VETERANS, 7-12 hp.

1st:  H. P. Lucas (1904 9-h.p. James and Browne).

2nd : Col. J. E. Alcock (1904 12 h.p, Lanchester), also best time.

VETERANS, UNLIMITED

1st : G. Oliver (1902 25/28 h.p. Mercedes).

Best time: C. R. Abbott (1904 18/28 h.p.).

EDWARDIANS, UP TO 1,100 c.c.

1s : C. W. Rowe (926 c.c. 1911 Swift-Radford) — only runner.

EDWARDIAN. l’P TO 3,000 c.c.

1st : J. G. Walters (1,160 c.c. 1911 de Dion).

2nd : K. H. Kingham (1,060 c.c. 1911 Renault).

3rd:  S. J. Skinner (2,298 c.c. 1913 Rover).

Best time : C. W. P. Hampton (1,327 c.c. 1910 Bugatti).

EDWARDIANS, UP  TO 5,000 c.c.

1st: J. G. Hampton (3,015 c.c. 1912 Sunbeam).

2nd: C. J. Bendall (3,015 c.c 1912 Sunbeam).

Best time : W. Boddy (3,619 c.c 1913 Hispano-Suiza).

EDWARDIANS, UNLIMITED

1st: C. W. P. Hampton (5,026 c.c. 1913 Bugatti).

Best time : A. S. Heal (10,087 c.c  1910 F.I.A.T.).