Ecurie Ecosse Success At Whitsun Goodwood Meeting

The B.A.R.C. Meeting at Goodwood resulted in comparatively dull racing, offset by exciting moments and ideal weather. The Ecurie Ecosse entered their three Jaguars and followed up their splendid showing at Spa by winning the Whitsun Trophy 100-kilometre race, Titterington beating Flockhart when the latter’s Jaguar threw a tyre-tread within sight of the chequered flag.

The meeting was to have been composed of two 100-kilometre sports-car races, one for cars up to 1,500 c.c., the other for cars exceeding this capacity, together with a race over the same distance for Formule Libre cars, and shorter races for 500-cc. racing cars and vintage cars. However, the congested holiday weekend, with meetings at Snetterton, Mallory Park, Brands Hatch and the Crystal Palace – the last named claiming Moss, Salvadori and Parnell – resulted in a mere five entries for the Formule Libre race and these all 2-litre racing cars, so the best seven in each of the sports-car events had to be admitted to this Whitsun Trophy Race. Another confusion caused by this intensity of racing was that well-known drivers appeared on the back of the starting grid, not having had time to practise at Goodwood.- W.B.

Sports-Car Race-Up to 1,500 c.c. (26 Laps)

The 1 1/2-litre sports-car race was enlivened by a fantastic battle between Hawthorn’s Lotus-Climax and Chapman’s Cooper-Climax. These two drivers changed places for the lead every lap, Chapman going down the home straight better and Hawthorn doing some masterful re-passing on the inside going into Madgwick Corner. This duel had the crowd of some 20,000 on its toes, especially when these two drivers passed one on each side of slower cars, Bennett’s prototype Fairthorpe-Climax getting this treatment at Madgwick on lap five, where Marriott’s old Lotus-Climax broke an oil pipe and retired in a smoke cloud on lap 12.

The Hawthorn/Chapman dice ended on lap 15, when Chapman kept going as Hawthorn came up inside him at Madgwick; his Lotus slid sideways on and to avoid ramming it Hawthorn put his Lotus sideways, the two cars meeting as they came to rest across the course. Chapman reversed onto the grass on the outside; Hawthorn, who got off first, swung clear on the inside. Alas, Mike’s bad fortune persisted, for the body was rubbing on a tyre and he was obliged to stop at his pit; although he continued still in second place, Chapman was then well in the lead. Both drivers set a new sports-car class lap record of 88.71 m.p.h. Brabham’s Cooper-Climax came in third, spoiling a Lotus clean-sweep, Allison’s Lotus finishing fourth. Mackay’s Cooper-Climax crashed in a big way on Lavant Straight, uprooting two concrete posts where a new safety-fence is being put up but is incomplete. He was miraculously unhurt. Jopp ran out of road in the Halselec but rejoined the race.

500-c.c. Race (12 Laps)

This turned out to be dull, with the cars well spaced out and many retirements. Russell led for six laps, pursued by Don Parker in R.R. Jackson’s two-plug Cooper-Norton, spun off at Levant Corner, but was in the lead again by lap nine. Both Parker and Colin Davis in the Beart-Cooper retired.

Sports-Car Race-Cars over 1,500 c.c. (26 Laps)

This was a splendid race between Bob Berry (Jaguar D-type) and Ron Flockhart in the Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar D-type. Berry led from flag-fall, driving on the limit, yet taking a beautiful line through the corners. Flockhart gradually closed on him until, on lap 21, Steed spun his Cooper-Jaguar at Madgwick, holding his car skilfully on the road but causing Flockhart, who was following, to take to the grass on the outside of the corner with equal skill. He restarted but was then too far back to come to grips with Berry in Broadhead’s Jaguar. Archie Scott-Brown drove a prodigious race in the 2-litre Lister-Maserati until it objected to 8,000 r.p.m. and stopped in a cloud of smoke on lap 24, allowing Titterington’s Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar to come into third place ahead of Fairman in Abecassis’ H.W.M., and Steed’s and Head’s Cooper-Jaguars, which is how they finished. Flockhart equalled Berry’s former sports-car class lap record.

The Whitstun Trophy – Formule Libre (26 Laps)

The rather odd field of F. II cars outclassed by big modern sports cars and small sports cars able almost to hold the big sports cars promised quite a race. Unfortunately Chapman’s Lotus stopped on the first lap with gearbox trouble. Berry led Flockhart for two sensational laps, then left the road at high speed at Fordwater. The Jaguar went through the wattle fencing, knocked down a concrete post and somersaulted over the spectator-road, ending up in a field upside down. Berry was airborne for a fantastic distance and was exceedingly fortunate to escape with a broken ankle.

Hawthorn hung on as well as he could to Flockhart, but Titterington passed him on lap eight, after which the two Ecurie Ecosse Jaguars gave a high-speed team demonstration, controlled from the pit by ” Wilky,” Hawthorn’s Lotus-Climax never very far away and able to close on Titterington when the Jaguars were baulked by slower cars – until, that is, Steed and Bailie in a D-type baulked the Lotus. Nevertheless, the small car was still sufficiently close to trouble Titterington – a stupendous performance by driver and car. Then the last lap was rendered dramatic because, going down Lavant Straight to a seemingly certain victory, the tread came off the off-side rear tyre of Flockhart’s car. This caused him to slow, Titterington, who had perhaps saved his Dunlops more during the race, taking the lead, while Hawthorn also went by before the finishing line.

The F. II racing cars were pathetic, all save Holt’s Connaught which finished fourth, comfortably holding off Brabharn’s disc-braked Cooper-Climax. Steed’s Cooper-Jaguar was sixth. Atkin’s Connaught spun off at Lavant early in the race. Richards’ H.A.R. circulated for a time in what an announcer called “his customary position” (last), before retiring, and Birrell’s F. II Cooper-Bristol circulated far back. Cliff Davis ran out of road and mildly damaged the near-side front wing of his Lotus-Bristol.

Vintage-Car Handicap (5 Laps)

Only eight started, handicapped by the V.S.C.C., but the spectators obviously loved this race. Sir Francis Samuelson’s 1914 T.T. Sunbeam – the actual car in which Guinness won the 1914 I.O.M. T.T. and in original condition – led until the last lap, pouring out smoke and losing all its oil pressure due to an oil leak but continuing undismayed, being passed on Lavant Straight by Eastick’s 1930 4 1/2-litre Bentley, which used to be an ambulance but is now a stark two-seater.

Jack Tozer and R.G.H. Clutton drove two almost identical, unspoilt and very fine 1927 blown twin-cam 1,100-c.c. Amilcar Sixes, Tozer’s coming through splendidly to third place from scratch. This is the ex-Widengren car, Clutton’s being built up from spares owned by Zere, aud having hydraulic brakes. Morin Scott grappled with his short-chassis 45-h.p. 8-litre Hispano-Suiza, with glass-fibre two-seater body, and stub exhaust pipes to aid cooling. It does 14 m.p.g. on the road, about 6 m.p.g. round Goodwood, and the body weighs 20 lb. and cost about the same number of £s. The lack of avoirdupois aft seemed to make for tricky handling and Burton’s 180-b.h.p. 4 1/2-litre Bentley was far faster.

Fitzwilliam’s 1931 Le Mans-winning blown 2.3 Alfa-Romeo was beautiful to listen to but otherwise disappointing. Leo’s blown four-wheel-braked 1930 2-litre Lagonda was sent off with Samuelson’s unblown two-wheel-braked 1914 Sunbeam and beaten on the first lap. It was announced that Leo rebuilds this Lagonda every two years: judging by its mediocre performance this confirms that it pays to leave well alone where vintage cars are concerned!

John Morgan, Clerk Of the Course, used a Citroen DS19 as a circuit car.