MOTOR CARS | 149Sadly, ‘EPE 97’ here began losing oil through a hole left by a broken
engine timing cover stud, and after four hours of front-running – and
recovery after his incident – Brian Lewis was reduced to touring
round to nurse his car to the finish, finally coming home in 14th place
at an average speed of 76.12mph.
This did not discourage Fox & Nicholl. They then entered ‘EPE 97’ for
its third major race, the British Racing Drivers’ Club 500-Miles classic
on the high-speed Outer Circuit of the legendary Brooklands Motor
Course near Weybridge, Surrey. This time esteemed privateer, BRDC
President and former Le Mans winner Earl Howe partnered Lewis for
the arduous race.
For this high-speed track race, without any tight corners whatsoever,
its superfluous front brakes were removed to save weight and
tyre wear. The car was fitted with a 3:1 back axle ratio, 7.00 x 21
rear tyres and fairings between the front dumb irons and over the
passenger seat. Howe and Lewis drew on their considerable racing
experience and achieved EPE’s greatest overall result finishing third
at an average speed of 113.02mph. In doing so, they won a green
marble-block trophy which is today awarded annually by the British
Vintage Sports Car Club for the Fox & Nicholl road-equipped sports
car race at Silverstone.Fox & Nicholl retained ‘EPE 97’ for another season’s racing in 1937.
June that year saw it competing in nothing less than the Le Mans
24-Hour race, co-driven by Charles Brackenbury and by Fox &
Nicholl’s 1935 Le Mans-winning star, Hawker Aircraft test pilot-cum-
racing driver John Hindmarsh. They were forced to retire at 10pm on
the Saturday evening, due to unspecified mechanical trouble. Sadly,
this proved to be Johnny Hindmarsh’s last race, as he was killed
soon afterwards when his early-model Hawker Hurricane single-seat
fighter aircraft crashed on St. George’s Hill golf course, alongside the
Brooklands Motor Course and its infield aerodrome.54