Softer springs were fitted and Ron did six more laps, assistant chief engineer Tony Rudd reporting: “6 laps, best 1:28.2, track now 50% dry. Very much better, car understeers considerably, but slide conditions are not so vicious – car can now be thrown about a little, is more steady accelerating from corners and pulls easily 7,500rpm on straight. Still cannot take Fordwater flat – is not as good as front engine car here even allowi9ng for water and crosswind. The front seems to crab away from corners, particularly accelerating out. Observing the car, it still understeered badly at St Mary’s, finishing up on the outside of the road badly placed for Lavant, and it did not appear to accept as much throttle as soon out of Lavant as a front-engined car”.
Graham grudgingly admitted: “It can be drifted after a fashion, understeers but not in a normally accepted sense of word; front seems to patter away from a corner, especially coming out (only place wheel patter observed is in front of pits and out of Madgwick)….”. Nine gallons of fuel were then added to increase weight on the front wheels and after eight more laps Graham reported: “Car drifts all of a piece now – steering feels heavy, could do with less castor – higher-geared box as well as requires too much arm twiddling”.
Slightly positive front wheel camber was then re-set to zero, and Ron then drove a further seven laps, getting down to a lap in 1:27.9. He reported “Another improvement, car is very nearly there, only requires cleaning up in detail. Can be drifted with ease, if off its line can be brought back again, now feels as good as front-engined car everywhere except Fordwater…car is now a pleasure to drive – under suitable conditions 1:23 is possible”. Graham agreed, up to a point, and after eight laps in the car – the best timed at 1:28.4 – he reported: “Much better. Car doesn’t slew off from corners now – but it’s much too tiring to drive, seems to roll too much still, but is now more of a race-worthy proposition altogether – still understeers slightly”.
Graham had two spins during his 49 laps, while Ron Flockhart accumulated a further 26. Graham admitted: “The car is much better – can now be drifted – is not yet as good as Lotus on handling, but is not far away. It’s very uncomfortable and cramped, although the seat modifications this time were an improvement”.
Flockhart’s summary read: “Car is now better than it was at Monza” – where it had been extensively tested over several days first time out – but it still “…needs some detail attention…handling is generally satisfactory. Car rolls a great deal and cockpit arrangements are such that this is a nuisance; if it could be made as comfortable as in the front-engined car, with a little less roll, and the acceleration from the 6.50 tyres with the road-holding of the 7.00s, car will be very hard to bneat next year”.