"Daily Telegraph" Brands Hatch Meeting (August 1st)

On Monday, August 1st, the Daily Telegraph held an International Race Meeting at Brands Hatch, where, beginning at 11 a.m., a whole day of mixed motor-racing was organised. For the first time at this circuit a Ferrari and two Formula 1 Maseratis were present, the Ferrari raced by Australian Dick Cobden and with Roy Salvadori and Horace Gould driving the Maseratis. A Swiss entry was Gerard Crombac in a Ford Consul-engined Lotus, and there were other competitors from South Africa, Finland and Germany.

Race 1, the Daily Telegraph International Challenge Trophy Race, was the traditional event of three heats and two finals, with a consolation final. Heat 1 saw Bueb rush off into the lead at the start and stay there, Bicknell in the Revis kept in second place, and L. Lewis Evans and Allison ran close together for many laps but eventually Allison finished in third place. Bueb’s average speed for this event was 69.88 m.p.h. Heat 2 was won by Leston, with Taylor second, both in Coopers; Anderson spun round at Paddock Bend but restarted again, and Latchford’s Iota produced clouds of smoke and appeared to be well alight, but there was no cause for alarm. Heat 3 resulted in a fight between Russell and Parker, in a Kieft, but Russell got the upper hand and finished first at 70.95 ra.p.h.

The second final was fought out between Barrett and Iszatt in Coopers until Anderson came upon the scene with his Staride to take second place behind Barrett; Bridger had to retire and Stephenson overturned at Kidney Bend when a wheel broke away from the hub in his Cooper. Brown in his Martin Special and Marks in his Cooper were the first two finishers in the consolation final, and the final itself, a race of 30 laps, was won by Russell but only after a considerable struggle with Leston and Cowley, with Taylor and Parker following along in their own good time. Allison and Raby also had to fight each other for many laps. Russell’s average speed was 71.16 m.p.h.

Race 2 was the Air Kruise Trophy Race for the B.R.S.C.C. National 1,500-c.c. Sports-Car Championship. Heat 1 of this event saw Colin Chapman win in the team Lotus, with Russell in a Cooper behind him. Leston, driving the Coventry-Climax-engined Beart Rodger came in third. Heat 2 began and finished with Bueb in the Cooper-Climax in the lead, with Gammon in a similar car second. P. Riley (Lotus-M.G.) drifted round Paddock Bend in what appeared to be rather an unsteady fashion, but he usually ended up even; C. G. Eascott retired but returned again near the finish, and D. H. Swanton “went agricultural” for a few moments but restarted.

The final of this race was one of the most exciting of the day, involving as it did a tough battle between the Lotus and Cooper équipes. Bueb and Gammon started off well in their Coopers, with Chapman in the works Lotus third, but Gammon was overtaken by Chapman and the Lotus gradually gained on Bueb’s Cooper until on lap three Chapman was in the lead and gaining on every lap. By lap 12, however, the Coopers began closing in again, due to oil trouble developing in the Lotus, and by the 15th lap Bueb and Gammon occupied the first two places again. A disappointing race for Chapman, who seemed almost certain to win, although he did break the lap record previously held by Alan Brown in a Connaught (7L54 m.p.h.) with a speed of 71.77 m.p.h.

The Rochester Cup Race for sports cars was the sixth event on the programme and was of 15 laps duration. Bob Gerard in his CooperBristol, however, allowed no one to deprive him of first place since he drove very steadily, keeping the lead throughout the race. Alan Brown in a Connaught took second place, M. J. C. Keen was in such a hurry that he dented the front of his Cooper-Bristol slightly on another competitor’s car, and R. Gibson spun off at Druids but carried on. Part two of this event began with Salvadori in the Maserati leading, followed by Holt and Alan Brown in Connaughts. Salvadori kept first place but Bob Gerard took second place from Holt, while Keen in a Cooper and Young in a Connaught chased each other madly. The average speed of the Maserati was 72.01 m.p.h. but the results were based on aggregate times in the two parts of the race, and Gerard was announced as the actual winner at 71.16 m.p.h.

Event 7 was the 5-lap Edwardian Trophy Race, in which some very interesting old cars took part. The oldest was Crombac’s 1903 twin-cylinder Panhard et Levassor, followed by H. C. Bird’s 1904 twin-cylinder Lanchester; Crooks’ enormous white 1908 model Mercedes tourer came next in seniority. The 1911 Rolls-Royces of Bolster and L. Lewis Evans were present, as were the two 1914 T.T. Sunbeams of Sears and Sir Francis Samuelson. Sears was the winner, followed by Nigel Arnold-Forster in the 1914 Prince Henry Vauxhall.

The event for large sports cars was the Kingsland Trophy Race, a 15-lap event for cars of over 1,900 c.c. capacity. Archie Scott-Brown in his Lister-Bristol scored an easy win at 70.03 m.p.h., with Michael Anthony second in his Lotus-Bristol.

Event 12, the J.A.P. race, went to Mcharey in a Cooper-J.A.P., with Bennett in an Arnott second.

And so, after over seven hours of very high standard motor-racing, the day’s sport came to an end. — I. G.