NEW SPEEDWAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 112, 15 May 1933, Page 5

NEW SPEEDWAY.

DRY LAKE-BED. MALCOLM CAMPBELL INVITED j MORE INFORMATION WANTED j (From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, May 5. About 30 miles from Canberra, just outside the Federal Territory, is situated the dry bed of an inland lake, whicb it is proposed to convert into a speedway for motorists interested in world records. Up to about eight years ago Lake George appeared on all our maps as a sheet of water over 15 miles long and seven miles broad —one of the largest of our inland lakes. But in 1925— for reasons connected in some strange way with evaporation and underground drainage —the lake disappeared, and today there is a dry basin where once picnic parties boated and fishermen plied their trade.

Along the bed of the lake there is no change of level for over 12 miles— according to Dr. Woolnough, the Federal Government Geologist, "not a drop of one inch"; and itJias therefore occurred to a number of "nthusiasts that here might be established a speedway that would make Daytona and Ninety-Mile Beach "pale their ineffectual fires." At the request of the people of Collector — a little town near the lake, famous for its mirages and haunted by memories of Ben Hall and Johnny Dunn and other heroes of the bushranging period —"Wizard" Smith, who has just made a new record between Brisbane and Sydney, has inspected the lake bed and he finds it admirably adapted for the purpose. He is prepared to attempt a 24 hours record there as soon as a satisfactory track is provided. Track "Like Concrete." But the chief object of the promoters of the scheme is to attract some of the "speel kings" from overseas. A cable has been sent to Sir Malcolm Campbell asking him to consider Lake George Basin as a possible speedway for his

next record-breaking effort. It is understood that Campbell has decided not to try Daytona again. "Wizard" Smith considers that "the lake bas wonderful possibilities of being the more reliable racing track in the world." The surface looks as if it would roll out "like con crete"; there is a splendid natural grandstand formed by the rising ground running parallel witb the lake, and the speedway would be only 10 miles from the railway and 200 miles from Sydney There would be no possible danger from shifting eands; and competent engineer? have calculated that a straight course of 12 miles could be taken along the lakebed, with an additional five miles of formed track if required.

Campbell's Comment. Sir Malcolm Campbell cabled hia acknowledgment of the message sent, and a letter has now been received from him in which he expresses his keen interest in the scheme, but declines to commit himself without further information. He expresses the opinion that "it is very difficult indeed to find any suitable track in the world, unless it be on a beach," and beadconditions, as he well knows, leave mud' to be desired. However, Lake George i: a unique site for a speedway, and it is quite possible that it will secun Campbell's approval. There is, of course some danger of water reappearing in the . middle of the lakebed, as a large catchment area drains into it; But Dr. Woolrough does not think that this is pro bable, and he considers that "structurally and scenically the area stands alone in Australia."