Reports of Recent Events, January 1950

Leicestershire C.C. John Bull Trophy Trial
In mist and ending in the dusk on November 20th last, this trial was a difficult but enjoyable event, with 48 entries.

Results:
Club Cup (Best Visitor).—R. W. Phillips (Fairley), no marks lost.
John Bull Cup (Best Member).—S. Asbury (Ford Ten Anuesley Special), 4 marks lost.
First-Class Awards.—Atkinson (Austin Seven), Harrison (Harford), Rawlings (Vanguard Special), Tracey (Dellow) and Sleeman (Ford Ten Sleeman).
Second-Class Awards.—Thompson (A.W. Special), Lowe (Dellow), Collins (Dellow), Howard (Hillman) and Ostroumoff (Dellow).
Team Award.—Dellow Team (Tracey, Rawlings, Waldron).

Berkhamsted M.C. & C.C. Lockhart-Bossingham Trial
This popular trial, held on November 20th last, was won by a vintage “special.”

Results:
Bossingham Cup.—W. E. Edgar (Alvista).
Members Cup.—W. E. Edgar (Alvista).
First-Class Awards.—Wooton (Austin), Clayton (Clayton) and Brown (Ford Special).
Second-Class Awards.—Imhof (Imhof Special), Smith (A.R.M. Special), Pentony (Vauxhall-Morris), Faulkener (Mercury Special), and Appleton (Allard).

Argentine Endurance Race
Run over the fantastic distance of 2,803.2 miles round the Argentine last November, this four-day is event was won by Juan Galvez (Ford), in 37 hr. 31 min. 55 sec., at 74.69 m.p.h. Fangio was second, 38 min. 35.4 sec. behind, in a Chevrolet, at 73.47 m.p.h., and third place went to Marsilla’s Chevrolet, at 72.54 m.p.h.

Liverpool M.C. Jeans Gold Cup Trial
Heavy rain made the course for this well-known and efficiently organised trial of November 27th last a severe one for the 47 competitors. True, no one lost marks at the observed section at Pen-y-Garth, but Wales had worse in store, and Ford Rise offered a deep water-splash followed by a muddy, rutted gradient. Successful were Holt’s Ford V8 Special, Rogers’ Ford V8 Rojah Special, Pritchard’s L.M.B., Beardshaw’s Ford Ten-engined A.M.B., Phillips’ Javelin-powered Fairley, Wallwork’s Standard, Wilde’s Ford Ten, Wadswort Ford Ten-engined Pansy, Harrison’s Harford, also using a Ford Ten engine, Bailey’s Riley, Clegg’s Ford Ten Clegg Special, Corbishley’s similarly-engined C.C.S., Rawling’s Standard Vanguard-powered Special, Bold’s Bold Special, Miss Kemble’s Ford Ten; but Imhof in his very special Special became drowned in the splash.

Gyffylliog stopped only Leigh’s Ford V8 S.M. and Petersen’s Austin Seven. The stream that had to be forged to reach Slippery Anne looked so dangerous that the section was cut out after five cars had got across and up, but all  but five failed in the first section of Tank’s Terror, and not one car climbed it clean. There was still a stop-and-restart test at Fron Goch and Faerrol to be tackled. In the end 35 finished the course, all qualifying for an award of some sort, and C. L. Bold proving victorious in his 1,080-c.c. Bold Special. He and Holt, whose Ford V8 Special did equally well in the opposite class, lost marks only on Tank’s Terror.

Results:
Best Performance of the Day (Jeans Gold Cup).—C. L. Bold (1,080-c.c. Bold Special), 6 marks lost.
Best in Opposite Class (Wade Cup).—R. E. Holt (3,622-c.c. Ford Special), 6 marks lost.
Best L.M.C. Member (Small Cars).—H. D. Pritchard (1,099-c.c. L.M.B.), 12 marks lost.
Best L.M.C. Members (Large Cars).—J. A. Appleton (4,375-c.c. Allard), 12 marks lost.
Best Novice.—J. Wallwork (1,776-c.c. Standard), 12 marks lost.
Team Award.—Bold and E. B. Wadsworth (1,172-c.c. Pansy Special), 18 team marks lost.
First-Class Awards.—K. Bancroft (1,172-c.c. Bancroft Special), A. Rogers (3,622-c.c. Rojah), A. M. Beardshaw (1,172-c.c. A.M.B.), M. Wilde (1,172-c.c. Ford), T. C. Harrison (1,172-c.c. Harford), A. D. Alldred (1,172-c.c. Ford), J. Clegg (1,172-c.c. Clegg Special), C. Corbishley (1,172-c.c. C.C.S.), K. R. Wadsworth (1,172-c.c. Pansy special), K. R. Bowley (1,503-c.c. Riley Special), J. R. Bramley (2,580-c.c. A.G.S.), H. C. Bramley (1,503-c.c. A.G.S.), L. G. Evans (1,172-c.c. Dellow), K. Rawlings (2,088-c.c. Vanguard), J. O. Sleamen (1,172-c.c. Sleamen Special), P. A. Atkinson (747-c.c. Austin), H. W. Begley (1.172-c.c. Ward Special).

Kentish Border C.C. Sporting Trial
The course for this event was quite difficult on November 27th last, and the last two sections were cut out on account of darkness. Fifty competitors started and 18 failed on White Horse, 25 on Buckwell Bank, 46 on Boarley and 44 on Harp Farm, where only Biggs’ Ford V8, Waring’s blown Dellow, Pine’s Ford Ten-engined Alpine, Faulkner’s Mercury and Price’s Price V8 succeeded. Polly Field then failed the entire entry, but Waring and Pine got into the final section. A good trial!

Results:
Visitor’s Cup.—W. H. Waring, Southsea Motor Club (1,172-c.c. Dellow S.).
Best Performance by Member.—R. W. Faulkner (4,000-c.c. Mercury).
Best Performance Up to 1,100-c.c.—P. Hunt (930-c.c. Taylor-Hunt).
Best Performance Up to 2,000-c.c.—T. Spence (1,172-c.c. F.M.W.).
Best Performance over 2,000-c.c.—D. W. Price (4,000-c.c. Price Special).
Team Award.—V. S. A. Biggs (1,172-c.c. Ford), R. W. Faulkner (4,000-c.c. Mercury), W. H. Waring (1,172-c.c. Dellow, S.).

Brighton & Hove M.C. November Trial
This event embraced three hills and three tests and was contested on November 20th.

Results:
Midgley Trophy (Open Cars).—L. J. Hollingsworth (Hollingsworth Special), 2 marks lost.
Chandley Trophy (Closed Cars).—Dr. Carter-Shaw.
First-Class Award (Open Cars).—E. G. Spence.
Second-Class Award (Closed Cars).—A. Rumfitt.

Leicestershire C.C. Bat-Bo Trophy Trial
This was run on December 10th on a time-route basis.

Results:
Bat Bo Trophy: H. H. Mayes.
First Passenger Award: Mrs. Mayes.
First-Class Awards: K. M. Law and A. H. Jelly.
Second-Class Award: A. H. Shipley.

November S. African Racing
Racing look place last November at the Grand Central Speedway, South Africa, with the following results:—

T-Type M.G. Race.—1st: G. F. R. Paxton. 53.8 m.p.h.
Junior Crusader Race.—1st: B. R. Smith (Austin Nippy), 46.3 m.p.h.
50-Mile Senior Crusader Race.—1st: P. A. Brown (Lancia Aprilia-Special Cisaprilia).

Hagley & D.L.C.C.
The Hagley and District Light Car Club held their annual Winter Trial on December 4th, in the Bridgnorth area and nearly 40 of the best-known Midland drivers pitted their skill against the hazards of a 32-mile course. Two laps of a 16-mile circuit were covered, but the first hill, Meadowley Wood (also known as Lye Wood), was used only on the first lap. Meadowley Wood conquered the whole entry and car after car shot high in the air over the first bump and then slowly came to a standstill with spinning wheels in the deep mud beyond. K. Wharton (Wharton) made his usual outstanding performance but failed to keep moving through the foot deep mud. J. Coates (N.T. Special) and A. J. Daniel (Daniel) also made excellent attempts and reached the same section as Wharton. The Allard of G. P. Green caused some slight delay when it became stuck athwart the track but many willing helpers and Marshalls supplied by the Bridgnorth Motor Club soon cleared the obstruction.

Following Meadowley were several hills which caused little trouble though most contributed their quota of failures, particularly among the standard cars and those driven by novices. Cross Hill alone was surmounted by the whole entry but Cross Bank which followed surprisingly caused the failure of some of the super sports cars including J. E. de Blaquiere’s Austin Seven which ran out of petrol near the summit. An acceleration test and a driving test which called for skilful manoeuvring on a bad surface showed Ken Wharton (Wharton) to be appreciably faster than anyone else and at this stage the British Trials Drivers Champion seemed all set for another victory. Wheel Hill at Worfield, however, changed his prospects—this hill was climbed just before lunch when it failed half the entry and after the lunch stop competitors were asked to climb it again and negotiate a sharp “S” bend in the middle. Wharton made a gallant attempt as did R. B. Lowe (Dellow) and J. W. Cox (Dellow) but the combination of gradient and slimy surface defeated them. Then came F. D. Lawton (Austin Special) who, to the delight of the spectators, motored steadily up to the top in what appeared to be an effortless climb. This performance automatically gave him a lead which he did not lose on the remaining hills of the afternoon.

Hopstones, which had to be negotiated in reverse by the sports cars, gave little trouble, only one failure. Prune Hill was more difficult on the second circuit, after the surface had been freely watered but only cars of standard type experienced failure.

D. P. Baker (M.G.) made a particularly convincing climb of Cross Hill and this driver again did well in the driving tests—his combined time of 67.2 seconds being very good indeed.

Of the super sports cans, K. Wharton (Wharton), was easily the fastest—his times totalling 56 sec. Excellent performances were also made by J. D. Sleeman (Sleeman Special) 59 sec., F. D. Lawton (Austin Special) 61.2 sec., and J. Coates (N.T. Special) 64.8 sec.

Wharton also made fastest time in the acceleration test and the bogey time thus established made it difficult for other drivers to avoid losing marks. L. G. Evans (Dellow) was very fast but struck a marking post and so failed the test.

At the finish a meal was provided at the Falcon hotel and printed results were available before competitors had dined.

Doug Lawton, the well-known local driver, hails from Hagley and his victory was a very popular one. He constructed his car only this year and has scored an early success with it (Austin Ten engine in Austin Seven chassis).

P.S.—Meadowley Wood has now failed two whole trial entries—the Vesey and the above. In the dusk on Sunday night, however, Wharton succeeded in making two clean unofficial climbs.

Results:
Class A—Super Sports Cars:
Whittingham Cup (Best Performance of the Day).—F. D. Lawton (Austin Special), lost no marks.
First-Class Awards.—K. Wharton (Wharton), lost 10 marks; R. B. Lowe (Dellow), lost 10 marks.
Second-Class Awards.—J. Coates (N.T. Special), lost 16 marks; J. D. Sleeman (Sleeman Special), lost 20 marks.
Complimentary Award.—G. D. Waldron (Dellow), lost 20 marks.

Class B—Standard Cars:
Grive Cup.—D. P. Baker (M.G.), lost 60 marks.
First-Class Awards.—J. McKie (M.G.), lost 70 marks; H. Parkes (M.G.), lost 76 marks.
Second-Class Awards.—M. Manning (Morris), lost 77 marks.

Class D—Non-Experts:
Siddaway Cup.—J. Spears (Dellow), lost, 1 mark.
Novice Cup:—W. F. Fletcher (Dellow), lost 5 marks.
First-Class Award.—P. L. Cracknell (Forsten), lost 5 marks.
Team Award.—R. B. Lowe (Dellow), and G. Spears (Dellow).

West Hants & Dorset C.C. Christmas Trial
Although the event on December 11th was confined to members, thirty-three cars came to the start. The morning section consisted of a series of map reference points between which competitors had to average set speeds varying between 15 m.p.h. and 24 m.p.h. The difficulty was that the average speeds were based on the distance as the crow flies, and the points were carefully arranged so that there were no direct roads between them. Quite a number of members failed to find all the control points and were classed as non-finishers. On the other hand, it could be done, and Godfrey Verner driving a Hillman Minx lost only two minutes throughout. F. W. Scott, With his 17-year-old Lagonda, ran him close with a loss of three minutes.

The lunch stop was at Eastbury Hall near Blandford. Afterwards, competitors tackled some slippery grass-grown hills on Stubhampton Down. Several lost marks here, but the results of the trial depended mainly on the morning’s map-reading tests. The saloon car competitors fared far better than their opposite numbers in open cars—probably because it was considerably easier to read a map and work out mathematical problems of time and distance in the comfort of a saloon!

Results:
Christmas Cup (best performance of the day by a closed car): G. Verner (Hillman Minx), two marks lost.
First-Class Awards (closed cars): F. W. Scott (Lagonda), three marks lost ; C. S. Fitch (Ford), nine marks lost; H. R. Jesty (Hillman Minx), 13 marks lost; J. R. Shutter (Invicta), 14 marks lost; K. Corbett (Austin A40), 18 marks lost.
Second-Class Awards (closed cars): J. H. Stutt (Triumph), 19 marks lost; G. H. Hartwell (Sunbeam-Talbot), 21 marks lost; A. R. Durrant (Ford), 21 marks lost; F. V. Booth (Ford), 22 marks lost.
Club Cup (for best performance by an open car): Mrs. Pauline Jesty (Allard), 37 marks lost.
First-Class Award (open car): W. A. Walters (Morris), 91 marks lost.
Second-Class Award (open car): I. Lee-Duncan (Singer), 107 marks lost.

Italian Champions
Italy has announced her 1949 motor-racing champions. Alberto Ascari is Champion of Italy. Taruffi is Formula II Champion. The class championships were won as follows: 750-c.c. sports-car class: Leonard; 1,100-c.c. sports class: Scagliarini; over 1,100-c.c. sports class: Vallone; 750-c.c. touring class: Ferraguti; 1,500-c.c. touring class: Danesi; over 1,500-c.c. touring class: Count Lurani.