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).
Two-page magazine article from 'The Motor' detailing The R.A.C. T.T. Race.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 90a\1\ Scan062 | |
| Date | 10th September 1935 | |
| PAGE 236 THE MOTOR. September 10, 1935. Continued THE R.A.C. T.T. RACE Image 1 Caption: 'He flew thro' the air with the greatest of ease': H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} McFerran, at the wheel of the Irish-entered 3.3 Bugatti, hit the Town Hall at Newtownards, broadside on, leapt into the air, and entered the Square as shown in this remarkable photograph. The car stayed right side up throughout, and came to rest with the driver only slightly injured. Drama.—McFerran, driving the Irish-entered 3.3 Bugatti, who had been going well and steadily in the background of the 3-litre class, hit the Town Hall at Newtownards no uncertain blow with his rear wheels. The big car leapt high in the air (some said 10 ft.), twisted round in full flight and entered the Square backwards in a sort of climbing turn. It came to rest right side up but too damaged to go on. See the photograph above. After the Hindmarsh pit stop Dixon went back firmly into the field, and never lost it again, running actually a lap behind the Singer-Fiat tight and overhauling it fast. Three teams were in the field intact. Three Fiats, three Astons and three Singers. On his twelfth lap Lewis came in again for more clutch-slip remover, and was followed in by Dodson’s Lagonda in search of tyres and fuel (2 mins. 10 secs. stop). Hindmarsh (one of whose he was at rest, blowing his horn and indicating with a thumb that sundry smaller fry ahead should move over the snake-track). Dodson restarted with a jack still under the rear wheels, slowed to see what had fallen off, grinned and went on again. At this point Martin came in again with what the delightful Irish announcer called, “A coil leak,” an Adler hit the barrier at Dundonald, somebody's Riley Nine turned peevish and gave up at the Moate, and McCalla's sturdy Marendaz, amazing everyone by its speed and reli-e18 Image 2 Caption: Dundonald hairpin : Lord Howe (3.3-litre Bugatti) swinging his car round the slowest corner on the course. During the later stages of the race he worked steadily up to third place despite clutch slip. The Bugattis were the fastest cars on the course. Image 3 Caption: J.{Mr Johnson W.M.} S. Hindmarsh (4½-litre Lagonda) snapped at Dundonald hairpin. He led the race at one stage during the early hours, but tyre changes and a choked petrol line slowed him up until he eventually finished seventh at 78.87 m.p.h. At one period a horse got loose and cantered down towards Dundonald, causing great excitement. PAGE 237 September 10, 1935. THE MOTOR. Continued THE R.A.C. T.T. RACE ability after a gearbox stop on lap 1) swooshed about the place at Quarry Corner and went over the pavement. Hall Gains on Handicap At 1.30 p.m. Hall began to better Dixon’s improvement on handicap, and crept up towards him 3 secs. a lap, and now the question was: Can Hall catch Dixon in time? Freddie’s pit promptly made the necessary arrangements. A few minutes later Langley’s Singer fractured part of its steering gear on a fast bend at Bradshaw’s Brae, went up the bank, shot along the hedge, and crashed upside down into the road. Fortunately, although the car was out of the race, Langley was unhurt. Now came the mid-distance pit stops. Some were good, some were not. Much petrol was spilt, and where some staffs shot into the work with a will, others fumbled. Powys-Lybbe (Alvis) who had been running steadily and very fast received an ovation when he refuelled. Baird (Magnette) was very rapid, K.{Mr Kilner} D.{John DeLooze - Company Secretary} Evans changed like fury, and Lord Howe came for a second rapid tyre change and refill in 2 mins. 31 secs. While the pits were humming with all this activity came the second Singer disaster. Like unto the first, Norman Black’s steering went a few 100 yards farther down the Brae than Langley’s, the car rolled clean over and came up again on all four wheels, car badly damaged but driver unhurt. Hall’s pit stop at 19 laps was first-rate work. All wheels, fuel and oil in 2 mins. 12 secs. Just as he was about to move off Dixon slid to rest across his bows and as the Bentley gathered speed, Dixon changed rear wheels and refilled in 1 min. 32 secs.—a clear gain of 40 whole seconds over Hall. Thereafter the race lay between Dixon and Hall, with the odds on Dixon, plus a distinct menace from Lord Howe, travelling beautifully steadily and at great speed. Howe was anxious about the Bugatti clutch, which had begun to show symptoms of slip, and he was unable to press the car to the limit of its tremendous speed. Although the 1,000 c.c. class now headed by Davis’s Singer were still virtually leading, it was a foregone conclusion that Dixon would pass them, and, of course, on improvement over handicap, he was steadily beating them and everybody else. Donkin Hands Over to Wisdom At this point Wisdom took over the Aston from Donkin, who had done pluckily with his bandaged hand, but the car refused to restart and a few laps later, after pit stops, packed up with a broken rocker shaft. At half-past two (three and a half hours’ racing) Davis, with his four laps start, had covered 21 rounds to Dixon’s 20, with the Riley closing on him very rapidly. More excitement at Newtownards: E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} R.{Sir Henry Royce} Hall (Bentley) came down to the fast and awkward right-hand turn into the Square on the heels of Van der Becke’s Riley. The latter slowed into the sand-bag just as Hall wrenched the big car through the narrow gap and out into the Square. Dixon Takes the Actual Lead Shortly before 3 p.m. Dixon and Davis both scored 23 laps, and Dixon was now actual leader as well as leading on handicap. Hindmarsh and Hall were opening up for all they were worth, and were separated on the circuit by 26 secs. after 22 laps. Then Hall slid across the road at the Moate, taking that nasty bend on the limit, and the Lagonda increased its distance to 30 secs. On the 24th lap the gap had spread to 31 secs., and Hall was 5 mins. 48 secs. behind Dixon on the lap, and had picked up 35 secs. on him. If both Bentley and Riley held their speed, Hall would beat Dixon by 5 secs. While the crowds buzzed with excitement at this news, the third and most extraordinary disaster befell the Singer team. Davis came down Bradshaw’s Brae, passed Langley’s wreck, and when in sight of Black’s car standing bent at the roadside, the same trouble developed in Davis’s steering. In a second the car was out of control, dived into the bank, hit and slightly hurt two children behind the hedge and then somersaulted clean over, sending the driver shooting out into the road. The car crashed away, upside down, bang on top of Black’s car, and there came to rest, wheels pointing drunkenly to the sky while willing hands pulled the astonished but otherwise undamaged Davis to the side of the road. It must be comparatively rare that three of a g21 | ||