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).
Article from 'The Autocar' magazine reporting on a motor race, with photos and a results table.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 90a\1\ Scan039 | |
| Date | 7th September 1934 | |
| September 7th, 1934. The Autocar 427 Driscoll and Handley, who was now making up time again, while the order on handicap at 4.0 was Hall, Dodson, Lewis, Fothringham, Driscoll, Eyston. Then Hodge, finding his advantage gone, put in the best lap so far in the 1,100 c.c. class with his Singer at 71.37 m.p.h., but almost immediately afterwards met with disaster, his steering gear failing at Ballystockart; the car crashed into a ditch, but again the driver was only bruised. Eyston at this point was only 54 sec. behind Dodson, but his car suddenly slowed, and next lap he came to his pit, while Dodson regained the class record with a lap at 76.30 m.p.h., and Von der Becke recovered the 1,100 c.c. record at 71.48 m.p.h. with his Riley. It was amazing how the Aston Martins responded to each challenge by Dodson, for now Fothringham lapped at 76.60 m.p.h., and immediately afterwards Driscoll raised the figure to 76.72 m.p.h. The order on the road was now Dodson, then after nearly 2 min. Fothringham, Driscoll another half minute behind, Handley a further minute and a half in arrears, Eyston, over a minute later, and, a minute and a half behind Eyston, and just over seven minutes behind Dodson, came Penn-Hughes, rapidly making up for his pit stop with the third Aston Martin. The handicap leaders at 2.0, however, showed several changes. Hall had come in on his thirteenth lap to change wheels and refuel, and, speedily though the job was done, he lost his theoretical advantage. The position on handicap now was:— 1. C. J.{Mr Johnson W.M.} P. Dodson (M.G. Magnette) 77.17 m.p.h. 2. B. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} Lewis (Lagonda) 78.76 m.p.h. 3. R.{Sir Henry Royce} S. Fothringham (Aston Martin) 78.25 m.p.h. 4. T. P. Driscoll (Aston Martin) 78.03 m.p.h. 5. J.{Mr Johnson W.M.} S. Hindmarsh (Lagonda) 78.25 m.p.h. 6. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} R.{Sir Henry Royce} Hall (Bentley) 77.96 m.p.h. Dodson was thus leading both on distance and on handicap, but for the next hour the positions were to fluctuate wildly as first one and then another car would come in to the pits for the midway fuel replenishment and wheel change. One of the finest of these pit stops was that effected by Rose-Richards, who changed all wheels on the Talbot, filled up with twenty gallons of petrol and was off in 54 sec. Brian Lewis on his seventeenth lap came in, and all four wheels on the Lagonda were changed, twenty-four gallons of petrol were put in, and the brakes adjusted in 2 min. 9 sec. A similar job on John Cobb's Lagonda, which had been running steadily some way behind its team mates, was carried out in 2 min. 16 sec. When Dodson came in, wheel change and replenishment took 2 min. 3 sec., but Fothringham's stop cost him 3 min. 22 sec., and Driscoll's 3 min. 27 sec. The Aston Martins seemed handicapped in their wheel changes by the use of separate jacks for the front wheels. Meanwhile the much attacked records in the 5,000 c.c. and 1,500 c.c. classes had fallen again, for Hall put up his lap to 81.01 m.p.h., and Penn-Hughes was the third member of the Aston Martin team to take the class record, this time at 77.44 m.p.h., a figure which remained unbroken. The announcer, remarking on these speeds, referred to the fact that none of the cars was super-charged, but it must be pointed out that previous to this race the only records (Rgt) E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} R.{Sir Henry Royce} Hall accelerating away from Dundonald hairpin with the Bentley. (Left) Norman Black passes the Ards airport with his M.G. Magnette. (Left) J.{Mr Johnson W.M.} R.{Sir Henry Royce} Baker's Singer, N. A.{Mr Adams} Berry's Frazer Nash, and C. Penn - Hughes' Aston Martin leave Newtownards. (Right) E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} R.{Sir Henry Royce} Hall's Bentley leads L. Fontes' Invicta round the Dundonald hairpin SHELL DUNLOP G 17 | ||