Crystal Palace (May 30th)

The fine weather continued over Whit Monday for another of the B.R. & S.C.C. meetings held this time at the Crystal Palace circuit. The four-hour programme included the same types of event as were seen at Brands Hatch the day before, namely Formula 1 and III racing cars, sports cars up to 1,500 c.c. and unlimited.

The first race, the Redex Challenge Trophy Race, started at 2 p.m. with S. Lewis-Evans leading followed by Bueb and Hall all driving Coopers; Phillipson in a Staride and Raby in a Cooper battled valiantly together, but by the fourth lap Bueb was in the lead and meant to stay there, which he did, finishing in first place at 68.82 m.p.h. This was heat one of the 500-c.c. race; heat two was won by Taylor in a Cooper with Fenning in a Staride second. Taylor’s speed was such that he drew away from the rest of the field quite steadily and Luke in a Cooper, at one time lying fourth, was unable to stand the pace and had to drop back a little. Heat three went to Allison at 69.15 m.p.h. in a Cooper with the Kieft of Don Parker in second place, Russell was doing well until he was overtaken by Parker on the fifth lap and George Wicken, previously lying rather far back in the field, pulled up into third place at the finish. The final of this Redex Challenge Trophy Race was a very spectacular affair for there were over twenty starters and few retired. Allison was off first with Parker second, but there were many changes in the remaining nine laps, Wicken and Bueb diced on lap four, but the latter drove on to first position in lap five and stayed there, Taylor received the black flag and had to return to the paddock with a loose oil tank and the Cooper of H. E. Douglas also had to retire with broken front suspension, final order then being Bueb first, with a speed of 69.02 m.p.h., Wicken second and Allison third. Another event for 500-c.c. racing cars was the Petit Prix which was won by Raby in a Cooper with Cowley, who drove, well in this race, close behind him finishing second.

Now we come to the sports cars. A very good selection was to be seen in the paddock and coupled with such drivers as Alan Brown, J. Riseley-Pritchard, Don Beauman, Archie Scott-Brown, Bob Gerard, Peter Collins and Roy Salvadori it is not difficult to imagine that standards were high and competition great. The first event for these competitors was part one of the London Trophy Race won by Peter Collins in a Maserati at 71.47 m.p.h. with very little trouble at all from the other men behind him. This was a twelve-lap race and the Maserati just kept on gaining on each lap until Salvadori, lying second with another Maserati, and Gerard in his Cooper-Bristol, third, were some way behind; Webb in a Turner was unfortunate enough to overturn at Ramp bend when his brakes appeared to have locked on, but he was able to walk away. The Anerley Trophy Race for the smaller cars was event five on the programme. Ivor Bueb, once more the victor, received the chequred flag as he crossed the line with the Coventry Climax-engined Cooper with Leston behind him in a Connaught; third place was occupied by Austin Nurse in the ex-Colin Chapman Lotus M.G., rapidly repaired after front-spring trouble the previous day. The first two cars were a long way ahead of the rest and at one time Bueb did a lap at exactly 72 m.p.h. which was fast going, he deserved his lap of honour at the finish for his average speed of 67.33 m.p.h. The Norbury Trophy Race and the London Trophy Race again produced some more fast motor cars. The former went to Scott-Brown in his Lister-Bristol, although Salvadori in a DB3S Aston Martin was in the lead for quite a few laps and had a comfortable lead until he spun round, allowing Scott-Brown to come through and take the lead. Alan Brown was third with the Cooper-Aston and Bayliss and Greig had fun chasing each other in their Triumph TR2s; best time was made by Salvadori with 71 m.p.h. and the winner’s average speed was 68.81 m.p.h. Part two of the London Trophy Race, a 12-lap event, resulted in a Collins v. Gerard duel and although Gerard was unable to overtake Collins he just sat on his tail in the hope of finding an opening which, for him, never came and Collins in his disc-braked Maserati walked away with the race at 70.38 m.p.h., Keen’s Cooper-Alta coming third