Alf Bottoms |
In July 1950 Alf won the Première Coupe des Racers 500 at raced at Rheims in hot conditions, "Curly" Dryden took the lead but was soon passed by Alf. By the fourth lap Alf had begun to open a gap on the main pack of cars, though he was still closely followed by Åke Jönsson's Effyh. On the fifth lap Bottoms had 2.3 seconds over Jönsson. Dryden, the next driver, however was already half a minute behind the leader. The Coopers of Stirling Moss, Harry Schell and Raymond Sommer all struggled in the high temperatures. By lap seven his lead was up to seven seconds and two laps later it was 21 seconds!
Alf's signature courtesy Anthony Taylor |
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In Alf's hands the JBS was becoming a credible rival to even the fastest Coopers, Alf winning the Earl of March Trophy in March 1951, beating Curly Dryden, also in a JBS. On 3rd May 1951 at the Grand Prix de Luxembourg, held on the Finden street circuit located beside Luxemburg airport, Alf's throttle stuck open during practice, he crashed and was killed instantly. |
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