VSCC Derbyshire Trial
On March 27, an excellent turn-out of 84 VSCC members took themselves and their cars to the hills rather than the dales of Derbyshire for this event, only Saxl’s 1928 Dodge, Holt’s Ford, Goldsmith’s Lea-Francis, Joseland’s Frazer Nash, and Goose’s AJS failing to start. Toms (Fiat), Cartwright (Metz), Pipkin (A7), Miss Shoesmith (A7), Howson (MG Midget) and Sollers (A7) gave their cars a pre-trial respite by taking them to the event on trailers, thus incurring ten penalty points each.
The route took in such traditional sounding sections as Clough Wood, Gipsy Lane and Gibbet Wood, a round dozen in total. Best performance was made by David Bond in his 1926 Morris, which thus won him the Patrick Marsh Trophy. Only five points behind, Henry Stringer’s 1933 Austin 7 took the Dick Batho Trophy, for best showing in Class One. First Class Awards went to these drivers and also to L Murray (1925 Frazer Nash), P Longhurst (1929 Riley), R Felton (1923 Bugatti), H Monro (30/98 Vauxhall) and R Marsh (1922 Morris). Those who gained Second Class Awards were: Mrs J Tomlinson (1932 A7), R Firth (1930 Riley), S Gordon (1929 A7), P Blakeney-Edwards (1929 Frazer Nash), D Woodrow (1932 A7), B Spollon (30/98 Vauxhall), S Baxter (1928 Chrysler), D Marsh (1923 30/98 Vauxhall), and T Jones (30/98 Vauxhall). The winners of Third Class Awards were: R Low (1929 A7), J McEwen ((1930 Riley), I Hall (1930 Frazer Nash), G Winder (1930 A7), J Diffey (1929 A7), A Johnson (1923 Bugatti), R Odell (1923 Riley), D Hescroff (1935 AC), R Harcourt-Smith (1929 Alvis) and J Millham (1923 Vauxhall). W B