"The Chain-gang" at Play

The Annual Dinner and Dance of the Frazer Nash Car Club will be held in the Ballroom of the Mayfair Hotel on December 15th. In view of the many fixtures round about this time, members will be well advised to make a note of the date now. Further particulars will be sent out by the Secretary in due course.

Bugatti Owners’ One-Day Trial

Seventeen cars set out from the Beech Arms Hotel, Basingstoke, on October 14th, in an endeavour to .cover a. 230-mile course with a minimum loss of marks. The route was not marked, in accordance With the usual Bugatti Owners’ Club practice, and so the passengers settled themselves down to some navigation from the detailed route cards (six of them I). No particular hazards were encountered until the competitors came to the Starting Test, following a grass track section near Wilton. For this purpOse the drivers had to stand at the side of the road and at a given signal leap to the car, open the door (if any), enter, start away and cover a distance of 5 yards before the official stopwatch clicked once more. A combination

of agility on the part of the driver and easy starting on the part of the car was called for, and resulted in fastest time being made by A. S. Whiddington (Frazer Nash), who carried out the manoeuvre in 5.7 secs. Second came G. H. Harrington (M.G. Magnette) 5.9 secs., and third G. E. Mayo-Smith (0.M.) 6.3 secs.

Through a maze of lanes the competitors then proceeded to Shaftesbury for a time-check, followed by lunch at theGrosvenor Hotel. Then the route led towards the first observed hill, the easy Ibberton, which caused little trouble. Blandford was the next objective, and then Captstitch Hill, near Compton Abbas, again not a difficUlt climb. More grass tracks followed, and finished with the acceleration and brake test near ‘Whitesand Cross. Here the Bugattis came into their own, and fastest time was made by I. G. Bachelier in 54.2 sees. A. G. Bainton clocked 55 secs. dead, and Col. G. M. Giles 55.4 secs. Route finding was at a premium for the rest: of the trial, a matter of 100 miles back to Chertsey via Stockbridge. The results were available later at the Bridge Hotel, and were as follows :

Premier Awards,-1, G. Bachelier (Bugatti).

Silver Medals.-G. H. Giles (Bugatti), Miss Fawcett (Bugatti), A. G. Bainton (13ugatti), Mrs. Faulkner (Ford), B. J. F. Malcolutson (Bugatti), E. C. W. Stableton (Invieta), D. Maar° (Invicta), L. S. Crutch (Singer), H. T. Tbouiley (Wolseley Hornet), A. S. Whiddington (Frazer Nash), G. H. Hannington (M.G. Magnette). Bronze Medali.-J. K. W. Baines (Bugatti,. K. M. Simmons (Hillman Minx), C. E. Mayo-Smith (t)..1.1,

Retked.-C. W. P. Hampton (Bugatti), K. N. Hutchison (Singer).

MID-SURREY NEWS.

The second Annual Expert Trials will be held on Saturday, November 3rd. This event is unusual, in that it is open only to those who have gained nine FirstClass Awards in trials of a certain importance. The start will take place at the Market Square, Duoster, and the route will not be revealed until just before the start. Some really new hills have been found, of a most ticklish nature, so that the ” Experts ” will have every chance to prove their claim to this title. The finish will be at Exford.

The Club’sDinner and Dance is fixed for November 23rd, at the Park Lane Hotel, at usual. Tickets for the latter can be obtained from Mr. C. Allman, 21/22, Walbrook, London, E.C. 4.