51°21′5.5″N 0°28′9.5″W / 51.351528°N 0.469306°W / 51.351528; -0.469306

1937 Campbell Trophy Grand Prix
Layout of the Brooklands circuit
Layout of the Brooklands circuit
Race details
Date 1 May 1937
Official name I Campbell Trophy
Location Brooklands
Weybridge, United Kingdom
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 3.648 km (2.267 miles)
Distance 100 laps, 364.8 km (226.7 miles)
Weather Dry
Pole position
Driver P. Whitehead
Time 1:52.2
Fastest lap
Driver United Kingdom Richard Penn, 5th Earl Howe and
United Kingdom Raymond Mays
ERA
ERA
Time 1:53.0
Podium
First Prince Chula of Siam
Second E. Rayson
Third A. Powys-Lybbe

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

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No. Driver Entrant Car DNA/DNS
1500cc Class
1   Bill Humphreys B. Humphreys MG DNA - rear axle
2   Prince Bira "B Bira" Delage DNA - car not ready
3   Arthur Dobson A.C. Dobson ERA B-Type
4   Ian Connell I. Connell ERA B-Type
5   Reggie Tongue R. Tongue ERA B-Type
6   Denis Scribbans D. Scribbans ERA B-Type
7   Peter Walker P. Whitehead ERA B-Type
7   Peter Whitehead P. Whitehead ERA B-Type DNS - Walker started in his car
8   Earl Howe Earl Howe ERA B-Type
9   Raymond Mays H.W. Cook ERA B-Type
10   Patrick Fairfield H.W. Cook ERA DNS - brake problems
11   Andrew Leitch Hon P. Aitken Maserati DNA
12   Peter Aitken Hon P. Aitken Maserati 6CM
14   Robin Hanson Mrs. M.E. Hall-Smith Maserati 6CM
15   Teddy Rayson E. Rayson Maserati 4CM
16   Mrs Gwenda Hawkes Mrs G. Hawkes Derby DNA
17   "Jack" Bartlett J. Bartlett Alta DNA
18   Philip Jucker P. Jucker Alta
18   Alan Sinclair P. Jucker Alta DNS - Jucker started in his car
Class over 1500cc (Voiturette class)
19   Charlie Dodson F.W. Dixon Dixon-Riley Special
20   Cyril Mervyn White C. Mervyn White Bugatti T51
21   Anthony Powys-Lybbe A. Powys-Lybbe Alfa Romeo Monza
22   Anthony Hamilton A. Hamilton Alfa Romeo Monza
23   Wilkie Wilkinson R.C. Fleming Alfa Romeo Monza
24   Christopher Staniland C. Staniland Alfa Romeo Tipo B
25   Charles Brackenbury C.E.C. Martin Alfa Romeo Tipo B
26   Kenneth Evans K. Evans Alfa Romeo Tipo B
26   "Bill" Everitt K. Evans Alfa Romeo Tipo B DNS - Evans started in his car
27   Prince Bira Prince Chula of Siam Maserati 8CM
28   Francis Ashby A.F. Ashby Alfa Romeo Tipo B
29   Austin Dobson Hon P. Aitken Alfa Romeo Bimotore
29   Austin Dobson Hon P. Aitken Maserati DNS - He started in another car

Qualifying results

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Pos. Driver Car Constructor Time
1 Peter Walker ERA 1:52.2
2 Earl Howe ERA 1:52.2
3 Chris Staniland Alfa Romeo 1:52.3
4 Prince Bira Maserati 1:53.0
5 Raymond Mays ERA 1:54.2
6 Austin Dobson Alfa Romeo 1:56.6
7 Charles Brackenbury Alfa Romeo 1:57.2
8 Arthur Dobson ERA 1:57.6
9 Anthony Powys-Lybbe Alfa Romeo 1:57.6
10 Denis Scribbans ERA 1:57.8
11 Ian Connell ERA 2:00.4
12 Teddy Rayson Maserati 2:00.4
13 Marquis de Belleroche
(Took over from Anthony Hamilton in this session)
Alfa Romeo 2:01.0
14 Wilkie Wilkinson Alfa Romeo 2:01.0
15 Kenneth Evans Alfa Romeo 2:01.0
16 Charlie Dodson Dixon Spl. 2:02.8
17 Cyril Mervin White Bugatti 2:04.0
18 Francis Ashby Alfa Romeo 2:07.2
19 Peter Aitken Maserati 2:08.0
20 Philip Jucker Alta 2:08.2
21 Reggie Tongue ERA No Time
22 Robin Hanson Maserati No Time
  • Drivers shown in cursive drove in the 1500cc class.

Race report

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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

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Pos. Driver Car Constructor Time (Diff.)/Status
1 Prince Bira Maserati 3:16:52.6
2 Teddy Rayson Maserati +2:36.8
3 Anthony Powys-Lybbe Alfa Romeo +8:01.2
4 Denis Scribbans ERA +10:14.4
5 Charles Brackenbury Alfa Romeo +1 lap
6 Reggie Tongue ERA +2 laps
7 Francis Ashby/Jack Duller Alfa Romeo +4 laps (DNF - engine)
8 Raymond Mays/Patrick Fairfield ERA +8 laps
9 Cyril Mervyn White Bugatti +9 laps
10 Robin Hanson Maserati +9 laps
11 Chris Staniland Alfa Romeo +21 laps (DNF - brakes/clutch)
12 Wilkie Wilkinson/R.C. Fleming Alfa Romeo +26 laps (DNF - gearbox)
13 Kenneth Evans Alfa Romeo +30 laps (DNF - transmission)
14 Ian Connell ERA +31 laps
15 Peter Aitken Maserati +52 laps (DNF - fuel feed)
16 Marquis de Belleroche/Anthony Hamilton Alfa Romeo +56 laps (DNF - engine)
17 Philip Jucker Alta +57 laps (DNF - supercharger)
18 Arthur Dobson ERA +68 laps (DNF - brakes)
19 Austin Dobson Alfa Romeo +69 laps (DNF - transmission)
20 Earl Howe ERA +75 laps (DNF - crash)
21 Charlie Dodson Dixon-Riley +89 laps (DNF - clutch)
22 Peter Walker ERA +92 laps (DNF - gearbox)
  • Drivers shown in cursive drove in the 1500cc class.

Sources

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