Express and Star night navigation Rally this week-end has -
SURPRISE FOR COMPETITORS
Apart from the route, which should be a surprise to competitors in all good rallies, 80 of the 81 competitors in the "Express and Star" night navigation rally this weekend have another surprise coming.
They will find among the starters, Kenneth Piper and the mighty little Messerschmitt TG500, which between them trounced all the heavier competition in the recent Cats Eyes national rally.
Kenneth Piper, who will be Starting from Oxford, probably encouraged by his recent success, made a late entry in the rally which is being organised by a committee of the Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire Car Club.
At 81 entries are only a fraction down on last year when this event was held for the first time. Lower entries have been noted in a number of rallies this year.
The organising club is already thinking about the 1960 "Express and Star" night navigational rally, and to this end has applied to the RAC for a national permit.
Following this application the RAC has appointed an observer to examine the rally this weekend.
Most winners of principal awards in the 1958 rally have, entered again. These include the present holder of the Express and Star trophy, Tony Fisher, from Birmingham, with his A35. Also entered are Mrs. Val Harper (Standard 10), of Stafford. 1958 winner of the S. W. Fletcher Memorial Trophy for the best performance by a member of the organising club, and T. S. Baker (Magnette) of Wolverhampton, who made the third best performance last year. A much fancied entrant is Dr. J. T. Spare, of the Taunton Motor Club, who is coming up to Wolverhampton to start in a Singer Gazelle. Dr. Spare is an experienced rally driver with a number of wins to his credit.
Four women
As there are four women drivers this year, Mrs. Harper, Mrs. E. Guest (Consul), also of the Stafford and district club, Miss Pauline Brock (Dauphine) from Gloucester who is known as a hill climb and sprint competitor, and Mrs. S. Harms-Cooke (Triumph TR3), of the Midland Automobile Club, the Outright winner of the "Express and Star" navigation rally gets this rose bowl, given by the Midland News Association Ltd., and a prize of £25 organisers have added a ladies cup to the awards.
The prize fund for this rally totals £106, of which the winner driver and navigator of the winning car take £25 and £15 respectively.
The Course is naturally a secret but its planner Harry Morgan, of Stafford, expert and experienced tells me it should be a "corker".
Starters from Wolverhampton, Liverpool, Nottingham and Oxford all converge on Control "X" after an equal main road route mileage from their starting points.
Control "X"
When they arrive at "X" they will be given a marked map, and will then have to drive and navigate a course of about 196 sinuous miles, clocking in at over 20 time controls in the process.
Says Harry Morgan "I am only hoping it rains, then the competitors really will have their work cut out."
The 43 starters from Wolverhampton will be sent off from the municipal aerodrome, Pendeford, by Tony Marsh, of Kinver, the Midlands leading race and sprint driver. It is also likely that one of Britain's leading lotus drivers, Innes Ireland may be there as well.
After completing the night navigation course, competitors return to Pendeford for a series of driving tests, on which the rally will be decided if the road course has failed to find the winner - as the organisers hope it will.