Page 156 - KBHA Bulletin 9

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ahead of Roderick’s scarlet Alfa Romeo like a bullet; Earl Howe, with his engine yowling
like a witch, started in his blue E.R.A.; Fairfield left a minute and a half later; the Maseratis
[Taruffi and Massacuratti] got away at 3 o’clock; von Delius signed a few autographs,
shook hands with a few people, stepped into his car, and was off, bringing the crowd to
their feet in breathless excitement at the bullet-like speed of the car … on his first straight
shot past Clayton, the first starter, like an express train passing a donkey cart; Rosemeyer,
the scratch man, arrived from the pits. He strolled leisurely across the ground, his arm
around Elly Beinhorn, his flying wife. They hugged and kissed repeatedly before he entered
his car, and the crowd cheered again; …. soon the air was pungent with the odour of burnt
oil and deafening with the roar of the larger cars and the whine of the smaller ones.”

By 5.15, and with five laps left, there were nine cars still in the race with Earl Howe, the
popular favourite, in the lead, followed by von Delius, van Riet, Fairfield, Rosemeyer,

Ruesch and Petre. (Figs. 3.50 & 3.51) A thrilling finish was in prospect, since none of the
cars could match the Auto Unions’ speeds of over 180 mph down the straights. Engine

trouble to Howe’s car now lost him valuable seconds in the pits for a plug change and

allowed von Delius, who pitted at the same time for a tyre change and fuel, to get past him
on the next lap and take the lead which he held to the finish. Rosemeyer, now closing fast

on the leaders and setting new lap records as he touched the highest speeds of the afternoon
of nearly 190 mph, “swept through dust storms in a dramatic finish that brought him home

a few seconds ahead of Howe. The crowd was hysterical with excitement.” (Figs 3.52 &
3.53.)

nd
Doug van Riet, who had started 2 on handicap in his amazing little Austin, had led for 33
of the 45 laps. He averaged 61.37 mph against the German driver’s 80.37 mph with seven

times the engine capacity, and was the first South African home in seventh place and
behind Kay Petre. (Pat Fairfield and Hans Ruesch finished fourth and fifth, respectively.)

He would go on to win the Rand Grand Prix two weeks later against a top international
field that, however, excluded the Auto Unions. (Figs 3.54 & 3.55.) It should be pointed out

that unfortunately for the German cars, part of the propaganda plan was to show that

Germany was independent of imported rubber, having developed synthetic Buna rubber.