THE 50 - MILE RACE AT SOUTHPORT

THE SO MILE RACE AT SOUTHPORT

Those who were up at Southport last year for the 100-Mile Race must have noticed the excellent showing of J. W. Bilmand’s home-brewed J.W.B., with Riley engine. Now, in a race resembling a procession, Bprnand has proved his car to be amongst the better amateur-built jobs by winning the 50-Mile Handicap on Southport sands at 58.31 m.p.h. The course was the usual oval of two miles laid out on the Ainsdale Beach. Burnard was remarkably consistent in his lap times. He was on the limit mark with H. Hargreaves, another Southport Competitor, whose Sahnson followed the J.W.B. home at

5.29 m.p.h. For ten miles Hodgson’s well known Riley Nine led, with Warburton’s Riley Nine second and Tinker’s Frazer-Nash third.

‘ At twenty miles it was Warburton who led,and soon afterwards Hodgson fell mit of the race. Tinker then retired and A. Brooke’s 3098 Vauxhall, well managed at the.corners, came up to second place behind Warburton. However, these ” leading ” cars had their credit laps to make up, and Burnard, Hargreaves Highley (747 c.c. M.G.) finished before them.

These Southport events are altogether excellent and keep enthusiasm going well in the Midlands. And there is plenty of real enthusiasm thereabouts, as ” Baladeur ” showed in the April issue. The races are not too easy for mere onlookers to follow but they provide good sport for competitors and demand a lot of the cars, especially as sand-racing has its own characteristics to impose.

If you have not included this venue in your spectating, the 100-Mile Race later in the year will no doubt justify a long-mileage journey. The J.W.B. has Riley engine, Austin Seven axles, and a single-seater diminutive body of beaten tin. It is said that a cork serves as a filler cap for the radiator, which is isolated from the engine compartment in the best modern manner.

RESULTS

I. J. W. liiirnand (1,123 e.e. :l.W. B.). 25 laps ; 58.31 m.p.h.

2. H. Hargreaves (1,087 ex; Salmon), 25 laps ; 58.29 m.p.h. 3. G. Highley (747 c.c. M.G.), 26 laps ; 59.67

4. ‘0. Warburton (1,087 e.e. Riley), 281 laps ; 65.16 m.p.h.

5. A. Brooke (4,234 c.c. Vauxhall), 63.51 m.p.h.

VETERAN TYPES

The veteran class at the Vintage S.C.C. Speed Trials at Littlestone on May 22nd was supported by C. Clutton’s 12-litre 1908 Itala, now for sale at £60, N. Mavrogodato’s 1914 4k-litre G.P. Opel, E. K. H. Karslake’s 1908 11-litre SizaireNaudin and Forrest Lycett’s 1914 3ilitre T-head Alphonso-Hispano, purchased from the Phomix Green Garage. All the foregoing have been described in MOTOR SPoier under the “Veteran Types” series, excepting the Hispano ; another Alphonso has been written-up, though not Lycett’s actual car. It was the Hispano which won the class on the formula basis, though entering the “padclock ” after its run it very excitingly lost the near-side rear wheel. A. Birks’s 1914 3-litre S.A.V.A. and R. G. J. Nash’s 1912 15-litre LorraineDietrich were non-runners. Clive WindsorRichards drove the Itala, which displayed

surprising get-away. The Vintage S.C.C. hope to receive many more pre-1915 entries for their next speed event. Marcus Chambers is preparing a 1914 Baby Peugeot, said to be a racing edition that once lapped Brooklands at 60 m.p.h.

A NEW MOTORING BOOK “Continental two

“Continental racing possesses two tremendous advantages over the home product,” says Richard Seaman in his foreword to ” Motoraces,” “in that races can take place over genuine natural road courses and in that two nations at least appreciate the worth to national prestige of victories by their cars.”

” Motoraces ” by George Monkhouse is the first book really seriously, comprehensively and authoritatively to deal with our own sport and it has already been laviskly praised by experts and press alike. It is a volume which should be in the library of everyone.