The Eastern Counties M.C. Snetterton Meeting

(Oct 9th)

The Eastern Counties Motor Club race meeting at Snetterton on Saturday, October 9th, was held in fine weather. The meeting started promptly at 12 o’clock and the seven events were run through very slickly, although there was no set time-table.

The first race was won by J. R. Stoop in his Frazer-Nash at a speed of 74.98 m.p.h., after the first corner the race became a procession spreading out in each successive lap.

Event No. 2 received added interest when it was learned that Roy Salvadori was to drive Miss Angela Brown’s DB2 Aston Martin. In the first lap D. Kasterine in a Jaguar XK120 came round first, followed closely by J. Sears in his blue hard top Jaguar XK120, he in his turn being harried by Salvadori’s less powerful DB2. In the following lap Salvadori overtook Sears and began to catch up Kasterine which he was unable to do before the chequered flag fell, leaving the finishing order Kasterine, Salvadori and Sears. D. Shale, in his Autin-Healey 100, and K. Rudd, in the A.C. ace, were having a struggle for fourth and fifth places in the overall positions and second and third in the 2/3-litre class, Rudd was unable to overtake Shale, although only 0.4 sec. behind on the finishing line.

Event three, 10-lap race sports cars on two classes up to 1,200 c.c. and 1,200-1,500 c.c. This race could have been called the Lotus benefit race as seven of the twelve starters were driving Lotus cars. The first, second and third in the larger class were Chapman, Lotus; Coombs, Lotus-Connaught; and Margulies, Lotus; all three members of the Lotus team. In the smaller class, however, D. R. Moore, in his M.G., was first, followed by Nichol’s C.S.M. Also running in the race was the finely turned out R.W.G. of Goodwood fame, but now driven by C. M. Lund, who seemed to be having some mechanical trouble.

The next event for sports cars run in two classes, 1 ½-litre and 2 ½-litre, proved a very interesting race. On the first lap four cars pulled away from the rest of the field, they were Sopwith in his Sphinx, Tony Crook in his Cooper Bristol, Scott-Brown in his Lister-Bristol, and Salvadori’ now driving his Maserati. They remained in this order for the first three laps, on the fourth lap Tony Crook overtook Sopwith, but the effort was too much for the Cooper-Bristol and it failed to come round for lap five. On this same lap the Lister-Bristol, superbly driven by Scott-Brown, went past Sopwith into the lead where he stayed until the end. Close behind the first two cars was Salvadori in the Maserati, and though he pushed the car hard he could make no impression on the leaders. For fourth and fifth places, P. Scott-Russell and C. A. S. Brookes, in Frazer-Nashes were duelling between themselves; Brookes seemed faster out of the corners and Scott-Russell quicker into them, which meant that when Scott-Russell overtook Brookes on the third lap he remained in front, although challenged repeatedly every succeeding lap.

The next event was the 500 c.c. race with Don Parker, Les Leston and Russell leading the field. On the first lap Les Leston led from Don Parker and Russell, but he did not remain there for long, braking too late at the hairpin he ran wide and Parker’s maroon Kieft went into the lead, followed closely by Russell’s Cooper.

Some laps later Russell attempted to overtake Parker at the hairpin, delayed his braking a moment too long and took the corner wide, dropping some way behind Parker who was left a clear run to victory, with Russell 4 sec. behind, and Leston 8 sec. behind him.

The next two races were rather spoiled for us, due to a brush with officialdom, which until then had been only too helpful.

The first was the Formule Libre, which was won easily by Salvadori in his Maserati. Behind him came a gaggle of Connaughts, D.Beauman leading them in the final laps, having overtaken W.Whitehouse earlier on, fourth was J. Riseley Prichard’s Connaught only 3 sec. behind Whitehouse.

The last event was a handicap made up of class winners from the first four events. On the whole the handicapping was good, but J. R. Stoop, Frazer-Nash, was given too long a start, and won by 47 sec., second and third places were very much closer. J. Soars’ Jaguar was just pipped on the line by Salvadori’s Maserati. — M. T.