Aston Martin versus Eurie Ecosses at Goodwood

Tony Brooks Wins the Goodwood Trophy at 88.19 m.p.h.

THE last big B.A.R.C. Goodwood Meeting of the year was held on one of the few fine days, September 8th. Unfortunately, the fare provided did not live up to that of previous years, for only a handful of out-dated racing cars competed – with one exception, Salvadori’s works prototype F. II Cooper – and otherwise this was sports-car racing, with the same drivers and cars appearing in race after race. This, and football, flying display and beach attractions, resulted in one of the smallest crowds we have seen at Goodwood.

The first race was for the Madgwick Cup, over five laps from scratch, for sports cars not exceeding 1,100 c.c. MacDowel and Hall fought a fierce duel out in front of the other sixteen runners, Hall’s Lotus-Climax taking the lead from the Cooper-Climax on lap four. Allison’s Lotus-Climax was hanging on to the leaders until it lost ground in a minor incident at Madgwick – the B.A.R.C., determined not to have accidents, continues to penalise those who spin or leave the course unnecessarily, incidentally. Mackenzie-Low, driving a Cooper again after a spell with an Elva, held off all opposition except for Stacey’s Lotus, fourth behind Allison, and Peter Gammon, back at the game with a Cooper-Climax. Fletcher was the naughty boy, motoring his Lotus on to the grass and back again at West Tower on the first lap, which entailed disqualification. McNaughton kept just ahead of the last car home, Bennett’s Fairthorpe-Climax, in the little Elva-Ford. Seventeen Climax engines contested this race! Hall, in winning, set a new class lap record of 86.75 m.p.h.

Next the 500s had their go, over five laps from scratch. Don Parker got his R. R. Jackson-tuned Cooper-Norton off well, followed by Colin Davis in one of two Francis Beart entries, the Beart-Cooper, Jim Russell starting badly. However, third after lap one, second after two laps, Russell was leading Parker on lap three and ran away to an easy win. Bridger’s Cooper-Norton came up well, to third place, but fell back to sixth. Russell had obviously superior speed on the straight and set a new class lap record of 84.87 m.p.h. Latchford’s Cooper-Norton retired and Bueb’s car touched Davis’ tail in the hard-fought run-in at the chicane, Parker being second, 0.4 sec. ahead of Davis, who had S. Lewis-Evans 0.2 sec. behind him and was 0.2 sec. in front of Bueb! But the 500s were slower than the 1,100-c.c. sports cars.

So to the 10-lap Woodcote Cup race, for cars, in any trim, up to 2,000 c.c. The race was mainly a display of high-speed artistry on the part of Salvadori in the works F. II Cooper, which led from start to finish and won by no less than 15.2 sec. from Chapman’s Lotus-Climax, which fought to keep ahead of Leston’s Cooper-Climax, Leston troubled by a locking brake, and Bicknell’s Lotus-Climax. Chapman took Bicknell at the end of Levant Straight on lap nine, and when a racing Connaught baulked the sports Lotus at Levant Corner on the last lap, Leston, perhaps unable to stop so easily as Bicknell, scraped through to pass the Lotus. Colin Davis had a go in Atkins’ Connaught and Moore’s Lister-Bristol led Nurse’s, these cars outclassed by the 1 1/2 – litre Climax-powered cars. Utley’s Le Mans Replica Frazer-Nash was last.

The First 5-lap September Handicap resulted in most of the previous performers coming out again. Zervudachi, in a very smart dark blue Lotus-Climax, starting in the limit group, led all the way in spite of being troubled by a locking brake, chased only by Marriott’s excellent-driven Lotus Mk. VI, over which the commentators spent much time wondering whether it was Climax or Ford powered, until the run-in, when Stacey’s Lotus-Climax snatched the lead, and Mackenzie-Low poked his Cooper-Climax past Marriott, while Leston, in sixth place behind Chapman, hit the wattle-fence at the chicane.

The 10-lap Sussex Trophy for any type of automobile up to 1,500 c.c. was another Salvador; benefit, the F. II Cooper leading all the way, except for the run to the first corner, where Leston headed Salvadori, who started badly. This time Chapman was rather closer, but 12.2 sec. separated his Lotus from the Cooper at the finish and Salvadori lapped at 90.57 m.p.h., only 3.14 m.p.h. slower than Fangio’s class lap record in the supercharged V16 B.R.M. The race was mostly free of incident, the commentators drawing attention to J. J. Richards’ bad line at the chicane, where Marriott glanced back, and hit the wattle.

So to the important race of the day, the 21-lap Goodwood Trophy, for non-supercharged sports cars exceeding 1,500 c.c. Ecurie Ecosse fielded Flockhart, Sanderson and Lawrence in their famous Jaguars – who will be driving these fine cars next season ? – and Mr. David Brown had two Aston Martins to do battle with them, in the care of Brooks and Salvadori, A. N. Other – who might have been Moss in a third Aston Martin – being an absentee. Brooks had the Aston Martin which finished fourth at Rouen and Salvadori the newer car in which Moss drove at Le Mans.

Brooks, in his effortless, impeccable style, soon showed that not only was he able to leave the Jaguars well behind but that the older Aston Martin, in this driver’s hands, could leave even Salvadori and the latest example of the make well behind – 16.8 sec. separated them at the finish. Flockhart, trying very hard, sometimes to snake, in the tail-finned Le Mans-winning Jaguar, was third, hard pressed in the closing stages by Cunningham-Reid’s H.W.M. – Jaguar, which was quicker than Protheroe’s H.W.M. in spite of having what, on paper, was a less-suitable axle ratio. This H.W.M., so well driven, split up the Ecurie Ecosse, Sanderson being fifth, and making fastest lap, followed by Lawrence. Berry, back in racing after his Goodwood accident, had lost none of his skill, and chased Blond’s blood-red D-type Jaguar, going by down Lavant Straight on lap 11.

This longer race caused casualties, Richardson’s Aston Martin-Jaguar, once a coupe, leaking engine oil after five laps, Lund stopping sans oil pressure on lap six in Anthony’s Lotus-Bristol (to let Cliff Davis’ T.V.-hued Lotus-Bristol lead the 2-litre class, in which only three ran), Whitehead’s Aston Martin DB3S losing power after 13 laps, Ogier’s Tojeiro-Jaguar retiring after seven laps, and Kyffin’s 12-plug Aston Martin DB3S suffering engine trouble after 14 laps. Hans Davids seemed a bit overwhelmed in his Dutch-entered 12-plug Aston Martin DB3S and, alas, the Lister-Maserati didn’t start because Archie Scott-Brown hadn’t returned from his fruitless visit to Monza.

Last of all came the Second September Handicap (five laps), rendered exciting because the Aston Martins and Ecurie Ecosse Jaguars ran again. Lawrence, least-heavily handicapped of the latter, won in an exciting finish from Cunningham-Reid’s H.W.M.Jaguar, Emery’s smoking Emeryson F. 11 racer third, tying with Trimble’s ex-Ecurie Ecosse C-type triple-S.U. Jaguar, which started from the limit position.

This meeting showed again the speed we can expect from F. II racing cars next year and no doubt such machines will do much to return Goodwood to its former glory, although to render this a certainty the B.A.R.C. will have to offer sufficient starting money to attract Continental entries.—W. B. Results The Madgwick Cup—Spans Cars up to 1,100 c.c. t

1st : J. K. Hall (Lotus-Climax). won by 1.0 sec. at 84.62 m.p.h.

2nd :H. G. H. MarDowel (Cooper-Climax).

3rd : C. Allison (Lotus-Climax).

Fastest lop: Hall. 86.75 m.p.h. (new class lap record). Continued on page 619