The 56th B.A.R.C. Members' Race Meeting

Double victory for Bloor’s twin-cam Lotus-Ford

In spite of a bitter wind the attendance at the first Goodwood Meeting of the season was notably large and enthusiastic—a good augury for motor racing in 1963. Moreover, there were a number of “chalked-up jockeys” making their initial appearance on the course on March 23rd.

As so often happens early in the season, the more exciting entries failed to appear. Both the twin-engined Minis were absent through mechanical failures (the works car for Whitmore with no water-pump drive for the front engine, Emery’s through failing to arrive for practice due, they said, to gasket trouble—the former is quoted as having 2,325 c.c., the latter 2,000 c.c.), the Ron Harris Lotus cars were absent and no Lotus-Cortina was to be seen in the programme.

Three new Brabham-Fords should have dominated the 10-lap F.J. Scratch Race, but Banting, in third place, ran out of road at Lavant on lap five and James, who had been leaning on Dunn’s tail at all the corners, overdid these unnecessary tactics at Woodcote on lap nine, the Brabhams touched, both spun, and although Dunn subsequently continued, this bit of nonsense gave the race unexpectedly to Fletcher’s Lotus-Ford, ahead of Raby’s Lotus-Ford and Cole’s Cooper-B.M.C.

In the following 10-lap Scratch Race for big G.T. cars, Hetreed was never challenged in Salmon’s Aston Martin Zagato DB4GT, and won by 8 sec. from Dence’s and Meredith’s Morgan Plus Fours. Farther back another Plus Four, Gill’s, harried Baring’s beautiful Ferrari Berlinetta, so if you cannot afford an Aston or Ferrari, a Morgan should do almost as well! For racing round Goodwood, anyway.

Bloor’s Ford twin-cam Lotus 23 was likewise never challenged in the Sports-Car 10-lap Scratch Race, going smoothly and very fast to win from Williams and Garbett in similar cars. Haynes was allowed to run his ineligible Opus Auto Union, with 3-cylinder two-stroke engine at the rear coupled to a “Deek” gearbox through a chain-drive step-up. It went well, but only intermittently, being somewhat tucked up. The Saloon Car 5-lapper was exciting, as usual, and Doc. Merfield was able to play with everything from the 3.8 Jaguars downwards in his astonishing Ford Anglia, sold to Diggins but on loan to its creator for the race. Ford not only won, from Embley and Fenning in Minis, but made fastest lap, at 83.4 m.p.h. Embley’s 1962 Austin was in Downton Group 3-plus trim with 1,132-c.c. stretched engine, and Fenning, whose cornering was a series of nicely adhesive bites, drove Sawyer’s Group 2 Morris-Cooper.

A combined sports-car and G.T. 10-lap Scratch Race saw Johnson come right up from the back of the grid to drive a splendid race, his Lotus Elite more than a match for the placemen, Lacey’s Merlyn Cosworth-Ford and Duggan in another Elite. Spins were indulged in by Brunt in an odd-looking Lotus 7 hard-top with M.G.-A twin-Weber-carburetted engine and, raggedly too, by Milner’s M.G.-A coupé, but the new rule seemed to stop anyone from destroying more of the chicane than the outside wattle.

The 10-lap Formule Libre Scratch Race produced a remarkably mixed field, including Grier-Rees’ historic 2-litre stub-exhaust Alta and even a Cooper-Norton. Bloor showed everyone how to do it, setting a new 1,500-2,000-c.c. sports-car lap record of 97.3 m.p.h. in his twin-cam 1,594-c.c. Lotus-Ford. He beat Dunn’s F.J. Brabham-Ford by no less than 11.6 sec.! Fletcher’s Lotus-Ford was third. The Alta, on rubber suspension and methanol fuel, beat Jackson’s Mk. 6 ex-Peel Elva with bored-out 1,488-c.c. Alfa Romeo T1 engine, that Addicott used to race.

A cold meeting concluded with a couple of 5-lap handicaps, Hardwicke winning the first in Pickard’s Morgan Plus Four from Buchanan-Michaelson’s 982-c.c. Fiat-Abarth that hadn’t yet had the full competition treatment. Musician Wingfield was third in his Group 3 Austin-Cooper. In the final race a big car, Deacon’s ex-deSelincourt Lister-Jaguar, got a look in, winning from Jones’ Triumph TR3A and Dence’s Morgan Plus Four.—W. B.

10-lap Scratch Race, F.J. and F.2:
D. E. Fletcher (Lotus-Ford): Won by 5.8 sec. at 92.53 m.p.h.
10-lap Scratch Race, G.T. cars over 1,600 c.c.:
B. Hetreed (Aston Martin Zagato DB4GT: Won by 8.0 sec. at 84.69 m.p.h.
10-lap Sports-Car Scratch Race:
R.J. Bloor (Lotus-Ford): Won by 16.0 sec. at 92.82 m.p.h.
5-lap Saloon-Car Scratch Race:
D.P. Merfield (Ford Anglia): Won by 9.6 sec. at 81.88 m.p.h.
10-lap Sports and G.T. Scratch Race:
M.B. Johnson (Lotus Elite): Won by 44.8 sec. at 85.32 m.p.h.
10-lap Formule Libre Scratch Race:
R.J. Bloor (Lotus-Ford): Won by 11.6 sec. at 95.09 m.p.h.
5-lap Handicap “A”:
G. Hardwicke (Morgan Plus Four): Won by 0.6 sec. at 73.95 m.p.h.
5-lap Handicap “B”:
A. Deacon (Lister-Jaguar): Won by 12.4 sec. at 85.89 m.p.h.