VSCC Cadwell Park Finale

VSCC Cadwell Park Finale

THE FINAL VSCC race meeting of 1984 took place on August Bank Holiday Sunday at the picturesque and hospitable Cadwell Park road-circuit. It marked not only the Golden Jubilee of the VSCC but also of Cadwell Park circuit itself and of the ERA, many of which were competing. So, with an entry of over 160 and warm sunshine, this was a great occasion. The 10-race Programme started with Dick Smith coming through in his Frazer Nash to overtake Farquhar’s Dixon Riley 9 two laps from the end, to win the Melville and Geoghegan Trophies Race. Farquhar had been locked in combat with Wills’ Brooklands Riley, which he beat by 0.5 sec. Further down the field Quartermaine’s 30/98 had been locked in a close duel with Scott’s 30/98 but the latter went by on the third of the eight laps, taking fourth place by 2.5 sec and the Melville Trophy. Smith’s very noisy ‘Nash made best lap, before going a bit off-song . On the last lap Stretton spun and So/shed in reverse, standing on the ‘Nash’s seat! A five-lap Handicap came next, won by Curries A7 from MacLean’s A7, with Crabtree’s 12,70 Alvis third, Curries start especially good. Excitement increased as Hugh Conway and other Bugattint gathered at the start to watch the 10-lap Williams Monaco Trophy Race for two-seater GP cars, of which there were 14, with the M..z. Alfas of Felton and Summers elvosing 10 Bugatt is. Sir John Venables-Llewelyn led all the way in Lord Raglan’s T51, • driving extremely well, although Martin Morris, in Marks’ 151, closed on him towards the end. John, however, won by four seconds, having made fastest lap, at 70.23 mph, exactly one mph quicker than his race-average. Dutton in Heimann’s T51 was third, 5.2 sec behind Morris, with Kain in his T35B fourth. ahead Smith’s Nurburg Frame Nash that took Bruton 11.a-titre or non-cc award, avIng held-off Wall’s T35T Bugatti and sres,on, whose 35B had had a pit-stop. u.mers’ Monza never got away properly,

Felton’s, perhaps too low-geared, retired after two laps, and St John’s and Howell’s Bugattis also failed to finish, while the notably quiet Becquet-Delage was again not on form, although Arnold-Forster beat the small Bugs of Posner and Zeuncr.

The traditional Frazer Nash ON Handicap, over five laps, was won by D. B. Smith’s Super Sports, from Kirkpatrick’s TT Rep, with R. J. B. Smith’s Super Sports third, and with best lap at 67.27 mph, hut A. G. Smith’s Nurburg had enough after three circuits. Clutton, in his AC-powered TT Rep, made the term “OAP” seem ridiculous, by coming in ninth out of 16 finishers. Footitt then took the eight-lap Scratch Race for Vintage Cars, in the “Cognac”. But until half-distance it was very exciting, as Harper’s Morgan, which had about set light to its single back tyre on take-off, led Footitt by a whisker, before Rain’s T35B Bugatti went ahead. In the end Footitt won, by 34.3 sec, Kain second, Harper third — could they have staged that exciting first half? Otherwise, only Threlfall, touring round in the McDowell that was self-retarding its ignition, the LSR Delage, and a Riley 9 finished, Giles’ “Salome” having retired.

The 10-lap Pre-War Scratch Race promised better, with “Black-theInvincible” out in his beautiful P3 Alfa Romeo. Lead it did, for four laps. Then the nis front hub broke up, the wheel came off, and David had a lucky escape as the car left the road. At the time Martin Morris, in ERA RIIB, had been about five lengths behind, going great guns, and he went on to win, by 12.2 sec, from Spollon’s ERA R8C, Martin having lapped at 72.9 mph. Colborne’s 4CM Maserati was third until Footitt passed it on lap five and it fell back, to retire on lap seven, when the “Cognac” also stopped, Ron said because he had no more racing plugs to put in it. That gave Thwaites, in ERA R68, third place, with March (RIB) and Guy Smith’s big Alvis-Frazer Nash some way behind. After Gardner’s J4 Replica MG had taken a five-lap Handicap from the tee-twin Trice

and Gonna Q-type replica MG, the 10-lap Allcomer’s Scratch Race was lined-up. Alas, with but nine runners. It was a race only between Mann and Halford, in their Lotus 16s, Bruce driving his car as Willie Green was ill. Mann led all the way, but as they crossed the line only 0.4 sec separated them. Thwaites, now in a Maserati 250F, in spite of locking-up his wheels as he strove to keep Marsh’s Cooper-Bristol at bay, was third. Halford set a new class lap-record 175.98 mph) while closing on Mann. Only two pre-war cars finished, Gahapn leading home Hcimann’s T51 Bugatti, in the K3 MG. There were still two more races to come. Robert Giles delayed the Spero / Voiturette Trophies Race by rolling “Salome”, with more damage to the car than to self (we hope, though, that the teddy-bear Freddie Giles carries on the car was oh), while Hornby can out of road elsewhere on the circuit. Restarted, Campbell’s Austin-Fiat won the Spero Trophy part, from Farquhar, with Rawson’s A7, going faster, third, and Voiturette Trophy winner. The last five-lap Handicap was a victory for Harris’ replica Lagonda Rapide, the big tourer holding off Walker’s Speed 20 Alvis and Bugler’s LG45 Lagonda. The presentations followed, my wife giving the MOTOR SPORT Brooklands Memorial Trophy to David Black, who had the vast total of 80 points in spite of his calamity that afternoon, Footitt second, Spollon third. At my suggestion the top pen people, Shcaffer, had put up their “Vintage” pen-and-pencil set as an additional prize, which found Black clutching that, the Trophy and a champagne bottle, with the cheque for 050 in his mouth, for a hectic moment . . . (Both the winning Alfa, as Charlie Martin’s old car, and the ERA, ex-Earl Howe, raced at Brooklands.) Michael Bowler’s wife then presented the Pace Trophy to Burrows (Alvis Speed 25 special), and I had the pleasure of giving to Mrs Jane Bertram a long tubular con-rod from the Barnato Hassan Special. Keith Schellenberg (who was not present) had thoughtfully had this mounted on a plinth with a VSCC badge and inscribed “Presented to Mrs Jane Bertram from admirers of her husband Oliver”, who, of course, posthumously holds the Class-B Brooklands lap-record in this car (if not perhaps with that particular con-rod) at 142.60 mph, a fine performance among many others, for an amateur driver, in 1935.

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