Breezy Brands Hatch

As a light-hearted relaxation from the rigours of Grand Prix racing, a number of the leading G.P. conductors attended the Lord’s Taverners/B.R.D.C. race meeting at Brands Hatch on Sunday, July 17th. First of all they did a number of demonstration laps in one of Ken Tyrrell’s Cooper-Austin F.J. cars and both Innes Ireland and Jack Brahham disgraced themselves by spinning at Clearways, Brabham doing so just as the commentator told us to watch his tail-sliding technique! Dan Gurney made the quickest lap of these two-lap demonstrations, showing that familiarity with a Cooper possibly breeds contempt!

Some serious motor racing occupied much of the afternoon, with Graham Hill winning the Saloon car event in his Speedwell Jaguar 3.8 from Gawaine Baillie’s similar car, while the main event, a 15-lap Formula Junior event, went to John Brown’s Lotus, from Peter Ellis (Lotus) and Henry Taylor (Cooper). Graham Warner won the G.T. race after disposing of a spirited effort from Colin Hextall’s TR2, and Alan Rees (Lola) won the Sports-car race from Gordon Lee’s Lister-Jaguar. American driver Chunk Dietrich put up a good show in a works Elva until he stopped with the bodywork adrift.

An amusing interlude came during the afternoon when the drivers challenged the Lord’s Taverners to a Kart race, which was won by Innes Ireland. Comedian Eric Sykes and boxer Freddie Mills amused everyone by charging the straw bales, and each other, at every opportunity, while Graham Hill discovered that a Tro-Kart can be spun to a standstill from high speed! All the proceeds of the meeting went to the National Playing Fields Association.