The B.A.R.C. Autumn Meeting

display_5689f27b5a

Salvadori Wins F. II Race for Cooper. Vanwall Demonstration Ends in Distress

It used to be traditional for the B.A.R.C. to hold its closing race meeting of the season at Brooklands, during an October Motor Show Saturday. These days the B.A.R.C. racing season ends rather earlier but at Goodwood on September 28th something of the old atmosphere prevailed, as the cars and drivers assembled in crisp air and autumnal sunshine.

This year this National Meeting was improved by the inclusion of a Formula II race and also by the surprise appearance of Stirling Moss in the Italian G.P.-winning Vanwall, the B.A.R.C. thereby stealing a march on the B.R.D.C., who had failed to attract a Vanwall to Silverstone. Moss equalled, unofficially, Brooks’ race-lap record of 96.43 m.p.h. but the Vanwall, deliberately uncleaned since its great Monza victory, and with that race and much Silverstone testing behind it, suffered severe engine trouble on its fifth lap.

Practice produced a remarkable number of mechanical derangements and many very rapid laps. Tony Brooks was credited with unofficially setting a new lap record a 96.64 m.p.h. in Rob Walker’s 1½-litre Cooper-Climax, but Tony thought the timekeepers might have been in error and that he made this speed in the oversize F.1 Cooper, which, however, carried a “T” instead of a number. Brabham beat (all this unofficially, of course, as lap records have to be established during a race these days) Salvadori’s F. II record of 91.52 m.p.h., his Cooper doing 94.53 m.p.h. and Salvadori’s 93.71 m.p.h. Russell bettered his F. III speed of 84.87 m.p.h. with 85.54 m.p.h. and Lewis-Evans did 85.21 m.p.h. Scott-Brown equalled his sports-car record of 91.33 m.p.h. in the Lister-Jaguar. Looker had the bottom fall out of his Morgan Plus Four and, although he worked prodigiously to install a “cooking” Vanguard substitute rushed from Worcestershire for the purpose, he non-started.

*

500-c.c. 10-lap Scratch Race

Stuart Lewis-Evans, returning as it were to the kindergarten, led all the way in the Beart-Cooper, demonstrating that neither he nor Francis Beart have lost their touch when it comes to 500-c.c. racing. Russell’s Cooper-Norton could make no impression but a rare battle for third place was waged by Don Parker (Cooper) and Boshier-Jones (Cooper). The latter repeatedly tried to take Parker at Lavant Corner but an excursion on to the grass dropped him back. Lewis-Evans set the F.III lap record to 86.92 m.p.h.

Madgwick Cup — Sports Cars up ro 1,100 c.c. — 10 laps — Scratch

Contested between a magnificent traffic-jam of Climax-powered cars, Innes Ireland showed “Brooklands Memorial Trophy” form, catching and passing Stacey’s Team Lotus after four laps. However, he made a mistake and spun off sensationally at St. Mary’s, damaging his Lotus too badly to continue, on the ninth lap. Stacey now had a clear lead and the other Team Lotus cars of Hall, who hit the chicane fence, and Ashdown, filled second and third places, followed by Bueb’s Lotus. Scott-Brown spent the early part of the race thrusting through the field in the Elva, but he spun at the chicane and fell back, Mackenzie-Low’s Elva taking fifth place ahead of Westcott’s Lotus. Ireland and Stacey set the 1,100-c.c, sports-car lap record to 88.71 m.p.h.

Woodcote Cup — Formula II Racing Cars — 10 laps — Scratch

This race, in which the largest field ever gathered together under the present Formula — 19 cars — started, developed into an exciting duel between Salvadori and Brabham in the works twin-cam Coopers. On lap eight, after a battle in which both drivers drove on the limit, only a length separated Brabham from Salvadori at Levant and the Australian made a great effort to pass, without avail. Salvadori won the fastest race ever run at Goodwood by 0.6 sec. but Brabham was timed to lap faster, setting a new 1½-litre and F.II record of 96.0 m.p.h. — only 0.43 m.p.h slower than the Vanwall absolute lap record! Brooks seemed unhappy in Walker’s twin-cam Cooper but eventually got going and worked up to fourth place, unable to pass Allison’s works twin-cam Lotus. Hill in another works twin-cam Lotus held third place for seven laps, chased by Ireland’s twin-cam Cooper until Innes had an argument with the chicane hurdles. Wicken removed almost all that was left of these hurdles and carried a large portion under his Cooper until flagged off. The only single-cam cars in the race were Stoop’s 1.220-c.c. Cooper and Fairman in Walker’s Cooper-Climax. The Smith-Climax had “blown-up” its single-cam engine in practice. The new Lister-Climax made its debut in Scott-Brown’s charge but retired at Woodcote on lap six with engine trouble, oil sluicing the cockpit. Gibson’s Cooper stopped with a stuck-open throttle on lap four.

Goodwood Trophy — Unlimited Sports Cars — 21 laps — Scratch

This exciting race got away to a Le Mans start. Scott-Brown executed this well and led all the way in the Lister-Jaguar, which, defeated only once this season, at Silverstone by a 3.7-litre Aston Martin, built up an unassailable lead almost at once. Brabham shook off all pursuers in the works Tojeiro-Jaguar, but the interest was fully sustained by Salvadori, who put up a stupendous drive in Coombs’ twin-cam Lotus Climax, taking on Naylor’s Lotus-Maserati, which is probably the fastest 2-litre sports car in the country. Roy is a driver whom all who like to see racing at the limit and thrusting through regardless admire. Now he closed with and disposed of Taylor’s D-type Jaguar (!) and went after Naylor. But one would wish that Salvadori would show a little restraint. He took Naylor at Levant on lap 15 — coming through on the inside at an impossible speed and braking hard as soon as he had passed Naylor — but he slid wide and consequently fell well back, Taylor re-passing. Undaunted, Salvadori wound the Lotus up again but failed to catch Taylor. He had put up a prodigious performance in a 1½-litre car. He set a class sports-car lap record of 90.0 m.p.h. Naylor had the 2-litre race easily but left the road at Woodcote a lap from the finish, when a front suspension member broke. Shale’s Cooper-Jaguar retired with a broken water-hose connection, Kyffin’s Lister-Jaguar, outclassed, ran out of road at St. Mary’s and called it a day, and Hill spun his Team Lotus at the chicane. Archie won by 34.2 sec. and lapped at 90.38 m.p.h.

Marque Scratch Race — 10 laps

This resolved itself into a duel between two cars you and I cannot buy — Dalton’s disc-braked Austin-Healey 100-Six and Carnegie’s Le Mans, disc-braked M.G. MGA. Carnegie failed to catch the larger car by a mere 1.2 sec. on a drive rendered uncomfortable because oil-smoke obscured the cockpit at the corners. Foster followed in third place in Jacobs’ more normal M.G. MGA. In spite of going slowly, Atkins spun his M.G. MGA coupe at Madgwick. Dalton lapped at 77.70 m.p.h.

September Handicap — Sports Cars — 5 laps

The day’s racing concluded with a handicap in which Jean Bloxham’s Aston Martin DB2 and Patsy Burt’s smart Cooper-Climax 1,100 were chased by 17 male dicers. Jean was swamped but Patsy won her race, reward for a season of hard trying. The Elva-Climax came in second only 0.4 sec, behind but Scott-Brown’s Elva-A.J.B dropped the customary exhaust valve. Bueb shared fastest lap (86.92 m.p.h.) with Heal before his Lotus retired.

*.

Between the fourth and fifth races Moss failed to break the lap record , but broke the Vanwall. Nevertheless, the small crowd present no doubt welcomed this opportunity of seeing Britain’s most successful Grand Prix car. — W. B.