1937 Campbell Trophy Explained

Country:United Kingdom
Grand Prix:Campbell Trophy
Image-Size:250px
Date:1 May
Year:1937
Official Name:I Campbell Trophy
Location:Brooklands
Weybridge, United Kingdom
Course:Permanent racing facility
Course Mi:2.267
Course Km:3.648
Distance Laps:100
Distance Mi:226.7
Distance Km:364.8
Weather:Dry
Pole Driver:Peter Walker
Pole Team:P. Whitehead
Pole Time:1:52.2
Pole Country:Great Britain
Fast Driver:Richard Penn, 5th Earl Howe and
Raymond Mays
Fast Team:ERA
ERA
Fast Time:1:53.0
Fast Country:United Kingdom
First Driver:Prince Bira
First Team:Prince Chula of Siam
First Country:Thailand
Second Driver:Teddy Rayson
Second Team:E. Rayson
Second Country:United Kingdom
Third Driver:Anthony Powys-Lybbe
Third Team:A. Powys-Lybbe
Third Country:United Kingdom

The 1937 Campbell Trophy (formally known as I Campbell Trophy) was a Grand Prix that was held on 1 May 1937 at Brooklands near Weybridge, United Kingdom. It was the fourth round of the 1937 Grand Prix season, but it did not count towards the championship. The race, contested over 100 laps of 3.65 km, was won in the Class over 1500cc by Prince Bira, the only non-British driver in this event, driving a Maserati 8CM after starting from fourth position on the grid. The victory in the 1500cc Class was taken by Teddy Rayson, driving a Maserati 4C.

Entries

No.DriverEntrantCarDNA/DNS
COLSPAN=51500cc Class
1 Bill HumphreysB. HumphreysMGDNA - rear axle
2 Prince Bira"B Bira"DelageDNA - car not ready
3 Arthur DobsonA.C. DobsonERA B-Type
4 Ian ConnellI. ConnellERA B-Type
5 Reggie TongueR. TongueERA B-Type
6 Denis ScribbansD. ScribbansERA B-Type
7 Peter WalkerP. WhiteheadERA B-Type
7 Peter WhiteheadP. WhiteheadERA B-TypeDNS - Walker started in his car
8 Earl HoweEarl HoweERA B-Type
9 Raymond MaysH.W. CookERA B-Type
10 Patrick FairfieldH.W. CookERADNS - brake problems
11 Andrew LeitchHon P. AitkenMaseratiDNA
12 Peter AitkenHon P. AitkenMaserati 6CM
14 Robin HansonMrs. M.E. Hall-SmithMaserati 6CM
15 Teddy RaysonE. RaysonMaserati 4CM
16 Mrs Gwenda HawkesMrs G. HawkesDerbyDNA
17 "Jack" BartlettJ. BartlettAltaDNA
18 Philip JuckerP. JuckerAlta
18 Alan SinclairP. JuckerAltaDNS - Jucker started in his car
COLSPAN=5Class over 1500cc (Voiturette class)
19 Charlie DodsonF.W. DixonDixon-Riley Special
20 Cyril Mervyn WhiteC. Mervyn WhiteBugatti T51
21 Anthony Powys-LybbeA. Powys-LybbeAlfa Romeo Monza
22 Anthony HamiltonA. HamiltonAlfa Romeo Monza
23 Wilkie WilkinsonR.C. FlemingAlfa Romeo Monza
24 Christopher StanilandC. StanilandAlfa Romeo Tipo B
25 Charles BrackenburyC.E.C. MartinAlfa Romeo Tipo B
26 Kenneth EvansK. EvansAlfa Romeo Tipo B
26 "Bill" EverittK. EvansAlfa Romeo Tipo BDNS - Evans started in his car
27 Prince BiraPrince Chula of SiamMaserati 8CM
28 Francis AshbyA.F. AshbyAlfa Romeo Tipo B
29 Austin DobsonHon P. AitkenAlfa Romeo Bimotore
29 Austin DobsonHon P. AitkenMaseratiDNS - He started in another car

Qualifying results

Pos.DriverCar ConstructorTime
1Peter WalkerERA1:52.2
2Earl HoweERA1:52.2
3Chris StanilandAlfa Romeo1:52.3
4Prince BiraMaserati1:53.0
5Raymond MaysERA1:54.2
6Austin DobsonAlfa Romeo1:56.6
7Charles BrackenburyAlfa Romeo1:57.2
8Arthur DobsonERA1:57.6
9Anthony Powys-LybbeAlfa Romeo1:57.6
10Denis ScribbansERA1:57.8
11Ian ConnellERA2:00.4
12Teddy RaysonMaserati2:00.4
13Marquis de Belleroche
(Took over from Anthony Hamilton in this session)
Alfa Romeo2:01.0
14Wilkie WilkinsonAlfa Romeo2:01.0
15Kenneth EvansAlfa Romeo2:01.0
16Charlie DodsonDixon Spl.2:02.8
17Cyril Mervin WhiteBugatti2:04.0
18Francis AshbyAlfa Romeo2:07.2
19Peter AitkenMaserati2:08.0
20Philip JuckerAlta2:08.2
21Reggie TongueERANo Time
22Robin HansonMaseratiNo Time

Race report

At the start of the race, Aitken stalled his Maserati, so it was pushed away to be started elsewhere. After just one lap, Bira had taken the lead followed by Howe and Walker. However, Walker's engine stopped and, after eight laps, his gearbox broke, so he retired. Likewise did Mays (brake problems) and Dodson (overheated engine).

Bira kept the lead until Howe, who celebrated his fifty-third birthday on this day, overtook him in the nineteenth lap. However, six laps later Howe hit an earth bank on the Vickers bridge and the front of the car hit the palisade. The car then bounced to the other side of the track and ended up on its right side. Howe suffered injuries on the head, arm, shoulder and ribs.

At this point Bira was again first, with Austin Dobson and Rayson behind him, until Dobson's clutch broke in the thirty-first lap. Staniland fell back due to brake problems, as did Arthur Dobson, who had a cup of tea while his mechanics changed the front brake shoes on his ERA. He eventually retired. As for drivers changes, during the fuel stops Jack Duller took over from Ashby, Mays switched seats with Fairfield, as did Fleming with Wilkinson and Hamilton went on in De Belleroche's car.

After eighty laps eleven drivers had retired. Among the last was Evans who had to park his Alta at Hill Bend without brakes and with broken transmission. Bira eventually won the race over two and a half minutes in front of Rayson, who took victory in the voiturette 1500cc class, and Powys-Lybbbe became third.

Race results

Pos.DriverCar ConstructorTime (Diff.)/Status
1Prince BiraMaserati3:16:52.6
2Teddy RaysonMaserati+2:36.8
3Anthony Powys-LybbeAlfa Romeo+8:01.2
4Denis ScribbansERA+10:14.4
5Charles BrackenburyAlfa Romeo+1 lap
6Reggie TongueERA+2 laps
7Francis Ashby/Jack DullerAlfa Romeo+4 laps (DNF - engine)
8Raymond Mays/Patrick FairfieldERA+8 laps
9Cyril Mervyn WhiteBugatti+9 laps
10Robin HansonMaserati+9 laps
11Chris StanilandAlfa Romeo+21 laps (DNF - brakes/clutch)
12Wilkie Wilkinson/R.C. FlemingAlfa Romeo+26 laps (DNF - gearbox)
13Kenneth EvansAlfa Romeo+30 laps (DNF - transmission)
14Ian ConnellERA+31 laps
15Peter AitkenMaserati+52 laps (DNF - fuel feed)
16Marquis de Belleroche/Anthony HamiltonAlfa Romeo+56 laps (DNF - engine)
17Philip JuckerAlta+57 laps (DNF - supercharger)
18Arthur DobsonERA+68 laps (DNF - brakes)
19Austin DobsonAlfa Romeo+69 laps (DNF - transmission)
20Earl HoweERA+75 laps (DNF - crash)
21Charlie DodsonDixon-Riley+89 laps (DNF - clutch)
22Peter WalkerERA+92 laps (DNF - gearbox)

Sources