RACING NEWS.
RACING NEWS. CLOSE OF THE B.A.R.C. SEASON. AUTUMN BROOKLANDS MEETING.
ON Saturday, September 17th, the Brooklands Auto Racing Club brought their season to a close with a fine day’s racing in brilliant weather. The handicapping was excellent, and the finishes close.
100 M.P.H. SHORT HANDICAP.
In this race, Malcolm Campbell, on his Bugatti, showed terrific speed, but was overtaken by Eyston’s supercharged Bugatti and George Duller’s Bentley. Eyston won at a tremendous pace k sec. in front of Duller.
90 M.P.H. SHORT HANDICAP.
This race was won by R. A. Railton on an astonishingly fast Riley Nine.
THE LIGHTNING SHORT HANDICAP.
This provided a very close finish, J. R. Cobb on the Leyland-Thomas starting at scratch and just beating Campbell’s 2-litre Bugatti.
THt 90 M.P.H. LONG HANDICAP.
This event proved a win for the handicapper, BoydCarpenter’s Austin Seven holding its lead to the finish, although almost caught by the Bugatti driven by P. Densham.
100 M.P.H. LONG HANDICAP. In the next race, a.100 m.p.h. Long Handicap, Evston again got his Bugatti moving, and despite the re-handicapping, brought it home well ahead of the next man,
Raymond Mays on the 1980 c.c. Mercedes. Cobb on the big Fiat had a thrill when something happened to one front wheel, which, owing possibly to a tie rod coming adrift, wobbled drunkenly along at over 100 m.p.h.
RACE FOR THE BROOKLANDS PRESIDENT’S GOLD PLATE.
V. Gillow on his Riley at last came into his own, and walked off with the President’s Gold Plate, Campbell on the 200 mile race Talbot doing no better than second place.
THY,’ LIGHTNING LONG HANDICAP.
This race showed what Campbell can do, however, his 2-litre Bugatti winning fairly easily from Cobb’s Leyland-Thomas although the issue was in doubt up to the Byfleet Banking.
50-MILE HANDICAP.
The grand finale was the 50 mile handicap, which developed into a terrific battle. Thirteen started, but retirements rapidly followed, Whale (Calthorpe) and Felix Scriven (” Nanette “) being early strewn by the wayside. Passing and re-passing was constant, but the four seater Alvis driven by F. Hallam gradually increased its lead, eventually crossing the line a lap ahead of the next man. Second place provided a terrific duel between H. W. Purdy (Thomas Special) and J. R. Cobb (Vauxhall) the former scraping home barely a length ahead. Results in full overleaf :—
Two-Stroke Records.
It is not often that two-stroke motorcycles break records at Brookla,nds, for the track habitues have of recent years devoted themselves to the cultivation of the overhead valve engine. The performance of a 1928 Dunelt ” K” in securing the 7 hours, 500 miles and 8 hours records in. the 250 c.c. class last week is thus particularly creditable. The speeds were 64.65 m.p.h., 64.22 m.p.h., and 64.16 m.p.h. respectively, which beat the existing records by some three miles per hour. Actually the riders-N. Anderson and J. B. Arrowsmith, taking the saddle alternatively-started off by
lapping at about 73 m.p.h. They were then “flagged down,” as this was unnecessarily fast, and lapped at about 69 m.p.h., so that the average for the first six hours, including stops for replenishments, etc., was approximately 67 m.p.h. In the seventh hour ignition trouble developed and 15 minutes or so were spent in fitting a new contact breaker and a new plug. This was of little avail, but the machine kept on running and despite the loss of time the records mentioned above were broken. After 8 hours the ignition failed altogether and the riders were thus unable to attack the longer records.
To average 64 m.p.h. under these trying conditions for eight hours is, however, no mean performance and it proves that the two-stroke, especially in the Dunelt super-charged form will run fast and cool for an indefinite period.
THE BROOKLANDS CHAMPIONSHIP MEETING.
ONCE again Freddie Dixon, the racing motorcyclist, has created a record. A few weeks ago he distinguished himself by covering the Flying Kilometre on his Brough-Superior at the terrific speed of 130 m.p.h. ; now he has lapped Brooklands track at over 100 m.p.h. on the same machine but with a sidecar attached !
Some riders, basing their assertions on the results of the Ulster Grand Prix, have said that the big-twin is ” finished “in that it is no faster than the single. Dixon’s recent successes destroy this theory completely for no single cylinder has lapped Brooklands at anything like 100 m.p.h. with a sidecar-in fact but few of them have done it solo-and there is no doubt at all that a supertuned big-twin is, as it ought to be, considerably faster than a single of similar design.
The Brooklands champions for the year proved to be as follows : Solo-250 c.c., J. S. Worters (Excelsior) ; 350 c.c., C. Lacey (Grindla.y-Peerless) ; 500 c.c., II. Le Vack (New Hudson), and 1000 c.c., 0. M. Baldwin (Zenith) ; sidecar-350 c.c., F. 0. Hicks (Velocette) ; 600 c.c., C. S. Staniland (Norton), and 1000 c.c., F. W. Dixon (Brough-Superior). Dixon also won the sidecai handicap race, the solo handicap falling to T. G. Meeten’s Francis-Barnett which, with its tiny 122 c.c. Villiers engine, averaged over 55 miles per hour.
Grand Prix Items.
There was very little ” scrapping” on the corners, drivers usually refraining from overtaking except on the straight. On_ one occasion however Williams overtook Campbell entering the last set of bends but got into difficulty by the final sandbank and was repassed by Campbell, who as usual was cornering very soberly.
The Bugatti brakes seemed to stand up better than those of the Delages. Right up to the end of the race Materassi, Chiron and Williams were leaving their deceleration until very late whereas the Delage drivers were noticeably more cautious. It is possible, however, that the Bugattis were fitted with new shoes at half time as we observed quickly “fit-able ” spare shoes in some of the pits.