Brooklands Riley 2

Sir,

That was a delightful article on the Brooklands Riley. I never realised how Parry Thomas could have been so closely involved, though I remember seeing a Brooklands nine in bits in his workshop a bit later, probably in 1930.

I can identify PK 2706, a works car driven, and crashed, by John Cobb in the 1929 TT. The Hon. Brian Lewis had PK 2705 and S. C. H. Davis had PK 2707. (Also confirmed by C. M. B. Kike, of Taunton Ed). All those team cars appeared later in private hands, though I believe PK 2706 had a new chassis-frame after Cobb’s fairly extensive shunt near Ballystochart in that TT.

I was sorry to read of A. F. Ashby’s death, but very pleased to see such a very nice obituary. We had been friends for fifty years, meeting at Brooklands in 1928 when he won a “Disabled Drivers Handicap” in his side-valve Riley. You illustrate his Brooklands Nine, VC 835. I drove that car on the outer circuit in 1931 just before practice for the LCC Relay Grand Prix (where I was a pit marshal). A rather apprehensive Frank Ashby sitting beside me fearful lest a young brash Rivers Fletcher (that was 47 years ago!) might blow his engine.

He was a mine of information to Riley and Alfa-Romeo enthusiasts in Australia, and on my visits to that country I spent happy hours with him in his bungalow by the sea near Sydney. He shared my other interest in motor cruising, successfully competing in the 1948 Pavillion D’or International to the Hague in his 112 ft. “B” .Class Fairmile “Aramel”.

Kineton A. F. RIVERS FLETCHER