Post by administrator on Sept 5, 2010 11:55:51 GMT 1
NOT QUITE MIDGETS BUT NEARLY:::::
:::::::::::::BY JOHN HYAM::::::::::::::::
VERNON BALLS
In 1924, Vernon Balls of Fulham, later of Holborn, was a main Amilcar dealer. He was recognised as being the leading Amilcar racing driver at Brooklands in the 1920s.
His big dealer rival and on-track adversary was Bob Porter from Barnes who was in partnership with xxxxx Boon. Porter did drive C6 Amilcars, seven of which were imported by Balls and in 1930 was co-driver with Brian Twist in the 1930 500-mile race at Brooklands.
Balls also drove Amilcars in a handful of meetings at Greenford in PROBABLY the late 1920s.
Brooklands was never an oval track in the sense Greenford was but was a big circuit with steep banked bends. The difference in modern terms is the equations between the small ovals and Rockingam.
Balls had two flirtations with dirt-track car racing at Greenford, a one-time horse-trotting track just outside west London. The first was in 1928 and organised by the Junior Car Club, then based in Empire House, Brompton Road, Kensington.
They arranged two practice sessions, on Wednesday, June 20, and Friday, June 22.
These were arranged to determine the amount of interest for cars to be divided into three classes - up to 850cc, up to 1100cc, and for cars up to 1500cc. The first race meeting was set for Saturday, June 23, on the half-mile circuit .at what the Junior Car Club claimed was to be ‘Britain’s first authorised dirt track car r acing.”
Drivers named for the first meeting included Balls (Amilcar), J Turner, Kaye Don and Brian Lewis. Because of the track’s width, races were run clockwise and cars had to start three abreast. Most races, seemingly, were for six cars.
An exception was made for the final of the first meeting, when four cars starting four abreast. This was won by A Nash (Frazer-Nash) from J Aldington (Standard Super-Sports), R Bowes (Frazer-Nash) and Vernon Balls (Amilcar).
Only a couple more meetings took place, then cars disappeared from Greenford’s racing scene until 1934 when Alvin ‘Spike’ Rhiando turned up. He claimed he was a Canadian, then that he had been born in Tampa, Florida, USA. Sceptics said Rhiando was actually born in Deptford, south east London, and that he also had another birth name!
Rhiando’s first meeting was scheduled for Saturday, March 23, 1934. Backed by author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s sons Adrian and Denis, there were ambitious plans for 12 races over 10, 15, 25 and 50 miles. It never took place following a row about how deep the track’s cinder surface should be. The RAC specified it should be 2-inches whereas Rhiando said half-inch was enough.
He claimed: “Too much depth causes the dirt to bank up on the bends and this could cause a broadsiding car to overturn if it hits a dep patch.”
Balls along with Rhiando, Miss Cynthia Sedgwick, Tommy Sulman (Australia), ‘Babe’ West and ‘Drag’ Johnson were among the disappointed drivers.
Eventually, Rhiando got his way and the first meeting took place on May 5. But it was a short-lived, unrecorded venture, and the track soon closed.
An anecdote about Balls concerns his love of testing his race car at around 5am on most weekdays in the Aldershot area. Apparently, this annoyed a local lady so much that she telephoned the local police station where an officer advised: “The next time you see the car get its number and phone us.”
Some days later the delighted woman did phone the police. “And what is the car’s number?” asked the policeman. He then got an unexpected reply.
She said: “That’s easy officer, it’s No.9!”
True or not - it’s an amusing little tale about the legendary Balls.
:::::::::::::BY JOHN HYAM::::::::::::::::
VERNON BALLS
In 1924, Vernon Balls of Fulham, later of Holborn, was a main Amilcar dealer. He was recognised as being the leading Amilcar racing driver at Brooklands in the 1920s.
His big dealer rival and on-track adversary was Bob Porter from Barnes who was in partnership with xxxxx Boon. Porter did drive C6 Amilcars, seven of which were imported by Balls and in 1930 was co-driver with Brian Twist in the 1930 500-mile race at Brooklands.
Balls also drove Amilcars in a handful of meetings at Greenford in PROBABLY the late 1920s.
Brooklands was never an oval track in the sense Greenford was but was a big circuit with steep banked bends. The difference in modern terms is the equations between the small ovals and Rockingam.
Balls had two flirtations with dirt-track car racing at Greenford, a one-time horse-trotting track just outside west London. The first was in 1928 and organised by the Junior Car Club, then based in Empire House, Brompton Road, Kensington.
They arranged two practice sessions, on Wednesday, June 20, and Friday, June 22.
These were arranged to determine the amount of interest for cars to be divided into three classes - up to 850cc, up to 1100cc, and for cars up to 1500cc. The first race meeting was set for Saturday, June 23, on the half-mile circuit .at what the Junior Car Club claimed was to be ‘Britain’s first authorised dirt track car r acing.”
Drivers named for the first meeting included Balls (Amilcar), J Turner, Kaye Don and Brian Lewis. Because of the track’s width, races were run clockwise and cars had to start three abreast. Most races, seemingly, were for six cars.
An exception was made for the final of the first meeting, when four cars starting four abreast. This was won by A Nash (Frazer-Nash) from J Aldington (Standard Super-Sports), R Bowes (Frazer-Nash) and Vernon Balls (Amilcar).
Only a couple more meetings took place, then cars disappeared from Greenford’s racing scene until 1934 when Alvin ‘Spike’ Rhiando turned up. He claimed he was a Canadian, then that he had been born in Tampa, Florida, USA. Sceptics said Rhiando was actually born in Deptford, south east London, and that he also had another birth name!
Rhiando’s first meeting was scheduled for Saturday, March 23, 1934. Backed by author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s sons Adrian and Denis, there were ambitious plans for 12 races over 10, 15, 25 and 50 miles. It never took place following a row about how deep the track’s cinder surface should be. The RAC specified it should be 2-inches whereas Rhiando said half-inch was enough.
He claimed: “Too much depth causes the dirt to bank up on the bends and this could cause a broadsiding car to overturn if it hits a dep patch.”
Balls along with Rhiando, Miss Cynthia Sedgwick, Tommy Sulman (Australia), ‘Babe’ West and ‘Drag’ Johnson were among the disappointed drivers.
Eventually, Rhiando got his way and the first meeting took place on May 5. But it was a short-lived, unrecorded venture, and the track soon closed.
An anecdote about Balls concerns his love of testing his race car at around 5am on most weekdays in the Aldershot area. Apparently, this annoyed a local lady so much that she telephoned the local police station where an officer advised: “The next time you see the car get its number and phone us.”
Some days later the delighted woman did phone the police. “And what is the car’s number?” asked the policeman. He then got an unexpected reply.
She said: “That’s easy officer, it’s No.9!”
True or not - it’s an amusing little tale about the legendary Balls.
(c) JOHN HYAM 2007