Goodwood Finale
Gonzalez (B.R.M.) Wins Woodcote Cup and “Daily Graphic” Goodwood Trophy Races, with Parnell’s and Wharton’s B.R.M.s Second and Third in the Latter. Moss Wins 500 Race for Cooper.
THE final B.A.R.C. Goodwood Race Meeting of 1952 attracted a fine crowd and a very interesting entry. Ironically, since they were for sale, for the first time B.R.M. fielded a team of three cars. In practice Duncan-Hamilton spun round in front of the pits in a vast smoke cloud as the crankshaft of the Hawthorn Cooper-Bristol he was driving broke, and earlier both McAlpine’s Connaught and Peter Walker’s E.R.A.-Cooper had demolished parts of the chicane wall, which is surely unnecessarily hard for such encounters. Downing spun off at Woodcote. The commentary this time sank way below Goodwood standards–where was J. V. B.?
Madgwick Cup (7 Laps, Scratch, Formula II)
Alan Brown, using the Cooper-Bristol’s immense acceleration, which he was impudently to display later to the B.R.M.s, led away, and at the first corner Moss in the new E.R.A. mixed it with Thompson’s Conuaught and was left on the grass. Brown led for two laps, then Downing’s Connaught got by. Poore had closed a considerable gap to press Brown after four laps, and he then went by to place Connaughts first and second. Barber seemed to have trouble changing gear on his Cooper-Bristol, Brandon retired, and Wharton’s Frazer-Nash had moments leaving the chicane in close company with another car. Connaughts gained a convincing victory, with Whitehead’s Alta, Salvadori in a Ferrari “four” reputed to have the “works” camshafts, Sanderson’s well-driven Cooper-Bristol and McAlpine’s Connaught close bunched in pursuit of the leaders.
1st: K. H. Downing (Connaught) won by 13.4 sec., at 84.8 m.p.h.
2nd: R. D. Poore (Cannuught)–fastest lap, 86.75 m.p.h.
3rd: A. Brown (Cooper-Bristol).
500-c.c. RACE (5 Laps, Scratch)
Moss, for some reason still driving a Cooper although a Kieft director, chased Don Parker’s Kieft determinedly for three laps, passing on the inside on the back-leg on the fourth lap. These two remained as if tied together for a while, then Parker fell right back, leaving second and third places to Leston and Bicknell. Headland’s Kieft retired.
1st: S. Moss (Cooper). won by 1.2 sec., at 79,24 m.p.h.
2nd: L. Leston (Leston Special).
3rd: H. G. Bicknell (Revis).
Fastest lap: E. Brandon (Cooper), 85.05 m.p.h.
Woodcote Cup (5 Laps, Scratch, Formule Libre)
Great flap as Wharton’s B.R.M. refused to start and John Morgan ordered it off, as pushing it was impeding the start. Brown again out-accelerated everyone, after which Gonzalez led all the way, never challenged, for Farina in the Thin Wall Ferrari got off badly and did not pass Parnell’s B.R.M. until lap two and never closed on the leading B.R.M. He held second place from Reg. but only just, for the back axle gave trouble as he crossed the line. Brown held his Cooper-Bristol brilliantly in fourth place, ahead of the veteran Rosier in his 4½ Ferrari. Lots of private duels took place behind, notably between Moss’ new E.R.A. and Downing’s Connaught, to the advantage of the latter, the E.R.A. being towed in behind a Prince Publicity Services van!
1st: J. F. Gonzalez (B.R.M.), won by 6.2 sec., at 87.64 m.p.h.– fastest lap, 89.8 m.p.h.
2nd: G. Farina (Ferrari).
3rd: R. Parnell (B.R.M.).
Sports-Car Race (5 Laps, Scratch)
Tony and Stirling ran clean away from the rest of the field, Moss just unable to catch Rolt, although he left his braking later and later, breaking the sports-car lap record by 1.16 m.p.h., and both Type C Jaguars used all the available road out of the chicane. They made a fine spectacle and anyone knowing the drivers will realise how they must have revelled in this duel. Rolt drove Leslie Hawthorn’s “works” car, Moss the Wisdom Jaguar. A long way behind, Ken Wharton’s Mk.II Le Mans Replica Frazer-Nash held third place. Beckwith-Smith indulged in vicious tail-slides from the chicane in his B.M.W.
1st: A. P. R. Rolt (Jaguar), won by 0.6 sec., at 83.62 m.p.h.
2nd: S. Moss (Jaguar) — fastest lap, 85.37 m.p.h. (record for sports cars).
3rd: K. Wharton (Frazer-Nash).
First September Handicap (5 Laps, Racing Cars)
Alas, Farina was absent, so Rosier’s blue Ferrari was virtual scratch car (5 sec.), with Whitehead’s Alta, which he substituted for his 1½-litre Ferrari. For two laps Dunham’s Rover led, but was then overtaken by Gaze, driving beautifully in Boyce’s ex-Bira 3-litre Maserati. Indeed, he built up a stupendous lead, winning by over 17 seconds, which is hardly clever handicapping. Graham Whitehead got the Shawe-Taylor E.R.A. home third, Sanderson established himself by lapping fastest of them all in the Cooper-Bristol, and Barber’s Cooper-Bristol, the Aston-Butterworth and Goodhew’s P3 Alfa-Romeo retired.
1st: F. A. O. Gaze (Maserati), 53 sec.; won by 17.2 sec. at 82.82 m.p.h.
2nd: G. Dunham (Royer), 1 min. 12 sec.
3rd: A. G. Whitehead (E.R.A.), 34 sec.
Fastest lap: N. Sanderson (Cooper-Bristol). 84.87 m.p.h.
Second September Handicap (5 Laps, Sports Cars)
The leaders indulged in a fierce scrap, Douglas Russell’s Jaguar leading Dobson’s Jaguar, both XK120s, until the last lap, when Russell lost control as a brake snatched going into Woodcote. His engine had been smoking badly and now chose to shed oil and run its bearings. So Dobson won for Ecurie Ecosse. Behind, Head’s Jaguar passed Black’s Jaguar to take second place but in the tussle a Jaguar slid violently in front of Beckwith-Smith’s stark B.M.W. and, in taking corrective action, a front wheel collapsed and the B.M.W. rolled over twice. Smith suffered a cut head but got up and walked clear, his life undoubtedly saved by his crash-hat. Holt was heavily handicapped by reason of his XK120C but is obviously not at home in the car, and Wharton, who gave Holt 3 sec. start, came strongly into third place. Craig’s XK120 retired.
1st: W. A. Dobson (Jaguar), 33 sec.; won by 10.4 sec., at 77.76 m.p.h.
2nd: M. W. Head (Jaguar).
3rd: K. Wharton (Frazer-Nash) — fastest lap, 81.82 m.p.h.
“Daily Graphic” Goodwood Trophy (15 Laps, Scratch, Formule Libre)
This time Gonzalez meant business and even Alan Brown’s fantastic getaway in the Cooper-Bristol was forestalled, although it took Wharton’s B.R.M. a whole lap before he passed, to take station behind his team-mates–B.R.M. 1, 2, 3. The feature of the race was Parnell’s tremendous drive. He closed right up on the flying Gonzalez on lap 10 and again on lap 12, than lost fourth gear and part of the exhaust system, and fell back. But he broke the course record, set up last April by Gonzalez in the Thin Wall Ferrari, by 0,38 m.p.h., the new figure being a resounding 90.38 m.p.h., in spite of that irritating chicane. For this he wins the Scott Gaze Trophy. Wharton kept further behind and his car did not sound too fit towards the end.
The sight of the B.R.M.s in 1, 2, 3 formation was a very fine one; how we all regret that it couldn’t have happened in Grand Prix racing three years ago.
Behind a tremendous Formula II battle developed. On lap four Poore’s Connaught passed Brown’s Cooper, but the latter held on, pursued by Moss in the E.R.A. Then Brown had trouble and stopped, later to resume, but far back. Rosier’s Ferrari and Gerard’s E.R.A. lasted only four laps and Walker’s E-type E.R.A.-Cooper, which should be exciting but isn’t yet, was sick from the start. Behind Moss ran Salvadori’s Ferrari, Gaze’s big Maserati, and Graham Whitehead’s E.R.A., all close upon one another, although when a sleet shower arrived with the sun still shining, they spaced out a bit and finished in that order. Rolt was trying hard, too, in 10th place with the E.R.A.-Delage on lap nine, when he retired. The placings of the leaders lap by lap were :
1. Gonzalez (B.R.M.), Parnell (B.R.M.), Brown (Cooper-Bristol), Wharton (B.R.M.), Moss (E.R.A.), Poore (Connaught).
2. Gonzalez, Parnell, Wharton, Brown, Poore, Moss.
3. ” ” ” ” ” “
4 to 8 ” ” ” Poore, Brown, Moss
9. ” ” ” Moss, Salvadori, and unchanged thereafter.
1st: J. F. Gonzalez (B.R.M.), won by 7.8 sec. at 88.13 m.p.h.
2nd R. Parnell (B.R.M.) — lap record, 90.38 m.p.h.
3rd: K. Wharton (B.R.M.)