THE OUT
THE OUTER CIRCUIT ” 200s “
Rthe flag fell the following left the line : 4-litre class—H. 0. D. Segrave, K. Lee Guinness and Malcolm Campbell (Talbot-Darra,cqs) ; P. de Vizcaya and Mones Maury (Bugattis) ; Hawkes, Temple and Edwards (H)rstmans); Bedford (Hillman); Stead, Brownsort, Munday, Davis and Davy (A.C.) ; Marshall, Victor Bruce, Zborowski and Kensington-Moir (Aston-Martins) .; Hammond and Oates (Lagondas) ; Gordon-England (A.B.C.) ; Harris and Martin (Marlboroughs) ; Bertelli (EnfieldAllday) ; Harvey and Joceland (Alvis) ; Nlilward and Pradier (Charron-Laycocks). 1,100-c.c. class—Frazer-Nash (G.N.) ; Lombard (Salmson); Phillips (Deemster); Dixon (Coventry-Premier) ; Empson (A.V.) ; Bicknell (Singer) ; Topping (Baby Peugeot) ; Wood (Temperino); Ware (Morgan), and Marchant (Bleriot-Whippet) —a curious single-makes entry. As the thickly-bunched ranks of racing light cars spaced out, it was seen that Segrave led from Campbell and Lee-Guinness, with Ware’s Morgan way out ahead of the Salmson, G.N. and Deemster. A.C. and Astori-Martin early dispelled their supporters’ hopes, but the Horstmans and Lagondas were going very rapidly, and a pronounced misfire did not seem to Seriously slow a Charron-Laycock.
Bedford’s Hillman, Vizcaya’s Brescia Bugatti and Guinness’s Talbot fought a duel in which the placings frequently changed. At 18 laps Segrave led the 4-litre cars, and Ware the ” 1,100s “, the G.N. now second and Deemster third in that class. Already Edwards’s Horstman, with engine trouble, was out of the race for good, to be followed by the Bleriot-Whippet cycle-car, and Temple’s Horstman, which paid for fast lappery with a broken con.-rod. Before Marchant retired he wrestled desperately with plugs and carburation, while Davis changed plugs on his A.C., only to find that a piston had collapsed, Sammy insisting on driving 01 laps on three cylinders, to finish the race. Then Ware’s 3-wheeler Morgan broke its clutch support while leading its class, and the Salmson led the Deemster and G.N. Pradier’s Charron-Laycock had retired with the fuel tank unable to hold fuel, and then Davy’s A.C. seized its camshaft and was pushed to the dead-car bay.
After 37 laps Segrave still led, but Guinness was now ahead of Campbell, and the G.N. was second, behind the Salmson. Segrave and Lombard gained gold cups by leading at the half-way distance. Campbell’s place-loss was due to his off rear tyre bursting as he went over the Fork on his 36th lap, the stop costing him nearly 4 mins., suggesting lax pit work. Segrave continued to lap steadily at 4,000 r.p.m. on three-quarter throttle, although he admitted afterwards that he was worried on the opening lap at being unable to exceed 3,600 r.p.m., probably because the oil was cold. The A.C.’s trouble got worse. Brownsort needing a new radiator which took 14 mins. to fit, while Munday changed plugs, with no improvement in his speed. Considerable excitement occurred when Lombard, braking before his pit in order to
THE 1921 RACE
; ; refuel, skidded into the concrete kerb, both near-side wire wheels promptly collapsing—which gives some idea of the flimsy wheels used in those days. He fitted two new wheels in 15 mins., and the Salmson folk used this incident for an advertisement, proclaiming the general strength of axles and chassis ! But the stop allowed Frazer-Nash to lead and probably cost Lombard the race. Empson’s rear-engined A.V. refuelled after 35 laps, and the Temperino came in for a like purpose. Harvey’s Alvis developed a leaking petrol tank after 46 laps, probably due to Brooklands fearful postwar surface, but the car carried two, although a stop was necessary to change over. After 30 laps the little Temperino broke a valve; after 43 gallant laps the
Since the war commenced a contemporary has devoted Considerable space to Outer-Circle racing at Brooklands Track, a subject taboo with many people, but deservedly having a fascination all its own. However, these articles have, in the main, concerned the larger cars which raced at Brooklands in the early days, and less emphasis has been placed on the rather remarkable achievements of the small cars of the early nineteen-twenties. They were doing outstanding things in B.A.R.C. short handicaps and in the field of record-breaking, but perhaps they achieved their greatest allure in the J.C.C. 200-Mile Races, run over the Outer Circuit in 1921-4 ; the original race of this famous series being the first long-distance race in England.–Ed. L51-)
Baby Peugeot broke a con.-rod, and then, with 60 laps to its credit, the Singer suffered that most annoying cause of retirement, a duff magneto. So the afternoon—and an historic afternoon at that—wore on. The two Bugattis screamed round, Vizcaya a little above Maury on the bankings, Milward’s Charron-Laycock swayed a little at the end of the Railway Straight, the Salmson swerved about quite a bit, its rear wheels bouncing badly over the bumps, while the G.N. weaved skilfully up and down the bank ings in passing slower cars. The Talbots, lapping at 90 or so, were remarkably steady, likewise the Lagondas. Suddenly fuel was seen to stream from Moir’s Aston-Martin, the axle having fouled the tank, so that the car had to be retired after 47 laps: Davis finally gave best to his broken piston at 60 laps, and the Hon. Victor Bruce, in a most primitive-looking s.v. Aston-Martin, experienced tyre trouble, as did Zborowski, the latter lifting the car himself when. no suitable jack was forthcoming ; Bruce finally stopped after 61 laps with a run big-end. The only accident of the day
overtook Munday when his A.C. burst a tyre on the Byfleet banking on its 68th lap. It ended up inverted in the ditch, Munday breaking a thigh and his mechanic escaping with a few cuts.
The closing stages of the rape were enlivened by a duel between the Bugattis, Hawkes’s Horstman and the Hillman and, also, after the winners were in, by a careless official opening the gates at the Fork, thus precipitating a cross-stream of spectators’ cars in the path of Joceland’s Alvis, which was fortunately flagged down, to be credited with a time allowance as compensation. So Segrave crossed the line in Talbot-Darracq No. 83, winner of England’s first long-distance race. He speeded up four laps from the end, and, indeed, continued for some laps after being flagged, until a suitably enticing bottle, waved from the pits, caused him to conclude his great drive. He covered the distance in 2 h. 16 m. 26 s., an average of 88.82 m.p.h. A few laps from the end an oil-pipe broke and his mechanic, Moriceau, got a castor-oil bath, and after he had been flagged, a tyre punctured and Segrave actually drove two laps on a “flat.” He suffered acute deafness and his face bore the brunt of concrete grit, for during a short shower of rain he had driven with his goggles up— and there was no screen of any sort. His fastest lap has been given as 97.65 m.p.h. and, again, as 93.09 m.p.h., tying with ” K.L.G.,” but the former figure was probably clocked after official distance. Clearly, fine as Segrave’s victory was, it was rather a close thing. Guinness and Campbell also speeded up at the end, the former coming in 5ts. behind the winner and 3 in. 56i s. ahead of CampbellTalbots 1, 2, 3. Vizcaya’s Bugatti came home 4th, 5 m. 57 s. later, and the following places down to 20th went to Hawkes, Maury, Bedford, Stead, Marshall, Zborowski, Hammond, Brownsort, Oates, England, Harris, Bertelli, Harvey, Milward, Martin and, at 56.17 m.p.h., Joceland. Four of these averaged under 65 and seven over 80, Guinness and Campbell averaging 88.76 and 86.27 m.p.h. respectively.
In the 1,100-c.c. class Capt. Archie Frazer-Nash’s G.N., consuming 6 gallons of fuel and 2i gallons of oil, won at 71.54 m.p.h., after 2 h. 49 in. 24f s. The car did not misfire once, a richer position of the Zenith triple diffuser carburetter being used while the rain was on. The closing lap was clocked at 77.45 m.p.h. to show retention of tune. 8 m. 581 s. later the Salmson came home in second place, followed 2 m. 161 s. later by the Demister, which had been running 40 s. over the 3 hours. The Coventry-Premier was fourth, and the A.V. fifth, the place averages being 67.93, 67.07, 55.57 and 55.56 m.p.h., respectively. Thus the 1921 200 Mile Race of the Junior Car Club. Rumour says that Brooklands was littered with curious bits and pieces for weeks afterwards ; but certainly the world was made to realise that 100 m.p.h. with long-duration reliability was within the province of 1 i-litre light cars. (To be continued.)