A CLUB DAY AT BROOKLANDS

A CLUB DAY AT BROOKLANDS

The Brighton and Hove Club at the track.

INFORMAL meetings7are often the most entertaining of the various affairs staged at Weybridge, and the Brighton Club’s meeting on September 5th was carried through in the traditional spirit. Such meetings are arranged firstly for the competitors and secondly for the public, with the result that enthusiasm runs high, and those with normal sports cars have a chance of using their skill to good advantage without being overshadowed by their more specialised brethren.

The main, and opening event of this meeting was the one hour high speed trial, when all thoughts of the new Traffic Act could be forgotten, and drivers could settle -down to a real blind and settle whether their car was really faster than so-and-so’s or not.

The massed start brought back quite an atmosphere of the old 200-miles races, and although the -event was actually on a minimum lap basis for each class to qualify for a first class award, it almost immediately developed into a perfectly good race for the majority of the drivers.

At the start Aldington led with one of the T.T. unsupercharged Frazer-Nashes, with Baker’s super-charged Salmson going great guns close behind. Then D. G. Evans got his Bugatti settled down satisfactorily and jumped into the lead, lapping at about 95 m.p.h. This proved to be somewhat indiscreet of him, as his motor passed out at just over half -way and Aldington was once more

leading, keeping up a steady 80-85 m.p.h.

The 1,500 c.c. cars had to cover 22 laps, and Aldington showed what he thought of this by covering thirty laps in the hour, a very fine performance and far ahead of the rest of his class. Fotheringham-Parker seems to have forsaken his old Alvis Six, and was out this day on one of the very nice 12-60 sports 4-cylinders, and also did very well, gaining a first class award, as did, among others, Baker’s very fast Salmson and Gardner’s T.T. Midget. The results of this event were as follow :—

FIRST CLASS AWARDS.

CLASS 1 (minimum 12 laps) : A. G. Gardner, J. H. Clover (M.G. Midgets), K. W. Hole, P. H. Lim, P. Waterfield, C. E. Wood, Miss J. Bowman, A. Jones, P. M. Nicholson (M.G. Midgets), J. Bolton (Morris Minor), R. Froy, J. S. Drewett, Miss C. Worsley, P. W. Sherrin, G. H. Chaplin, G. H. Goodson, R. de Belleroche, P. B. Metchim (two entries) (Austins).

CLASS 2 (minimum 20 laps) : A. Baker, G. P. Harvey Noble, C. L. Guiver (Salmsons), H. C. Hunter, J. G. Timmins, H. W. Stonard, R. A. Mitchell, A. Rigby (Rileys).

CLASS 3 (minimum 22 laps) : H. J. Aldington, K. N. Hutchison (FrazerNashes), G. Pillity (Lagonda), P. Fotheringham Parker (Alvis), E. Farley, H. Holmes, H. Westbrook (Alvis), K. D. Evans (Alfa-Romeo), E. Quero (Wolseley Hornet), A. Negal (Morris Major). CLASS 4 (minimum 23 laps) : A. May, G. G. Andrews (Vauxhalls),

G. L. Baker (.1.11inerva), C. 0. Pitt (Sunbeam), J. C. Davis (Mercedes).

Having worked off steam by a good blind, competitors settled down to the various variety entertainments provided, and duly burnt their fingers in a plug changing relay race.

The first heat was won by Baker’s Salmson, after having a serious deficit to wipe out, and the second by Parker’s Alvis and Rigby’s Riley. In the final Baker’s (Senr.) Minerva got ahead of Parker’s Alvis but Pillity (Lagonda) made up the necessary and won.

Incidentally this plug changing business has its complications, as when a mild plug out of semitouring vehicle is swopped over to something with a blower, and gets promptly burnt out !

The final event was a mock road event in which pit work was the deciding factor, as a wheel had to be changed, then water, then oil replenished. This provided plenty of excitement and opportunity for neatness. One of the best scraps was between Morris-Goodall’s Aston Martin and Aldington’s Frazer-Nash, and each time they went round and arrived together at the pits. When it came to the oil stop, however, Morris-Goodall found it too easy, as he simply poured his oil via the quick action cap into the tank between the front dumb irons, and was well on the way to the finish while Aldington was still manipulating bonnet straps and clips.

The final was won by MacLachlan’s very quick Lea-Francis and a cheerful afternoon was thus brought to a close.