GOODWOOD AT WHITSUN
GOODWOOD AT WHITSUN
THE Whitsun B.A.R.C. Meeting was a sad one, because Roy Bloxham received fatal injuries after his Lister-Jaguar crashed and was burnt out in the last race, while running far back in the field. The car spun and hit the bank at Fordwater, flinging out the driver and crashing into an official’s VW. Belatedly we offer condolences to Mrs. Bloxham, herself a racing driver.
This sad fatality spoilt a meeting which, said the B./..2.C., 2.1,50o people attended.
The first race was the Cibie Cup for 4-Seater saloons, in which Junkers Ford Anglia proved able to stay ahead of G. Lawrence’s self-tuned Austin A4o. These two were considerably faster than the over-r,000-c.c. class winner, Bryant’s unstable-looking Brabham Sunbeam Rapier. The Ford won by 0.4 sec. at 75.66 m.p.h., making fastest lap at 77 m.p.h. The Rapier only averaged 74.9 m.p.h.
The F.J. race provided the expected excitement. Collins jumped the start, being penalised 6o sec., then spun at St. Mary’s and sat in his Lotus, arms erect, as the others avoided him— apparently the starter was inoperative and when the driver made no attempt to vacate the car someone noticed that it was entered by the Armoured Car Co. Ltd., so presumably was invulnerable ! Dibley’s Lola had fuel pump trouble and a new 5-speed gearbox confusing to the driver, who retired. There were other minor incidents but Hyslop was never in doubt, winning in his LotusFord by 23 sec., at 88.85 m.p.h., from Hart (Terrier-Ford) and Hicks (Caravelle-Ford), a result that provided variety in F.J. racing. Before some chicanery Meek’s Elva made fastest lap, at 90.19 m.p.h. Ford engines dominated the race.
So to the 21-lap Whitsun Trophy Sports-Car Race, in which Bruce Halfbrd in the Ecuric Ecosse Cooper Monaco showed how to do it, winning at 90.05 m.p.h., 6 sec. ahead of de Selincourt’s Lister-Jaguar, these two being pursued with great élan by Salmon’s 1)-type Jaguar. Addicott mine along splendidly to finish fourth in his 1.2-litre Lotus, to win the x.-litre class, ahead of Bekaert’s Lola r,too and Coundley’s borrowed Cooper Monaco. Halford’s best lap was at 93.91 m.p.h. Charles motored 400 miles to Wales and back for spares for his D-type jaguar but needn’t have troubled, Sgonina gave a demonstration of how to run-in a DB3S Aston Martin, and Anthony’s Lister-Corvette did but two slow laps. Indeed, apart from mild prangs, this short race saw Bailey’s Tojeiro succumb to clutch trouble, Derisley’s Lotus-Ford suffer back-axle failure, Nicholson’s Lotus overheat and Beckwith’s Lotus break its gearbox—oh dear ! Ecurie Ecosse packed up their Cooper for immediate dispatch to Nurburg.
In the Marque Scratch Race Arnold (TR3A) drove to no avail, having jumped the start, and Shaw’s A.C.-Bristol just could not catch Staples’ A.C.-Bristol, which won at 79.82 m.p.h. by 12.6 sec. Dangerfield’s TR3 was third. Leuch (TR.2) seemed to think the race was a skidding exercise and Bowman’s A.C. had an anticrash bar behind the driver although surely American heads are: no softer than British heads ?
Re-handicaps, of a credit lap in five instances, led to confusion on the grid, the Historic Racing Car Handicap almost starting behind time in consequence. Margulies’ MaSerati gave Syd Day’s E.R.A. to sec. and was never in the picture. Day, who had effected repairs that morning after two plugs had blown out, might have won, but he spun coming out of the chicane on lap eight and the Hon. P. Lindsay’s E.R.A. (n) sec.) went on to take Bergel’s 2.3 Bugatti (t lap +2o sec.) on the inside of St. Mary’s and win at 79.54 m.p.h. Waller’s .E.R.A. (50 sec.) was third. Lindsay made fastest lap at 81.36 m.p.h.
The G.T. Scratch Race was interesting because G. M. Jones kept his Marcos ahead of Benson’s soft-top Porsche Carrera. No-one seemed to know whether Jones had a highly-tuned 1,216-c.c. Climax engine or whether, as seems more likely, the light weight of the Marcos enabled it to beat the I,498-c.c. Porsche. It averaged -80.54 m.p.h. Howard’s XI(.12.0 was third, winner of the over-2-litre class, but the F.curie Ecosse Jaguar E-type was absent. I would like to think that a G.T. car is a coupe but manyhoods-up soft-tops competed in this race. Interesting, but too slow, was Rodger’s Warwick with one of the new 3-litre Buick ” compact ” engines, of which they say six have been sold to Italy. Well, well !
Addicott (Lotus) deservedly won the finalrace, a handicap, at 86.67 m.p.h., from Wober’s D-type Jaguar and Salmon’s similar car but the inexplicable accident to Bloxham east a gloom over the race. I Ictreed’s DB3S spun at St. Mary’s, Addicott had moments at Lavan: cm the same lap, and one wonders about oil.—W. B..
THE 8-CLUBS AT SILVERSTONE
THE 8-Clubs Meeting is one of the busiest of Silverstone’s Club days; this year 172 entries contested tOur High-Speed
Trials and 13 5-lap races, run to a strict time schedule. In the first race I thought Howard’s XK 120 would win and it did, making its driver cross his arms, at 76.45 m.p.h., chased hard by White’s Sprite with IDerisley’s I,otus-D some way behind. Ndlington positively fought his Lotus-Ford, a double dose of gearboxes did not prevent Tiller’s. _12 Allard from retiring, and Downie’S Sunbeam Alpine was boiling.
The 750 Formula race followed, with Boor-Ws D.E.B. II a convincing leader from start to finish, pursued by Whitehead, with Forrest’S quite unbelievable ” pancake ” Austin saloon third, its cornering a question of waiting until a spinning rear wheel found the deck and the car was able to proceed. This odd car would be in poor taste were it not so beautifully made and finished and such an effective goer. Cowburn and McElroy had a dingdung but the others were pathetic, although the Pinfold Special pleased me because it reminded me of the 1923 “tank ” Bugatti I examined at Molsheim recently; however, generally modern racing 7505 resemble ” boys’ racers,” whereas 35 years ago they looked like scaled-down 0.13. cars.
Miss Jones, proving that the -girls can do it, Won the next race easily in her Austin Healey 3000, with Dempsey working hard in his A.C.-Bristol without closing the gap. In third place the Earl of Denbigh motored his Xl<150S into Woodcote's ditch, which moved Venn's Austin Healey 3000 up to that place.
Bulmer’s handicapping had lost its magic in the next event, for Graziano Notarianni in a Mini Austin with exhausts terminating by the door and other ” hot ” numbers unseen, won so easily that it lapped Fairweather’s Riley 1.5 that had started 25 sec. later. A Chain Gang ‘Nash (Heard’s) was a steady second, keeping Alderton’s Singer Special at bay. Harmer appeared to be hanging on his straps in his Austin 850; Loveday’s Sprite and the Tornado Typhoon indulged in a fierce duel.
Buhner was back on form for Event 9, Edwards’ Lagonda M45 winning by -a really narrow margin from Sparrow’s TR3, after Symes had spun his 11.12.G. at Becketts. Brough was third, in Blunt’s 16/8o A.C.
Everyone looked well behaved in the dull 1172 Formula race, which Youlten’s Terrier won with consumate ease from Corfield’s Terrier II, although this place belonged to Inglis’ neat Rejo II until it went sick, also letting the Goodwin-Ford pass it. The race was spoilt by too many non-starters.
To show his handicap win was no fluke, Notarianni’s hot Mini, now driven by Pitchers, won a scratch race even more convincingly. Half-a-length separated the next two—Finch’s t 1-litre I I.R.G. and Blunt’s A.C. Special, the latter an odd elongated car with exposed twin 3-branch exhausts and a Riley tail.
On the opening lap of the next race Overall cornered on the limit and the grass once too often in his smart Volvo 122S, swung back across the course, and impeded Johnson’s Sunbeam Alpine and Wanshorough’s Tornado Typhoon which were having a go round Woodeote in dose company. •Ihe impact was terrific and none of the three cars was much good after it. Past wildly waving yellow flags Pilkington in Cave’s A4o motored to an easy victory.
The rest of the races were won by Cave’s A40, Blunt’s A.C., Howard’s Jaguar, and Sparrow’s ‘1123, and the Harrow C.C. beat Chiltern in toe Inter-Club Team Relay.—W. D.