1957 Circuit of Clare Trial

This report by Barry Mason first appeared in Autosport Magazine October 18, 1957.

Irish event voted one of the best so far.

Voted one of the best Circuits of Clare to date by all, the yarns spun in the Lakeside Hotel, Killaloe, afterwards lost nothing in the telling and I am tempted to suggest that many were influenced by the location at the base of Lough Derg on the Shannon, an anglers’ resort. My only regret is that I didn’t have a tape recorder with me!

There was the story of how, when confronted suddenly by a deep river flowing across a “road”, Paddy Hopkirk ordered his navigator to wade in to test the depth and nearly brought on a navigators strike. Of how at the same river, Freddie Bradshaw’s Standard Ten was last seen floating downstream with doors open having been abandoned, and how two cars travelling in opposite directions at a high rate of knots on a very narrow boreen, took to their respective ditches and flashed past each other without touching.

Generally, the eight tests were so arranged, and the instructions worded, that they could be attacked in different ways, with varying results. In most instances they were on loose surfaces with mud lurking somewhere or other. The sections in between controls were easy enough in the morning and lulled the competitors into false security, but they were rudely awakened after the
lunch interval.

Starting at 10 a.m. on a lovely sunny autumn morning on Sunday, 29th September, just outside Limerick city, the first section took the cars to a control some 18 miles distant to the hills over-looking Killaloe in East Clare, where all but one of the starters arrived on time. R. Redmond retired soon after the start with mechanical trouble with his Special.

The test here had some very slippery sections and several drivers found themselves clouting banks, or losing control, to end in a ditch. The position after this test was that R. Barrett (DKW) led Val Baker (Special) and Declan O’Leary (VW). With a similar distance to the next control, via a check, the going was easy after the first couple of miles over a mountainy track and all but Major Keane reached the control safely.

At the previous control Major Keane’s elderly Morris Minor was making ominous noises and his retirement was not exactly surprising, even if it was bad luck. Following the test here Baker took the lead with Kevin Sherry (VW) second and Barrett and O’Leary following, the last named being only 2.8 marks behind the leader.

The third control was only slightly shorter distance than the previous ones and on arrival Baker, Mrs. Fitzgerald (Anglia) and Jim O’Mahony (VW) were found to have eliminated themselves from the awards list as they had failed to visit the intermediate check. The check was an electricity pole, the number of which had to be recorded.

Following test 3 Sherry was in the lead followed by Cecil Vard (VW). O’Leary and Hector Newenham (Special). With only seven miles over roughish going to be covered at 25 m.p.h. to the next con-
trol, it was tight but navigation was still easy.

A further 18 miles of very rough stuff brought competitors to the top of a mountain overlooking Lahinch and just midway between that town and Lisdoonvarna, for the fourth test and the lunch break, The positions here took a change, Vard, by a bad test with maximum loss, dropped to 11th place, and O’Leary was one better due to a loss of 20 marks on the road. Sherry with 117 marks, still led with Newenham (117.8) now in second place, followed Barrett (119.8) and Paddy Hopkirk (Anglia} (120.6).

Next came a 16 miles section at 28 m.p.h., much of which was quite thrilling, climbing steeply on a very, very rough road with a sheer cliff on one side dropping to the Atlantic. Test five at the subsequent control brought Hopkirk to second position and John Davidson, the Ulster driver who is doing so well in his home province and the ultimate winner, moved into third place. Next came a 31 miles section which was comparatively easy, but the test here dropped Sherry from the lead to fourth position, while Davidson moved up to tie with Newenham for second place behind
Hopkirk,

But the worst was still to come and the next section of 16 miles caused no end of bothers. About half the field took a route which had a river with the improbable name of Owendulleegle flowing over the road, not so indicated on the map, and although some got through, the loss of time was impossible to make up. Newenham and his navigator stripped and pushed their Special through and Bradshaw only managed to cross after considerable difficulty in his Standard Ten, Both Gar O’Brien (M.G.A) and T. Burke (DKW) were over the limit of 30 mins. late.

From here to the finish was 17 miles and even at the average of 22 m.p.h. asked was extremely tight and the navigation very tricky. Only seven competitors managed to get through these two sections without loss of time.

In the final test at the finish Newenham put up the best time, but this could not overcome the loss of time on the road and Davidson ran out the winner with a clean sheet on the road and a really good average in the tests, with best time in two of the eight.

Barry Mason

Results

1. J. Davidson (Prefect);
2. D. O’Leary (VW);
3. C. Vard (VW);
4. H. Newenham (Special);
5. J. C. Millard (Austin A35);
6. H. Logan (VW);
7. P. B. Hopkirk (Anglia);
8. J. L. Cullen (VW);
9. R. Barrett (DKW);
10. T. V. Connolly (VW).

Sports Car and Specials: 1. H. Newenham
Saloons Over 1000cc: J. Davidson.
Saloons Under 1000cc: J. C. Millard.