THE E.R.A.TEAM FOR 1939

THE E.R.A. TEAM FOR 1939

The works E.R.A. team for this season -is announced as Raymond Mays, Arthur Dobson and A. R. P. Rolt. The cars will be entirely new, with very well streamlined bodies. A new tubular -chassis with independent front and normal rear suspension will be used, and the gearbox will be of four-speed” crash” type—the design was to have figured in the 3-litre G.P. car which was never built. The 14–litre engine will have a supercharger beside the block and develop over 200 b.h.p. Four cars will be built, but only two will be entered as a team, the remaining two cars being prepared for the next fixture—which seems a wise plan. Arthur Dobson has already proved convincingly that he is a fitting team-mate for Mays and everyone will be glad to see him at the wheel of a modern Rolt has risen to fame remarkably quickly and is very evidently a first-rank driver—might we be excused for labelling him as the British ” Bira ” ? It will be interesting to see who keeps closest to Mays, Dobson or Rolt, inasmuch as

all three drivers will not appear together, and Raymond Mays will presumably be No. 1 of the team and so probably a runner in every race entered. The new E.R.A. will appear in the International Trophy Race on May 6th. In Continental fixtures the British team will be opposed by the straight-eight Type 158 single-blower Alfa-Romeo and the fourcylinder twin-blower Maseratis of Italy, and possibly by some German Mercedes-Benz as well.