Goodwood Members' Meeting
The mixture as before was the order of the day at Goodwood with the leading contenders in the Motor Sport Brooklands Memorial Trophy looking for more points in this penultimate meeting counting for the award. At the start of the day Tony Hegbeurne and Bob Burnard were level with 17 points, followed by David Eva with 16 and D. J. Cole with 15. Bob Burnard, the winner of the Veedol Trophy (which was decided at the T.T. and was the cause of some hectic driving) looked all set to add some more points to his total but a seized brake wheel cylinder in practice put his Ace-Bristol out of action. However Tony Hegbeurne was in good form with his Lola and showed that he is a driver to watch by winning the first race of the day which was a 10-lap event for mixed F.J. and 1,100,c,c. sports cars. Bill Heathcote led initially in his F.J. Lotus 18 but Hegbourne passed him on lap six, whereupon Heathcote nearly lost it at St. Mary’s, his subsequent excursion on to the grass losing him the usual one minute penalty imposed by the B.A.R.C. as well as second place to Rodney Banting’s Lotus 20. Heathcote reminded us that he is no mean driver by quickly whipping his old Lotus 18 past the newer car and back into second place which he held to the finish, although the penalty dropped him well back in the results.
The 1,200-c.c.-sports-car race developed into a battle between Lacey and Porter in Lotus Sevens, Lacey leading until the last lap when Porter nipped past to win by a wheel. The Marque scratch race which followed saw Tom Entwistle get away first ahead of David Eva’s twin-cam M.G. and the Morgans of Meredith and Jones. Jones went off at Madgwick on lap two with no personal damage, and Eva, driving more smoothly than of late, went into the lead and held on quite easily to the end, gaining himself four more points towards the Motor Sport Trophy. Meredith hounded Entwistle and eventually managed to out-accelerate the T.V.R. over the finish line. J. Dangerfield looked hairy in his Ace-Bristol and Sawyer-Hoare flirted with the chicane fencing on every lap in his Austin-Healey 100/4.
Hegbourne gained four more points when he ran away from the field in the 1,100-c.c. sports-car race, leaving Hicks and Griffin in Lotus Elevens and Lord Clydesdale in his Lola to dice for second place, Hicks getting the verdict from Clydesdale. An Aston Martin DB4 managed to get into this sports-car race but driver N. Cussons made amends by beating Boothby’s D-type Jaguar. Salvage’s elderly B.M.W.-Veritas smoked heavily, spun, then wore itself out.
The meeting concluded with three handicap races which were rather spoiled by poor handicapping, such elementary errors as putting an elderly Ford-engine H.R.G.on scratch with Eva’s. M.G., being committed. The first looked as if Spice’s A40 might win but he was overhauled by the similar car of Cave and Shaw’s Austin-Cooper, which nearly managed to spin on the cooling down lap. The race was enlivened by the antics of Doc. Merfield in his 1½-litre Ford.Anglia which out-accelerated and out-cornered the 3.8 Jaguars which were in front of it. Merfield had a nasty slide at Woodcote on the last lap but earned applause for holding it, although his eyes were nearly touching his goggles when he got to the chicane. He got fourth place behind 8haw.
D. S. Jones’ TR3 led for the last four laps of the next handicap and was going away at the end if anything. David Eva fought right through the field from scratch to earn a fine second place from Meredith’s Morgan. The chicane fencing, which had remained relatively unscathed up to this point was removed in one clean swipe by V. Covill’e Turner which left some of its bodywork behind.
The last handicap and last race of the day was led for four laps by Dangerfoeld’s Ace but Beck’s 3.8-litre XK120 and Gethin s Lotus Seven caught him, only for Gethin to spin in a big way at the chicane, losing his rear mudguard on the fencing. Beck went on to win from Dangerfield who just held off Renny’s Lotus. After this meeting Hegbourne and Eva led the Motor Sport Trophy with 23 points each. — M. L. T.
[Since this meeting the Final of the Motor Sport Brooklands Memorial Trophy was run off at Goodwood on Sept. 22nd. A report will appear next month.— Ed.]
Jaguar D.C. Colibri Trophy Meeting
No doubt due to counter-attractions like the Daily Express Boat Race and the Farnborough Air Display, only a small gathering of true enthusiasts attended Silverstone—so the atmosphere was akin to a small Brooklands Club meeting, especially as C. S. le Strange Metcalfe was competing, not in the Abbott-Nash or a Fiat Balilla but in the Aston-Butterworth, now rebodied and with a “cooking” Climax engine, which this veteran racing motorist uses, as road transport. The first race was a I5-lap Scratch Race in two classes—up to 1,100 c.c. and 1,001-2,000 c.c. R. W. Walters (Lola sports) led all the way, increasing his lead effectively over the Lotus 17s of M. J. Beard and R. F. Redgrave, who kept one another in sight throughout. Delingpole’s Lotus 7 was well up until the ninth lap, when a very determined C. L. Lacey went past in his Lotus 7 to lead the 1,100 c.c. class. Preston’s Riley 1.5 ran its bearings and Richards earned the distinction of noisiest car present, with his Lister-Bristol, while Carpenter’s A.C. sounded very flat. The next 15-lapper was for 2,001-3,000 c.c. and over 3,000 c.c. cars. The field was reduced to a dozen but the opening laps were splendid, because Wrottesley. (Lister-Jaguar) led Protheroe’s Jaguar E for two laps, then Protheroe passed on the inside going into Woodcote, only to have Wrottesley out-accelerate him. It happened again on lap four, only this time the open Lister remained behind and the Jaguar coupé drew steadily away, winning comfortably.
Behind these two, E. G. Brown drove his XK120, hood up, very nicely, back wheels just on the spin point out of the corners, to keep ahead of D. Smith’s XK150S coupé. Fallek’s E followed these two earlier Jaguars and behind him John Gott kept his Austin-Healey 3000 rally car just out of reach of Grenville-Smith’s A.C. Ace. But Protheroe, the master, lapped everything except the Lister.
Colibri—who make lighters and who once made motor-cars, surely—is there not one in York Museum ?—having given a very fine trophy, the Colibri Trophy Race which was a short race last year was now the main race of the afternoon, over 60 laps from a Le Mans start, with a compulsory wheel removal and replacement at the pits.
“Dan” Sturgeas (E) made his customary rapid sprint and led away but soon Sargent’s very potent E was ahead and, it remained there, except when placings were affected by the wheel changes, until the end. But there was plenty of excitement when the off-side rear wheel that had been changed elected to come off again on lap 44, in front of the pits! Luckily Sargent felt that it was loose as he took Woodcote and brought his three-wheeled Jaguar skilfully to its pit, where another wheel was quickly put on. He then drove faster than before, lapping. the entire field. Walter’s Lola went magnificently in second place, ahead of Lambert’s E and Bone’s Gilby-Climax. Sturgess had been well placed but complained of having no brakes, his E falling back—his pit-stop was so slick that he resumed with safety harness unfastened! Gould’s Lotus-XI wheel-change was worked on mainly by the mechanic, but it also took on fuel and water early in the race— to no avail, as the engine seized after 53 laps. Brook’s Speedsport M.G.-A had a couple of stops apart from the wheel lark, and retired, while two wheels were replaced on the Lola. Redgrave (Lotus 17) took a dreadfully long time to remove a stud-fixed wheel and couldn’t express his feelinge as his helper was a girl. The Hon. Basil Feilding, brother of the Earl of Denbigh’ drove steadily in his shirt sleeves in a Daimler SP250 that smoked rather liberally towards the end while the Earl duelled in his E withLambert’s E.and lost. A good race, with some wild overtaking in the mixed field at times. The programme concluded with two Handicaps. — W. B.
Miniatures news
The newest Dinky Toy (No. 263) is a 5 in. long replica of the American Super Criterion Ambulance, complete with patient on a stretcher, which can be removed through the rear doors, red light and siren on the roof and uniformed driver and attendant. It costs 8s. 6d.
Lesney, whose “Matchbox” models are sold in more than 100,000 top-class toyshops throughout the World; had such success with their 1914 Sunbeam and sidecar mentioned last month that they are introducing big-twin Harley-Davidson and sports sidecar. It is in O-scale and is No. 66 in the new “Matchbox” series, is 2¾ in. long and costs 1s. 9d. We hope it will be painted, not ” silver-plated,:” and look forward to several more Lesney historic m/c combinations. Lcsney also have an International Drott excavator shovel with working, rubber tracks.This in No. 58, also priced at 1s. 9d. It is said that a 12-stone “driver”can stand on the model without doing it any harm; the maker’s name is legible on the engine casing, yet the letters are but half a millimetre high!
A further example of miniatures ingenuity is the Corgi Mk. X Jaguar saloon in which the bonnet opens to show a twin-cam engine and, after the boot-lid has been raised, two suitcases can be removed therefrom, the lid of the larger case being openable! This ingenious model is No. 238 in the Corgi series and costs 6s. 11d.