E.R.A ESTABLISHES FASTEST TIME AT PRESCOTT
E.R.A. ESTABLISHES FASTEST TIME AT PRESCOTT COURSE RECORD REMAINS UNBROKEN. THE SUMNER-J.A.P. CRASHES BADLY
LARGER crowds seem to assemble each time at Prescott, and the Bugatti Owners’ Club’s hill is certainly gaining in prestige. On Sunday, September 25th, a tendency to rain on the course prevented the record, held by Abecassis and his lf -litre Alta, from falling, although spectators for the most part basked in sunshine which brought out the best in the beautiful surrounding scenery. Fastest time of all was made by the new-comer, R. E. Ansell, who climbed it 48.91 secs, with his E.R.A.-1.06 secs. below the Alta’s record. Ansell has every reason t,p be proud of his achievement and his future driving career will be closely followed. Abecassis managed second fastest time in 49.12 secs., G. 13. Davis’s .3,622 c.c. Triangle-Special was the quickest unblown car, in 54.31 secs., and C. I. Craig’s Bugatti was fastest sports-car. Heal’s 1910 Fiat won the veteran class from a 1912 8-litre Mercedes driven by
Clutton. Claridge took the 11–litre sports class with his Frazer-Nash, in which category Miss Redfern’s H.R.G. ran out of road. In the 3-litre sports class 13agra.touni’s wildly-sliding Alf aRomeo beat the Bugs. and B.M.W.s. The Triangle-Special scored in the big sports class. Buckley’s wonderful little Austin took the 750 c.c. racing-class in 52.37 secs., considerably below classrecord time, and Ansell’s E.R.A. won the 1i-litre class with fastest ascent of the
day, Lord Avebury’s old-type 2-litre Alta made an excellent climb to win the 2-litre racing-class in 49.81 secs., beating his own previous (lass record. In the big racing-class Craig’s immaculate 3.3litre G.P. Bugatti won in 50.0 secs. In practice the Freikaiserwagen, driven by Joe Fry, hit the barriers at Orchard Corner, and damaged itself too seriously to compete ; a pity, as it had unofficially beaten the Alta’s absolute record at the August Vintage S.C.C. meeting. Symonds’s M.G. again rolled over, Vaughan left the road in the Becke-Powerplus and poor Gerald Sumner hit the outside bank at the Esses with the V-twin shaftdrive Suntner-J.A.P., which then somersaulted twice across the road, flinging away its driver. Sumner staggered off
the course and collapsed. He was removed to hospital with arms heavily bandaged and a report stated that no bones were broken but that he would need to be kept quiet for sonic time. He fortunately had on a crash hat, which shows bow essential it is to visit ” Uncle Lewis” before racing-and a crash hat seems as useful as an A.R.P. mask for what they tell us is coining . . . . Of the runs we observed in the first half, Instone’s Martyr, with megaphone exhaust, did 55.1 secs., Hunter’s noisy Alta got up in 50.33 secs., in a series of controlled slides, Appleton blipped through the Ksses, wheel-spin nicely controlled by twin rear tyres, to clock 53.2 secs., Hurst with the ex-DugdaIe M.G. Magnette was slow, Woodall’s Chatterbox failed to reach us, Rolt, tied into the Bugatti-motiOned PhnlxSpecial, made a great start and cornered sanely (56.85 secs.), Lloyd-Jones with the Iflitre Triangle-Special missed a gear at the Eases, and Tommy Sulman’s cinder-track Singer cornered with verve, tyres flexing and driver grapping controls, to record 57.3 sees. Marston’ s 2-litre Bugatti cornered well but mis-fired, Clark (Bugatti) held a slide nicely, Lord Avebury negotiated the Itsses very well indeed, using twin rear tyres, Hampshire’s Bugatti looked a trifle wild but was well held and sang a much appreciated Molsheim war-cry, Souter’s Bugatti was notably rapid, and the fascinating AlsiCapa, with six short exhaust stubs, slid
about and mis-fired. Lemon-Burton cornered very neatly and Craig’s 3.3-litre Bugatti shot flame from its exhaust on the overrun Of the first ascents, Fane’s ” Shelsley ” Frazer-Nash made fastest time in 49.48 secs.
Prescott closes down for 1938, but may figure in some of the Bugatti Owners’ Club’s trials this winter. The Club has had a wonderful first season there.
RESULTS
Fastest time of Day : it. E. Ansel! (E.R.A., S.), 48.91s.
Second Fastest : (I. E. Abecassis (Alta, S.), 49.12s. Fastest Unsupereharged Car : K. W. Bear (Bugatti), 51.35s.
Fastest Sports-Car : G. Bagratouni (Alfa-Romeo, S.), 53.92s.
Class Winners
Class 1 (Veteran Cars): A. S. Heal (Fiat), 57.49s. Class 2: (Sports-Cars up to 1,500 c.c.): Blown, C. W. P. Hampton (Mercedes-Benz, S.), 57.66s.; unblown, G. D. Claridge (Frazer-Nash), 56.61s. Class 3 (Sports-Cars 1,501 to 3,000 c.c.): blown, Cl. llagratouni (Alfa-Romeo, S.), 53.92s.; unblown, A. F. P. Fame (Framr-Nash-B.M.W.), 54.91s. Clailit 4 (Sports-Cara over 3,000 c.c.): blown, G. M. Crozier (L.M.B. V8, S.), 54.42s.; unblown, G. B. Davis (Triangle Special), 54.31s.
Class 5 (Racing-Cars up to 750 c.c.): C. D. Buckley (Austin, 8.), 52.37s.
Class 6 (Racing-Cars 751 to 1,500 c.c.): R. E. Atwell (E.R.A., S.), 48.91s.
Class 7 (Racing-Cars 1,501 0.0, to 2,000 c.c.): Lord Avebury (Alta, S.), 49.81s.
Class 8 (Racing-Cars over 2,000 c.c.): C. I. Craig (Bugatti, 8.), 50s.
Handicap (For cars of any capacity): S. H. Newsome (SS), actual time 55.85s., net time 43.90s.