Founded in the Year Nineteen Twenty-Four February 1980
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
February 1980 MOTOR SPORT Founded in the year nineteen twenty-four been heard and Raymond Mays had had his second run MATTERS OF MOMENT in the Vauxhall Villiers Supercharge. Even before that, motor racing had been reported on the radio, for does not the inimitable S. G. H. ■ TELEVISION AND THE MOTOR CAR (“Sammy”) Davis tell, in his book “Motor Racing”, of switching-on his set one Sunday evening in 1924 and of “The living need charity more than the dead” — its loudspeaker confirming his worst fears, namely that George Arnold, 1834—1865. his friend Lou Zborowski had crashed fatally at Monza, in the GP Mercedes? I have often wondered whether The motor car preceded television by some forty years, this was a 2LO news item or whether Sammy had one although it might be said that whereas the former was of those then-covetable radios (or “wireless sets”) of the practical transport by about 1905 (earlier if you possessed multi-valve, super-heterodyne variety that could receive a Sixty Mercedes or similar), it wasn’t until the 1950s foreign stations at loudspeaker strength, and whether or thereabouts, that everyman’s TV arrived. Of this we the report gave the winner of the Italian Grand Prix were able to remind an irate cottage-dweller on the way (Antonio Ascari in a P2 Alfa Romeo) or only mentioned home from Silverstone some years ago, when we had left the fatality? These early motor-racing broadcasts led the engine of a vintage Riley running at a petrol station on to wider coverage in this media, including support opposite his premises and he emerged, irate, yelling at us from the BBC for the ten-lap “Broadcast Trophy” Race at to switch-off, as we were ruining reception on his screen Brooklands in 1937, won by John Cobb’s Napier-Railton of the Cup Final. at over 136 m.p.h., the commentary given by Alan Hess, Since then BBC and ITV television have become today a Vice-President of the Brooklands Society. a vast force in the land, as other TV services are In those pre-war days of less leisure, fewer cars throughout most of the world. Perhaps the horseless and slower journeys, such broadcasts helped to publicise carriage and Baird’s incredible invention should never motor racing among those who could not normally have intertwined. But they have, with some interesting, attend the different venues, and probably encouraged and also some unfortunate, results. For instance, not the large attendances at Donington Park in 1937 and 1938 long ago we got very sparse coverage of motor racing when the German Mercedes-Benz and Auto-Union GP on “the box,” compared to the time devoted to kick-ball, teams raced there, with victory twice going to the latter. Rugby-football (a game in which hands play as great a part as the feet in transporting the oval “ball”), tennis * * * and horse-racing. The BBC used the excuse that such a Nasty Word appeared on certain F1 cars they could Since the war years Television has escalated into a full- not permit it to be seen by viewers, thus making John time, nearly non-stop, Show-Biz entertainment Industry. Surtees the scapegoat, — quite ironical, when you think It has encompassed motoring in other than racing and of how much porn is shown in so many TV plays. Now rallying forms. The number of vintage and other pre- the situation has swung quite the other way, with the war vehicles which now earn lolly for their fortunate dates of Championship Grands Prix adjusted to suit TV owners by appearing before the cameras is legion. We producers — which we in Britain can only hope implies have also had plays about motor racing and have seen that this year viewers are going to get as much, or more, racing drivers taking on the role of actors. There was, motor-racing coverage as they have had from the BBC for instance, that fearful farce featuring Stirling Moss in recent times. Such “live” reporting of the Fl racing and Denis Jenkinson on the eve of the 1955 Mille Miglia, season provides us with entertainment and just enough which in real life they won for Mercedes-Benz at a record information for avid followers of the Sport who have average-speed of 97.96 m.p.h. The playwright made a been unable to attend a race to satisfy them until the full fiasco of it by concentrating on making the two heroes facts are available from D.S.J, or A.H. in the next issue of dwell morbidly in their bedroom with thoughts of death MOTOR SPORT. So for such small crumbs of TV motor- and destruction on the morrow, which in reality would race reporting as we may receive, let us be grateful. have been totally out of character from either of them, The younger generation of enthusiasts may not a scene made worse because the actors formed a poor realise that coverage of motoring events with a sporting parody of Moss and a quite impossible Jenkinson. It has. flavour goes back to pre-Television times. For instance, we believe, mercifully never been repeated. Then there there were those pioneering broadcasts on 2LO from was Graham Hill dressed as Daddy Christmas at those “Vox Villa” at Shelsley Walsh, which started at one of the Boxing-Day Brands Hatch Race Meetings, to draw the TV 1932 hill-climbs, BBC’s very first “outside” motor-racing cameras away from some fairly serious racing, and more programme. It was Eric Findon, Editor of The Light Car, recently we have had James Hunt playing his trumpet to who was “on the air” on that and subsequent occasions, Variety Show audiences. aided by his wife and daughter, with Major Vernon This reminds us that when, some nights ago, Brooke at the “Esses” — the writer can well remember drugged as TV tends to make one, we inadvertently sat the excitement of listening-in to these “live” broadcasts on into a “Friday Night-Saturday Morning” frolic, it was from the famous Worcestershire hill when he was unable to find Jackie Stewart acting as the compere, interviewing to get there in his Austin Seven from South London, and James Hunt and Henry Cooper. All we wish to say is of hoping fervently that the wonderful sounds would not that Henry Cooper did his best and generously said he be cut off, be “returned to the studio in London”, before wouldn’t get into a racing car at any price, although the crackle of GN-based, vee-twin Shelsley Specials had according to a Sunday Times survey professional boxing 1 is more than twice as dangerous as Motor Racing. But was known in the inner-circles of motor racing at the Stewart and Hunt (again the continual bleating about time, namely that the Hon. Brian Lewis (David Quilter) the immense sums of filthy-lucre you can collect if you was Lady Dorothy Campbell’s lover (could you blame are prepared to risk dying in a racing car, which neither him, with Sir Malcolm (Robert Hardy), so occupied and of them are, any longer) really should keep to whatever the lady, played by Jennifer Hilary, so beautiful?). it is they do these days, but right out of Show-Biz. Not that it was always as bad as that. Indeed, we recall many years ago seeing Stirling Moss face the then- intimidating Robin Day in one of his famous “face-to- face” interviews. So well did Stirling stand up to the barrage of the ex barrister interviewer that in the hotel lounge where we happened to be old ladies laid aside their knitting to listen to this famous racing driver make a spirited defence of his chosen way of life. So we come to the BBC-l “Speed King” play. currently being discussed. On the whole it was good entertainment for a large audience, although there cannot be a motor-racing enthusiast who would not have preferred its replacement by a proper documentary about Capt. Sir Malcolm Campbell’s career in pursuit of the LSR. And as so much excellent newsreel must exist, why not, indeed? As it was, not many inaccuracies were noticed by us in Roger Milner’s script, but we are open to readers’ additions! The smoke from “the Rolls- Royce R-type aero-engine” in the mock-up of the 1935 “Bluebird” was not black enough at first and it issued in clouds instead of from each exhaust-stub, but the Producer, with the late Leo Villa. OBE, to hold his hand, did know about gas-starters and he wisely did not let the needle of the big (too big?) tachometer go beyond about 2,800 r.p.m. (In fact, Campbell was looking for 3,400 in top gear, we believe). But did Sir Malcolm really drive the 300 m.p.h. car without gloves? The car’s speed in each direction was not accurately given (304.15 and 299 m.p.h., in the play, 304.311 and 297.947 m.p.h., in fact) and although the episode of the timing-gear giving trouble was used, Campbell’s anger at being at first wrongly informed of his speed wasn’t. Of supporting vehicles used, one noticed a Stutz and very- ancient motorcycle “at Salt Lake”. Campbell’s 4.5-litre Bentley coupe (CXK-1) and open 3.25-litre Bentley (CXK- 2), Lady Campbell’s very ordinary Vauxhall saloon, and the Morris Eight tourer given by Campbell to Villa and the Ariel Red Hunter motorcycle to Donald.