WHITSUN AT BROOKLANDS

WHITSUN AT BROOKLANDS

BAKER-CARR WINS GOLD STAR FOR BENTLEY ALVIS, FIAT, M.G., BUGATTI, AUSTIN AND FRAZER-NASH VICTORIES

At the entrance to the Weybridge Track on Whit-Monday, where the habitués and the public flocked to see another ordinary “shorts and longs” B.A.R.C. Meeting, was displayed a notice indicating that the Bimotore Alfa-Romeo would not run—probably the fist time such a notice has been displayed in the history of the course, and a most commendable idea. The reason was that the axle still remains dismantled as a result of the trouble experienced during the Campbell Trophy Race, although many persons instantly imagined that neither Austin Dobson nor anyone else could hold the car on the outside Of Brooklands. The presence of invited Indian troops made the Paddock more congested than

usual. ” Bira ” and Cobb drew the focus of attention in the Bimotore’s absence, and R. R. K. Marker brought out the new -61-litre Bentley-Jackson. The new single-seater H.R.G., to have been driven by Miss Joan Richmond and E. A. Halford, was not present. We have known of this car for some considerable time but have sealed our lips at the request of its owner, who very wisely does not seek publicity until the car has justified itself. As a contemporary has now spilled the beans, we can say that the engine will be a Cross Rotary valve unit, which is very interesting indeed, because, with the exception of the two-stroke Jameson-Special, these unconventional engines seldom get into a race, which is surely just what the doctor would order to develop their efficiency, build up their selling appeal and get out any bugs they may possess. Perhaps we may whisper that this car has a two-piece, tubular front axle, the H.R.G. front suspension assembly and a nicely-faired body. It will probably have been seen at Sheisley-Walsh by the time this issue is published.

The opening race was a short handicap around the outside, won by Michael May’s veteran 2-litre Alvis at not far short of 95 m.p.h., H. J. Aldington coming through from the 20 sec. mark to take second place with the sports, fully equipped 2-litre Frazer-Nash-B.M.W., leaving third place to C. Tennant’s 41litre Bentley, which is actually the Baker-Carr mount.

The next short handicap went to V. H. Tuson’s Banta Fiat at under 841 m.p.h., W. E. Humphreys at last getting his special Q-type M.G. Midget into the picture by coming home second, with R. S. Wilkins next on the 2-litre AstonMartin.

SO to a long handicap, when another modified M.G., driven by G. P. H. Harvey-Noble, won happily at very nearly 109 m.p.h., rapid motoring for a 750 c.c. car, which. staved off Couper’s scratch Talbot. Humphreys was third with the M.G., which must be carefully watched by the punters now that it is gaining form. Next we had the big event of the day, in the form of the 20-mile, outer-circuit Coronation Gold Trophy Race. BakerCarr led away from the thirteen runners as limit-man with his well known, unadorned veteran Bentley, which has a 4. litre engine in the 3-litre frame, and led throughout, to win by a bare second at 112.05 m.p.h. It was Couper’s Talbot, with ” 110″ engine, that ran the Bentley dose, making up 33 seconds on the winner, to do which Couper was lapping at around the two-mile-a-minute mark, held for a while by C. T. Clayton’s little ClaytonAmilcar. John Cobb on the NapierRailton had a very tough job from the scratch mark. He actually turned two laps at 141 m.p.h. and made up 1 min. 561 secs. on the winner. The baulking bogy came into evidence again, Cobb

doing lap four at 141.89 m.p.h., lap five at the same speed, lap six at 133.52 m.p.h., and lap six at a mere 129.36 m.p.h. His standing lap was done at 120.59 m.p.h., equal to his own record with the same car. The dropping speed is explained by the obstruction afforded to his big car by the Talbot and Clayton’s Amilcar and the Monza Alfa-Romeo driven by Hamilton and the Duesenberg handled by R.. L. Duller, the latter pair also locked in a heated duel. The Alfa was passed by the Duesenberg, but eventually re-passed. It is remarkably fast, lapping at about 130 m.p.h., but not at 140 as we inadvertently stated last month.

The first of the Mountain handicaps allowed S. Mond to feel all the thrill a newcomer experiences in winning his first B.A.R.C. race. He drove an unblown. iflitre Bugatti and averaged 64.21 m.p.h. R. j. W. Appleton was second with the Appleton-Special and HarveyNoble’s M.G. was third. The first five finishers in these heats qualified to compete in the Final Coronation Mountain Handicap over 12 miles, and in this heat Geoffrey Dunfee, now handling a blown 2.3 Bugatti, was fourth, and J. O. C. Samuel’s 1.6-litre blown Frazer-Nash was fifth. Excitement was contributed by E. G. Brettell who went into the Members’ bend rather faster than the Monaco-prepared Austin fancied good for it, whereupon it “upped and overed,” Brettell escaping with a slight fracture of the arm. This bend has now caught out quite a few drivers, yet we must not lose heart, for only a dozen or so years ago it was considered quite impractical to allow racing-cars to attempt to negotiate the turn to the left at this point, even allowing them the entire length of the finishing straight for purposes of deceleration. And not so many of them crossed the line very much more rapidly than the faster modern cars shoot under the Paddock bridge in. Mountain races.

The next heat was good stuff, with ” Bira ” (E. R .A.), E. W. H. Dobson (Maserati) and P. F. jucker (Alta) battling together spiritedly, with J. B. Wilson’s blown 747 c.c. M.G. a winner a mere secs. away from” Bira.” Dobson was third, K. Petre’s famous blown Riley was fourth, and C. H. Masters’s Mills. Fiat was just in the picture.

In the third heat J. P. Almack led throughout in the low built, aluminium Austin Seven to win at 60.17 m.p.h. Certain contemporaries describe this as a specially curious Austin but actually it is not unduly freakish and no more curious in appearance than other racing Austin Sevens of former years. Its outstanding publicity-factor is the castalloy wheels, as described in MOTOR SPORT when they were first introduced. H. J. Aldington’s touring car was second, Billy Cotton’s Bellevue-cared-for M.G. took third place, and Mrs. Roy Eccles (Rapier-Special) and J. H. Bartlett’s rather special 11-litre Alta qualified to function in the final. This exciting final went to J. 0. C. Samuel’s blown six-cylinder Frazer-Nash at 64.02 m.p.h. ” Bira’s ” De Ram damped E.R.A. came through from scratch to a well deserved second place, beautifully driven, and went out of a fighting group,

it was Bartlett who took third place. So concluded a good bank-holiday meeting and, with the International Trophy Race scheduled for August Bank Holiday, we have to wait until October for some more ” shorts ” and ” longs ” and “Mountains.” The race for the Siam Trophy had to be postponed from this meeting. An interesting car was Bradley’s Thomas-Special eight-cylinder, now running un.blown and going better than it has gone for years, after a bad start. Incidentally, where are the 1924 four-cylinder ThomasSpecials, built of M.A.B. components and having bodies modelled on those used for the Leyland-Thomas cars ? Two invalids gained many congratulations on their appearance in the Paddock-Major A. T. G. Gardner, who recently turned his Merce’cles-Benz over in London, and Tommy Wisdom, whose M.G. crashed in the Mille Miglia. Everitt was driving Major Gardner’s M.G. The MOTOR

SPORT office beneath the Paddock grandstand is always open throughout the bigdays at Brooklands.

RESULTS First Whitsun Short Handicap (About 64 miles)

1, M. W. B. May (1,991 c.c. Alvis), 32s. start ; 2, H. J. Aldington (1,971 e.c. Frazer-Nash-B.M.W.),

20a.; 3, C. Tennant (4,487 c.c. Bentley), 9s. Won at 04.72 m.p.h. by is. with s. between

second and third.

Betting: 5-1, 8-1 and 6-4 respectively ; six ran.

Second Whitsun Short Handicap (About 64 miles)

1., V. H. Tuson (095 c.c. Fiat), lm. 6s. start ; 2, W. E. Humphreys (747 c.c. M.G., S.), 3e. (virtual scratch) ; 3, It. S. Wilkins (1,949 c.c. Aston-Martin), 23s.

Won at 84.46 m.p.h by lie. ; Is. between second and third.

Betting : 6-4, 3-1 and 64 respectively; seven ran.

The Whit= Long Handicap (About 9 miles)

1, G. P. H. Noble (747 c.c. M.G., S.), 28s. start ;

2, W. M. Couper (3,377 c.c. Talbot), scratch ; 3, W. E. Hiunphreys (747 c.c. M.G., S.), 10s.

Won at 108.99 m.p.h. by 15i8. ; is. between second and third. Betting: 0-4, 6-1 and 8-1 respectively; ten ran

The Coronation Race for “The Star” Gold Trophy (Handicap) (About 20 miles) 1, C. T. Baker-Carr (4,487 c.c. Bentley), 2m 4.s.

1, C. T. Baker-Carr (4,487 c.c. Bentley), 2m 4.s. start; 2, W. M. Couper (3,377 c.c. Talbot), lin. 80s.

3, John Cobb (23,970 c.c. Napier-Railton), scratch. Won at 112.05 m.p.h. by Is., with 74s between second and third.

Betting: 12-1, 6-1 and 2-1 respectively ; thirteen ran.

Coronation Mountain Handicap (Heat 1) (About 6 miles)

1, 8, Mond (1,496 c.c. Bugatti), 58s. start ; 2, R. J. W. Appleton (1,089 c.c. Appleton-Riley, S.), 13s.; 3, 0. P. H. Noble (1,490 c.c. Alta, S.), 8s.

Won at 64.21 m.p.h. by 18.s. with is. between second and third.

Betting : 2-1, 6-1 and 10-1 respectively ; eleven ran.

Coronation Mountain Handicap (Heat 2) (About 6 miles)

1, J. B. Wilson (747 c.c. M.G., S.), 34e. start ; ,

2, 13. Bira ” (1,486 c.c. E.R.A., S.), scratch ; 3, E. W. H. Dobson (2,992 c.c. Maserati), 5s.

Won at 65.81 m.p.h. by fa. with 7-/s. between second and third.

Betting : 10-1, evens and 84 respectively ; nine ran.

Coronation Mountain Handicap (Heat 8) (About 6 miles)

1, S. P. Almack (747 c.c. Austin, S.), lm. 15s. start’ 2, H. S. Aldington (1,971 c.c. Frazer-NashB.M.’W.), 34s.; 3, Billy Cotton (1,087 c.c. M.G., S.), 10s.

Won at 60.17 m.p.h. by 71s. with 10s. between second and third.

Betting : 4-1, 7-1 and 10-1 respectively ; nine ran.

Coronation Mountain Handicap (Final) (About 12 miles)

1, J. 0. C. Swipe! (1,657 c.c. Frazer-Nash, SI 1m. 54s. start ; 2, ‘ B. Bira ” (1,486 ex. E.R.A., 8. scratch ; 3, E. W. H. Dobson (2,992 ex. Maserati, S. , 18s.

Won at 64.02 m.p.h. by 21s. with 10/s. between second and third.

Betting : 10-1, 8-4, and 8-1 respectively; fifteen ran.