Gosport A.C. Speed Trials

The recently-formed Gosport A.C. has put itself effectively on the map with a speed trial over a quarter of a mile of the straight, well-surfaced Flight Test Road at Brockhurst on October 16th, by kind permission of Capt. (E) W. T. A. Jordan, O.B.E., RN. The event was happily informal, yet well run, but unfortunately heavy rain fell in the morning, which was just what the R.A.C. lacked the day before for the Championship Trial! The road only dried for the second runs by the sports cars, but quite a crowd spectated, nevertheless, and this new venue thus merits another event next season.

Brandon (Cooper-J.A.P.) made f.t.d. easily, in 14.83 sec., after clocking 14.93 sec. on his first run on a different gear ratio. He just went into top gear before the finish, crossing the line at over 90 m.p.h. and averaging over 60 m.p.h. He won the Osborn Trophy and £10. Raymond Way’s sports B.M.W. was a truly creditable runner-up, in 16.01 sec., and the Norris-Special made third fastest time, in 16.04 sec. Gordon Verner, driving a racing car for the first time in his life, won the 500-c.c. class in the Monaco, in 16.26 sec., beating Tipper, the car’s owner, who did 16.39 sec.

The Paddock produced much of interest, not the least absorbing sight being the incredibly hair-raising landings of a learner’s low-wing monoplane on the airfield adjacent! Confining ourselves to cars, Hartwell’s Hillman Minx was a shortened i.f.s. Minx with sports two-seater body, a Sunbeam-Talbot engine and supercharger. The Buckler had a Shorrock blower driven by dual belts, Hartridge’s TA M.G. a three-branch external exhaust system and dual-belt blower. Walker’s Riley Nine had a shortened chassis and two “exhaust” camshafts and external exhaust pipes, Crossby’s Special used a Bedford chassis, Vauxhall i.f.s., and a Marshall-blown Vauxhall Ten engine, while the smart, quiet Jupiter Special had a Mercury engine in an early Lea-Francis chassis, with a remote control to the Ford gearbox. Richard’s R.B.W. consisted of a shortened Rover Ten chassis, with normal 4.88 to 1 axle ratio, and a 3 1/2-litre Jaguar engine, the front brakes coming from a 1928 Lea-Francis. Edgar’s Alvista was the ex Axel-Berg “12/50” engined Riley “Redwing,” which made an unbelievably good time. Bowles clocked 18.7 sec. in his blown Austin “Ulster.” Miss Ould had worked all night replacing a broken half-shaft on her rather nice Bugatti, which has a combination of Type 22 and 23 engine, late-type Brescia radiator and a Wolseley gearbox. She was rewarded in spite of misfiring, by beating a 3-litre Bentley two-seater that was running on petrol/benzole. Very smart in a Merc-like way was Burnard’s 6 1/2-litre Bentley.