VINTAGE SPORTS-CAR CLUB

VINTAGE SPORTS-CAR CLUB

LITTLESTONE SPEED TRIALS ON MAY 22nd

On May 22nd the Vintage people held speed trials for the second time on that remarkable stretch of private road at Littlestone. A half-mile is the distance timed, but, in fact, considerably more would be perfectly safe, and everyone seems agreed that the ribbed concrete surface is the most perfect thing ever for standing starts. This added to a slight following wind, helped G. B. C. Sumner on the big Delage to make fastest time and break the course record at 22.0 seconds. His get-away was done without a suspicion of spin and he crossed the line at about 127 m.p.h. A. G. Bainton was only a fifth behind, on his “2.3,” and A. Baron was third, on the blown II-litre Bugatti, at 23.9 secs.

There was a very large entry, but fortunately, as it happened, a considerable proportion did not turn up, and even so the meeting went on till nearly 7 p.m.

Among notable performers, M. W. B. May succeeded in winning the 3-litre super-sports class although operating on only five cylinders and an. axle ratio so low that he reached peak revs, in top about half-way up the course.

In the unlimited super-sports Forrest Lycett’s and L. C. :11./IcKenzie’s 4f-litre Bentleys did well to get inside 29 secs., but in the racing unlimited C. W. F. Windsor-Richards, on the old 30/98, just managed to beat Lycett at 27.4 secs. John Bolster brought ” Mary ” through in 25.7 secs., to find that only the stern engine had been working, but even so this sufficed to win the Vintage award in the 8-litre racing class. Caton drove the 1921 8-litre Ballot in this class, and though it accelerated very brightly the gear

is so high that it can only with difficulty depart from rest and clocked 27.7 secs.

In the 1,500 c.c. racing class, won by Baron, P. L. O’Reilly’s “Red Biddy Special” attracted much favourable comment. It has an Anzani G.N. basis, added to a good deal of rust, but motored up the course in a perfectly straight line to the tune of 27.7 secs. Mr. and Mrs. Darbishire’s Bugatti went very well for an unblown single cam 2-litre, clocking a best time of 26.5 to take first time in the ladies’ class from Mrs. Bolster, driving Windsor-Richards’s 30/98.

The pre-war class attracted six entries, though Dick Nash was a regretted nonstarter on “Vieux Charles.” Mavrogordato on the 1914, 41-litre Opel clocked a best time of 29.4 secs. although the car has been much de-tuned since Segrave had it, and Windsor-Richards, driving Clutton’s and Robertson-Rodger’s 12litre Itala, did 30.9, which was better than most of the ” modern” 41-litre Bentleys and 30/98s! However, the winner on formula was Forrest Lycett’s newly acquired 1914 ” Alfonzo ” Hispano-Suiza whose time of 44.5 secs. is really good, considering its rated h.p. of sixteen and weight of thirty cwt 1 Mr. Lycett had never driven the car before, and on returning to the Paddock it startled him quite a bit by inconveniently shedding a back wheel.

Altogether an excellent meeting with a high ratio of laughs per minute. The Club membership has now topped 200, among the latest arrivals being Sir Lionel F. Phillips, Bart., who owns one of the 7,200 c.c. Leyland-Thomases. Another exciting veteran is the 1912 10-litre O.H.C. four-cylinder Fiat which

Ratnpon and Cobb used to race at Brooklands and has now been bought by A. S. Heal.

The next meeting is at Donington on July 10th, in collaboration with the Bugatti Owners’ Club. The finally amended Littlestone results are as follows :—

RESULTS

Sports-Cars up to 1,500 c.o. •. B. Wrigley (LeaFrancis), let Vintage ; Miss Redfern (H.R.G.) 1st, Open.

Sports-Cars Unlimited : Mrs. Langton Garstin (Speed 6 Bentley), 1st Open and Vintage ; J. Swainson (41-litre Bentley), 2nd Open and Vintage.

Super Sports-Cars up to 3,000 c.c. : M. W B. May (2-litre Aivis), 1st Vintage ; J. 0. C. Samuel (FrazerNash, S.), 1st Open.

Super Sports-car Unlimited • Forrest Lycett (0litre Bentley), 1st Open and Vintage ; L. C. McKenzie (41-litre Bentley), 2nd Open and Vintage.

Racing-Cars up to 1,500 c.o. : A. Baron (Bugatti, S.), 1st Vintage and Open ; H. S. Wilton (746 c.c. M.G.), 2nd Open. Racing-Cars 1,500 c.c. to 3,000 c.c.: J. Bolster (” Bolster Mary “) 1st Vintage’ A. Bainton (2.3 litre Bugatti, S.), 1st Open ; A. T. Darbishire (2-litre Bugatti) 2nd Vintage,

Racing-Cars Unlimited : G. B. C. Sumner (14litre Delage), 1st Open and Vintage ; C. W. B. Windsor-Richards (Vauxhall 30/98), 2nd Open and Vintage.

Lady Drivers : Mrs. S. Darbishire (2-litre Bugatti) 1st. Open and Vintage ; Mrs. B. Bolster (Vauxhall 30/98), 2nd Open and Vintage.

All-Corners: G. B. 0. Sumner (101-litre Delage) and A. G. Bainton (2.3-Bugatti, S.) 1st Vintage and Open ; A. Baron (11-litre Bugatti, S.), 2nd Open and Vintage ; J. Bolster (” Bolster Mary “) 3rd Open and Vintage.

Pre-War Cars (formula) : Forrest Lycett (1914 16 h.p. Hispano-Suiza), 1.

Fastest Time of Day : 1, 0. B. C. Sumner (10.1litre Delage), 22.6s.; 2, A. G. Bainton (2.3-litre Bugatti S.), 22.88.; 3,-A, Baron (0-litre Bugatti, S.), 23.9s.

The Secretary of the Club is T. W. Carson, The Pheenix Hotel, Hartley Wintney, Hants.