1959 Crystal Palace Whitsun meet: Salvadori wins F2 London Trophy

A large crowd enjoyed an excellent day’s racing at Crystal Palace on Whit-Monday.

The main race of the day, the 36-lap London Trophy for F.2 cars, went to Roy Salvadori in Tommy Atkins Cooper-Climax after an initial tussle with Bueb (Cooper-Borgward) and Jim Russell (Cooper). Russell had to stop to fix a slipping clutch, giving Salvadori an easy win from Bueb and Chris Bristow (Hume Cooper).

Perhaps the most exciting race of the day was the Touring Car race which was won by G. H. Williamson in the Alexander Engineering A40. This car arrived in a van and its performance during the race showed that it was very highly tuned. It comfortably beat Leston’s 1.5 Riley, only Shepherd’s A40 being anywhere near, at the finish.

The Norbury Trophy for over 1,500 c.c. sports cars provided another win for Salvadori in Coombs’ Cooper-Maserati but another few yards would have seen a win for Graham Hill’s 2½-litre Lotus XV. Hill was boxed in by Russell’s 2-litre Cooper Monaco for several laps and when he got clear he broke the circuit lap record with a speed of 83.12 m.p.h. in an endeavour to catch Salvadori. How many circuits have the lap record held by a sports car?

The Anerley Trophy for under 1.500-c.c. sports cars was poorly supported and since it was run with two heats and a final, the fields were rather sparse. Innes Ireland in a works Lotus XV beat Salvadori in both heat and final, Salvadori spoiling his chances in the final by spinning the 1½-litre Coombs Cooper-Monaco  which suffered from brake trouble.

In the other heat of the Anerley Trophy, Peter Ashdown won easily in the Lola but was later disqualified for being push-started on the line. How many drivers have got away with this in the past?

Being a B.R.S.C.C. meeting there had to be a 500 c.c. race and an enormous field took to the track for the Redex Trophy. Tommy Bridger gained a comfortable win from Pitcher and Don Parker, all Cooper-mounted of course. —  M.L.T.