In beautiful if rather chilly weather, white clouds flecking a clear blue sky and casting shadows on the sun-lit Sussex hills in the background, practice passed off smoothly for the first meeting at the Junior Car Club’s new road circuit at Goodwood. We believe one car turned round on a corner, but it all went off without exciting incident. Lap times were recorded by the Club but not announced, but unofficial clocking, at odd times only showed Gerard to lap at about 83 m.p.h., Peter Walker at 80.7, Harrison at around 81 and Bolster at over 77 m.p.h. We got Geoffrey Arisen, who at times fought his E.R.A. at nearly 76.5 m.p.h., Poore at about the same speed. Probably these speeds were later improved on. Johnson was taking it easily in the E.R.A. which still seemed unstable, Salvadori’s old four-cylinder Maserati playing games by, passing the E-type on the outside at a corner. Bira flew over, but, alas, his Maserati was absent. Richardson’s E.R.A.-Riley had spells of sickness, accompanied by Smoke-haze, Chorlton’s i.f.s. ” 3.3.” Bugatti soon began to protest, Brandon’s Q type M.G. was not on form, Wells’ blown 750 c.c. M.G. had no real speed, wilily the O.B.M. motored round and round on fewer and fewer cylinders, and left on tow behind a lorry with its engine still running miserably and for some unaccountable reason not allowed to cease doing so. Murray snaked at times in the ex-Parnell Maserati. Lewis’ ” 2.3 ” Alfa Romeo eventually caught Mann’s Monza Alfa Romeo, and Smith’s Healey saloon proved faster than Miller’s. Gibbs was fearful that a gasket had blown on his Riley, Monica Whincop had gearbox Maladies on her “Balilla” F.I.A.T., and C le S. Metcalfe found his “Balilla” F.I.A.T. too slow along the straights in spite of a downdraught carburetter. Buckler’s front wheels were having a lively time. Haines’ Healey was said to be troubled with tight big-ends, while the engine of Waring’s 3-carburetter ” Speed Twenty ” Alvis switched itself off. after which the starter went on strike. Salvadori had one decidedly exciting skid. Much stir was caused when Parnell (not Brooke as a weekly suggested) was found to have a low-chassis two-stage ” works ” Maserati on loan, Wilkinson having fetched It from Italy just in time for the meeting. It only did a few laps—a most imposing-looking car, with spotlessly clean engine. The fuel tank was leaking slightly. The practice period closed with Bolster’s mechanics holding a post-mortem on the 1.5-litre E.R.A.’s oil-filter to decide where specks of foreign matter were coming from I The loudspeakers and flag marshals were not tested during practice.
Already that Friday we had caught the atmosphere of Goodwood, had experienced a thrill akin to that which vitalised our system in the region of Waybridge before the war, and we went home eagerly awaiting the morrow.
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