Excellent racing at Goodwood

IT wasn’t John Morgan’s fault that a cold wind blew across the Goodwood circuit, on Whit-Monday but at least he had squared the rain god. And the very big crowd must have gone home well satisfied with what it saw. The only grumble was a desire for a couple more races-the latter a fine compliment to the B.A.R.C.

In practice Parnell echoed the promise the 4 1/2-litre “Thinwall” Ferrari had shown at Silverstone by lapping at 93.9 m.p.h. easily, if unofficially, beating “Bira’s” record of 90.38, whereas “Bira’s” Osca only did 90 m.p.h., 0.9 slower than Farina’s 4CLT Maserati. No Alfa or B.R.M.-a pity ! Fastest 500 was Brown’s Cooper, which clocked 81.0 m.p.h.. to Brandon’s 80 and Gerard’s 79.6 m.p.h. One of the Swedish Effyh 500s overturned but the driver escaped injury.

Highlights of the Monday’s racing were Parnell’s easy victories in heat and Final of the Daily Graphic Festival Of Britain Formula Libre race, including a new lap record of 94.54 m.p.h., and the arrival at the last minute of Stirling Moss, who, having finished third at Monza in an H.W.M., flew to Northolt, from there to Shoreham, and was driven to Goodwood by “Pa” Moss in time to set eyes on the newest Kieft and with it to win the 500 International Trophy Race, setting a new 500.c.c. lap record of 84.35 m.p.h. As John Bolster said, if Moss can go round on one-little-cylinder at 84 1/2, what will the B.R.M. do with 16 blown ones?-(laughter!)

500 INTERNATIONAL TROPHY, Heat 1, 7 laps

Brandon’s Mk V Cooper-Norton built up a vast lead and ran on unchallenged to win. Moss got quickly into second place but the new Kieft-Norton fluffed and dropped him back to last, whereupon Clarke, driving his Cooper Mk V in a very polished manner, took second place, Westcott’s J.B.S. third. Headland went off a mighty “wump” at Madgwick but was able to continue. Schell hurried along, passing between Moss and Richards’ J.B.S. at Woodcote but finished behind Wicken and Gerard (Coopers), and de Lissa and did not improve the performance of the Parker-J.A.P. by missing a gear change. Pugh’s Cooper and Hay’s Iota retired.
1st : M. Brandon (Cooper-Norton), won by 21.0 sec., 80.16 m.p.h.
2nd : D. A. Clarke (Cooper-Norton).
3rd : F. F. Westcott (J.B.S.)
Fastest Lap: Clarke, 81.5 m.p.h.

500 INTERNATIONAL TROPHY, Heat 2, 7 laps

Alan Brown showed that the Ecurie Richmond meant business, leading from flag-fall as Brandon did in the previous heat. Claes stalled his yellow Cooper and went grass mowing at Woodcote in making up time, Ecclestone passed McAlpine’s J.B.S. inside at Woodcote, and Nurse was “tail-end Charlie “in a rather bouncy Cooper-Norton.

For four laps Emery held second place, then the Emeryson passed out and Ecclestone’s Cooper-J.A.P. moved up. Dryden and Gill retired, and Claes’ engine felt sad.

1st : A. Brown (Cooper-Norton), won by 42.4 sec. at 75.63 m.p.h.
2nd : B. C Beelestone (Cooper-J.A.P.).
3rd : K. McAlpIne (J.B.S.).
Fastest Lap: Brown, 80.29 m.p.h.

FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN TROPHY, Heat 1, 7 laps

Parnell had things all his own way. He drove the 4 1/2-litre Ferrari so skilfully that it looked the easiest thing in the world to put it through Woodcote. Yet he averaged 90.07 m.p.h., sending “Bira’s” lap record soaring to 93.11 m.p.h. De Graffenried’s red 4CLT Maserati held second place for two laps, then Gerard, driving his 2-litre E.R.A. superbly, passed. Alas, a piston broke and he had to tour the last two laps, finishing fourth nevertheless. Duncan-Hamilton indulged in Continental arm-sawing in the Talbot, leaving the course momentarily at Woodcote but going very fast, Tony Rolt was very busy in the revamped Delage, but Shawe-Taylor’s characteristically brilliant driving kept his ex-Harrison E.R.A. in third place. Goodhew wanted badly to stop his P3 Alfa-Romeo coming down to Woodcote on lap three, because smoke poured from the engine, but he bravely went on and the trouble vanished. A grand scrap!
1st: R. Parnell (Ferrari), won by 12.4 sec. at 90.07 m.p.h.
2nd: Baron de Greffenried (MaseratI).
3rd: B. Shaw-Taylor (E.R.A.).
Fastest Lap:  Parnell, 93.11 m.p.h.

FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN TROPHY, Heat 2, 7 laps

“Bira.” second to Poore’s 3.8 Alfa-Romeo at take-off, led from lap 2 to the end, but already a tell-tale haze of smoke showed from the cockpit of the blue and yellow Osca (“White Mouse” emblem on its side) and oil spread along the bonnet. The scavenge pump had failed and caused the car to get no further than the start in the Final.

Farina, in a red 4CLT Maserati, held second place, unable to catch “Bira.” Poore had led lap 1, waving to “Bira.” and Farina to pass after Woodcote and keeping well over, but they couldn’t match his immense acceleration. So Farina’s arm-waving act, later, when he was behind Poore, couldn’t have been necessary. He finally passed along the Finishing Straight on lap 3. Behind, David Hampshire, waiting and watching, pushed along his 4CLT Maserati (with air intake protruding from its bonnet) to excellent effect, passing Poore, whose engine now sounded harsh, on lap 6. Fairman in Walker’s Alfa-Romeo was badly baulked by Kelly’s Alta, Mann’s “Monza” “2.6” Alfa-Romeo went sick. Allard in the “Mille Miglia” Cadillac-Allard had exciting moments at Woodcote but, hastily dropping a cog, held the slides with his usual skill and Winterbottom’s Cooper 1,000 discarded its bonnet but was still cornered so that a front tyre all but pulled off. On the very last lap, up the last straight, Claes took his yellow Talbot past Schell’s 4CLT Maserati (penalised for a false start), to fifth place behind Poore. Fairman drove Peter Walker’s Alfa-Romeo because Walker was at Silverstone staging the B.R.M. “Bira” won by less than 5 sec. at 88.28 m.p.h.
1st: “”B. Bira” (Osca), won by 4.8 sec. at 88.25 m.p.h.
2nd: G. Farina (Maserati).
3rd : D. Hampshire (Maserati).
Fastest Lap:  “Bira.” 92.12 m.p.h.

500 INTERNATIONAL TROPHY, Final, 15 laps

Stirling Moss, in the new Kieft he had scarcely seen before, drove one of the finest races of his career. Third away behind Brandon and Brown, he passed the latter on lap 2, coming up level inside at Woodcote, of all corners, and planting his throttle foot down well and truly as Brown just accelerated, then faltered. He treated Brandon the same way at St. Mary’s and again at Woodcote, and, passing along the straight, proceeded to build up a big lead, flinging the Auto-Union-style Kieft through the corners, its sliding tail brought straight by considerable, clean correction at the steering wheel. Moss, indeed, lapped at 84.5 m.p.h. (a new 1/2-litre record), averaging 82.28 m.p.h., which figures underline his skill. Behind, as Brandon slowed after seven laps, Brown went ahead to do what he could for the Ecurie Richmond, but to no avail. After 14 laps Moss had lapped Gerard, who was in sixth place-once he tried to pass a baulker on the left beyond Woodeote, found no gap, and swung over, to go by on the right. Clarke was going Splendidly in his Mk V Cooper and on lap 13 passed Brandon. Two laps later Eric had to swallow another pill-Westcott came by. Never has a driver better deserved victory than Moss on this occasion.
1stt: S. Moss (Kieft-Norton), won by 21.5 sec. at 82.28 m.p.h.
2nd : A. Brown (Cooper-Norton).
3rd : D. A. Clarke (Cooper-Norton).
Fastest Lap: Ross, 84.55 m.p.h.

FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN TROPHY, Final

This was one of the best races ever. Parnell drew right away to a lead that looked unassailable until, after six laps. Farina was seen to be closing the gap. Both drivers were trying hard, Reg. hunched in his cockpit, Farina sitting back, arms outstretched to check vicious slides through the corners. Once or twice he wiped his goggles. After eight laps the Ferrari led the two-stage Maserati by a mere 5 sec., having lapped at 93.9 m.p.h., but Reg. must have known this, for (after equalling Farina’s lap-speed) he pulled well away. De Graffenried, whom Farina had passed on lap 3, clung to third place, pressed all the way by a determined Shawe-Taylor in the E.R.A. Next came Duncan-Hamillon, pressed by Rolt, who was handling the light Delage with E-type E.R.A. engine splendidly and really wasn’t given much chance to pass by the Talbot he chased so hard. Behind again. after Poore had faded from the attack, his Alfa-Romeo in trouble after two laps, Claes’ falbot led the E.R.A.s of Fotheringham-Parker and A.G. Whitehead, until, on the last lap, Whitehead swopped a place with Parker. Once Parnell slid a bit out of Woodcote, once Farina changed late here and had a vicious tail-wag. All through the race the duels, hard fought, of de Graffenried and Shawe-Taylor, Hamilton and Rolt, Parker and Whitehead, held the interest. It was a fine race-and it reinstates Parnell as champion of the Goodwood circuit.  His new lap record of 94.54 m.p.h., set, up on his sixth lap as Farina got within sight of the Ferrari’s tail, will take a lot of breaking.
1st: R. Parnell (Ferrari), won by 10.8 sec. at 91.64 m.p.h.
2nd: G. Farina (Maserati).
3rd: Baron de Graffenried (Maserati).
Lap Record: Parnell, 94.54 m.p.h.