Salvadori's Goodwood

Three Firsts and Two Second Places by This Driver at Easter B.A.R.C. Meeting, in Connaught, Maserati and Aston Martin Cars

An extremely large crowd of some 50,000 attended the International Race Meeting at Goodwood on Easter Monday, when the summery weather set off the picturesque setting, the Paddock thronged with people and the sports-girls more exotic or attractive than ever.

Many entirely new cars were seen, including the new G.P. Connaught, the Gilby Engineering sports Maserati with Cooper-type chassis, Anthony’s Lotus, in which room really has been found for a Bristol engine, the sports Beart-Rodger Climax Type 66 driven by Moss, the rear-engined 1,100 Cooper sports driven by Bueb, Geoffrey Crossley’s much-publicised bulky, four S.U. Lea-Francis-engined Berkshire Special with tubular space-frame, transverse leaf spring and wishbone i.f.s., and old-style back axle hung on 1/4-elliptic springs (which departed on a trailer after one race), but, alas, the two Vanwalls, one of which Hawthorn should have driven, were absentees. There were, however, many other cars new to the South, such as the latest Lotus and Lister-Bristol, Brandon’s Coventry-Climax-engined Halseylee, the new sports Connaughts, and the 3-litre Ferrari sports cars of Sparken and Piotti. Peter Collins drove last year’s short-chassis VI6 B.R.M., which is still an attraction with the crowds, while Stirling Moss, whom one would have expected to be at Pau, had his Maserati, now with disc brakes, a new type of Dunlop racing tyre and S.U. fuel injection, but couldn’t get it to motor.

The racing, as hereafter described, was good in places, like the curate’s egg, but suffered from too many non-starters and some too-eager starters.—W. B.

The Lavant Cup Race (7 Laps Scratch—Non-s/c. Racing Cars up to 2 Litres)

The chicane having argued with Alan Brown’s new Connaught in practice, this was amongst the four non-starters. Bob Gerard, right on form, led for five laps in his Cooper-Bristol of the ragged exhaust note but undeniable performance before Salvadori, in Young’s Connaught, got by to his first victory of the day. Keen in the Chase Cooper-Alta, emitting smoke and taking a bite at the much-to-suffer chicane fencing, made a bold bid to hold third place but was beaten on lap two by Don Beauman’s Connaught. The Turner retired after six laps and a lap earlier Riseley-Pritchard’s Connaught stopped with a seized gearbox.

1st: R. Salvadori (Connaught). won by 0.8 sec., at 86.57 m.p.h.
2nd : F.B. Gerard (Cooper-Bristol).
3rd : D. Beauman (Connaught).
Fastest lap Salvadori (Connaught), 88.16 m.p.h.

Sports-Car Race (5 Laps Scratch—Cars up to 1 1/2 Litres)

This was a magnificent battle between the new sports Connaughts, of which McAlpine drove the aerodynamic tail-finned car. McAlpine led Leston for the first lap, then Leston took the lead, but on lap three slid into the chicane fencing and was speared by a long post. He continued, despite being shown the black flag and shedded this dangerous accessory before the race ended. Moss pushed the new Beart-Rodger Climax very hard, snaking from the chicane on lap two, but this only served to blow it up and he retired on lap three, letting Bueb in Cooper’s new Manx-tailed rear-engined Cooper-Climax into third place, with Coombs’ Lotus-Connaught right on Bueb’s tail. The commentators were so excited by the Leston/McAlpine duel that they continued to commentate after the race had finished. Chapman’s new Lotus retired on lap two, Brandon had a nasty bit of chicanery in his Halseylec, and the crowd was amused by Powell’s slow but rubber-burning tactics in his TF M.G., which inevitably hit the chicane fencing.

1st : L. Leston (Connaught), won by 1.4 sec., at 81.66 m.p.h.
2nd : K. McAlpine (Connaught).
3rd: I. Bueb (Cooper).
Fastest lap : Leston (Connaught), 83.24 m.p.h.
1,100.c.c. Class:
1st : I. Bueb (Cooper), 80.0 m.p.h.
2nd : E. Brandon (Halseylec).

The Chichester Cup (7 Laps, Scratch—Formula Libre Racing Cars)

Peter Collins drove the B.R.M. with constrained skill, leading all the way, while Moss had the unusual experience of being pushed along by Salvadori, until the latter’s Maserati went by Stirling’s Maserati on lap three. Moss fell farther and farther back, his car’s acceleration poor out of the corners. Lots of rubbish was deposited by cars which hit the chicane fencing, which caused Collins nasty moments as the spinning back wheels of the B.R.M. ran over it on lap six, while Moss took a look at the broken fence and tail-slid at the same spot on his last lap, when be was nearly 15 sec. behind Salvadori. It was Cobden, in the ex-Whitehead E.R.A. which had really demolished the palings; he retired. Cliff Davis toured along at the back of the race in the ex-Bira 3-litre preselector Maserati. The only stirring aspect was a duel between Brabham in the Cooper-Alta and Gerard, the latter settling the issue on lap five, although Brabham’s power tail-slides in this and a later race were fine to behold.

1st : P.J. Collins (B.R.M.), won by 15.4 sec., at 90.29 m.p.h.
2nd : R. Salvadori (Maserati).
3rd : S. Moss (Maserati).
Fastest lap: Collins (B.R.M.), 91.52 m.p.h.

The Earl of March Trophy (7 Laps, Scratch-500-c.c. Cars)

This was a magnificent duel between the Cooper Cars’ Cooper of Bueb and Beart’s Cooper of Leston, Bueb just ahead on laps I, 2, 4 and 7. Alas, unknown to the spectators, Leston was penalised 15 see. for jumping the starter’s flag, so he was really in fifth place. Colin Davis drove well, after running wide into the chicane fence, to worry Don Parker, who had also had a “fence-visit.” In the rush of the start Elliott’s Cooper overturned, but he wasn’t badly hurt. Retirements in this short race were : J.R.C. Parker (Cooper), Keen (Cooper), Boshier-Jones (Cooper) and Tyrrell (Cooper). As the duellists came to the finish Bueb swung aside sharply to rob Leston of his slip-stream, presumably unaware that the judges had already decided the issue for him !

1st Bueb (Cooper), won by 7.8 sec., at 82.13 m.p.h.
2nd : D. Parker (Kieft).
3rd : C.C.H. Davis (Cooper).
Fastest lap: Bueb (Cooper). 83.88 m.p.h. Equals class lap record.

Sports-Car Race (5 Laps, Scratch—Non-s/c. Cars Exceeding 2 Litres)

This was another race spoilt by start-anticipating. Sparken led all the way in the 3-litre Ferrari, which he handled impeccably, even when it faltered very momentarily coming out of the chicane.But he and HamiIton had a 15-sec. penalty to carry, allowing Salvadori in the Gilby Engineering Aston Martin DB3S to take first place, although the road order was Sparken, Hamilton, Salvadori. Hamilton’s D-type Jaguar, running sans tail fin, could do nothing about the Ferrari, coming in 4 sec. behind the smaller Italian car. Piotti was disappointing in the sister Ferrari, as at Oulton Park. retiring on his last lap with water vapour coming from the radiator vent. The bright part of a disappointing race was Abecassis’ great effort to pass Wick’s ex-Whitehead Cooper-Jaguar. the H.W.M.Jaguar accomplishing this successfully. Rolt’s Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar XKI20C held up Collins’ Aston Martin DB3S in fourth place.

1st : R. Salvadori (Aston Martin DB3S) won by 2.8 sec. at 83.4 m.p.h.
2nd: M. Sparken (Ferrari)
3rd : J. Duncan Hamilton (Jaguar)
Fastest lap : Sparken (Ferrari), 86.22 m.p.h.

Sports-Car Race (5 Laps, Scratch—Non-s/c. Cars up to 2. Litres)

A rather dull affair this, Brooks in the works de Dion Frazer-Nash being caught down Lavant Straight on the last lap by Scott-Brown in the green-and-yellow Lister-Bristol, which ran in to a very close victory, popular and convincing. Archie fairly spinning his steering-wheel with his good right hand in stifling slides from the corners. Third place was warmly contested between Anthony’s Lotus-Bristol, which had run so well amongst racing cars in the first race, and Salvadori in the new Maserati Special, which was smoking and 3.4 sec. behind at the conclusion. Green’s Lister-Bristol, Sears’ Lister-Bristol and Loens’ blue Maserati couldn’t last the 12 1/2 miles, and Fisher’s Kieft-Bristol was slow, Mann’s beautiful I.h.d. 1,887-c.c. Alfa-Romeo saloon out classed.

1st : A. Scott.Brown (Lister-Bristol). won by 0.2 sec., at 83.00 m.p.h.
2nd : C.A.S. Brooks (Fraser-Nash).
3rd: M. Anthony (Lotus-Bristol).
Fastest lap : Scott-Brown (Lister-Bristol). 85.21 m.p.h.

The Richmond F. I Glover Trophy Race (21 Laps, Scratch)