Crystal Palace, Whit Monday

Organised by the B.R.S.C.C. in conjunction with the London County Council, a National Car Race Meeting took place at the Crystal Palace circuit on May 21st. Some good entries were received and the programme was for 500-c.c. cars, sports cars and racing cars.

The Redex Challenge Trophy Race, for 500-c.c. cars, consisted of three heats and a final. Heat one resulted in a win for Stuart Lewis-Evans in a Cooper. A keen fight, however, took place, for D.J. Strange in a similar car kept well up on his tail. Heat two went to Ivor Bluth, again in a Cooper, with Hall second, Bueb’s speed being 72.76 m.p.h. The third heat, after a dead-level start on the part of Wicken and Raby, was a procession, the order being Wicken, Bridger and Raby.

The final of this event was more successful, a new lap record of 75.82 m.p.h. being set up by both Bueb and Lewis-Evans, in which order they finished. The previous 500-c.c. record was held by Cliff Allison and Don Parker (74.69 m.p.h.).

The Petit Prix, another 500-c.c. event, was fought out between P.R. Green in a Staride and A. Zains in a Cooper. The Staride won but Zains kept changing places with Scott-MacArthur, who eventually took second place.

First of the sports-car events was the 10-lap Anerley Trophy Race. Nine cars came up to the starting line after many of the original entries had scratched. Stirling Moss, driving a Cooper-Climax, fought hard with Les Leston in a similar car but Leston just kept a few yards ahead and finished at 74.19 m.p.h., with Moss close behind. Hill’s Lotus-Climax brought up the remainder of the field, which was some way behind the leaders.

The second sports-car race, for the Norbury Trophy, however, gave Moss a chance to have his own back on Leston for here the tables were turned and Moss occupied first place, beating the lap record for sports cars by 3.63 m.p.h. at the same time.

The big event of the day was the London Trophy Race, run in two parts. Moss won the first part in the grey 2 1/2-litre G.P. Maserati, but only after a ding-dong battle with Emery’s Alta-engined Emeryson, which came in second after a valiant fight. Bob Gerard came in third in his well-known Cooper-Bristol. Reg. Parnell, however, was not as fortunate and got into difficulties at North Tower, where his Connaught left the track and went into the spectators’ enclosure. One or two of the spectators received minor injuries and Parnell was taken to hospital with a broken shoulder.

Part two of this event constituted the final race of the day. Again won by Moss in the 2 1/2-litre Maserati, making a new lap record for unlimited sports cars of 79.94 m.p.h.; Emery second, Wicken (Cooper-Alta) third. On this occasion Bob Gerard retired but W.F. Moss astounded onlookers by preceding Gibson’s Connaught with his old-type RIA E.R.A., which was quite an achievement. So concluded another efficiently run B.R.S.C.C. meeting. No credit to the L.C.C., however, for home-going traffic arrangements.- I.G.