Club News, November 1955

British Motoring Club, Rhineland — Summer Rally (September 18th)
Wherever a British community exists, a car club is sure to exist also. In the Rhineland, the British Motoring Club has a membership of over 600 and in recent years has earned for itself quite a reputation in both the social and the sporting fields. In the Summer Rally of the B.M.C.R. on September 18th, the 62 starters included 14 Germans and 15 Belgians — evidence in itself of the work the club is doing in the promotion of friendly international relations.

ResuIts:
 “Open” Class
1st: F/Lt. Jones (B.M.C.R.) (Mercedes 180).
2nd: Herr Willy Schneider (Bonner Automobil Club) (Opel Olympia).
3rd: Herr Helmut Lange (Bonner Automobil Club) (Opel Rekord) and Herr Egon Gladen (Essener Automobil Club) (Borgward Isabella).

Ladies’ Prize
Mrs. Hamilton (B.M.C.R.) (Ford Consul).

B.M.C.R. Class
1st: F/Lt. Norton (Ford Consul): 2nd S/Ldr. Wagner (Ford Zodiac); 3rd:FIO. Winship (B.M.W.).

Herts County A. & A.C. and the North London E.C.C. Sprint, Tempsford (September 25th)
Each competitor had two runs, the best run counting for final position. The course comprised a mixture of perimeter road and runway, contained one left-hand and three right-hand corners, and was 600 odd yards in length. There were 36 starters, and 13 classes were open to competitors. The runs were electrically timed by the Herts County Club’s own equipment. Apart from a short shower that fell towards the end of the practice runs in the morning, the event was run off in fine dry weather.

Results:
Saloons up to 1,000 c.c.
1st: G. N. Woolf (Standard Ten) … 52.89 sec.
Saloons 1,001 to 1,300 c.c.
1st: I. F. Walker (Prefect) … 49.09 sec.
Saloons 2,001 to 3,000 c.c.
1st: C. H. Grace (Riley) … 43.75 sec.
Sports 1,001 to 1,300 c.c.
1st: A. E. Marsh (Cooper-Climax) … 38.85 sec.
Sportgs 1,601 to 2,000 c.c.
1st: J. Gott (Frazer-Nash) … 40.28 sec.
2nd: A. M. Park (A.C. Ace) … 41.21 sec.
3rd: D. A. Wilcocks (TR2) … 42.44 sec.
Sports 2,001 to 3,000 c.c.
1st: H. G. Cutler (Healey Silverstone) … 43.34 sec.
The above are award winners.
The following were class winners, but received no awards owing to insufficient entries in classes.
Sports cars up to 1,000 c.c.: R. B. Stuart (Ford Special) … 49.00 sec.
Racing Cars 501 to 1,500 c.c.: A. E. Marsh (1,100 Cooper) … 35.37 sec.
Fastest time of the day: A. E. Marsh (1,100 Cooper) … 35.37 sec.

Result of inter-club match, based on Aggregate of best times of highest placed members of both clubs in those classes where the two clubs were represented: Herts County winners with 257.82 sec., against 268.97 for N.L.E.C.C.

Mid-Thames C.C. Driving Tests (September 25th)
On Sunday, September 25th, the Mid-Thames Car Club held a driving test meeting at Wimbledon. The entry received for this event is said to be the largest ever received by a club less than two years old. No fewer than 90 cars took part in this very successful contest.

Before the actual tests took place, competitors were required to complete a 10-mile road section arranged and organised by the Wimbledon Road Safety Committee. Drivers were given a descriptive route card to follow. Members of the Road Safety Committee were hidden discreetly along the route and kept careful check on each competitor’s road manners. Drivers had to use hand signals only. Emphasis was made on “courtesy on the road.”

After this novel form of amalgamating a road safety campaign with motor sport, drivers were directed into the playground of Queens Road School where the Mid-Thames Car Club had six rally-type tests marked out. Some congestion in the seemingly never-ending queue of competitors caused long delays for the drivers, who having finished one set of tests had to wait for nearly two hours before they could attempt the next set. However, the cars were ushered through as swiftly as possible, and from the audience’s point of view there was no shortage of thrills.

At the conclusion of the tests Mr. Sydney Allard presented the awards, all contributed by local tradespeople.

Worcestershire M.C. Autocross (September 25th)
About 200 members and friends of the Worcestershire Motor Club were present at the Autocross meeting organised in conjunction with the Herefordshire Motor Club and the Morgan 4/4 Club at Shelsley Walsh on Sunday, September 25th. There were 28 competitors in a varied selection of cars and spectators saw some very good performances, the results were as follows:
Fastest time of the day: Miss Angela Palfrey (Morgan Plus 4), 1 min. 52.2 sex,
Fastest sports car: J. F. Looker (Morgan Pius 4).
Fastest saloon: K. R. Lamberton (Ford Anglia).
Fastest Special: K. R. Lamberton (“Sintin”).

B.A.R.C. Speed Trials, Goodwood (October 1st)
The third Goodwood Speed Trials, held on Saturday, October 1st, 1955, in perfect weather, saw an increased entry enjoy some very competitive motoring. The dry track and the high quality of the cars and drivers competing produced new records for this event. The whole programme went off very smoothly and there were no incidents of any note.

D. A. Aldington with his D.K.W. Sonderclasse raised the Class 1 record by quite a substantial amount. The Ford Anglia of W. B. G. Leith in Class 2 made an impressive run to raise the record. R. W. Fitzwilliam’s fine old Bugatti more than held its own by taking the Class S record.

In the Open Cars, R. Truscott’s “chain gang” Frazer-Nash with its new Lea-Francis engine added another record to its recent successes.

Miss Pat Burt with her DB2-4 Aston Martin took the ladies’ f.t.d., which tended to hide the fact that she also broke the Class 4 record on the same run, a very gratifying day’s result for Pat.

W. L. Cripps, while taking f.t.d., was not able to better his own record for this event which he set up in 1954.

Results of the V.S.C.C. Presteigne Welsh Rally
(October 1st/2nd)
Class 1 — Edwardian
Special Award: S. J. Skinner (1910 Rolls-Royce).
First Class Award: B. M. Clarke (1913 Austin).
Class 2 — Vintage Regularity Trial
Special Award: Capt. A. J. Ayres (1927 Jowett).
First Class Award: J. H. Humphries (1927 Alvis).
Second Class Awards: Mias J. Crowther (1924 Talbot), G. G. Duce (1929 Alvis), and G. E. Ellis (1924 Vauxhall).
Class 3 — Vintage Reliability Trial
Special Award: H. Spence (1930 Lea-Francis).
First Class Awards: F. E. Day (1929 Bentley) and L. J. Wickham (1929 Alvis).
Second Class Award: C. D. H. Johnson (1928 Alvis).
Third Class Awards: C. W. Morgan (1930 Austin). F. R. Wain. (1929 Rhode), W. L. T. Winder (1924 Humber) and R. E. B. Noble (1930 Alvis).
Inter-Section Team Results
1st: North, 678 points: 2nd: South, 611 points: 3rd: Midland 470 points.

B.A.R.C. Autumn Driving Test, New Brighton (Oct. 2nd)
Premier Award: B. C. Harrocks (Wallasey) (Renault 750 saloon). 58 bonus marks
Best in Opposite class (Open): W. Holland (Alsager) (Triumph TR2), 53 bonus marks.
First Class Awards Open cars: A. Ker (Hightown) (Triumph TR2), 312 marks lost.
First Class Award Closed Cars: C. L. Kinns (Prescot) (Ford Popular), 328 marks lost.
First Class Award Specials: L. Oram (Manchester) (Dellow), 306 marks lost
Second Class Award Open Cars: R. A. Gouldbourne (Stoke-on-Trent) (Triumph TR2.), 312 marks lost.
Second Class Award Closed Cars: D. Steiner (Liverpool) (Ford Anglia), 381 marks lost.
Team Award: No. 3 (C. L. Kinns.. A. Ashall, and W. Holland), 953 marks lost.
Novices’ Award: S. E Mather (Haydock) (Triumph TR2), 370 marks lost.

Stafford and District C.C. Autumn Rally (October 2nd)
The event involved a handicap set speed for each car based on its engine capacity and unladen weight.

Class A: Up to 1,600 c.c.
1st and outright winner: R. H. Stratton (Wolverhampton and South Staffs) (Fiat 600). 10 marks lost.
Winner’s navigator: J. Francis.
2nd: J. Barker (English Electric) (Dellow), 17 marks lost.
3rd: S. J. Timmins (Stafford and District) (Morris Minor), 39 marks lost.

Class B: Over 1400 c.c. and Specials
1st: F. J. Hook (Wolverhampton and South Staffs) (Standard Eight). 18 marks lost.
Navigator : Mrs. P. M. Hook.
2nd: W. Walker (Wolverhampton and South Staffs) (Ford Zephyr). 28 marks lost.
3rd: A. Day (Wolverhampton and South Staffs) (Austin Westminster), 32 marks lost.
Best one make team: R. D. Whittingham, W. W. Fossil and W. H. Nicholls (Ford Consuls).
Best any make team: F. J. Hook, A. Day and A. C. Poynter (Riley 1½-litre).