Ferraris dominate the R.A.C. T.T.
The T.T., sponsored for the R.A.C. by the News of the World and run at Goodwood by the B.A.R.C. has in its time been for touring cars, fully equipped sports cars, stripped sports cars and out-and-out racing cars, and is now a race for G.T. cars, which has dwindled down the years to a meagre distance of 240 miles, so that on August 18th the not very large concourse of spectators saw only one pitstop by the “big-bangers,” for some 15 gallons of fuel and fresh back tyres.
The 1962 T.T. was run as a scratch race from a Le Mans Start, in two classes, up to, and over, 2,000 c.c. The entries in the big class comprised the fully-hotted, 5.3-litre Chevrolet Corvette of Winkleman (Racing) Ltd., the Ogier Aston Martin Zagatos of Jim Clark and Graham Warner, the latter’s a 1961 car, Mike Salmon’s ex-Moss Aston Martin Zagato, six Ferrari Berlinettas, of which Parkes had the Equipe Endeavour /Marenello Concessionaires car, Surtees the Marenello/Bowmaker car, Ireland the U.D.T.Laystall car and Graham Hill had John Coombs’ entry, those of Piper and Kerrison being private entries, the latter’s the Ferrari with which Moss won last year’s T.T. There was a “No. 7” in the programme but Goodwood remained Moss-less. This class was completed by three Jaguar E-types, with Salvadori driving Coombs’, Lumsden in a special hard-top version that finished 5th at Le Mans and Protheroe in a normal coupe.
The under-2-litre class had an entry of two Porsche Abarths, Is Lotus Elites, three Morgan Plus-4s, three Sunbeam Alpines, three T.V.R.s, an Alexander-Turner, and a blown Austin-Healey Sprite, of which two Elites were reserves. Derisley’s Elite was, of course, the ex-Lumsden car, Coundley’s was l.h.d. and two of the Morgans were works Lawrence-tuned cars supplemented by Arnold’s 1961 model. Cuff-Miller’s Sunbeam had a Harrington Le Mans body and ran its bearings in practice.
U.D.T. hit the headlines again, during practice, when Ireland crashed the light green Ferrari, due it was said, to the steering wheel collapsing. Salmon’s Aston Martin broke a clutch spring and many people were sawing away bodywork to give clearance to giant back tyres. Salvadori’s Jaguar had 7.00 x 15 rear Dunlops, a vent at the back of the roof, and air vents on the windows. Protheroe’s Jaguar sported a filler protruding from the back window, big vent pipes. Ireland’s Ferrari was on 6.00 x 15 front, 7.00 x 15 rear tyres but the Aston Martins had 6.50 x 16 rear Dunlops. The Chevrolet used 7.00 x 16 Goodyear Sports Car Special rear tyres, Pun’s Porsche 5.50 x 15 Dunlops all-round. Jopp’s Elite had a nose oil-radiator.
On the day, after two rather dull curtain-raising races, the field lined up for the 3 p.m. start, depleted of the blown Sprite, Koch’s Porsche, the Turner, and Baxton’s Elite, while Slotemaker’s T.V.R. didn’t qualify. Coundley’s Elite was delayed in the traffic arriving late and refusing to start for some time due to solenoid trouble.
Ireland made a lightning start—he had practised sprinting immediately beforehand—whereas Parkes got away badly. The first-lap order was Ireland, Surtees, Hill, Clark, Piper, with Lesion’s Elite right at the back of the field. The Harrington Alpine only lasted a lap, Lumsden spun at St. Mary’s, Protheroe’s Jaguar came in for a plug change, and by distance the order had settled down as Surtees, Ireland, Parkes, Hill, Salvadori, Clark, Piper, Kerrison, and then Trevor Taylor leading his class in the Elite, from Whitmore’s Elite and a Morgan.
Surtees was driving extremely fast, having set a new G.T. lap record of 96.64 m.p.h. on his second lap. Parkes had come somewhat untidily through the field to close right up on Ireland but his efforts to pass the Scot, in spite of light-flashing and all the tricks in the book, availed him nothing. Hill was going steadily, sometimes using his wipers, and Salvadori was carving his way along in fine style in the Jaguar, whereas Lumsden in his Jaguar hit the wattle corning out of the chicane, slid across the road into the bank, and seemed to lose interest, abandoning there and then. Clark was driving with fire but the Aston Martin was handling, as Carroll Shelby is once alleged to have put it, like a “blivot.” Kerrison was finding his Ferrari a handful, going off the road in various places and on lap 61 getting broadside-on out of the chicane, only Dunlop/Ferrari brakes saving Parkes from ramming him.
The T.T. was obviously going to depend on pit-stops. On lap 49 Sopwith called Parkes in, for 15 gallons of fuel and two new rear tyres,—time 47.9 sec. Parkes, who now held the G.T. lap record at 97.3 m.p.h. cleaned his own screen. Meanwhile Salmon pushed his Aston Martin back to the pits, later to retire sans gears.
Salvadori came in, the jack gave Coombs’ mechanics a bad moment, but he was off with fuel and rear tyres—time, 76 sec. Then it was Surtees’ turn and Reg. Parnell’s mechanics did a fine job—time 33 sec. (the official bulletin says 2 min.!) Moreover, just beforehand he had clipped 0.2 sec. from Parkes’ lap-record, 97.52 m.p.h. Hill, aided by a big fuel funnel, got through his stop in 36.8 sec. Finally, amongst pit-stops that mattered, Ireland was dispatched in 39 sec., there being some delay with the small funnel and momentary hesitation restarting the hot engine.
After these stops the order settled down to Surtees, Ireland, Parkes, Hill and Salvadori. Nothing could now stop Surtees gaining an easy victory for Bowmaker, it seems, until on lap 61, Clark spun his “Blivot ” at Madgwick and took Surtees with him. Both drivers retired. The race order changed dramatically. 7Ireland thus took the lead, but Hill began to speed up, gaining on him, whereas Parkes seemed content to stay his hand. Those who had seen Ireland go straight on at the chicane on lap 15 assumed that, as in previous Goodwood T.T.s when cars were called in and held for 60 sec. for this, he would be penalised and that his pit had been informed of this. Thus many spectators expected Ireland to speed up, to try to wipe out any penalty. He had one straight on because a brake snatched, not with loss of steering as happens when all the brakes lock-on. No doubt he was going a bit too fast; later a similar degree of brake-locking was visible as Ireland followed slower cars into the chicane. However, Ireland was lucky, for the observer at the chicane decided this short-cut was justified.
So Ireland went on, winning from Hill by 3.4 sec. Had he been penalised, or slid or spun in trying not to go straight on, speculation suggests that this T.T. would have gone to Graham Hill. Parkes was third, Salvadori fourth, a lap behind, the only Jaguar driver to keep the leading Ferraris in sight. The T.T. a mere shadow of its Ards self, with only three works teams entered, was nevertheless a hard-fought race, only the three leading Ferraris covering the full distance.
In the up-to-2-litre class Trevor Taylor led from Whitmore at ¼-distance, but after repeatedly setting new class G.T. lap-records (to 88.34 m.p.h.) it developed clutch and brake troubles. By ½-distance Whitmore’s Elite was ahead of Lawrence’s Morgan but Hunt’s Elite went ahead on lap 75 and stayed there to the finish —W. B.
Results:
1st: I. Ireland (Ferrari) 2 hr. 33 min. 06.8 sec., 94.05 m.p.h.
2nd: G. Hill (Ferrari) 2 hr. 33 min. 10.2 sec., 94.01 m.p.h.
3rd: M. Parkes (Ferrari) 2 hr. 34 min. 01.0 sec., 93.50 m.p.h.
4th: R. Salvadori (Jaguar) 99 laps
5th D. Poper (Ferrari) 98 laps
6th: R. Protheroe (Jaguar) 93 laps.
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Tittle tattle
Pertinent questions: At exactly what time did the observer’s report on Ireland’s “escape” through the chicane reach Race Control? Is John on speaking terms with Jim? Why did it take 1½ hours before the tired Pressmen got full results?
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How are the mighty fallen! Aston Martin won in 1958 and 1959 —this year none finished! Ferrari had their third successive win, —1960 at 85.58 m.p.h., 1961 at 86.62 m.p.h. and now victory at 94.05 m.p.h.
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When Benson lost Kerrison’s Ferrari at Madgwick it hit Surtees’ Ferrari, John had reported not much damage to Parnell. When they went to retrieve it the marshals said “That’s what comes of parking too close to a race track!”
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Fastest laps: Surtees, 97.52 m.p.h. (new G.T. record), Taylor, 88.52 m.p.h. (new class G.T. record), Shepherd-Barron, 85.71 m.p.h.
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A very good show for a Morgan to beat all but one of the Elites, and that one a Lotus team car.
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The supporting races comprised the “Veedol” Championship, which was disappointing. Eva spent the race gyrating in his Twin-Cam M.G. which was won by Cole’s Lotus-Ford at 85.07 m.p.h. But Burnand, who came in a steady fourth in his A.C.-Bristol, won the prize of an F.J. Lotus, on points. He was to have dune his lap d’honneur in this but couldn’t get into it or something (although Mr. Getty has), for he appeared in the A.C.
Arundel won the B.A.R.C. F.J. Championship for Team Lotus, at 98 m.p.h. setting a F.J. lap-record of 99.08 m.p.h. in the process. Attwood’s Cooper was second, Anderson of Team Lotus third. All but one of the 23 starters had Ford engines; six retired.