THE CLUBS AT BROOKLANDS
THE CLUBS AT BROOKLANDS
FRAZER NASH ES CARRY ALL BEFORE THEM, AND WIN THE STANLEY CUP. GOOD RACING AND CLOSE FINISHES.
THE Inter-Club Meeting at Brooklands is one of those informal affairs run purely for the benefit of competitors and their friends. Although some fast cars generally turn out, the meeting does not aspire to be a spectacle for the public, but is more in the nature of a pleasant afternoon during which owners of cars with any sort of turn of speed can indulge in friendly scraps. With the exception of the five-lap race, none of the events are long enough to do a great deal of harm to competing cars, and conditions are altogether encouraging for sports car owners to have a shot at ” hurtling round the concrete saucer,” as the Daily Press love to term it.
The first race was at two o’clock, and consisted of a Junior Short Handicap, starting at the Pond and finishing in the Railway Straight. Everybody turned out except G. H. Goodson (Austin), and at the last moment the handicappers decided that Metcalfe’g Salmson was rather quicker than they had at first thought, so he was put back 5 seconds. Kelvv-ay’s blue J.2 Midget made the running at the start, with Tenbosch (Austin), Porter (Riley), Richardson (Riley), Light (Chrysler), Ashton Rigby (M.G. Magna), Powys Eybbe (Alvis), Berry (Frazer Nash), Villiers (Hornet), Casswell (Frazer Nash), and Evans (Lea Francis), the scratch man, coming up behind in that order. Light’s green and black Chrysler, looking very American with its palecoloured “tires,” had trouble internally and stopped at the Fork after a lap. Three cars emerged from the pack, and a really exciting finish was seen between AshtonRigby (M. 0. Magna), PowysLybbe (Alvis) and Casswell (Frazer Nash), the Magna getting home first by 25 yards at 78.18 m.p.h., with Casswell’s Nash 50 yards away. Berry (Frazer Nash) was 4th, C. A. Richardson (Riley) 5th and Metcalfe (Salmson) 6th. In Event 2 there were 5 non-starters, two of these being casualties from the first race, namely Tenbosch (Austin) and Light (Chrysler). Once again Kelway’s J.2 Midget got well away, but a whole pack of cars was thundering along in the rear. Child-Villiers (Hornet) was soon left behind, and a really good scrap ensued between Monkhouse’s black 4} litre Bentley saloon and Dent’s well-kept Frazer Nash. The small car was gradually overhauling its big rival, but in turn was being menaced from the rear by Mrs. K. N. Roe on a pale blue T.T. Lea Francis. Others in the van were Mrs. White and R. J. Barton, on Aston Martins, S. E. Hamilton (Ford V8 ” Greyhound “) and Martin-Hurst (Alvis). Hardwick-Sewell (Vauxhall 30/98) was going well, but could not reduce his handicap ; Shapley’s black 2.3 Bugatti reduced speed after a lap, making ominous noises ; while Lawrence, on a similar model, starting from scratch, was quite out of the picture. Mrs. R.oe’s ” Leaf” was fast, and got 200 yards ahead of Monkhouse and Dent at the finish, but the Bentley was lucky to get second place from Dent’s Nash,
which made up the former’s 8 seconds start all but 1/5th second ! Some disappointment was caused when it was heard that R. J. Munday’s special and redesigned 8 cylinder Thomas-Special would not start in the third race. Other non-participants were Light, Richardson and Tenbosch, whose racing was finished for the day, and Miss Naismith’s Salmson. Parker (Austin) was first away, followed by Powys-Lybbe (Alvis), Villiers (Hornet), Ashton-Rigby (M.G. Magna), Alan Hess (Magna), Berry (Frazer Nash), Casswell
(Frazer Nash) Baker (Minerva), Miss Allan (Bentley), Donald Aldington (Frazer Nash) and finally, after the rest of the field had all long ago disappeared from sight, Mrs. Petre’s 2 litre Bugatti. The latter blew up after two laps and the race soon developed into a glorious scrap between Miss Allan and Baker, who had started from the same mark. These two were the only big cars in the race, and they soon overhauled the rest of the field. Miss. Allan took the lead, with Baker close behind, but the Bentley had something in hand, and held its lead until the end Casswell (Frazer Nash) who had started level, was third, half a mile away. Miss Allan’s speed was 87.53 m.p.h. Two really fast cars came to the line for the next race, the Lightning Short. They were Bertram’s Delage and Bout’s Leyland-Thomas, the latter receiving 24 seconds start. Miss Schwedler and Miss Hedges, on an Alvis and Talbot respectively, were the limit cars, the rest of the field being composed of W. E. Humphrey’s (Alvis) Kirton (Vauxhall), Mrs. Tolhurst (Riley), H. J. Aldington (Frazer Nash) and Lawrence (Bugatti), in that order. The ladies on the limit mark set a rousing pace, and looked as though they would never be caught—until Bouts appeared on the scene. The massive black Leyland Thomas was travelling very fast,
and passed Miss Hedges, but Miss Schwedler’s Alvis Speed Twenty was safely ahead and won by 500 yards with great ease. Bertram arrived fourth, behind Miss Hedges, and ahead of H. J. Aidington and Humphreys. In spite of not being pressed Miss Schnedler averaged the excellent speed of 90.81 m.p.h.
The Senior Long provided a wide variety of types, ranging from Freeman. and Hawthorn on blown 750 c.c. Midgets to Bertram’s 10,688 c.c. Lelage. An interesting car was G. W. Olive’s E.H. P., which used to be a regular competitor at Brooklands several years ago, and was emerging from a long retirement. It was Miss Schwedler’s Alvis, this time driven by Dunham, which soon took the lead, passing Freeman, Hawthorn, Olive, Miss McOstrich (Talbot), Mrs. Tolhurst (Riley), C. T. Osborne, on a 5 litre Graham-Paige chassis with skeleton body, and forging ahead of H. J. Aldington (Frazer Nash) who had started level with the Alvis. Bouts and Bertram were streaking up from the rear, and on this occasion the Delage caught the Leyland Thomas on the last lap. Dunham was well away, but Bertram got past Aldington for second place, with ” H. J.” a good third. Dunham averaged 97.31 m.p.h.—really good going. Bouts was fourth, and Freeman fifth. Then came the big event of the day, the Five Lap Handicap. N. A. Berry (Frazer Nash) was limit man with a start of 3m. 20s., in company with E. M. White, on a 2 seater Tracta. Casswell got away next, on his green Nash, then J. C. Davis on a well tuned 4 cylinder Mercedes which once made fastest time at the Semmering hill-climb. D. A. Aldington (Frazer Nash) followed, then Miss Hedges (Talbot), Baker (Minerva), Miss Allan (Bentley), H. J. Aldington (Frazer Nash), Osborne (Graham-Paige) and Rayson
(Riley) who started together, BoIsom (Alfa Romeo) and Bertram (Delage), the scratch man. Casswell soon overhauled the Tracta and Berry. Miss Allan and Baker fought their battle anew, and the rest of the field continued to lap at regular intervals. H. J. Aldington retired from the fray with a run big-end ; Osborne’s Graham-Paige swished quietly round leaving a wake of blue smoke ; and the exhaust pipe of the Tracta broke loose and jangled merrily on the ground, giving the impression that the car was completely falling to pieces. Bolsom’s Alfa Romeo, a pretty black 1,750 c.c. 4 seater, was strangely slow, and quite unsuited to its position next to Bertram on the starting line. As it was, Casswell actually caught him up and passed, instead of the reverse process taking place ! Bertram made a big effort, but could not quite do it, Casswell winning at 85.26 m.p.h. from D. A. Aldington, on another Nash, and Baker’s Minerva. The heavy casualties inflicted by miles of unbroken full-throttle work on cars tuned for touring, had a dire effect on the Team Relay Handicap. Out of the eight teams entered, only two remained intact, namely the Frazer Nash Club and the Mid-Surrey. The non-starters were the Junior Racing Drivers, the M.G., the 13ugatti Owners, the W.A.S.A., the J.C.C. and the Brighton & Hove. This did not detract from the excitement of the racein some ways it added to it, for the race was easier to follow. The two teams were as follows : Frazer Nash, N. A. Berry, G. Casswell, and D. M. Dent; Mid-Surrey, M. W. B. May (Alvis), R. C. Porter (Riley) and A. Powys-Lybbe (Alvis). The latter received 24 seconds. Starting at the Fork, May’s Alvis was in good fettle and finished a long way ahead of Berry. Both men braked too late and sailed past the line into the Finishing Straight with locked wheels. Porter’s Riley was no match for Casswell’s Frazer Nash, and the latter wiped out his lead and got to the Fork first. Again wheels locked and tyres
screamed in protest, as they scraped along the concrete. Casswell stopped first, but Porter, by dint of skidding broadside and opening the door at the same time, made up the ground he had lost on the lap. The two drivers raced side by side to hand over the sash, collided violently in rounding Chronograph Villa, and sent their team-mates away almost together. Dent was nearly blindfolded by Casswell’s hasty attempt to slip the sash over his head, but otherwise there was nothing in it. Powys-Lybbe’s 12/60 Alvis had a slight advantage as they accelerated onto the Home Banking, but Dent soon altered this and swept ahead. His Frazer Nash went really well, and finished a long way ahead of PowysLybbe.
The last race of the day was a fitting finish to a day of good handicapping. G. L. Baker, although rehandicapped 14 seconds, completed his ” bag” of a 1st, 2nd and 3rd by passing Casswell (Frazer Nash), Hume (Bugatti) and Metcalfe (Salmson) to win in one of the closest finishes of the day. Olive, on the E.H.P. had started from the same mark as the Minerva, but could not quite hold it. After 61 miles, however, he was only 30 yards behind, and he in turn was 60 yards ahead of D. A. Aldington, who had to conceded 3 seconds to the E.H.P.
It will be seen that Frazer Nashes had gained 2 firsts, 1 second, and 5 thirds, and this display of consistent running sufficed to give them top marks in the competition for the Stanley Cup, held during the past year by the J .C.C. The final pla.cings were : 1, Frazer Nash Car Club, 48 points ; 2, Brighton & Hove Club, 25 points 3, Women’s Automobile and Sports Association, 22 points ; 4, Mid-Surrey Club 13 points ; 5, Junior Car Club, 6 points.
A thoroughly pleasant afternoon, smoothly organised, and with uncannily good handicapping.
THE JUNIOR SHORT HANDICAP.