ASTON MARTINS TROUNCE JAGUARS IN GOODWOOD "NINE HOURS"

ASTON MARTINS TROUNCE JAGUARS IN GOODWOOD “NINE HOURS”

XKI 20C’s Engines and Disc Brakes Fail on Punishing Circuit. Frazer-Nash Win Team Prize.

FOR the second time the B.A.R.C. Nine-Hour Race (August 22nd) was a great success, besides being a picturesque spectacle as the Sussex circuit twinkled with fairy lights. Abroad, when they decide to have a long-duration sports-car race it goes on for up to 24 hours, lights being essential by grace of God. In England the hours of darkness are by arrangement of Mr. H. J. Morgan. In this respect the ” Nine Hours ” is a ” circus “; but it is also one of the toughest sports-car races there is. This was proved when Jaguars which ran trouble-free for 24 hours at over 100 m.p.h. at Le Mans retired after averaging around 80 ut.p.h. for eight hours at Goodwood, their disc brakes failing, their bearings worn out—and by the heavy consumption of tyres, Dunlop changing some 300 covers, many of which were either burst or with treads completely stripped. All honour to the Aston Martins, captained by John Wyer and driven by Parnell and Thompson and Collins and Griffith, for winning this punishing race for the second year in succession, at 78.94 m.p.h. They used Mintexlined Girling drum brakes, with Girling automatic adjusters.

The under-2-litre ears bad fewer troubles and Frazer-Nash ”.on convincingly. The B.A.R.C.” Nine Hours ” maintained its ren:nation for a race packed with drama at the “eleventh hour” (Jaguar retired about the same time last year), and we hope 1954 will see Continental teams in action on this cruel circuit.

The Nine-110111-s Race should provide a source of discussion for technicians for many weeks to come. 1:ntil the closing stages the works XK120C Jaguars led the 1)133(S) Aston Martins. But the faster cars, both over and under 2-litres, were consuming prodigious quantities of tyres, in spite of the cool weather. And the Dunlop disc brakes of the Jaguars, so triumphant at he Mans. proved unsuited to Goodwood’s many corners in a 2.1-mile lap. Those on the back of the Whitehead/Stewart car could be seen glowing cherryred both before and after adjustment., and Hamilton and Moss experienced brake grab. Hamilton charging through the chicane wall with all wheels hwked on one occasion—with commendable presence of mind Duncan immediately drove back through the hole he had made so as not to lose a lap, before drawing in to his pit. The official race bulletins rceord the tyre mortality of the works J aguar and Aston Martin teams as : – MossiWalker Jaguar … 13 wheel changes Bolt/Hamilton Jaguar … 12 „ WhitebeadiStewart Jaguar … „ Parnell/Thompson Aston Martin … 13 „ Salvadori/Poore Aston Martin … Retired early Collins/Griffith Aston Martin … 12 wheel changes

Jaguar were on Dunlop, Aston Martin on Avon (who had a pit. sign ” Avon Wishes Good Luck to Aston Martin “), and the score seems mutual ! You can call it ronghly 55 miles per tyre for the leaders. In practice-, which was mainly wet, Abeeassis sprang a surprise by making fastest lop in the I-M.:W.-Jaguar. with Schell second fastest in the 2-litre Gordini. In the race Moss and Bolt set the pace for Jaguar, but. the 11.W.M. sat comfortably in third place until the weight of fuel caused! the bodly to rub away the back tyres ; later a broken exhaust timing chain retired the car. The. Gordini was very fast and went through the chicane. beautifully driven, in trite G. P. style, lout it vonsumed vast quantities of plugs-eleven in less than four hours probably due to broken rings on Nos. 1 and 4 idstons-a pity. The Aston Martins started badly, the Salvadori;Poore car having steering trouble and retiring after only I hr. 22 min. with a leaky water joint. Parnell and Collins pressed on, Collins driving like one possessed with a desire to close with Jaguars. his squealing Avons heralding his coining. Burst tyres twice brought him in acrid l also delayed Parnell. But as the Jaguar’s brakes grew weaker and their bearings passed more and more oil the Aston Martins closed up, to lead in the last hour. after the Moss and Bolt Jaguars had retired with loss of oil pressure. The final sixty minutes were rendered dramatic its Whitehead (Jaguar) strove. almost brakeless, to catch Griffith in the third Aston Martin. but Vhitehead

failed to do this, so that Wyer haul the joy of bringing his Aston Martina—winners last year.—home, first and second.

Of the other over-2-litre class cars, the Austin-llealey. Mann’s 0132 and the Meyer 1)113 coupe were not quick enough, both AllardS retired with broken half-shafts (Page’s was returned to the race after literally hours of work, only to break the opposite shaft), and the Ecurie Ecosse .Hruars were not driven quite fast enough to close with the leaders, although they were, perhaps,. happier this time to play with drums and -relieved not to have spent the very considerable sum of money required to convect to disc brakes. Apart fram tyre changes,, the Ilamilton Jaguar had to come in after it,. encounter with the chicane to have a wing inspected, Moss was delayed slightly, first by a loose fog-lamp, then through an

.dastened bonnet, and oil was added to both the Bolt and Whitehead cars, apart from routine replenishments, as the bearings began to fail, while the Whitehead car required inspection and adjustment of its red-hot brakes. Aston Martin, besides routine replenishments, added brake fluid to Parnell’s car, and adjusted the lamps and inspected the foot-brake pedal -on Collins’ car. But on this difficult circuit 3-litres triumphed over 3.1-litres, drum brakes over discs. In the under-2-litre class CooperBristols opened strongly, Brown leading o front cliff Davies in his Tojeiro. Then an limn fuel filler(?) caused a small tire on Davis’ car and later he touched the chicane wall and Imckled a rear wheel. Tyre troubles intervened, John Cooper sending to Surbiton for more as Dunlop’s stock became low, and the Frazer-Nashes came up strongly, Gerard leading from Brown, with Stoop’s new de Dion-Frazer-Nash, with odd liody having the spare wheel in the flat tail, close behind. A ding-dong battle Went on, and Coombs’ Cooper-Bristol came into the picture. Stoop led from Gerard at half-distance, when Brown’s car had lost oil pressure. Towards the end Coombs overturned at St. Mary’s. but was unhurt. The Gerard/Clarke Le Mans Replica Frazer-Nash won by four laps front the Brown/Currie Cooper-Bristol, with the Stoop(Wilson FrazerNash third and on the same lap as Brown. As a matter of comparison the tyre changes of these three had been : -Stoop/Wilson Frazer-Nash 5) wheels changed Gerard/Clarke Frazer-Nash 11 Brown/Currie Cooper-Bristol … 10 „ •,

The Gordini would undoubtedly have won this class, possibly the race, but for its odd plug trouble. The Porsche lacked speed hut kept going, the Kieft. was never really healthy, retiring with a blown gasket and ignition trouble, Ruddock’s Lester-M.G. lost all it:5 oil pressure. and poor 1). :M. D. Blakely, using the new twin o.h.c. head um the Singer engine of his Le Mans H.R.G., haul every conceivable trouble, culminating in clutch failure. In a race notable for pit-stops you could almost always see the II.R.G. either coining in or going out, its troubles numbering loose exhaust Pipe, carburetters needed adjusting, ignition trouble, coil lead fell off twice, loss of water, faulty throttle linkage, broken wing stay, broken oil pipe, jamming throttle linkage, brae wear, loss of oil pressure, blown headlamp bulb, plugs changed, check distributor, flooding carburetter, and a rattle at the rear end. Results s

Over 2,000 c.c. s 1st Parnell/Thompson (Aston Martin 1)113(S)). 712.9 miles. 297 ‘al., 78.91 m.p.h.

2nd Collin,i;t:ri)ith (Aston Martin DB3(S)), 295 laps.

3rd Whitelserul/Stewart (Jaguar Type (:). 295 laps.

Under 2.000 c.c. lst : Gerard!C:larke ( l”rav.er-Nash). 280 laps.

2oul Brown:Currie (Cooper-Bristol). 276 laps. 3rd Stoup’Wilsors (Frazer-Nash). 276 lap,,

General chtssifieation. -1st : Parnell/Thompson (Aston Martin); 2ntl : Collins/ Grillith (Aston Martin): 3rd : Whitehend/Stewart (Jaguar): ,11/1: Stewart/ his (Jaguar): Stls : LawreneeiCurtis (Jaguar); 611u a GerardClarke (FrazerNashl.

Teans Award.-• Fromer-Nashes of Stoup, Gerard and Melvin (A.P.N. Ltd.).

Retired : Mitehell (Frazer-Nash). wheel stsnli polled out: Salvadori (Aston Martin), leaky water joint; Bryde (Allard), broken half-shaft; Roodsloek (LesterM.G.). no toil pressure: llss4elluirst (Kieft). blown gasket: Abeeassis (1I.W.M.). brokers timing ellisin: S,lmehl (Gordini). blown gasket; Page (Allard). broken halfshaft : Blakely (1.I.R.G.1. elotels trouble; hi,1 r (Jaguar). nto oil pressure; Moss (Jaguar). no oil pressure; Coombs (Cooper-Bri=461) overturned. Now for the T.T. on September 5th