Topic: KING OF SPEED

[auseebkk]

อี.อาร์.เอ. หนุมาน

หนุมาน (Hanuman) เป็นชื่อที่ใช้เรียกรถแข่ง ยี่ห้อ อี.อาร์.เอ. (English Racing Automobiles - ERA)

รหัส R12B/C ที่พระวรวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้าพีรพงศ์ภาณุเดช ใช้ขับแข่งในช่วงปี พ.ศ. 2481

เป็นรถ อี.อาร์.เอ. คันที่สามในสังกัด คอกหนูขาว (White Mouse team) ต่อจาก รอมิวลุส และ รีมุส

รถคันนี้ สร้างขึ้นในปี พ.ศ. 2479 เดิมมีรหัส R12B ใช้เครื่องยนต์ขนาด 2,000 ซีซี

ต่อมาได้เปลี่ยนเครื่องยนต์ใหม่เป็น 1,500 ซีซี ในปี พ.ศ. 2480 

พระเจ้าวรวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้าจุลจักรพงษ์ ทรงซื้อมาในปี พ.ศ. 2481

เพื่อทดแทน อี.อาร์.เอ. รีมุส ที่ขายออกไป  โดยพ่นตัวถังเป็นสีฟ้าพีระ

วงล้อและชาสซีเป็นสีเหลือง ตามสีสัญลักษณ์ของราชยานยนต์สมาคมแห่งสยาม

[OouVintage]

  ขอบคุณสำหรับข้อมูลและภาพดีๆครับ 

[ป้อ (theringmeister)]

ขออนุญาตพี่เพชร (auseebkk) รวมเอารูปจากผมที่เคยโพสต์ไว้ในกระทู้ก่อนมารวมไว้ในนี้และเพิ่มรูปด้วยครับ 

มาจากหนังสือเล่มนี้ครับ


ปกหลัง


รูปรถครับ รูปเล็กด้านล่าง พระองค์เจ้าพีระฯ,รัชกาลที่แปด และ สมเด็จพระศรีนคริทรา บรมราชชนนีฯครับ



ในรูปล่างสุด พระองค์เจ้าพีระฯ, ในหลวง, รัชกาลที่แปด และ สมเด็จพระเจ้าพี่นางเธอเจ้าฟ้ากัลยานิวัฒนาฯครับ

[auseebkk]

ภาพการแข่งขันในอดีต

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รางวัล ดาราทอง (BRDC Road Racing Gold Star)

จากสมเด็จพระเจ้าจอร์จที่ 5 แห่งสหราชอาณาจักร 3 ปีซ้อน

ได้รับการบรรจุชื่อในหอเกียรติยศของสมาคมนักแข่งรถอังกฤษ

BRDC Awards

The Gold Star

First awarded in 1929, the now famous Gold Star was originated through the Committee,
although they took a poor view of the number of rays in the first sample submitted. They also
had considerable difficulty in deciding quite how the star should be awarded. Initially, the
idea was that the Star was an equivalent to the D.S.O., awarded with great care, but little by
little it became more the badge of the year’s champion, though the word champion was
deliberately avoided. Before this was settled, there had been an annual championship award
which, of course, was awarded only once, the winner being Kaye Don.

The Gold Star was presented to the winner or winners for the year at the annual dinner and it
was a tradition that the Star should normally be presented by a driver who had won one already.

At first it had been intended that no driver could win more than one Star, the idea being that
‘bars’ would be added for subsequent successes. However, individual Stars were presented
for many years and the original idea was not implemented until late in 1950.

The Duke of Edinburgh, a racing enthusiast, attended the Club’s 21st Birthday celebrations
in December 1948, and presented Gold Stars to John Cobb, who had beaten his own 1939
Land Speed Record, to “Goldie” Gardner, who had taken international records, to Ian Connell
for track racing in 1939 and presented the Star, won by Johnny Wakefield for road racing in
193, to Wakefield’s widow, as Johnny had been killed in the war.

Qualification for the Gold Star was changed, as it was thought to be too strongly weighted
towards Formula 1 racing and did not adequately recognise long-distance sports car racing,
nor encourage members taking part in other international formulae.

The points scoring system is as follows:

                                                                                             Finishers
 

                                                                   1st      2nd     3rd     4th      5th      6th     Other
World Championship Formula 1
OR Indianapolis 500                                       27       21       16      12        9         7           5
OR Le Mans 24 Hours

Over 500 Kms in length                                  21       16       12       9         7         5           4
 
300 - 500 Kms in length                                 18       14       11       8         6         4           3
 
200 - 300 Kms in length                                 15       12        9        7         5         3           2
 
150 - 200 Kms in length                                  9         7        5        4         3          2          1
 
100 - 150 Kms in length                                  6         5        4        3         2          1          0
 
50 - 100 Kms in length                                   4          3        2        1         0          0          0 

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Year     Name
1929  Sir Henry Segrave & Sir Malcolm Campbell & Sammy Davis
1930  Sir Henry Birkin & Kaye Don & Sammy Davis
1931  Lord Essendon & Norman Black & Capt. George Eyston
1932  Ronnie Horton & Earl Howe
1933  Eddie Hall & Earl Howe
1934  Fred W Dixon & Lord Essondon & Charles Dodson
1935  John Cobb & Oliver Bertram & Tim Rose-Richards & Earl Howe & Fred W Dixon
1936  Bill Pacey & ‘B. Bira’
1937  John Cobb & ‘B. Bira’
1938  Capt. George Eyston & John Cobb & t.Col. Goldie Gardner & Richard Seaman & Oliver Bertram & ‘B. Bira’
1939  Ian Connell & Johnny Wakefield
1947  John Cobb & Lt Col Goldie Gardner & Reg Parnell
1948  Reg Parnell
1949  Lt Col Goldie Gardner & Bob Gerard & Peter Whitehead
1950  Stirling Moss
1951  Stirling Moss
1952  Stirling Moss
1953  Mike Hawthorn
1954  Stirling Moss
1955  Stirling Moss
1956  Stirling Moss
1957  Stirling Moss
1958  Mike Hawthorn & Stirling Moss
1959  Jack Brabham & Stirling Moss
1960  Jack Brabham
1961  Stirling Moss
1962  Graham Hill
1963  Jim Clark
1964  John Surtees & Graham Hill
1965  Jim Clark & Graham Hill
1966  Jack Brabham & Graham Hill
1967  Denny Hulme
1968  Graham Hill & Jackie Stewart & Denny Hulme
1969  Jackie Stewart & Bruce McLaren
1970  Denny Hulme
1971  Jackie Stewart
1972  Emerson Fittipaldi & Denny Hulme
1973  Jackie Stewart
1974  James Hunt
1975  James Hunt
1976  James Hunt
1977  James Hunt
1978  John Watson
1979  Alan Jones
1980  Alan Jones
1981  Alan Jones
1982  John Watson
1983  Richard Noble & Jonathan Palmer
1984  Niki Lauda & Derek Bell
1985  Derek Bell
1986  Derek Bell
1987  Derek Bell
1988  Martin Brundle
1989  Nigel Mansell & Kenny Acheson
1990  Andy Wallace
1991  Nigel Mansell
1992  Nigel Mansell & Derek Warwick
1993  Damon Hill & Nigel Mansell
1994  Damon Hill & Juan Manuel Fangio
1995  Damon Hill
1996  Damon Hill
1997  Andy Green & James Weaver
1998  David Coulthard
1999  David Coulthard
2000  David Coulthard
2001  David Coulthard & Justin Wilson
2002  David Coulthard

[เจ้าบ้านบางกอกฯ]

รางวัล ดาราทอง (BRDC Road Racing Gold Star)
จากสมเด็จพระเจ้าจอร์จที่ 5 แห่งสหราชอาณาจักร 3 ปีซ้อน
ได้รับการบรรจุชื่อในหอเกียรติยศของสมาคมนักแข่งรถอังกฤษ

"มีใครสังเกตหรือเปล่าว่าปีนี้ 2008 เป็นปีครบรอบ 70 ปี" ที่พระองค์เจ้าพีระพงศ์ ภาณุเดช
ได้กล่าวขานพระนามว่า "เจ้าดาราทอง" (BRDC Road Racing Gold Star) จากที่พระองค์
ได้ทรงชนะเลิศการแข่งรถกรังด์ปรีซ์ในยุโรประหว่างปี ค.ศ. 1936, 1937 และ 1938
จนได้รางวัลดาราทอง (BRDC Road Racing Gold Star) จากสมเด็จพระเจ้าจอร์จที่ 5
แห่งสหราชอาณาจักร 3 ปีซ้อน และได้รับการบรรจุชื่อในหอเกียรติยศของสมาคมนักแข่ง
รถอังกฤษ

และปีหน้า 2009 จะครบรอบ 70 ปีของ "กรุงเทพกรังด์ปรีซ์ The Race that Never Run"
ผมว่าเราน่าจะจัดกิจกรรมเทิดพระเกียรติพระองค์ท่านเอาเป็นงานบางแสนปีนี้เป็นไงครับ

 

[@Speed]

รางวัล ดาราทอง (BRDC Road Racing Gold Star)
จากสมเด็จพระเจ้าจอร์จที่ 5 แห่งสหราชอาณาจักร 3 ปีซ้อน
ได้รับการบรรจุชื่อในหอเกียรติยศของสมาคมนักแข่งรถอังกฤษ

"มีใครสังเกตหรือเปล่าว่าปีนี้ 2008 เป็นปีครบรอบ 70 ปี" ที่พระองค์เจ้าพีระพงศ์ ภาณุเดช
ได้กล่าวขานพระนามว่า "เจ้าดาราทอง" (BRDC Road Racing Gold Star) จากที่พระองค์
ได้ทรงชนะเลิศการแข่งรถกรังด์ปรีซ์ในยุโรประหว่างปี ค.ศ. 1936, 1937 และ 1938
จนได้รางวัลดาราทอง (BRDC Road Racing Gold Star) จากสมเด็จพระเจ้าจอร์จที่ 5
แห่งสหราชอาณาจักร 3 ปีซ้อน และได้รับการบรรจุชื่อในหอเกียรติยศของสมาคมนักแข่ง
รถอังกฤษ

และปีหน้า 2009 จะครบรอบ 70 ปีของ "กรุงเทพกรังด์ปรีซ์ The Race that Never Run"
ผมว่าเราน่าจะจัดกิจกรรมเทิดพระเกียรติพระองค์ท่านเอาเป็นงานบางแสนปีนี้เป็นไงครับ

 

ขอสนับสนุนเต็มที่เลยครับ 

[เจ้าบ้านบางกอกฯ]

ปัจจุบันรถ ERA หนุมานอยู่ในประเทศไทยนี่เอง
ขอขอบคุณข้อมูลจากสมาคมรถคลาสสิคประเทศไทย (CCAT) ครับ

โดยที่ ฯพณฯ เอกอัครราชฑุตอังกฤษประจำประเทศไทย H.E. Quinton Quayle
ได้ทูลเกล้าถวายพระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัวฯ ในวาระฉลอง 80 พรรษา ปัจจุบัน
ERA หนุมานแสดงอยู่ที่ศาลาดุสิตดาลัย ในพระราชวังสวนจิตรลดา

This E.R.A. "Hanuman" was presented as a gift on the occasion of
H.M. The King's 80th Birthday honoring him the world's longest-reigning
monarch by Her Britannic Majesty's Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand,
H.E. Quinton Quayle.  This historic race car is now on display at the Dusidalai
Pavilion in the compound of Chitralada Palace, H.M. current residence (is not
open to the public in order to protect the King’s security and privacy).   

E.R.A. Hanuman was the first of the (Prince) Chula cars to become blue
and yellow, “gracious permission” having been given by HM the King for
White Mouse to use the Royal racing ‘Silks’

http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/c7.htm

History:
 
E.R.A. R12B “Hanuman”
 
The ERA was the creation of Raymond Mays and Peter Berthon who, after World War 2, went on to create the F1 BRM series of cars. The ERA, (English Racing Automobile), was very successful, its 1.5 liter supercharged engine producing some 250 horsepower and winning everywhere in the "Voiturette" formula. The "B" Types were originally produced in 1935. In total thirteen were manufactured and the machines were campaigned with some success. One of the best known privateers of the era, Prince Birabongse Bhanubandh, 'B. Bira' of Thailand. His three B-Types (Romulus, Remus and Hanuman) secured over 20 British and International vistories. This is the car as raced in 1938.
 

ERA R12B "Hanuman / Hanuman II" 2.0litre R12B
 
was a 1936 works car with a 2litre engine and in the works black colour scheme. Raymond Mays successfully hill climbed R12B at Shelsley Walsh and raced at Brooklands

1937 The works rebuilt R12B to C-type specification with a 1.5litre engine and a long-range fuel tank. Pat Fairfield was to be the main works driver of R12B/C for the year. After a win with R12B/C at CrystalPalace and DoningtonParkFairfield was killed in the Le Mans 24-hour sportscar race. R12B/C was successfully used by other drivers during the rest of the year. The Albi Grand Prix was won by Humphrey Cook/ Raymond Mays.  The BerneGrand Prix, Switzerland and the JCC 200 mile race were won Arthur Dobson. The Brooklands Siam Trophy was won by Raymond Mays.   
 
1938 The works sold R12B/C to Prince Chula for “B.Bira” to drive. R12B/C was painted with a light blue body and yellow chassis and wheels of the “White Mouse” stable and made the national racing colours of Siam (Thailand). In the tradition of “White Mouse” cars, following R2B “Romulus” and R5B “Remus” R12C was named “Hanuman”. “B.Bira” used R12C to gain wins at Brooklands, DoningtonPark and Cork, Ireland.
 
1939 saw “B.Bira” raced R12B/C to win the Nuffield Trophy at DoningtonPark. Somewhat less successfully Bira crashed R12B/C at in practice for the Coupe de la Commission Sportive at Rheims, France. Bira suffered only minor injuries but the car was badly damaged. NOW THIS IS WHERE THINGS GET A BIT TRICKY !  As happens with many well raced cars repair and modification keeps cars on the track but complicates their history. R12B had been modified to C-type spec. and was now repaired with the only available chassis frame (a B-type, probably from R8B left over from its rebuild up to C-type spec.) so that the cars code letter reverted to “R12B” and its name was moved on to  “Hanuman II”. The spare parts from sorting out the mess were set aside – see R12C "Hanuman", below, for what happened to them.   
 
Post-war “B.Bira” was still winning with R12B. Later R12B was sold to an owner in Rhodesia.   
1968 R12B won the Richard Seaman Trophy race driven by David Kergon.

1994 R12B was owned by W.R.G. “Bill” Morris and being driven in historic events by Duncan Ricketts and John Ure.   
 
1999 - Ownership passed to D.H.Wenman.   
 
2001 17/19th. August - Tony Stephens drove R12B at the "MAC 100" meeting at Shelsley Walsh (where the engine capacity was quoted as 1488cc.)  as quoted as 1488cc.)
 

ERA R12C "Hanuman" ( R12B "Hanuman / Hanuman II" )
 
1982 - Respected car restorer and ERA expert W.R.G. “Bill” Morris rebuilt the wreckage left over from the R12B/C “Hanuman” crash and rebuild (see R12B "Hanuman / Hanuman II", above). The project used the original mangled chassis frame from R12B/C, other R12B/C parts and other period parts with any gaps filled by remanufactured parts.
 
The result was “R12C – Hanuman” a C-type ERA as if the 1939 Rheims accident had not happened.  As at the time Bill Morris owned both “R12B – Hanuman II” and “R12C – Hanuman” the question of whether one or the other or both or neither was “genuine” was a matter he would have had to fight out with himself !
 
1990s Morris entered the car in historic events for his driver A.K. “Tony” Stephens. The car was part of the Bourne parade 29th. August 1999 driven by the owner Bill Morris.

 

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Second New Zealand
International
Grand Prix 1955


If the first New Zealand Grand Prix proved that the spectators were available in their thousands for an event of this kind, the second proved that the organisers would have to keep their eyes open for a number of the less obvious things that go to make up motor racing.

For the processional win by B. Bira (Prince Birabongse Bhanutej Bhanuban of Siam) in a 2ฝ -litre Formula I Maserati, followed by a similar win the following year by Stirling Moss, showed that as much thought had to be given to finding an evenly-matched field as to obtaining two or three first-class drivers.

The second year also saw the introduction of heats, preliminary qualifying races, to keep up the interest of the audience in the early stages of the day and sort out starting positions in the main event, which it was agreed should be limited to no more than 24 cars.

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Bira and his Maserati in action in the 1955 Grand Prix, which he won from start to finish

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The second New Zealand Grand Prix is actually a good deal more interesting in retrospect than it was on the day, when for lap after lap Bira slung the long, light-blue Maserati round the course in immaculate fashion, completely outclassing the rest of the field despite the first appearance of the Ferrari 300S motor in the Ferrari short chassis.

Two of these latter cars were in the hands of Peter Whitehead and Tony Gaze, calling themselves now the Kangaroo Stable (Gaze is an Australian) and all hooked up for a profitable southern circuit through New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

These three cars and the 2.5-litre 1953 Maserati 250F fielded by Australian Reg Hunt (his first drive in a big car, though he had had many notable successes in Europe in sports and Formula II events) were the backbone of the race, though Jack Brabham drove redoubtably to come home fourth, behind Bira, Whitehead, and Gaze, and ahead of Hunt, in his obsolescent Cooper-Bristol.







Cool, calm and collected, Bira waiting for his Maserati to be wheeled to the starting grid.

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Bira's Maserati was not the latest type, for the redoubtable 250F was then coming into circulation and was to prove itself later in the season in the hands of Stirling Moss and others.

Outwardly Bira's car differed from the 250F by having a long, drooping nose and one of the prettiest body shapes evolved in post-war Formula I racing. It was distinguished by the large number of ventilating louvres, apparently popped in wherever a panel gave room for them.

The motor was a six-cylinder double over-head camshaft job, with three carburetors, running on a methanol blend, and developing around 260 bhp at the high figure of 8000 r.p.m. But it was a well-tested motor, which had proved itself capable in the hands of a first-class driver of meeting Ferrari on equal terms and conceding little to Mercedes-Benz.

Against this formidable, but solitary, car were pitted the experimental Ferraris of Whitehead and Gaze. They were the short- chassis 1954 grand prix cars.

On paper, the cars were formidable. Replacing the 2ฝ -litre Formula I motors were two of the 3-litre 300S motors which had been extremely successful in sports-racing events during the previous season. They were big four-cylinder double overhead camshaft motors, with two Weber double-choke carburetors, and they produced their estimated 245 bhp at only 6500 r.p.m.

Hunt's car, which scarcely came into the picture among the leaders owing to the circumstances, was an early 250F, a shorter car than Bira's, considerably lighter, with suspension improvements and the motor which was to prove the marquee's last effective gesture in the current Formula I series.

Jack Brabham's Cooper-Bristol was the modified car which ran under the name of Redex Special, in which he had scored many successes in Australia and run into a place in New Zealand at the first NZ Grand Prix.

And another familiar car also appeared - the ex-Whitehead V12 Ferrari from the previous year, in the hands of Australian Dick Cobden. Unfortunately the blown 2-litre never showed its paces properly during either practice or race, being dogged by fuel-pump and then electrical troubles throughout the visit.

Previous year's winner, Stan Jones, was unable to cross the Tasman again, having wrapped his Maybach around a tree in the Australian Grand Prix, but Australia was represented by the 1954 Australian GP winner, Lex Davison, again driving his further modified HWM-Jaguar, and Stan Coffey, in a Cooper-Bristol.

Among the New Zealanders, the position was as before, with Roycroft still the favourite in the 2.9 Alfa-Romeo, likely to be challenged by Fred Zambucka with the 2.9 Maserati, with which he had put up a 151 mph flying mile at Orange, N.S.W., during the year. But there was one modern machine; John Horton had the ex-Gaze HWM-Alta of the year before. Although his HWM was the most modern New Zealand owned car in the race, he lacked the experience of the top contenders.

There were several interesting New Zealand made cars, such as the very attractive Palmer Special which, it is interesting to note, was the old Jackson Special (later Logan Special) now rebuilt. Its driver was veteran speed boat and midget-car racer George Palmer of Hamilton. Hawkes Bay saloon driver Reg McCutcheon had a new Chevrolet-engined car called the Normac Special, and Des McDonagh, also from Hawkes Bay, brought his Thomas-Mercury.

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Ron Frost, Arnold Stafford and Syd Jensen, as members of the Frost stable, were at the wheels of three Cooper-Norton's, the last named's a Mk VII and the others Mk VIIIs. Bill Lee raced his own Mk VI Cooper-Norton.

The sports-car class had three Austin-Healeys, two Triumph TR2s and a Morgan. Fastest of the Healeys was the modified ex-Jensen car driven by Auckland clubman Les McLaren, father of Bruce McLaren. Peter McInally had another and at the last minute Phil Neill forsook the wheel of his FSS Special for one. Ross Jensen was now driving a much-modified TR2, and a standard model was entered for Wally Bern  to drive. The Morgan was driven by 17 year old Wellingtonian Tony Shelly. It qualified but didn't start.

The race was run, as before, in a left hand, or anti-clockwise direction, though it was to be changed the succeeding year to its present clockwise, right-hand direction, which makes it at least two or three seconds faster.

Bira, by then a veteran of the world's tracks, with 20 years' racing up his sleeve, took one practice run around Ardmore, shot back to the city to change his rear axle ratio, and struck it exactly right.






Ross Jensen in the Triumph TR2

His car was running on a racing methanol blend, which gave it several miles an hour on the Ferraris, but also carried a risk of breakdown. He followed in the race the old form of going out in front and staying there as long as possible, and his car held out for a handsome win and lots of lap money.

The Ferraris had two problems to meet. Whitehead and Gaze wanted to race at Christchurch, at Orange, and in South Africa. And they wanted no major engine overhauls.

So the motors were detuned to run on 100 octane aviation fuel, which meant giving away to top speed to Bira, but also meant less wear and tear on the motors.

After practice they dickered on the subject of axle ratios, finally decided to stick to the gearing they had, but in the event found that an almost complete absence of wind meant they were under-geared for the race.

As Gaze remarked ruefully after the race, "what we needed was a set of methanol pistons each."

Bira's car, too, came back to New Zealand, at least in part. Few realised it at the time, but the car driven by Ross Jensen in the 1959 season was built on the frame of Bira's, but with many later modifications.

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The second practice day showed that lap speeds would be much higher in the race than in the first Ardmore grand prix, Bira on his altered gearing lapping consistently at 1m 32sec, with a fastest lap of 1.31. On the 2.1-mile course this was only a second slower than Ken Wharton's fastest lap the previous year in the BRM, and represented around 83 mph.

Whitehead and Gaze, whose cars were completely new to them, were lapping at around 1.33 and 1.34, Hunt, also in a new car, got down to 1.35, and Jack Brabham was throwing his Cooper-Bristol round spectacularly to achieve the same time.

On the day of the race the heats gave little indication of what might be expected. Grid positions were decided by the fastest laps in two 25 mile heats. Whitehead (1:31) won the first from Hunt (1:31), Brabham (1:34), Horton (1:39) and Stafford (1:44). The second was won by Bira (1:31), followed by Gaze (1:32), Zambucka (1:37), Roycroft (1:40) and Syd Jensen (1:43). The next 14 fastest cars from the heats made up the field to start in the Grand Prix.

Veteran George Smith made his last start in this event. He had imported a 1939 Alfa-Romeo chassis and endeavoured to install the potent but temperamental 5.4-litre Chrysler Fireball V8 motor in it.

Practice showed, however, that the weight of the motor made the car unmanageable, and the famous old beach special, the Ford GeeCeeEss was called upon to carry the motor. A blown piston on the sixth lap of the qualifying heat marked the exit from the scene of the greatest figure in the previous quarter century of motor sport in New Zealand, for the same car blew up in practice the following year.

Davidson's fan belt broke during the heats so he started from the back of the grid. Smith couldn't better 2 minutes in practice, so he pulled out of the main race and started in the consolation race instead, which he subsequently won.





The start, with (from left) Bira, Whitehead, Hunt and Gaze on the front row.

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The Whitehead and Gaze Ferraris just beat the Maserati off the line, but after the first lap, the leading positions were held by Bira, Whitehead, Hunt and Gaze. After that Bira's car sped remorselessly round the circuit time after time, its high-pitched snarl sounding extraordinarily healthy, and he was never headed, although in the closing stages he was passed by Gaze, who was a lap behind.

Nor did Bira make a pit stop. Both the Ferraris were forced to make brief calls at the pits, which possibly cost them the race. They were not to know that for the last three laps, Bira, like Wharton the year before, was driving virtually on his gears, almost no brakes, with the sole of his light shoe worn down by the effort of braking.

Early on, Fred Zambucka found College Corner a trial, and three times during the race ended among the bales, probably dropping a place or two in consequence. Roycroft in the Alfa-Romeo was no more fortunate, mounting a marker drum on the Cloverleaf on the 10th lap and subsequently retiring on lap 58.

Stan Coffey was in the leading bunch in the early part of the race, but retired with no oil pressure as a result of a broken lead on lap 16, and the HWM-Alta of John Horton, which had never sounded really happy in either practice or in the heats, made two pit stops and stopped before the half-way mark, but reappeared in the closing stages to cross the line as an official finisher and was classified 15th. On lap 17 McCutcheon came into the pits with the Normac belching out steam after a frost plug had blown out of the motor and Culver arrived two laps later with a distinctly noisy motor which suddenly went dead quiet as he approached his pit.



Tony Gaze (Ferrari) coming out of Cloverleaf ahead of Reg Hunt (Maserati) and Stafford (Cooper).

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The Whitehead and Gaze pit-stops were made on laps 22 and 24 respectively, Whitehead losing 23 seconds on a minor adjustment and Gaze a whole lap while a jammed throttle linkage was cleared. Without their stops they might have forced Bira into an error, but races, like many other things, are won on facts and not on might-have-beens.

About lap 60, Zambucka executed his third spin at College Corner and thereafter never looked like catching up. Frost was then first Kiwi (Stafford had stopped to fit a new chain on lap 57) and was in sixth position overall when Davison stopped with transmission trouble on lap 88. However, a lap later Frost himself had gearbox trouble and was forced to retire, allowing Syd Jensen to fill sixth place, nine laps behind the winner.

Bira won by 23 seconds from Whitehead, with Gaze 63 seconds further back in third. Bira's average for the race was 78.75 mph, more than six miles an hour faster than Stan Jones' winning average of the year before, and he and Whitehead shared the fastest lap at 81.29 mph. Both Gaze and Hunt put in laps of 80.43 mph, and once again Brabham in an outmoded car put up a wonderful performance by averaging 76.84 mph for the race to come in ahead of Hunt.

Syd Jensen, whose name was also to crop up increasingly in the records of New Zealand motor sports, pushed his 500 cc Cooper home from beyond College Corner to fill sixth place and take the prize for first New Zealander home.

Lex Davison, however, was not so lucky. His HWM-Jaguar coughed out on Clevedon Corner, and a weary, grimy Davison pushed it clean round the course to finish in 9th place, just out the money.





Fred Zambucka (Maserati) about to be overtaken by Brabham (Cooper-Bristol).

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Kindest feature of all to an organisation still smarting from its wounds over the placings mix-up of the year before, was the praise given by Dean Delamont, competitions manager of the Royal Automobile Club, who flew out to act as chief steward of the meeting.

There was nothing one could criticise seriously in the arrangements for the 1955 race, he said before leaving, and it was obvious that the teething troubles were over.

And two recommendations he made were to bear immediate fruit, New Zealand drivers should stop putting their money into ancient cars and specials, he said, and buy fewer, better machines. The course should be run clockwise, giving faster lap speeds and better corners




Reg McCutcheon (Normac-Chevrolet Special).

[auseebkk]

Date: 8th January 1955
Distance: 100 laps of 3.3795km (337.95km)




Result              Driver                  Nat                                   Car                                    Laps                Time
   1          Prince B Bira                Thai            Maserati 250F / Maserati 2497cc 6cyl         100             2h 40m 12s
   2          Peter Whitehead           UK              Ferrari 500/625 / Ferrari 2968cc 4cyl         100             2h 40m 35s
   3          Tony Gaze                   Aust            Ferrari 500/625 / Ferrari 2968cc 4cyl         100             2h 41m 38s
   4          Jack Brabham              Aust            Cooper-Bristol Mk II / Bristol 1971cc 6cyl      98   
   5          Reg Hunt                     Aust            Maserati A6GCM / Maserati 2497cc 6cyl       97   
   6          Syd Jensen                   NZ             Cooper Mk VII / Norton 498cc 1cyl               91   
   7          Fred Zambucka             NZ              Maserati 8CM / Maserati 2992cc 8cyl s/c     89 
 Ret         Ron Frost                     NZ              Cooper Mk VIII / Norton 498cc 1cyl             89                 Gearbox
   8          George Palmer              NZ             Jackson-Mercury / Mercury 4118cc V8         88   
 Ret         Lex Davison                 Aust            HWM F2 / Jaguar 3442cc 6cyl                     88             Transmission
   9          Ross Jensen                  NZ            Triumph TR2 / Triumph 1991cc 4cyl             86   
  10         Dick Cobden                Aust            Ferrari 125 / Ferrari 1995cc V12 s/c            86   
  11         Arnold Stafford              NZ            Cooper Mk VIII / Norton 498cc 1cyl              85   
  12         Phil Neill                        NZ            Austin-Healey 100 / Austin 2660cc 4cyl        83   
  13         Peter Mclnally                NZ            Austin-Healey 100 / Austin 2660cc 4cyl        80   
  14         Des McDonagh               NZ            Thomas-Mercury / Mercury 4100cc V8         75   
 Ret         Ron Roycroft                 NZ             Alfa-Romeo Tipo B / Alfa 2905cc 8cyl s/c     58                    Valve
  15         John Horton                  NZ             HWM F1 / Alta 1960cc 4cyl s/c                    55   
 Ret         John McMillan               NZ             Alfa-Romeo Tipo B / Alfa 2905cc 8cyl s/c     33   
 Ret         Bill Lee                         NZ             Cooper Mk VI / Norton 498cc 1cyl               30   
 Ret         Les McLaren                 NZ             Austin-Healey 100 / Austin 2660cc 4cyl        30   
 Ret         Bill Culver                     NZ             DeSoto Special / DeSoto 3368cc 6cyl           19                    Engine
 Ret         Reg McCutcheon           NZ             Normac Special / Chevrolet 3870cc 6cyl       17                  Frost Plug
 Ret         Stan Coffey                 Aust            Cooper-Bristol Mk I / Bristol 1971cc 6cyl       16                 Oil Pressure
 Ret         Gordon Brown               NZ            GBS / Ford 1172cc 4cyl                                 9                    Engine
 DNS        George Smith                NZ            GeeCeeEss / Chrysler 5600cc V8     
 DNS        Wally Bern                    NZ            Triumph TR2 / Triumph 1991cc 4cyl     
 DNS       Tony Shelly                    NZ            Morgan plus 4 / Vanguard 2088cc 4cyl     
 DNS       Johnny Mansel               NZ             Mansel Special / Mercury 3950cc V8




Fastest Lap: Bira and Whitehead 1m 33s