Loton Vintage

Rain avoided Loton Park on May 28 by a narrow margin, as the VSCC ran its hillclimb over the six corners of the interesting 1478-yard course, rented from Hagley & DLCC. Spollon crashed his ERA in practice, slightly hurting himself and R8C more so. So FTD had to lie between Mark Walker and Donald Day. Mark’s 6.1-litre Parker-GN stood apparently abandoned until it was time for its driver to make one of his skilful ascents, in a record 63.37sec, just beating Day’s 63.56sec in ERA R14B.

Whenman’s Lagonda went straight on at the Hall corner on its first run, and the Halford Special was quick enough downhill into the Triangle to spin; Cheyne kept its engine going but then gave up. The Knox emulated the Lagonda but kept climbing. Bronson (Riley) spun at Museum on his first run. Otherwise it was as peaceful as motor-racing ever is. Space restrictions cause me now just to list class winners. From the small sportscars on to the big racing cars they were: G Owen’s effective Morris-JAP; T Watson’s Riley, vintage, G Smith (FN); A Painter (Maserati), vintage, F Giles (FN/AC); Sir J Venables-Llewelyn (Alfa Romeo Monza), vintage, C Maeers (GN-Ford) R; B Collings (Mercedes-Maybach); T Metcalfe (Lagonda), vintage, M Fitzmaurice (s/c A7) R; P Smeeth (Richard Bolster Spl), vintage, I Stewart (Morgan); D Day (ERA), vintage, W Mitchell (GN/AC); M Walker (Parker-GN), FTD. There were only two runners in the last two classes, making the results decidedly academic, and no 500cc runners.