EASTER AT BROOKLANDS

EASTER AT BROOKLANDS

ARTHUR DOBSON WINS THE BIG RACE CONVINCINGLY FOR E.R.A.—BEADLE’S ALTA VICTORIOUS AT NEARLY Ti m.p.h.—CONNELL’S DARRACQ WINS ANOTHER OUTER-CIRCUIT RACE, AT II6.83 m.p.h.—

A HUGE CROWD.

BROOKLANDS was graced with ideal weather for its big meeting on Easter Monday, and it drew one of the biggest attendances it has had for a very long time—an excellent opening to a year which in other spheres has commenced pessimistically. The Hill was once again a sea of humanity and, as in the good old days, newspapers were strewn all over the place afterwards, so that the usually trim Weybridge Estate had nothing on other holiday spots like Hampstead Heath or Clapham Common.

In practice before the meeting the trouble which has been prevalent this season was rather much in evidence. Abecassis’s Alta seemed to dislike the cold air on the Thursday and Roll’s famous E.R.A., which has stiffeners for the front suspension and a crash-type gearbox, driven by Horsfall and attended by Freddie Dixon, suffered minor bothers. Peter Aitken arrived in his new coupe, left hand drive Packard, which!has fairings over the rear wheels. Dick Nash came over from the Aerodrome in the 1912 Lorraine which he was preparing for the Stanley Cup meeting on April 15th. The Paddock presented a busy scene on the morning of Easter Monday. Several cars were present that had been on the ” Land’s End,” including Lionel Martin’s Lancia Aprilia, which had brought him back from a spectating holiday at Bluehills to observe at the Track. Mortimer made last minute repairs to the exhaust system of his Magnette and John Bolster confidently replaced the lid over the four motorcycle engines of ” Bloody Mary,” after the scrutineers had done their damnedest. There were few really new cars present, but Maclure had his well-faired Riley with independent front suspension and the blown six-cylinder engine from Mrs. Petre’s old car and Brooke had the new Brooke-Special, which has a neat triangular steering column bracket. Beadle’s Alta made use of a steering

damper. Arthur Dobson’s own white E.R.A. was a non-runner. The first Easter Road Handicap found poor Castello in difficulties with the

limit, ex-” Mrs. Jo Jo” Austin Seven. He only just reached the line in time and then shed such quantities of lubricant that the little car had to be pushed to one side and brooms used vigorously on the track. Clive Windsor-Richards and Gerard built up a useful lead with

Rileys, the former’s ” Brooklands ” model having a six-cylinder 1,808 c.c. engine. Wooding’s single-seater Talbot filled third place, and from the first lap Hyde’s. 8-litre Maserati and Smith’s Frazer-Nash fell sick. Curiously, Hyde’s car seemed to recover on the next lap and it went like a bomb, but it was too late. Gerard

closed with Windsor-Richards, and Beadle’s 2-litre Alta was coming up sensationally. On lap 4 Beadle passed inside Richards on the Hill bend and led,. to win at 70.97 m.p.h. with the Rileys second and third. Pollock’s E.R.A. and Walker’s ex-Bira Delahaye fell out.

In the next 5 lap Campbell circuit handicap Stoke-Roberts led for 3 laps with a rather staid ” Brooklands ” Riley Nine, but Maclure, going like a bomb on the blown It-litre Riley, got through to win at 70.72 m.p.h. Winterbottom, whose Alta suffered obscure maladies and was not too efficiently ministered to, made strange signals to his helpers, after starting with considerable wheel-spin and Connell’s Alta and Innes’s M.G. went feverish. For a time Tusott’s Fiat looked well placed, but Mortimer on the ” 2.3 ” G.P. Bngatti pipped it for second place. Abecassis, from scratch, was unplaced.

Came the big race of the day, a 30 lap scratch race over the Campbell circuit. With eight non-starters, a field of nine lined up opposite the Paddock stand—the turn, hairpin fashion, is still used in Spite of the lesson which the Berg-” Bira ” Beadle aceident should have taught. In the initial rush, Dobson, with the works Zoller-inducted E.R.A. stole a small lead from Beadle’s green Alta. And Dobson drove like a master

throughout, broke the lap record unofficially, with a circuit at 75.57 m.p.h. (Abeca.ssi; is the holder, at 72.61 m.p.h., or 4.8 secs, slower), and won very easily at 73.27 in.p.11. Dobson was using Mays’s 2-litire car. There was a grand battle for places, in which Billy Cotton (E.R.A,) finally pipped Evans (Alfa-Romeo) and Evans pipped Hyde (Maserati). C011

Pollock had some nasty moments when his E.R.A. snapped its steering tie-rod and went to grass, and Beadle’s Alta retired in a severe smoke screen. Another road-circuit handicap followed, and Aitken came through nicely with the E.R.A., to win at 69.4 m.p.h. Pane’s sports Frazer-Nash-B.M.W. lay second for most of the race, but had to give second place to Hugh Hunter’s fully-equipped, blown Alfa-Romeo on

the last lap. Kerr-Bates’s slow RileyAmikar retired.

Followed a bicycle race, won at an average of 24.4 m.p.h.. for 6 miles. The onlookers were very tolerant and refrained from throwing folded newspapers through the spokes. Next we had a long handicap on the good old outer-circuit. Elgood’s Bentley most unfortunately did not appear, and though Harvey-Noble wound the 6-1litre Bentley-Jackson up fully from scratch, he had to be content with second place. H. J. Aldington was victorious with the original sports Frazer Nash-B.M.W., at 104.65 m.p.h.—a fine

show, especially as ” Aldy ” was far from well. A. B. Hyde, now driving a Riley Nine, was third. Smith’s blown FrazerNash was taken ill and the cylinder head was removed in the Paddock, presumably for ” Aldy’s ” inspection, when a hole was revealed in No. 3 piston. Another long, outer-circuit handicap followed, and though Harvey-Noble got the Bentley-Jackson really motoring, he was unplaced. Incidentally, the lower sections of the steering wheel and a spoke gOing right across .the wheel were newly cord-bound. Peter Clark built up almost a lap lead before Noble was off and after 2 laps Dunham’s 1,842 c.c. Alv is II led

from the and Gerard’s Riley. Then Ian Cormell’s Darracq came up fast, to ‘win at nearly 117 m.p.h., with Dunham second and the Gerard-Riley, which Turner was handling, third. Thomas on the sports B.M.W. was a close fourth. So over to the well-liked Mountain course. Three non-starters and three re-handicaps were posted before the first race. C. K. Mortimer on the ex-Bellevue unblown, multi-carburetter M.G. Ma,gnette led the “whole thing,” to win at 06.23 m.p.h. H. J. Aldington, after

staying in third place for a time in the white B.M.W., came up to finish second, and Aitken’s E.R.A. was right on his tail at the end. The Bolster-Special was not at all on form and retired. In the second Mountain race, in which Dobson drove Cotton’s green E.R.A., had a surprise result. Gerard’s Riley led for 2 laps, then Wilkinson, on an M.G. Magnette, led. But it seemed that Dobson must finally win. Then, on the last lap, the E.R.A. lost its brakes and sailed amongst the Pressmen at the Banking bend, and Wilkinson won quite easily in the M.G. at 71.63 m.p.h., with Parnell’s B.M.W. second, after gyrations at the Pork, and the Delaha.ye third. Dobson came up to the finish snaking painfully. This time Stoke-Roberts’ Riley and Winterbottoxn’s Alta found trouble. In the last race, of the day again 5 laps of the Mountain course, a very close finish ensued, although Fane, with his new, silver-hue Frazer-Nash-B.M. V., naturally with full equipment and with fairings over the rear wheels, led from start to finish. He won at 67.72 m.p.h. Nichols’ 747 c.c. M.G. II was second, 1 sec. behind and Kenneth Evans, after a fine drive, finished only of a second after the M.G., in his Alfa-Romeo. Pane cornered very wide at the Pork turn. Innes’s M.G. was still sick, and St. John Horsfall, driving Roit’s E.R.A., retired. Brooklands odds are very, very short, and the winners were actually priced as follows :— 3 to 1, 2 to 1, 2 to 1 on, 3 to 1, 3 to 1, 8 to 1, 4 to 1, 6 to 1 and 2 to I. Backing for a place seemed. more profit able. So concluded a most successful meeting. We shall all look forward to Brooklands on May 6th, when the J.C.C. International Trophy Race promises to be the finest race at the Track this year. It is said that the new E.R.A. will definitely run. Remember that there will be plenty happening from May 1st onwards, when admission on practice days is a mere 2/6 for the car and four passengers. Incidentally, does anyone know of a reasonable hotel, café, or what have you, where those who like to leave as soon as racing concludes at Brooklands, around 6 p.m., may get a decent and quickly-served tea, before possibly a long

run home ? If one goes via Byfleet, as lots of long-distance folk do, the problem appears acute. RESULTS 1st Race. The First Easter Road Handicap Distance : About 11 miles

1. A. H. Beadle (Alta 1,960 c.c.), 15s. start 70.97 m.p.h.; 2, C. W. Windsor-Richards (Riley, 1,808 c.c.), lin. 12s. start ; 3, F. It. Gerard (Riley 1,496 c.c.), lm. 12s. start. Won by 6s. with 34s. between second and third. 2nd Race. The Second Easter Road Handicap Distance : About 11 miles

1. P. W. Ma,clare (Riley 1,488 c.c.), 10s. start, 70.72 m.p.h. ; 2. C. K. Mortimer (Bagatti 2,263 c.c.), 35s. start ; 3, V. H. Jason (Fiat 1,090 c.c.), lm. 41s. Start. Won by as. with 17s. between second and third. 3rd Race, The Brooklands Road Championship Distance : About 23 miles

1, A. C. Dobson (E.R. A . 1,980 c.c.), 73.27 m.p.h. 2, Billy Cotton (E.R.A. 1,488 c.c.); 3, K. 1). Evans (Alfa-Romeo 2,004 c.c.).

Won by 241s. with Sta. between second and third. 4th Race. The Third Easter Road Handicap Distance : About 11 miles

1, Hon. P. Aitken (E.R.A. 1,488 c.c.), 19s. start ; 69.40 m.p.h.; 2, H. C. Hunter (Alfa-Romeo)2,904 c.c. 45s. start ; 3, A. F. P. Fano (Frazer-Nash-B.M.W. 1,971 c.c.), lm. 7s. start. Won by 60. with 24s. between second and third. 5th Race. Massed-start Bicycle Race Distance : About 6 miles

1, It. N. Wallis (Fountain C.C.), time 14m. 501s. speed 24.48 m.p.h.; 2, R. Berry (Clarencourt C.C.); 3, J. A. Friswell (Ripley C.C.). 6th Race. The First Easter Outer Circuit Handicap Distance : About 9 miles

I, H. J. Aldington (Frazer-Nash-B.M.W. 1)971 c.c.), 45s. start ; 2, G. P. Harvey-Noble (BentleyJackson 6,597 c.c.), scratch ; 3, A. B. Hyde (Riley 1,089 c.c.) lm. Os. start. Won by ifs. with 10. between second and third. 7th Race. The Second Easter Outer Circuit Handicap Distance : About 9 miles

1, I 1? Connell (Dame(‘ 3,996 c c.), las. start, 116.83 m.p.h.; 2, C. G. H. Dunham (Alvis H 1,842 c.c.), 1m. 9s. start ; 3, R. M. Turner (Riley 1,496 c.c.), 55s. start. Won by 44s. with 24s. between second and third. 8th Race. The First Easter Mountain Handicap Distance : About 6 miles

1, C. K. Mortimer (M.G. 1,087 c.c.), 39s. start, 66.23 m.p.h. ; 2, H. J. Aldington (Fraser-NashB.M.W. 1,971 c.c.), 22s. start ; 3, Hon. P. Aitken (E.R.A. 1,488 c.c.) 38. start. Won by 24s. with Is. between second and third. 9th Race. The Second Easter Mountain Handicap Distance : About 6 miles

1, W. E. Wilkinson (M.G. 1,087 c.c.), 158. start, 71.63 m.p.h.; 2, R. Parnell (B.M.W. 4,975 c.c.), Ss. start: 3, R. R. C. Walker (Delahaye 3,557 c.c.), 26s. start. Won by 20s. with 9s. between second and third. 10th Race. The Third Easter Mountain Handicap, Distance : About 6 miles

1, A. F. P. Fame (Frazer-Nash-B.M.W. 1,971 c.0.), 36s. start, 67.72 m.p.h. ; 2, I. H. Nickels (M.G. 11 747 c.c.), 36s. start ; 3, K. D. Evans (Alfa-Romeo 2,904 c.c.), 5s. start.

Won by Is. with Is. between second and third.