From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Motor race, comparing a Bentley against foreign cars like Delahaye and B.M.W., and detailing driver Hall's performance.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 90a\6\ Scan208 | |
| Date | 11th February 1941 | |
| - 5 - Bentley. Delahaye. B.M.W. Track. 4.66 4.58 3.9 Mean Wheelbase. 10.5 8.9 7.9 In other words the foreigners had begun to build specially short wheel base sports chassis, which could hardly accommodate a comfortable four seater saloon body, but which were eminently suitable for the Tourist Trophy course. Hall completed the course non-stop. The weather was atrocious and the strain of driving a big car in a thunder-storm must have been enormous. He was very tired at the end of the race. He was beaten by a Riley by 26 seconds. Curiously enough, Dodson and Dixon, both of whom had previously beaten Hall in 1934 and 1935, shared the wheel of the winning car in 1936. His average speed for the race was 81.1 m.p.h., which is a record for any car supercharged or unsupercharged over the Ards circuit. As an indication of the effect which the rain had upon the big cars, the next to finish in the over 3 litre class was Fairfield, in a Lagonda, which finished almost 9 minutes behind Hall. The Delahaye and Bugatti challenge faded away. The best of these foreigners was the Delahaye, which ran 8th. This race undoubtedly demonstrated Hall's ability as a driver to the full, and though possibly not his most spectacular, was certainly his best performance on the Bentley. Hall's petrol consumption was 11.4 miles per gallon during the race, which meant that he finished with more than 10 gallons in the tank. After the race, he again took his car to Shelsley and won his class. Unfortunately, owing to an accident during the 1936 race, where a number of spectators were killed, the authorities no longer permitted the Tourist Trophy race to be run over the Ards circuit, and in consequence it was transferred to Donington Park. When the T.T. was transferred to Donington, Hall, decided not to compete again. Chassis B.35.AE, therefore retired from the racing course, never having been beaten in its class in any event in which it had been entered. Its record as a single car driven continuously by the same individual must remain somewhat unique. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||