The B.AR.C. All-Sports-Cars Meeting at Goodwood

A sun drenched Whit Monday rendered the B.A.R.C. International (sic) Goodwood Meeting, which, a vintage-car race apart, was confined to sports cars, exceedingly pleasant. Duncan Hamilton’s D-type Jaguar led throughout to win the Johnson’s (Wax Polish) Challenge Trophy Race very comfortably from Berry’s similar Jaguar, Hamilton praising his mechanics for good preparation. The Ladies’ Handicap turned out to be vastly exciting, Nancy Mitchell’s Daimler Conquest Century rally saloon gaining a surprise victory. Much discussed was the Celebrities Race and critics should remember that similar “fun and games,” such as a taxicab race, veteran-drivers’ race and one-make races used to seem permissible at Brooklands. In fact, most of the celebrities drove hard, Chris Brasher (Jowett Javelin) and especially Jon Pertwee (D.K.W.) showing real skill, although no one could catch Richard Murdoch’s “limit” 20/25 Rolls-Royce. We would rather not be driven by John Gregson, whose Hillman Minx convertible got nowhere, or by Lou Preager, who looked scared of his Ford Zodiac. — W. B.

Sports Cars up to 1,500 c.c. (10 Laps — Scratch)
Parnell, driving the Equipe Endeavour’s Cooper-Connaught, led until the very last lap, when Colin Chapman, who had been hiding up the Cooper’s tail all the way and profiting by Reg’s locking wheels, came by on the right as Parnell followed E. Lewis’ lapped Lotus-Climax out of the chicane and beat his rival on acceleration (and surprise?), to a narrow victory. McAlpine handled his aerodynamic Connaught splendidly but, after holding second place to half-distance and pressing Parnell, gave best to Chapman. Sopwith had his Cooper-Climax in fourth place, going very well, and as it resembled Parnell’s Cooper commentator McDonald Hobley got them muddled up. Bicknell, sliding and rolling, held fifth place in his Revis-Borgward, but the rest were nowhere. Naylor’s Lotus-Connaught retired.

Sports Cars up to 2,000 c.c. (10 Laps — Scratch)
Unfortunately, Hawthorn, who had flown home to drive a works Tojeiro, was a non-starter because a drive-shaft broke in practice.

Michael Anthony really got his Lotus-Bristol going and led all the way after passing Scott-Russell’s sister car on lap two. Anthony’s Lotus has now been painted green, and the intakes for its triple carburetters poke through the bonnet-top, being covered with rubber caps when the car is not in use, whereas Scott-Russell keeps his intakes out of sight. The latter drew away on the straights from C. A. S. Brooks’ works Frazer-Nash but gave best on lap five. Towards the end the Lotus engine became rough and Scott-Russell toured in, but still in third place. Behind him ran Rogers’ Cooper-Bristol, his neat maroon and bronze car contriving to spin twice and continue only one place back, which Rogers promptly regained from Alan Moore’s Lister-Bristol. David Hampshire, back in racing, drove J. V. Green’s Lister-Bristol nicely, but A. D. Brooks spilt lots of chicane fencing onto the course when his Le Mans Replica Frazer-Nash skidded. Rudd was applauded for holding some vicious slides at this point in his A.C. Ace and way back in the field Robinson’s A.C. Ace gradually disposed of two Triumph TR2s. J. Fisher, A.J.S. and Norton T.T. rider, in his first car race, ran off the course in a Kieft-Bristol, before which he had to lean over to close the passenger’s door.

Sports Cars Over 2,000 c.c. (10 Laps — Scratch)
Duncan Hamilton amused himself by pouring on the power out of the chicane each lap and holding his D-type Jaguar’s subsequent vicious tail-slides, for he was nicely ahead of Berry’s similar Jaguar — ,both sans tail-fin.

Excitement was provided by Wick (Allard driver Zwick, pre-war), who tried to take third place from test-pilot Protheroe’s XK120C Jaguar on the last lap on the approach to Woodcote Corner. He did so, but ran straight on into the sandbank, damaging the nose of his ex-Whitehead Cooper-Jaguar. The Earl of Northesk and R. H. R. Thomas in their Jaguar XKI20s hadn’t a clue, the former having the good sense to retire, whereas the latter toured on, and Forbes, after skilfully cornering his 1936 Talbot.Darracq, eventually smote thechicane fencing. Everard retired in his DB3S Aston Martin, while the door of Bailey’s Allard swung open, a possible argument in favour of doorless sports cars.

Vintage-Car Hahdicap (5 Laps)
This was a stirring spectacle, especially as Basil Davenport was reaching almost 100 m.p.h. down the straight in his 1920 200-MileRace-replica G.N. with V-twin engine of the chain-driven o.h. camshaft persuasion; he left Clutton’s 1908 G.P. Itala until he “blew-up.” Sir Francis Samuelson, himself vintage, led in his 1914 T.T. Sunbeam for three laps, then Sears’ sister car, taken really fast through the corners, took the lead, but couldn’t quite cope with the splendidly-handled and very fast and neat ex-Brian Twist, ex-Humphries 1921 Amilcar Six driven by J. Tozer, who cornered faster than many in modern cars had done. Very nice was Roberts’ Type 43 Bugatti, a 1928 T.T. car, but we were sorry Forestier-Walker’s Hispano-Suiza non-started, as we wanted to see its tulipwood body. Graham drove an experimental Phantom II Rolls-Royce with boat-type body and Burton, McDonald, McKenzie and Vessey drove Bentleys, of which McKenzie’s smoked and only McDonald’s got into the money.

Ladies’ Handicap (5 Laps)
For three laps Mrs. Ashby, driving very neatly her first race, in a 16/80 Wolseley saloon, non-standard only by reason of a straight-through exhaust system, led, and duly received applause. But she couldn’t hold off the back-markers of whom Nancy Mitchell’s Daimler saloon was trying to get past Jean Bloxam’s DB2 Aston Martin and Mrs. Gibbs special-bodied H.R.G. The last-named retired, Nancy got by, but Hazel Dunham was simply throwing her A.C. Ace through the chicane and experienced Jean Mortimer was coming up fast in her Austin-Healey. On the last lap Carol Fisher passed Mrs. Mortimer going towards Woodcote and, as she had shown no love of corners earlier in the race, no one was surprised when she spun. Unfortunately, she did this in the centre of the course, so that the near-side wing of the Austin-Healey struck the Kieft-Bristol, putting Jean Mortimer out of the race with victory in sight. Carol recovered and went on, not stopping afterwards, so that Jean was obliged to walk in to “interview” the Kieft driver. Nancy Mitchell, opposition conveniently removed, ran on to win, by a wheel, from Miss Dunham’s Tulip Rally A.C. Pat Moss (M.G.) was unplaced.

The Celebrities 3-lap Handicap produced much good-natured fun and some good driving, Richard Murdoch, waving a bowler-hat in a rebodied 1938 20/25 Rolls-Royce saloon looking as big as a 40/50, tyres smoking as it rolled away from the chicane, winning at 49.27 m.p.h. from Chris Brasher’s really well-driven Jowett Javelin and Brian Reece’s smart red Sunbeam Alpine, which made fastest lap, at 62.07 m.p.h.

The Johnson’s Challenge Trophy Race (Sports Cars — 21 Laps)
A Le Mans start rather spoilt this, as Parnell’s Cooper-Connaught was left for a long time on the starting line. Duncan Hamilton was never challenged for a moment and Berry ran in second place, pursued by Anthony’s Lotus-Bristol and Brooks’ Frazer-Nash. McAlpine had one of his best drives, the aerodynamic Connaught leading the 1 ½ litre class — there was little opposition but, more important, McAlpine was fifth in the race as a whole, cornering very cleanly and quickly. Chapman appeared to have had a biff from the Revis on the first lap, a dent appearing in the off-side tail-fin of his Lotus, and when Bicknell retired on lap four Colin shook his fist at him. Apart from the speed of the leaders, interest was lent when Hodges put his Griffiths-M.G. past Trimble’s Austin-Healey going into the chicane, by the fast “solid” cornering of the Hon. R. Lindsay’s old 2-litre H.W.M., and by Trimble when he held no fewer than four tail slides in his Austin-Healey as he left the chicane on lap five, on which Chapman retired. Lap seven saw Bailey’s Allard retire and Sopwith’s Cooper-Climax visit its pit, but otherwise the race continued mainly as a procession.