MOTOR CYCLE NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 130, 4 June 1935, Page 16

MOTOR CYCLE NOTES.

SUCCESSFUL YEAR

ACTIVITIES REVIEWED. NEW RECORDS SET. Two of the most important events in the Auckland Motor Cycle Club's highly successful year were the opening of the clubrooms and gymnasium- in Grey Avenue and the amalgamation with the Ixion Motor Cycle Club. The former has provided a meeting place for members, storage for the club'e property and a headquarters from which its activities can he directed; the latter raised the membership of the club to over 150, making it the largest motor cycle club in New Zealand, and gave it control of the eport in Auckland. The club also owns and publishes a journal which is the official organ of the A.C.U. and of praetieiilly every motor cycle club in New Zealand. All the regular annual race meetings, speed tests and reliability trials were successfully ran off during the year, the chief being the New Zealand T.T. race on Waiheke Island on December 29. Thanks to the assistance given by the Ostend Road Board and to the hard work done by the riders, Organised by the club officials, during the week previous to the race, the road was in better order than in former years ,and as a result the best contest yet held there was eeen, the result being in doubt until the winner actually passed the post. Out of 18 starters, 14 either finished or

were doing their last lap when they were flagged off the course. The winner, A. Bradley', of Nelson, was subsequently choeen by the A.C.U. to represent -S'ew Zealand in this year's International T.T. races in the Isle of Man. and sailed from Auckland in April. Interest in trial riding seemed if,, to suffer an eclipse during the early part of the year, neither of the club's rrtajic contests, the l'ascoe Cup trial and thi John Bull 24-honr trial, being well supported. Entries for the hitter were so few that the club decided to make it only a 12-hour ride, but even then only nine riders started, out of whom George Hewlett was an easy winner. The Pascoe Cup went to Jack Stewart.

Of the 28 competitors in the A.C.U. four-day trial at Easter, nine were from Auckland. W. AVhite, of the Auckland Motor Cycle Club, tied with M. C. P. Jones, of Wellington, for first place, while D. M. Kobinson, another club member, tied for fifth place with H. Robson, of the Manawatu Club, onh four points behind the winners.

Three race meetings were held at Muriwai Beach during tiie year, and these again proved highly attractive both to ridere and to spectators. A race meeting was also held at Gloucester Park, where D. M. Robinson introduced for the first time a banked sidecar outfit.

A fitting conclusion to the year's activities was the smashing, at Muriwai Beach, of the New Zealand solo and sidecar speed records by Cass Goodwin and Ben Bray respectively, both using Jack Mander's machine. With a speed of 109 m.p.h. Cass Goodwin beat by two miles an hour the New Zealand solo record set up by Alf Mattson, while Ben Bray set the new record for sidecar outfits at 80J m.p.h., 8J m.p.h. better than the previous record, which wae held by D. M. Robinson.

Annual Meeting. Keen contests are expected when the election of officers for the ensuing year is- held at the annual meeting of the Auckland Motor Cycle Club this evening, the membership having been increased by the absorption of the Ixion Club to over 150. At last three nominations . for the position of president and about 20 for other official postions are expected, and ae the outgoing committee is leaving several matters incomplete it has drawn up a list of nominees which it recommends to the members. Differences of opinion amongst members of the executive which was elected at the annual meeting Inst June culminated in their resigning in a body in February, though they were nearly all re-elected. Trophiee and awards won in the A.C.U. four-day trial at Easter and tn club events during the past year will be presented at to-night's meeting by Mr., A. Way, secretary of the A.C.U.