B.A.R.C. Members' Meeting, Goodwood (Sept. 24th)

One of the season’s most pleasant club meetings was that of the B.A.R.C. at Goodwood on September 24th. In perfect summer weather the programme, for sports cars only, began with a five-lap scratch race for up-to-1,200-c,c. models. Slow to start was Chapman, driving the disc-braked works Lotus as used in the T.T., while Page and Steed also drove Climax-engined Lotus models. By the third lap Chapman was hard on the heels of Page and in the ensuing lap was in the lead and won by a comfortable margin. The only minor incident in this race was when Ellis clouted the wooden fence outside the chicanes, but no time was lost and he came round on the following lap without one rear wing.

Event two, a most interesting race, the ladies’ five-lap handicap, saw Mrs. Vickers start well in the XK120 Jaguar, soon followed by Mrs. Gibbs in the H.R.G. Mrs. Nancy Mitchell in a Daimler Conquest was really getting tough with the car on some corners and kept her foot hard down on the throttle all the way, Mrs. Vickers chased Angela Lane’s three-carburetter Zephyr-engined Cooper, while the leaders. Mary Morten out front, Patsy Burt’s Aston Martin DB2/4 and Nancy Mitchell’s Daimler in line astern, battled on. Mary Morton’s rather unexpectedly brilliant drive resulted in a winning speed of 71.84 m.p.h.

Five-lap scratch and handicap races followed, the former being won by Chapman at 82.53 m.p.h., establishing a very fine lead over his rivals Page and Steed, although Page and Williams nearly had a prang in the chicanes, Williams driving the ex-Clive Edwards Lea, Francis-engined H.R.G.; retirements were Young’s Weldangrind and Coombs’ Lotus. The latter event, the handicap race, began with David Piper in the lead with the Empire Lotus, driving magnificently. Piper simply increased his lead over all the other competitors until he crossed the winning line about half a mile ahead of second man, Constable in the TD M.G. First of the batch of TR2s was Bartlett’s blue and maroon model; M. G. Ireland in a Riley wasted no time at all, and Lord Strathcarron thundered along well in the ex-team Talbot 105, only to retire before the finish. The 10-lap scratch race for the Motor Sport Brooklands Memorial Trophy was won by George Abecassis in an H.W.M., followed by M. W. Head (D-type Jaguar). Tommy Sopwith came third on the points won in previous races since he did not run at this meeting. Scott-Russell (Lotus-Bristol) and Protheroe (C-type Jaguar) diced happily together. Fisher’s Kieft-Bristol slowed down and finally stopped at the chicanes, and Ogier tried very hard indeed with his XK120 Jaguar. Abecassis’ speed here was 82.71 m.p.h.

Next came the closed-car handicap rare, in which some surprising speeds were put up by ordinary cars. The start saw Bell and Miles in Morris Minors pull away front Graham’s Austin A30, while Mann’s Alfa-Romeo gained on Hely driving a hard-top Healey Silverstone, as did Gillett’s Jaguar on Tice’s Allard coupé. Cooper’s Riley 2½-litre eventually passed W. S. Frost in a Bristol after the two had been running neck and neck for several laps, and then Gillett got round to chasing Mann’s twin-carburetter Alta-head Morris, which had been steaming round very rapidly. Finally Gillett took first place, with Mann’s 1,900 Alfa-Romeo second, having liquidated all other rivals. Hely came third and Miles fourth.

Two five-lap handicap races then concluded the meeting. The first was won by Protheroe in the Jaguar at 81.66 m.ph. Derrick in the DB3 Aston Martin was first to make a move; soon Mann’s 2.9 Monza Alfa-Romeo and Symondson’s 57S Bugatti were fighting desperately together, the Bugatti finally drawing away. Second to cross the line at the finish was F. L. Farquharson’s Allard, and then D. Lewis in another Allard. The final handicap event began with Foreman’s Bentley in the lead but TR2-mounted Giles relieved the Bentley of this position, as did Constable’s M.G. to came second, the Bentley seeming slightly faster un corners but the Triumph had the steam on the straights. Fastest lap in this contest was made by the Hon. R. Lindsay in an H.W.M. at 76.6o m.p.h.; he later overturned but no serious consequences resulted. — I. G.