Averil Scott-Moncrieff

7/4/1915 - 9/3/2006

Record updated 09-Mar-07

Averil Scott-Moncrieff started out racing a Bugatti but soon switched to one of the first Lotus VIs. She competed in a lot of races with great reliablity and usually finished near the front.

Averil Marion Anne Scott-Moncrieff (nee Sneyd) was married to David Scott-Moncrieff heir to Scott-Moncrieff of Fossaway, who also raced.

Started out racing a Bugatti but with the increasing cost of running it she bought one of the first Lotus VI's. These arrived as a kit of parts which proved slightly too expensive for her so  Chapman found one that was already built and needed to be sold by its owner.

She raced the Lotus in 1954 and started 1955 in it, managing a sterling performance in the six-hour relay race a Silverstone, driving most of the event as her team mates blew up fairly early on.

However she realised that the Ford 10 engine was not up to the task and that if she was going to stand a chance she needed more power. So midway through the 1955 season she aquired a second hand 1246cc MG engine. Installing it proved to be a challenging task that she expected, and it was 1956 before she reappeared on the tracks.

The first race of the new season started with disaster. Running at 4000 rpm the engine started to make alarming noises which Averil quickly diagnosed as expensive. A broken piston had caused considerable internal damage. As the engine now needed a complete rebuild Averil deceided to make the best of it and upgrade it at the same time. So it became a 1466cc XPEG with and aluminium cylinder head.

The extra power was great however it uncovered another problem. The Mk VI had a reputation of the back end being a bit unstable, and Averil's was worse that most! The car was taken to Woodhead Monroe who in conjuction with Michelin sorted out the rear suspension problems making the car more predictable and easier to handle.

In 1957 with the MG engine sorted and the chassis handling properly, Averil turned her attention to the brakes helped by George Raven of Lockheed. Unfortunately the season was beset with valve problems. On two occasions the engine suffered from dropped valves with thr resultant internal consequences. The valves were upgraded and the problem was solved. She scored a win at a National Open meeting at Goodwood and a second at the Eight Clubs meeting. The results from '57 were not spectacular but she drove in a lot of races with great reliablity and usually finishing near the front.

She continued with the Lotus in 1958 but despite being a lovely car to drive both on and off the track it really wasn't quick enough to win anything.



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