BUSY BELLEVUE

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BUSY BELLEVUE

In spite of post-Crisis depression and the lowered ebb of British racing and preBudget suspense and all that, the Bellevue Garage Racing department at Wandsworth is as busy as ever. It will service the M.G.$ of J. H. T. Smith, W. Esplen, H. B. Symonds, MacArthur and Evans for the 1939 season. Smith’s car was in course of re-assembly when we were shown round by W. E. Wilkinson, manager, and wizard-in-charge. Esplen’s R-type has been fitted with an Arnott compressor and MacArthur’s IC3 Magnette with a Lockheed braking system. Symonds, who used to run the V-twin G.N. in sprints, will use his R-type in Mountain races as well as for speed

THE EMPIRE TROPHY RACE

Another season is dawning and the first big race to be held in this country will be the B.R.D.C. Empire Trophy Race at Donington, starting at 2.30 p.m. on April 1st. This will be the only big B.R.D.C. race this year and we hope good entries will result from this move towards general race curtailment. Last year this race drew an entry of twentyeight and the winner was C. J. P. Dodson (Austin) at 69.62 m.p.h. Entries for this year’s race close on March 15th at go per car and on March 22nd at 00 per car. As in previous years the race is a handicap for all classes of racing-cars and will be contested over 200 miles of the full Donington circuit. Credit lap handicapping will be used, and blown 1,100 c.c. and unblown 1i-litre cars are handicapped 71.66 m.p.h. for 60 laps, blown 1i-litre and unblown 4-litre cars trials. D. G. Evans will probably use his famous M.G. Midget for sprints if it does not change hands. The ex-Dobbs 2-litre single-seater white Riley, which Fernihough drove so well at Syston last year, has been bought from Bellevue by Whitworth and will be serviced for him

there. Kenneth Evans’s monoposto ” 2.9 ” Alfa-Romeo is being re-assembled with a new set of improved connecting rods, which have taken five months to get—because specialist firms prefer making bombs to bits in these civilised days. The Alfa otherwise remains largely ‘unchanged, but will have an entirely new brake system of the Locklved twoleading-shoe type brought out for E.R.A. 75.15 m.p.h. for 6$ laps and blown cars over 4-litres and unblown cars over 4-litres, 76.53 m.p.h. for 64 laps. Prize money totals 000 and the winner takes the Empire Trophy and £254) presented by Viscount Wakefield of Hythe, C.B.E. Joseph Lucas, Ltd. have given 000 and these donors deserve every credit for their appreciation of, and support for,

motor-racing. We assume that the B.R.D.C. gives the remainder, so that, not including trophies, it needs a dozen entries to pay for prize money alone. Starters will be limited to thirty. Lady drivers are only eligible by invitation. Entries to, and full details from :D. J. Scannell, B.R.D.C., 12, Queen’s Gate Terrace, S.W.7. (Western 0092-3).

A TRULY AMBITIOUS EVENT

We hand it out to the Vintage Sports Car Club on the score of ambitious organising.

The new brakes have magnesium drums. with my Mehanite ribbed rims and ventilated Hiduminium RR 50 backplates. In the past the Alfa-Romeos have suffered considerably from loss of brakingpower, 30 Evan’s experiment, to be tried also by A. F. Ashby, is most interesting. Wilkinson’s 14-litre straight-eight Maserati, exclusively described in MOTOR. SPORT of January 1988, may be ready for racing late this season. Work on the special connecting-rods, which are cost-lug 00, has commenced. The IFlitre

Alta. is for sale at 075. Miss Haig’s M.G. Midget for the Paris—St. Raphael Ladies’ frials was again prepared by Bellevue. On March 25th-26th they will hold a. Welsh Rally. Cars will start from any place they please at 9 a.m. on the Saturday and must reach Presteigne between 6 p.m.. and 9 p.m., being penalised for late

arrival. Three hundred Marks will be. awarded for this section, hut cars built prior to 1931 get 4 per cent. per year of’ the car, so that a 1931 car doing 200. miles will only score the same marksas a 1906 carriage doing 50 miles—soEdwardian cars should turn out in force. On the Sunday there will be a parade of ears, 25 points maximum being awarded.. for condition. Edwardian cars will then take the hill-climb, for a maximum of 75 points, while younger motor-cars willl undertake an ordinary trial for a maximum of $00 marks. Plaques will be given to.. every Edwardian car touting at least SO.

miles to Presteigne. This is a most. ambitious event, quite alter our own. heart, and we wish it every success..