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).
Report and analysis of a motor race, discussing driver performance, strategy, and vehicle issues.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 90a\2\ Scan183 | |
| Date | 6th September 1934 | |
| -3- Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}3/MJ.6.9.34. Cont'd.{John DeLooze - Company Secretary} that Hall and Lewis should have lined up together. The battle between these two cars cost Hall more in time than the margin of the race. It will be realised that the driver taking part in the race has no idea whatever whether he is winning. What with the handicaps and cars coming in to the pits for changes it is very difficult even for official observers to know the correct order of the cars. For instance, the official R.A.C. Timing Board was always wrong. We attach herewith a list of the lap times of the Bentley which shows that the race could have been won except on the time taken on the two laps before the last one. Part of the reduced speed on those two laps could be accounted for by a violent thunderstorm on one part of the course which we believe Hall was unfortunate enough to get the worst of. On the other side of the course it was perfectly fine. My own view however was that Hall, after he had passed Lewis thought that he was leading, and it was not until the last lap that he realised there was a man in front. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} and I had passes which allowed us to walk anywhere on the course and also by means of a car on the inside we went around to the various points to watch the competitors. Hall drove the car remarkably well. He was not in the least spectacular but the Bentley car made up its time in getting round corners. If we compare Hall's record lap of 81 with the Supercharged Alfa-Romeo of 83, the Alfa was at least 20 M.P.H. faster than the Bentley on the straight portions which means that on the difficult parts of the road Hall must have been going faster than the Alfa. As regards the car, the engine did not give one moment's anxiety, and the total oil consumption for the race was 3/4 Gall. The brakes towards the end pulled the car to one side on the corners. Since the car has come back we have examined these and find that a considerable quantity of oil has got on to the rear brakes which would account for this. Hall was naturally very disappointed at the end of the race but I impressed upon him that I thought he had done marvellously well, the fact that he had been beaten on handicap by a few seconds did not detract from the wonderful performance he had made. If the Bentley car had won it would have been a most popular victory. Sir Algernon Guinness, who was driving the official Bentley car, was most enthusiastic about it. | ||