THE RELAY RACE

THE RELAY RACE

SMALL ENTRY BUT PLENTY OF ENTHUSIASM IN L.C.C. EVENT. WON BY C. M. ANTHONY’S TEAM OF ASTON-MARTINS AT 87.91 M.P.H. The Relay Race, organised each year at Brooklands by the Light Car Club, has come to serve both as an amusing event for the amateur driver and a stepping-stone to more serious racing. This year unfortunately there was a heavy falling-off of entries, with only thirteen teams instead of the usual

thirty or so. This was attributed to various causes, including the counterattraction of the Cork Motor Race, and the extension of the entries to cars over 1i-litres. Another and more probable reason was that the entry forms were not sent out until a week before the event, which made it difficult to get together the necessary groups of cars.

In spite of the small entry, further depleted by the absence of the Austin team and the Singers entered by Gordon Hen.dy, the interest of the race was well maintained, and the leadership was constantly changing for the first seventy laps between the Tuson, Strang, and Anthony teams, so that the few spectators had plenty of caleulation to keep them busy. The Stewards too had plenty to occupy them, being required to return Solomon’s judgments on such complicated matters as whether a spare driver who was suffering from the effects of an operation might take the wheel until she felt tired, then to hand over to a more skilful colleague? The regulations were very similar to those in force in previous years. The fastest car of each team had to complete thirty laps of the outer circuit (about 83 miles) and then pull in at the pits, handing over the token, which was a red scarf, to the driver of No. 2 car, who thereupon ran to his car, parked on the track at the end of the pits, and set off to complete a further thirty laps, stopping then to hand over the token to No. 3. If a car were withdrawn before completing its thirty laps, the deficit had to be made up by the runner following, and if it chanced to break down on the other side of the track, the luckless driver had to proceed

on foot back to the pit. A welcome innovation this year was that engines of the No. 2 and 8 cars might be warmed up before the drivers were due to take over. After a harangue round the loud speaker in the best Grand Prix fashion, the drivers dispersed to their posts, the No. 1 cars being drawn up in file at the Fork. There were no less than three teams of Balilla Fiats and Mrs. Wisdom, the No. 1 of Miss Chaff’s team, was duly sent off at 2 o’clock, her get-away being somewhat hampered by starting on second gear. A minute afterwards Westwood pushed

his Fiat to the Pits. He had seized a piston in practice and his second driver R. M. Sanford, sprinted off to his car with sixty laps in front of him. Tuson, leader of the third Fiat team, got away three minutes afterwards without incident, while Whitelock’s supercharged Morgan had a staccato exhaust note which suggested speed if not reliability. It came in with a blown gasket after four laps.

Mrs. Petre led off the ladies’ team of Frazer-Nash-B.M.W.s, the first time we recall seeing this marque performing on the track. Tuson overtook Mrs. Wisdom after three laps, though of course with its start of three minutes, Miss Chaff’s team still led. At twelve laps however, Tuson secured the lead. Meanwhile the faster cars were being sent off, Sumner on an M.G. Magnette displaying the • Bellevue Garage colours, pulling away very easily from Campbell’s Aston-Martin. Lord Waleran’s 2.3-litre Alfa-Romeo, driven by the Duke of Grafton set off at a great pace but was

back at the pits in two laps with a broken

piston. Finally A. R. Samuel (Q-type Midget) who was the No. 1 driver of the Cambridge team, flagged away and set off in full bore to chase up the limit man and his 38 minutes of handicap.

The order at twenty laps was Tuson’s team, Miss Chaff’s team (Mrs. Wisdom) and Strang’s team, represented at the minute time by Gillham’s blown P.A. Midget, Tuson was lapping at 84 m.p.h. The pits were less busy than in former years, but somewhere out on the course was Mrs. Petre’s Frazer-Nash-B.M.W. The driver herself appeared shortly afterwards, having had an exhausting run from the other side of the track, where her car had run a big-end. Bochaton (Aston-Martin) paid several visits to the pits for plugs, while Campbell, the No. 1 driver of Anthony’s team of Astons retired after twelve laps. It was yet too early to assess the hopes of the scratch cars but, Samuel’s M.G. put up some very rapid laps, at over 111 m.p.h., only to come in after twenty minutes with misfiring at full throttle. On his less spectacular laps Stunner on the

unblown 1,287 c.c. Magnette seemed almost to be holding him, reeling off lap after lap at 103 m.p.h. News then came through that Miss Hedges, the second member of the B.M.W. team had also retired with big-end trouble, and once again as ill-luck would have it, on the other side of the track. Tuson’s Fiat was the first to complete thirty laps, and Masters, the driver of the second Fiat had started on his second round by the time Gillham, the No. 1 of -Strang’s team, had completed his quota, handing over then to Haesendonck on another blown M.G. Another lap be

hind was Miss Chaff’s Fiat team, while Chapman’s team, thanks to Sumner’s rapid lapping on the M.G., were less than a lap in rear. The second member of this oddly assorted team was Allard’s ex-T.T. Ford, now fitted with what appeared to be a corrugated iron stone guard and a G.P. Bugatti tail and tank. Samuel on the scratch M.G. was unable to overcome the misfiring on his car, so after several visits to the pits he handed over to Connell (14-litre Vale Special) who was soon lapping at the creditable speed of

106 m.p.h. The car looked very steady on the track, but the driver’s comfort was not improved when the back of the driving seat collapsed. Meanwhile Allard on the Ford had brought Chaplin’s team into second place, only to go out with a stripped timing wheel, and then Chaplin iiimself took on with a will on his blown Austin, and even looked like moving into first position, only to retire at the forty-first

lap with low oil pressure. This was actually the only team retirement which took place, surely a record in a Relay Race. With Chaplin’s team out of the way, Strang’s team was safely in the lead, and Westwood’s Fiats second. At halfdistance Anthony’s team of AstonMartins came up into third place, averaging 90 m.p.h. to Strang’s 75. Ten laps later the Aston team were second, while the Cambridge University team were coming up well, thanks to Column’s fast

run on his Vale Special. At sixty laps Watson (105 Talbot) took over the Varsity sashand continued the good work, lapping appropriately at 105,97 m.p.h., when we clocked him. Then his fan-belt broke, the radiator cap started to leak, and he had to make frequent stops at the pit to replenish with water.

Anthony made unfailing progress at the wheel of his Aston-Martin and with twenty-one laps to go was only a minute behind Strang (Austin S.). Three laps later he passed into the lead and continued with undiminished speed. The team order then was Anthony, Strang, Miss Chaff, Bochaton. and Westwood. The rest of the race was uneventful. Anthony’s car showed no sign of faltering, and Strang stopped once to take on more water, but got away running as well as

ever in half-a-minute. Miss Chaff’s last car made steady if not very rapid progress in third place, and Laws (FrazerNash) could not raise Bochaton’s team above fourth. A burst front tyre on Watson’s Talbot further upset the position of the scratch team, which was now ten laps behind the leader.

Anthony was flagged over the line at 5.5. p.m., winner by eight minutes. In spite of a small entry the race had been quite good after all, and anyhow for the first time in years the Light Car Club had managed to secure a fine day for their event.

RESULT 1. C. N. Anthony’s team : D. Campbell (11-11

1. C. N. Anthony’s team : D. Campbell (11-11 Aston-Bfartin), M. A. Morris-Goodall Of -litre As Martin), and C. M. Anthony (11-litre Aston-Mart

Time : 3b. 9m. 29s. Speed 87.91 m.p.h.

2. C. H. Strang’s team : H. F. Witham (939 M.G., S.), E. j. Haesendonck (847 M.G., S.) and C. H. Strang (747 c.c. Austin, S.).

Time : 3h. 17m. 21s. Speed 78.73 m.p.h.

3. A. a. Bochaton’s team : A. J. G. Boehaton (it-litre Aston-Martin), H. B. Shaw (1,470 c.c. British Salmson), and T. F. B. Law (if -litre FrazerNash).

Time : 3h. 18m. 25s. Speed 82.59 m.p.h.

4. Miss D. Chaff’s team : Mrs. T. H. Wisdom (995 c.c. Fiat), Miss D. Chaff (095 c.c. Fiat), and Mrs. A. C. Lace (995 c.c. Flat).

Time : 3h. 19m. 70. Speed 75.12 m.p.h.

5. A. C. Westwood’s team : A. C. Westwood (995 c.c. Fiat), R. M. Sanford (995 c.c. Fiat), and S. Cl. E. Tett (995 c.c. Fiat). Speed 74.78 m.p.h.

6. S. E. N. Whiteloek’s team : E. P. Euxhain (990 c.c. Morgan S.), J. C. B. Kitson (1,087 M.G.), and S. E. N. Whitelock (1,604 c.c. Wolseley). Speed 74.00 m.p.h.

7. B. P. W. Twist’s Cambridge University A.C.

team : A. R. Samuel (747 c.c. M.G. S.), I. F. Connell (1,494 Vale Special S.), and C. R. Watson (2,970 c.c. Talbot). 86.39 m.p.h.

8. Miss G. Hedges’ team : Mrs. K. Petro (1,911 c.c. Frazer-Nash-B.M.W.), Miss G. Hedges (1,011 c.c. Frazer-Nash-13.M.W.), and Lady Makin—Mrs.

Petre (1,011 c.c. Frazer-Nash-B.M.W.). Speed 73.35 m.p.h. Flagged-in before Completing the Course

V. H. Tuson’s team : V. H. Tuson, C. H. Masters and M. P. Tenbosch (995 c.c. Fiats) two laps to go. J. W. Hopkins’ team : Duke of Grafton (2.3-litre Alfa-Romeo, S.), W. E. Carr (1f-litre Aston-Martin S.) and J. W. Hopkins (1f-litre Aston-Martin), 5 laps to

go. Retired

G. H. R. Chaplin’s team •Cl B (I Sumner (1,287 c.c. M.0.), S. H. Allard (3,622 c.c. Ford), and G. H. R. Chaplin (747 c.c. Austin S.) Covered 41 of the SO laps.

Distance of race : 90 laps (about 250 miles).