The 'Pioneers' who raced initially at the Royal Horticultural Halls became the core of the Surrey Club at Christmas Pie in Surrey. Smith was one of the prime movers, living close to a local builder who had a very large tennis court behind his bungalow. This was the location for their track and racing from 1947, with Smith as Secretary of the Club. His work took him to America for a year, returning in 1949 to a confrontation with the local council over noise and the number of meetings being held. Ignoring the restrictions and injunction, the Club carried on, only to be closed down permanently at the end of September 49. The loss of the track and the changing focus on the type of cars being raced signalled the end of the Pioneer Club as such and the pioneers of the sport. See Jack Morgan's take on how this all unfolded.

Here we see Smith at the inaugural meeting using an electric starter on the flywheel of his car, which is fitted with a centrifugal clutch.

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