THE VSCC at Curborough

On May 5 the VSCC, in a busy sprint period, had its annual event at Curborough, a venue the public likes, with its informal Paddock atmosphere and a course which, if it does not permit speeds as high as those attained at other sprints, has an easily viewable long curve and a tricky back-bend, as the cars run out and back to the start-line.

In warm sunny weather, unusual so far this year, a good entry competed and records fell. For instance, Ben Collings in the mighty Mercedes-Maybach broke the aero-engine class figure, in 43.92sec, Dr Gray massacred the 1100cc racingcar class reiord in the Hardy Special with a run in 39.01sec, Dunn’s Riley shattered the 1 1/2-litre racing target, clocking 37.40sec, and both the vintage and general over-3000cc racing records fell to Mark Walker in the Parker-GN with its 6.1-litre Cirrus aero-power, with a fine onslaught which lasted for 36.44sec. This proved to be both overall and vintage FTD, winning the Curborough Trophy.

The sports-car drivers had records within their reach, too. The Class Two over-1 1/2-litre non-s/c figure fell to Guyatt’s Delage (41.69sec), that for the hybird, special and supercharged sports cars of that capacity to Mowett’s Morgan, which showed its speed last year and is still going so well (39.35sec). That set the scene for the top runners. The new course record holders obviously won their classes. The other such winners, commencing with the smaller sports cars were: S Roberts’s 1927 Frazer Nash (41.22sec) in both vintage and general categories, Miss S Collings’s 1928 4 1/2-litre vintage Bentley (46.53sec), J Cobbs’s 1929 Austin-Fiat (44.02sec), J Giles’s 1928 Frazer Nash (39.46sec), and J Bronson’s non-vintage Riley (39.01sec). Among the racing class winners to add were: I Baxter’s 1930 A7 (43.03sec), and C Schumacher’s 1933 Talbot (42.03sec). Of the post-war Historic racing cars, with the Fairley a non-starter Burrows’s 1953 Cooper had a walk-over (38.07sec), but was beaten by the Parker-GN’s FTD. So all credit to Mark Walker and his aero-powered car. . . Ben Collings drove the largest-engined and quickest Edwardian car, the runner-up being T Walker in the 1908 GP Panhard-Levassor, next fastest the 1917 10-litre Theophile Schneider of D Baker. Others won on handicap, but it is only sheer speed that we have space for. The “Chains No Brains” trio took the Team Competition. W B