Easter Racing at Goodwood and Brands Hatch

The B.A.R.C. obtained an excellent entry of 127 cars for its International Easter Race Meeting at Goodwood. The programme embraced the appearance of two each of Britain’s Grand Prix cars in one race, with the additional interest of a race for the new FII cars and the possibility that these unblown 1,500s might even “mix-it” with the F1 machinery on the twisty Sussex circuit.

Saturday practice was remarkably uneventful but extremely well attended. The public was admitted free but in future a small charge, perhaps refundable on the Monday, would be justified. All six F1 cars were out, the “Monza” Connaught with high tail and square air-intake reminiscent of something left over from Brooklands. Moss was trying as hard as he has ever tried, in a Vanwall, resulting in fastest lap, at 1 min. 28.2 sec. Salvadori seemed ill at ease in a B.R.M. and spun after the chicane when he turned the power on a fraction too early. This put out the caution-flag and Fairman was so cautious he went through the chicane-wall in Walker’s Connaught, damaging its front suspension. Stoop’s Frazer-Nash was fastest of the production sports cars but was starving out of Levant corner, so his Sunday was devoted to rigging up an additional fuel pump; of the big sports cars, Salvadori’s DBR1 and the other works Aston Martins beat the Lister-Jaguar and Whitehead’s DB3S was as fast. Monday promised well . . .

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Rudd’s A.C. Ace led all the way in the Production Sports Car Race (13 laps), chased by Stoop’s Frazer-Nash, which was troubled by a locking brake after closing right up on Rudd, who won at 79.66 m.p.h. and made fastest lap, at 82.76 m.p.h. Utley’s Frazer-Nash spent the race chasing Dalton’s Austin-Healey 100S, got past it on lap 11 but was repassed by Dalton, who made a magnificent effort on the closing lap. Sargeant’s well-driven XK120 deserved to win the over-2,700-c.c. class, although the only opposition was the pathetically-cautious Maude (300SL Mercedes-Benz). The remarkable Lotus-Fords of Barnard and Walker took the 1,500-c.c. class, Barnard averaging 75.51 to Sargeant’s 74.8 m.p.h. Third in this class was Calvert’s pretty and notably stable Alfa-Romeo Sprint-Veloce saloon.

The Lavant Cup FII race (12 laps) suffered from nine non-starters, leaving a field of eight. Of these, only Salvadori’s works Cooper, Brabham’s works Cooper, Wicken’s Cooper, Brooks in Walker’s Cooper and Allison’s Lotus were the new FII cars. Walker’s Cooper and all the rest of the sports Climax-engined cars had the old single-cam engine. Brooks jumped the start and was penalised 5 sec. but drove the Alf Francis-prepared car so well that this was wiped out and he won at 88.84 m.p.h. Salvadori held second place for three laps, then retired, by which time Brabham had come up into this position, chased by Mackay Fraser in a sports Lotus-Climax, Flockhart in a similar Lotus having lost time by spinning at Madgwick. Three laps from the finish the American drove slap into the chicane, allowing Flockhart to take third place. He was followed in by Wicken, and Hill working hard in Atkins’ 1953 1½-litre-engined Connaught. Salvadori set fastest lap at 91.52 m.p.h. — but what a flat opening to the Fll season! Chapman showed his mastery in the Chichester Cup 1½-litre sports-car race (10 laps), in which his Lotus-Climax led all the way, winning at 87.32 m.p.h. in a very close finish, Flockhart (Lotus) being 0.6 sec. behind as they crossed the line, Hall’s Lotus-Climax third. Salvadori shed a plug lead from the twin-cam engine of his works Cooper, Hill’s Lotus won the 1,100-c.c. category at 85.29. m.p.h. Salvadori had the consolation of fastest lap, at 89.07 m.p.h., a class record, and Hall and Ireland (Lotus-Climax) set a new 1,100-c.c. lap record of 87.63 m.p.h.

The Richmond F1 Glover Trophy Race (32 laps) must be set down as a poor reflection on Britain’s G.P. cars. Moss took the lead and drew steadily away from the field with the race at his command—until, that is, the Vanwall’s throttle linkage broke in the old-time manner and he retired on lap 14. Brooks’ Vanwall had already stopped at its pit with the same trouble and Scott-Brown had spun off in the normal-bodied, carburetter Connaught. Later Scott-Brown retired with the gearbox oil-pump out of action. As Salvadori’s B.R.M. had spun off at Woodcote and Flockhart’s B.R.M. seemed to spend much of the race rotating, S. Lewis-Evans’ special-bodied, carburetter Connaught now took the lead. This it gamely held to the end, followed at a discreet distance by Fairman in Walker’s Connaught. Flockhart automatically became third, and fourth place (31 laps), in what should have been a stirring battle between Britain’s three G.P. contenders, was occupied by Brabham’s FII Cooper! Russell, feeling his way in the Gilby Maserati, covered 30 laps, Brooks 27 laps. To show that it is our fastest G.P. car, which anyway wasn’t in doubt, Brooks was signalled to break Moss’ Maserati’s lap record, on resuming, and he did this with all his inimitable skill, to record 96.43 m.p.h. (1 min. 29.6 sec.). Excellent — but what is the use of a G.P. vehicle which cannot last a mere 32 laps of the easy Goodwood circuit? Couldn’t aircraft technicians cure the Vanwall throttle-disconnecting tendency that is still losing this fine car races it would otherwise win? This stupid trouble has dogged Vanwall drivers far too long.

The best race was perhaps the Sussex Trophy, for over-1,500-c.c. sports cars. In this a British car built in a vest-pocket factory, in the form of the Lister-Jaguar, driven as only Scott-Brown drives a motor car, shot past Salvadori’s Aston Martin DBR1 into Madgwick and proceeded to pull out an unassailable lead. After the 21 laps it finished 21.2 sec. ahead of the more complicated Aston Martin; all the work Salvadori put into his drive and all the might of David Brown could do nothing about it. Archie averaged 89.42 m.p.h., or only 1.24 m.p.h. slower than the speed at which the F1 Connaught won the Glover Trophy. Brooks was third in a works DB3S Aston Martin and Duncan Hamilton in his radio-equipped D-type Jaguar beat Blond’s H.W.M. Jaguar, but only after a very hard drive. Winklemann (smart Cooper-Bristol) gave a demonstration more of bravura than skill until a front wheel fell off. The 2-litre award went to Naylor’s Lotus-Maserati, which did 20 laps at 83.97 m.p.h. To return to the fantastic Archie Scott-Brown, his fastest lap constitutes a new sports-car lap record of 91.33 m.p.h.

A not particularly stirring day’s racing, watched by a crowd declared as in excess of 55,000, concluded with a convincing victory for S. Lewis-Evans in Francis Beart’s Beart-Cooper, at 83.14 m.p.h., 30.2 sec. ahead of Hall’s Cooper-Norton, with Strange in Broadhead’s Cooper-Norton. The winner made fastest lap, at 84.54 m.p.h. — W. B.

Goodwood Glances

Salvadori’s FII Cooper-Climax FPF retired from the Lavant Cup Race because the clutch gave up.

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Tony Brooks’ excellent driving helped to win this race in Rob Walker’s smart blue FII Cooper-Climax FWB.

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Alf Francis had plenty of straightening out to do on the Connaught Jack Fairman bent on the Saturday. But he did it and Fairman made amends by driving it into second place in the big race, although not cornering rapidly enough to close on Lewis-Evans’ winning works Connaught with “toothpaste-tube” body.

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Jim Russell’s Gilby Maserati was only finished in the early a.m. of Easter Monday morning, requiring parts flown from Italy. It is now said to be in full 1957 trim.

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I. Walker’s Lotus-Ford had twin outrigged S.U.s and Willment i.o.e. “Power Master” cylinder heads.

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True, to an advertisement in the programme, the course patrol car was a red-and-black Austin-Healey 100-Six.

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Cliff Davis’ Lotus-Bristol retired from the Sussex Trophy Race. He towed it to Goodwood on a trailer behind a Hudson saloon carrying a multitude of club badges. Cliff finds a big American sedan ideal for this sort of work.

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T. W. Brown (Cooper-J.A.P.) started last and retired first in the Earl of March Trophy Race, spinning at Madgwick and sliding tail first into the barriers. On examining the closed-up tail of the Cooper he commented: “I’ve got a spare tail at home.” In this race J. S. Knox’s Cooper-J.A.P. driven by M. C. Brackenbury gained the special award for highest-placed J.A.P.-engined car.

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The “casualties” to the much publicised F1 Machinery in the Clover Trophy Race make sorry reading: Salvadori (B.R.M.) out on lap one, spinning off. Scott-Brown (Connaught), spun off on lap one, retired with loss of gearbox-oil pressure. Flockhart (B.R.M.) spun at St. Mary’s on three separate occasions. Moss (Vanwall) retired before half-distance. Brooks (Vanwall) had two pit stops; both with the customary throttle-linkage failure. So the snail won – for before the start Rodney Clark said Connaughts had insufficient speed for this race!

The traditional B.R.S.C.C. race meeting was run once again at Brands Hatch. This last day of the Easter Holiday presented a rather damp outlook in the morning which improved later in the day to give an excellent few hours for motor racing. Principal events of the day were the Easter Trophy Race, the 2-litre Sports-Car Race and the Sporting Record Trophy Race which is contested at Brands Hatch on three occasions throughout the year for Formula III cars driven by competitors who were placed first, second or third in any Formula III race during 1955 and 1956.

First race of the day on this occasion was the Francis Beart Trophy Race for Formula III cars, this event was run in three heats as usual and is for competitors not placed first, second or third in any Formula III event during the last two years. R. Bayton succeeded in winning this first heat from Plummer and Clare in J.A.P.-engined Coopers as opposed to Bayton’s Kieft-J.A.P. Fourth place was taken by L. Forster in a Parker J.A.P. Bayton’s average speed was 64.77 m.p.h.

The next heat of the same event saw “Pop” Lewis-Evans capture second place in his Cooper-Norton behind Newton’s Cooper-J.A.P. which maintained an average speed of 67.74 m.p.h. C. W. A. Heyward was fourth.

The Final heat of the Francis Beart Trophy involved a battle between “Pop” Lewis-Evans, Heyward and Newton. Heyward got off to a good start closely followed by Lewis-Evans, who later took the lead and finally won the heat at 65.57 m.p.h. Heyward and Wagner struggled for second place, but this was eventually taken by Newton in a J.A.P.-engined Cooper which shared the privilege of a joint fastest lap with Lewis-Evans’ Cooper-Norton at 68.89 m.p.h.

The Easter Trophy Race for sports cars up to 1,100-c.c. was a Cooper versus Lotus event and these are often of great interest. On this occasion the Lotus followers had to contend with Peter Gammon in a Cooper-Climax, formidable competition for anyone! Another Cooper was being driven by Patsy Burt who finished fifth. Gammon won at 70.95 with Raby, again in a Cooper, second.

The 1,100-2,000-c.c. sports-car event went to Horridge with his Lister-Bristol but not without a struggle with second man Millbank in a Lotus-M.G. and Jennings with his smart A.C.-Bristol who was third. Freeman tried hard with his old and well-loved Aston Martin but was unplaced. Horridge’s average speed was 64.51 m.p.h.

The Sporting Record Trophy Race resulted in a duel between Cowley and Raby and lower down the field Barrett and Brown fought for third place. Final placing was Cowley, who won at 70.86 m.p.h., Raby and Brown. The only mishap here was when S. Marks overturned his Cooper several times at Kidney Bend and unfortunately was fatally injured.

The up-to-1.100-c.c. sports-car race produced another crop of Lotus and Cooper models with results very similar to the Easter Trophy Race. Gammon and Raby pulled away from the starting line together but by the fourth lap Bristow overtook Raby and for many laps these two fought for second place, Bristow going round corners in a peculiarly unsteady manner. Raby, however, finally finished behind Gammon again who was a fraction slower than in the earlier race. Raby established a new track record of 72.70 m.p.h. and broke Colin Chapman’s existing one by 0.2 sec.

Finally came the J.A.P. race. Ellis and Mayne started well and were closely followed by Plummer but half-way through the race Bayton closed up and took second place which left Ellis the winner at 67.03 m.p.h. and Mayne third.

So ended another day of motor racing at Brands Hatch, a foretaste of many similar meetings to be organised by the B.R.S.C.C. this year. — I. G.