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).
Magazine article from 'The Motor' reporting on the R.A.C. Tourist Trophy Race.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 90a\1\ Scan047 | |
| Date | 4th September 1934 | |
| PAGE 196 THE R.A.C. TOURIST TROPHY RACE—Contd. got his impressively quiet Talbot round at 78.84 m.p.h. Prestwich's Crash On the fifth lap came the first mishap. H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} B. Prestwich (Riley Nine) shot high into the air over the br-side hedge at Quarry Corner, nose-dived to earth sideways into a brook, and although bleeding internally from one ear when lifted from the car, seemed little injured. He was taken to hospital in Belfast. On the next lap Hall broke his record with 79.83 m.p.h.—a sec. faster—and led his class, losing only the lead by over half a minute on handicap. ORDER AT 12 noon 1. Hall (Bentley), 78.82 m.p.h. 2. Fotheringham (Aston-Martin), 74.50 m.p.h., 2 mins. 45 secs. behind on handicap. 3. Hon. Brian Lewis (Lagonda), 77.56 m.p.h., 45 secs. behind. 4. Eyston (M.G. Magnette), 75.27 m.p.h., tied with Howe (Lagonda), 77.49 m.p.h., both 55 secs. behind. 6. Dodson (M.G. Magnette), 75.75 m.p.h., 57 secs. behind. Incidents came rapidly. Baker (Singer) overshot Dundonald hairpin, Lord Howe lost a plug, changed plugs, Laird, the Belfast driver, caught fire at Dundonald and withdrew his Riley in understandable consequence, and Norman Black set off again from Comber. Added to which Rose-Richards knocked 11 secs. off Lord Howe's lap time and averaged 75.19 m.p.h. with the other Talbot, just as Fotheringham on the amazingly fast Aston-Martin lapped at 75.10 m.p.h. and McClure took a Riley Nine round at 71.27 m.p.h. Dodson Forges Ahead During the next hour or so Dodson came out of the M.G. ruck, left his team mates behind and forged steadily ahead at nearly 76 m.p.h., gradually working his car forward to fifth place, then to fourth, until at half-past twelve he was third and at one o'clock ran second. Rose-Richards sliced two more seconds off his class record with a neat 75.42 m.p.h. Hindmarsh stopped to adjust all the Lagonda brakes, Langley thought something seemed odd about his engine but went on after a stop to look, and then Berry took his Frazer-Nash sideways into Newtownards Square, greatly to the embarrassment of the man just behind. At this juncture the Singer team lost all hope, Baker retired near Comber with transmission trouble, and Hall circulated at 80.48 m.p.h.—the first lap at over 80 m.p.h. of the day. CLASS WINNERS Class C (5 Litres) E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} R.{Sir Henry Royce} Hall (Bentley). Class D (3 Litres) T. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} Rose-Richards (Talbot). Class F (1½ Litres) C. J.{Mr Johnson W.M.} P. Dodson (M.G. Magnette). Class G (1,100 c.c.) A.{Mr Adams} W. Von der Becke (Riley). STILL RUNNING AT THE END W. L. McCalls (Ford V8), 54 laps; W. Sullivan (Ford V8), 54 laps; F.{Mr Friese} W. Dixon (Riley), 54 laps; W. T. McCalla (Ford V8), 54 laps; A.{Mr Adams} W. Thorpe (Frazer-Nash), 53 laps; J.{Mr Johnson W.M.} F.{Mr Friese} A.{Mr Adams} Clough (Frazer-Nash), 53 laps; F.{Mr Friese} A.{Mr Adams} W. Langley (Singer), 52 laps; A.{Mr Adams} H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} Langley (Singer), 52 laps; F.{Mr Friese} E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} Clifford (Riley Nine), 50 laps. [Image Caption] T. S. Fotheringham (Aston-Martin) 3rd man home at 74.53 m.p.h. [Image Caption] 85 miles an hour through a thunderstorm! C. J.{Mr Johnson W.M.} P. Dodson, in the winning M.G. Magnette dashing over the Comber level crossing at a speed described as being impossible—even on a dry road! Hall's Bentley was on his tail, eating up his all too scanty lead by over 20 secs. a lap—and there were still 20 miles to go. PAGE 197 THE R.A.C. TOURIST TROPHY RACE—Contd. ORDER at 1 p.m. 1. Hall (Bentley), 80.48 m.p.h. 2. Dodson (M.G. Magnette), 74.69 m.p.h., 44 secs. behind on handicap. 3. Hon. Brian Lewis (Lagonda), 78.31 m.p.h., 46 secs. behind. 4. Fotheringham (Aston-Martin), 74.90 m.p.h., 1 min. 3 secs. behind. 5. Driscoll (Aston-Martin), 74.60 m.p.h., 1 min. 4 secs. behind. 6. Eyston (M.G. Magnette), 74.14 m.p.h., 1 min. 8 secs. behind. Class records were going up and up. The fastest 1,500 c.c. went to Driscoll (Aston-Martin) at 76.24 m.p.h.; J.{Mr Johnson W.M.} R.{Sir Henry Royce} Hodge (Singer Nine) stole the 1,100 c.c. lap record from the Rileys at 71.37 m.p.h. and Rose-Richards went round at 73.84 m.p.h. Hodge's effort proved his last. Just on half-past one Hodge went sideways into a Ballystockart ditch—out of the race at high speed—without personal damage. Steering-gear breakage was blamed. Lap Records Go Up Despite these alarms, these lap records still went overboard. Dodson, rapidly advancing to first place, registered 76.24 m.p.h. (and this in an unblown 1.287 c.c. M.G. Magnette, remember), Von der Becke scored 71.30 m.p.h. in the 1,100 c.c. class with the Riley. Fotheringham (Aston-Martin) thought 76.60 m.p.h. might do, but Driscoll, in a sister car, thought 76.72 m.p.h. an improvement. It was at this period that a telephonist, earnestly talking into his instrument at Ballystockart, had the mouthpiece knocked sideways by a stone artlessly catapulted at him by Hall's Bentley as it swept past. Many Pit Stops Pit stops were coming thick and fast as many cars were coming in for their first refuel. At 1.21 a violent blowing of high-power horns heralded Hall's stop to change all four wheels, fling into the tank 3½ large cans of fuel, have a drink and get away again—in 2 mins. 48 secs. This stop brought Hall down from first place to sixth, 2 mins. 8 secs. behind Dodson on handicap, and grimly he set about fighting his way back again. ORDER at 2 p.m. 1. Dodson (M.G. Magnette), 76.17 m.p.h. 2. Hon. Brian Lewis (Lagonda), 78.76 m.p.h., 1 min. 6 secs. behind on handicap. 3. Fotheringham (Aston-Martin), 75.24 m.p.h., 1 min. 44 secs. behind. 4. Eyston (Aston-Martin), 75.03 m.p.h., 1 min. 51 secs. behind. 5. Hindmarsh (Lagonda), 78.25 m.p.h., 1 min. 51 secs. 6. Hall (Bentley), 77.96 m.p.h., 2 mins. 6 secs. behind. At ten minutes after two Von der Becke pushed his record up to 71.93 m.p.h. and Hall dismissed with another 4 secs. and averaged 81.01 m.p.h. Ten minutes later C. Penn-Hughes (Aston-Martin) who had no body felt groggy, lapped at 77.44 m.p.h. in the 1,500 c.c. class. The A.M.s were pressing hard. About this time, Baumer's Invicta broke a piston on the Ards straight—and that was that—while Handley was having an anxious time with a top gear which wouldn't work. Eventually this derangement forced his retirement. Some Rapid Tyre Changes There was some very smart pit work during the next half-hour—and some not quite so smart. George Eyston refuelled and changed four wheels in 1 min. 55 secs., Newsome (Riley) changed three wheels, took on 12 gallons and tightened the shock absorbers in 2 mins. dead. Then at half- (Continued on page 200) [Image Caption] Dundonald hairpin—Lord Howe (2.9-litre Talbot) screaming his tyres at the most acute turn on the Ards Circuit, followed by Cyril Paul (Riley Nine). Lord Howe's best lap was at 73.84 m.p.h. [Image Caption] The first Riley to finish: A.{Mr Adams} Von der Becke swivelling into the right-angle turn in Comber Village, leading C. S. Staniland in the six-cylinder Riley and W. Sullivan's Ford V8. Von der Becke averaged 70.32 m.p.h. and finished ninth. | ||