Hard ride for largest-ever entry
ALL-CLEAR PAT WINS 'E & S' RALLY
" Express and Star" motoring correspondent
THE 1962 " Express and Star" national car rally on Saturday-Sunday night had not only its largest-ever entry and the largest of any British nation event of the year so far, but also produced the most famous winner in its history, Miss Pat Moss. Pat (Saab), navigated by David Stone, beat 169 starters out of the entry list of 180. She did what the organisers had thought to be highly unlikely - drove a clear round of the 52 manned time controls without being more than 59 seconds late at any point. She finished the course without loss of marks for lateness or any other penalty. She collected the Express and Star trophy and I replica, a cheque for £40, and five other awards. She was first in her class for normal series or improved series production touring cars of up to 850 c.c. She and David Stone won a prize for the best performance by a mixed crew. She received the J. R.Gibbon trophy, presented by Nash Motors (Wolverhampton) Ltd., for the best performance by a continental car, the British Trials and Rally Drivers Association's silvcr spoon and, with runner-up David Seigle-Morris, the best team award.
SMALLEST ENGINE
"This was a hard rally, organised by Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire Car Club. No team except Pat Moss and David Stone, in the smallest engine size class finished the night at Llandrindod Wells without, at one or the other of the time controls, being less than three minutes late. Leaving Staffordshire Motor Tyre Company's premises at Chapel-Ash Wolverhampton, Saturday night the competitors made for the start of the rally proper at a minor road near Church Stoke, Shropshire. There, each team was given a map on which the 52 time controls were marked.
AT 1,200 FEET
At many points the route topped 1,200 feet, where there were reminders of recent snow, throughout the mainly by-way and track course, the going got hard. The schedule too, was tight within the maximum permitted 30 m.p.h. average, many of the seeded experts already behind time before first dozen controls had passed. Pat Moss said she had greatly enjoyed the rally, which had been planned. The organisers had provided, and the marshals operated, a particularly slick form of control procedure which had made it easy to save valuable seconds. On one occasion at least, marshals had a competitor on the move after three seconds. There would have close competition for second place, taken by the Austin-Cooper of David Seigle. Morris and John Brown who were three minutes late, if. the Austin Healey Sprite of last year's winning pair, Brian Harper, of Heath Hayes, and Ron Crellin, had not been driven into a control from a wrong direction. That mistake cost Harper and Crellin 300 penalty points.
RESULTS
General classification and other awards.
1, P. Moss and D. Stone (Saab). 0: 2. and first place in Class 2, D. Seigle-Morris and J. Brown (Austin Cooper).lost 30 marks: 3, A. Fisher and B. Mella (Austin Cooper).40: 4. and first place in Class 6 P. Giblett and S. Turner (Austin Healey 3000). 50: 5 G. Allen and B. Hughes . (Austin Cooper). 60: 6. V. Elford and M.Butler (DKW). 70: 7. G. F. Flint and G. Kendall (Simca). 70: 8. and first in Class 5. A. E. Bengry and D Skiffington (VW). 70: 9. B. Hadfield and G. D. Haggie (Triumph Herald). 80: 10. J. Haddington and J. Wood (TR3A). 110: 11. M. Sutciiffe and R. Fidler (Austin Mini). 120: 12. R. McBride and D. Barrow (Anglia).130: 13. B. Culcheth and P. J. Noad (Austin Healey Sprite) 140: 14 and first in Class 3. Dr. J. Spare and J.F. Bailey (Sunbeam Rapier) 170: 15. P. Simister and R. P. Lichtensteiger (Anglia). 170.
Club team award: Cavendish C.C. :(McBride. Hadfield and Simister); best .team, MOSS and Seigle-Morris; second .best. team Seigle-Morris and V. Elford: best Wolverhampton and S. Staffs. C.C. member. R. Gibbon and N. Jones (VW). lost 350; Billingham trophy for best Ford. R. McBride; F. C. Bishop Cup for best. Rootes Group car, Dr. J. Spare; Norman Dorkins Cup for best Standard-Triumph B. Hadfield; Attwood trophy and first in Class 4, J. Casewell (Jaguar):Charles Clark trophy for best Austin D. Seigle-Morris; Bradburn and Wedge trophy for best Nuffield car, T, S. Baker (M.G. Midget); J. R. Gibbon trophy for best contental car, P. Moss.