CLOSE FINISH IN "EXPRESS AND STAR" RALLY
TONY FISHER, of Barnt Green, Birmingham, tried hard during the Wolverhampton "Express and Star" rally to retain the silver bowl which is the premier award for the annual event - but he lost it by only a minute.
The new holder of the award, its replica, together with £25 for himself and £15 for his navigator, is Bill Bengry, who, with Peter Roberts and their Simca Montlhery, finished the rally without loss of marks.
The Bengry-Roberts Simca was the only car to finish on time. Clean sheets at the end of this rally were not expected by Harry Morgan, clerk of the course!
The rally, organized by the Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire Car Club and sponsored by the Express and Star, attracted 81 entrants.
Next year it is hoped that this will be a "Gold Star" event of the British Trials and Rally Drivers' Association.
Crews started from Wolverhampton, Oxford, Liverpool, Nottingham and Hereford and converged on Control "X" at Church Stretton.
At midnight during the week-end of the rally from Church Stretton, competitors were dispatched at one-minute intervals on a 196-mile circular route on minor roads in south Shropshire and north Herefordshire, passing through 29 time controls in the process.
Lateness at any control, judged by sealed watches, was penalized to the extent of 10 marks per minute.
Tony Fisher (A35) lost his vital minute in the early stages of the rally and so was down 10 marks but he gained the £15 second prize, together with another award for being, with Bill Bengry, a member of the winning team.
Two of the rally's four women entrants came to grief. Mrs. Val Harper retired before she reached Church Stretton. Her Standard broke a spring.
Best performance by a woman driver was that of Miss S. Harms-Cooke (Triumph TR3), a member of the Midland Automobile Club, who lost 250 marks.
The whole of the Rally was included on the marked-up section of one ordnance survey map. Conditions were bad at the start but began to dry out overnight, although one or two deep fords were encountered where two cars had to retire.
The S. W. Fletcher Memorial trophy for the best performance by a member of the Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire Car Club went to the much-practised team of Arthur Winzor and Norman Jones in their Wolseley 1500. They lost 150 marks.
Third best performance in the general classification of the rally was that of John Casewell, a member of the Severn Valley Car Club, who took his Austin 105 round the tortuous course, losing 120 marks for 12 minutes lateness.
Other winners were:
First Class Awards, up to 1,500 c.c., open cars: J. R. Kirkham (Austin -Healey Sprite) lost 130. Closed cars: D. H. Holland (Morris Minor 1000), lost 140. Over 1,500 c.c., open cars: Miss S. Harms-Cooke; Closed cars: B. P. Odoni (Ford Zephyr), lost 260 marks. Driving Test Awards, open cars: J. M. Jones (Triumph TR2). Closed cars: Kenneth Piper (Messerschmitt).