Britain’s Racing Car Makes Up For Original Failure

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 October 1950, Page 6

Britain’s Racing Car Makes Up For Original Failure

[N.Z.P.A. SPECIAL CORRESrONDENT-1

LONDON, Oct. 2 (Rec. 10.30 a.m.). —Raymond Mays, originator of Britain’s £200,000 B.R.M. racing car, stated after the car’s two successes at the Goodwood international meeting, that an even better B.R.M. would be prepared during the winter, which designers hoped would put Britain foremost in international motor-rac-ing. The car’s next big contest would be at the Barcelona meeting at the end of October, when the B.R.M. would be pitted against the pick of the Continental drivers and cars. In the Goodwood events, the B.R.M.—which failed to start at its original appearance at Silverstone in August—twice beat all opposition, including the crack Italian Maseratis. The car streaked into the lead in the first lap each time and stayed there. In the main race, the Goodwood Trophy, the B.R.M. finished 11 l-ssec ahead of the noted racing driver, Prince Bira, in a Maserati, and in the Woodcote Cup was several seconds ahead of the same opponent. The B.R.M. made the fastest lap of the day, at an average speed of 84.95 m.p.h. Its average speed for the Goodwood Trophy, over 12 laps of the 2.4 miles circuit, was 82.48 m.p.h. The average in the Woodcote Cup was 78.5 m.p.h. The B.R.M. Research Trust, which has the backing of 150 car component firms, has started a fund-raising association for money to enable the car to take part in international events next year. It is estimated that £lOO,OOO will be required to race a team of B.R.M.’s each year.