THE ARCHIE SCOTT BROWN TROPHY

Classic & Modern Motorsport Raceday, Snetterton

22nd September, 2018

Preamble

The opportunity to run the race again in 2018 couldn’t be missed, particularly since it was the 60th anniversary since Archie’s tragic death at Spa in 1958, and I’m grateful to Richard Culverhouse for offering the slot. However, like our FISCAR race at the same meeting, several withdrawals decimated the already small grid and only served to confirm to both Richard and myself that organising a meeting involving historic cars in September was a bit like King Canute trying to turn back the waves; impossible! With both the Spa 6 hours and the Goodwood Revival Meeting beckoning, there’s no chance.

It was also the 70th Anniversary of the first Connaught, so Guy Loveridge and I were hoping to use the meeting to celebrate this anniversary by getting a few cars together both to race and exhibit. In the end there were just two. Paul Griffin’s lovely Connaught ALSR is well known to us, of course, but I was also delighted that Paul Lovett arranged for his daughter, Rachel to enter his L2 for Ewen Sergison to drive. This is the only L2 fitted with the larger 2.5 litre Lea Francis engine but it was by the admission of the team, clearly in need of sorting but Ewen gave it a very good go. Shaun Bromley’s Elva MkIV was another new and interesting entry. The car built in 1959 was originally fitted with the then ubiquitous Coventry Climax 1100cc FWA engine and spent the first year of its life being raced in USA by Frank Baptista. It also appeared in the Sebring 12 hours in 1960. The following year, it threw a rod and was fitted with a pre crossflow Ford 1500cc unit, which it retains to this day. Although, therefore not compliant with FISCAR Inter-marque race regs, I’m more than happy to confirm that this historic little car is eligible for both the Archie Scott Brown race, and FISCAR’s Tom Cole Trophy Race. It was also great to see that Brian Arculus had entered his lovely Lotus MkIX and was hoping for better luck this year. I am of course, extremely grateful to all those that entered and turned up, the others being Anthony Ditheridge (Cooper Monaco), Harry Harry Naerger (Jowett Jupiter) and Peter Bower (Austin Healey 100M). Although only 7, I’ll endeavour to do them justice. The Magnificent Seven!

Qualifying

In the absence of the big bangers, it seemed inevitable that Tony Ditheridge would put his Cooper Monaco on pole and so it proved, with a time of 1.32.759. This was 2.5 seconds clear of Paul Griffin in a very good time of 1.35.226 in the Connaught ALSR. Third was Brian Arculus in the little Lotus IX in a time of 1.36.460 and 4th, very much learning the car was Shaun Bromley in his Elva MkIV in a time of 1.38.169 and it seemed likely that he would find more time in the race. Next up was Ewen Sergison, the Connaught L2 proving to be an interesting handling proposition, in a time of 1.57.747. Inevitably much slower in the 1500cc Jowett Jupiter, and the closest in approximation to a road car in this little field, was Harry Naerger in 2.39.118, but this time was not, in any event, representative as his best race time was to prove. The grid was to be augmented by Peter Bower’s Austin Healey 100M which had experienced distributor problems from the outset in Race 4 - the FISCAR Inter-marque (see separate race report) but Peter was both determined to try to get a race in and support this depleted grid for which I was very grateful. James Littlewood managed to get the car running for this race, but it was by no means certain that it would last the distance but at least Peter and James had a damn good go and it was great to see the car join the back of the grid.

Race

It was indeed a pleasure to see Peter Bower join the back of the field on the green flag lap but up front Tony Ditheridge brought the Cooper Monaco into the pitlane and I heard an audible groan come from …… me! However, after a very brief hiatus, Tony continued passed the garages and lined up ready to start from the pitlane. Phew! Afterwards he said he just had a mental aberration but I could just as charitably suggest that he wanted to create a bit of interest in the race.

As the cars left the grid, Paul Griffin used his front row position to retain the lead from Brian Arculus and Shaun Bromley (see photo at the head of the page). Tony Ditheridge took off from the pitlane and quickly caught this little field. Paul Griffin still had the Connaught ALSR out in front at the end of the lap with a surprisingly comfortable 4 second cushion over Brian’s Lotus IX but Tony already had the Monaco up to 3rd ahead of Shaun’s Elva MkIV so it wasn’t going to take him long to hit the front. 5th was Peter Bower in the Austin Healey 100, ahead of Ewen Sergison in the Connaught L2 with Harry Naerger inevitably at the back in the Jowett Jupiter.

By the end of lap 2, Tony Ditheridge had moved his Cooper Monaco into 2nd, 2.7 seconds behind Paul Griffin’s Connaught ALSR. Paul was going great guns and revelling in his role as leader although checking his mirrors would have told him that his lead would be short lived. Shaun Bromley, getting to grips with the Elva also moved passed Brian Arculus in the Lotus IX, not altogether surprising as the Lotus was an earlier car with the little FWA engine but going well nonetheless. Peter Bower was 5th, dropping back but had his Austin Healey well clear of Ewen Sergison and Harry Naerger.

Tony Ditheridge took the Cooper Monaco into the lead on lap 3, completing it just 6 tenths ahead of Paul Griffin’s Connaught with Shaun Bromley’s Elva a further 4.2 seconds behind matching Paul’s pace at this stage. Brian Arculus had dropped behind now in 4th but was still 20 seconds clear of Peter Bower in the Austin Healey which was again displaying its distributor gremlins and was heading into the pitlane. Ewen Sergison and Harry Naerger contnued to circulate albeit now well spaced out, not, I hasten to add, an indication of their mental state!

Tony banged in a 1.34.074 on lap 4 to extend his lead over Paul to 4.1 seconds and Shaun Bromley, getting used to the Elva, upped his pace and practically halved the gap to Paul. His pace was such that he was able to take the Elva passed the Connaught ALSR on lap 5 at which point just over 5 seconds covered the first 3 and they were well away from the pursuing cars.

Tony Ditheridge lapped Harry Naerger in the Jupiter and Ewen Sergison in the Connaught L2 on lap 6 and had a 5.8 second lead over Shaun Bromley in the Elva which had now pulled clear of Paul Griffin in the Connaught ALSR. Paul was very secure in 3rd place now 25 seconds ahead of Brian Arculus in the Lotus IX. Peter Bower was still sitting in the pits whilst James Littlewood worked feverishly to get the Austin Healey to run properly again.

At the end of lap 7, Shaun, beginning to really enjoy himself, surprisingly took half a second out of the leader, but over the next few laps Tony stretched the legs of the Cooper Monaco and extended his lead to almost 10.5 seconds by the end of lap 12. These two were well away now as Paul Griffins ALSR was over 25 seconds behind Shaun. On lap 9, Brian Arculus retired the Lotus IX. A broken output shaft that also managed to damage the dif casing which later proved, inevitably, to be an expensive repair.

I won’t draw out the account of this race too much more, given the small numbers in the race and the relatively static nature of the race positions. However, I want to give mention to the great efforts of James Littlewood who managed to get Peter Bower out again in the Austin Healey 100M although Peter had to again head for the pits at the end of lap 12. He was not to return but it was a fine effort, completing 8 laps, under trying circumstances.

Tony Ditheridge eased back for a couple of laps from lap 13, doing 1.36/1.37 laps but, of course, given that Shaun Bromley was putting in some very consistent lappery in the 1.35s, it meant that the gap between the two came down to under 9 seconds. On lap 18, Tony took the Monaco round in 1.33.798 to take the gap back up to just over 10 seconds but thereafter eased his pace again to take the flag after 19 laps by 7.77 seconds from Shaun, the Cooper Monaco and Elva MkIV being so far ahead that they were a lap clear of the well driven Connaught ALSR of Paul Griffin in 3rd. Ewen Sergison and Harry Naerger kept going to the finish albeit 3 laps down on the leaders. Ewen had the Connaught L2 well clear of the Jowett Jupiter but interestingly, their best laps were just a tenth apart. Harry had got quicker, posting a 1.56.625 on lap 13, so much quicker than his qualifying time.

Gallery

Tailpiece