Give the British Manufacturer a Chance !

EDITORIAL. Give the II ritish Manufacturer a Chance !

NOW that long distance racing for sports cars is apparently -finished for the moment at Brook

lands, it seems that our motor racing activities at home must be confined to the sprint events at the B.A.R.C. Meetings, and the British Empire Trophy and 500 Miles Races organised by the B.R.D.C.—in fact, ‘track races for track cars. In view of the fact that the only races which English Manufacturers are in a position to compete are those for

production sports models, it seems ironical, to say the least, that the nearest road races for which they can enter are the Irish T.T. Rate at Belfast and the Grand Prix d’Endurance at .L,e Mans. The remedy is not hard to find, and lies in the Construction of a road circuit on private grounds. Such a course Would prove of immense assistance to manufacturers, providing them with a testing ground at their very doors, and would encourage many who, for

various reasons, do not at the present time make use of racing as a means of “improving the breed ” to try their hands at the game. We have already pointed out the necessary attributes of such a course. Briefly, the site must include a hill, giving a series of differing gradients, with hair-yin bends ; it must contain at least one straight of about a mile in length ; it must be in open country, free of trees, to avoid heavy constructional costs ; it must have a hard sub-Soil, such as chalk, giving a firm foundation for the road, thereby reducing maintenance charges,

and dry ground for car-parks ; lastly it must be situated within easy reach of both London and the Midlands, and must possess adequate railway and main road approaches.

That such a course would be successful in attracting the public is abundantly proved by the example of the Nilrburg Ring, in Germany. The attendance at every meeting held on this Circuit is always in the neighbourgood of 150,000, while as many as 30,000 cars fill the car parks. It can only need two or three meetings of this sort to ensure a handsome profit on the initial cost of construction. MOTOR SPORT regards the development of a roadracing circuit containing the elements outlined above as a necessity of national importance. Without such a course at their disposal British manufacturers will continue to labour under a crushing handicap, having actually to bear the heavy expense of transporting a

team of cars, with their personnel, a journey of many hundreds of miles in order to take part in road races.

In Germany, the Niirburg Ring was constructed with Government aid with a view to finding work for the unemployed, and has proved an unqualified success. In this country, however, the existence of so large a wellto-do sporting public should make Government assistance for such an undertaking unnecessary, and we fervently hope that their efforts may be concerted into providing British mannfacturers with the opportunity they so richly deserve.