THE AUSTRAL WHEEL RACE.

Press, Volume XLV, Issue 7232, 18 December 1888, Page 3

THE AUSTRAL WHEEL RACE.

The Austral Wheel Race for 1888, says the Australasian, was without a doubt the finest race ever held on the M.C.O. ground. In more ways than one it was a famous race. The field of 48 riders has never before been equalled. The prize, £200, haa riot been excelled, and the winner, Mr R. Davis, of South Australia, established a remarkable record of smin 38 3-sth sec, and this too in a race where he had to pass 47 riders. The perfect condition of the track and the warmth of the atmosphere were certainly conducive to fast time, but scill it was never to be expected that anything like a good record could be made on such a crowded track, for each time the scratch man passed an opponent he had to do so on the outside, and consequently had actually more than two miles to ride. It ia not to be wondered at that the tips of cycling scribes were somewhat wide of their mark in regard to the Austral Wheel Race; there had been no racing for months past, and all there ■was to go upon were training notes, and it just shows what little faith must be placed in a man's training form in comparison with his racing performances. For instance I had watched Coote in training and really saw nothing remarkable in him,-and yet he spins home In the novices* races and captures a £20 prize with the greatest of ease. Not a tipster placed Davis on the winning Hat,because it was. deemed impossible for him to get through the field, and no doubt Mr Fenlon, the English champion, knew very well what he was talking about when, at the cyclists' dinner held on the evening after the race, he said " that he did not believe that there was a cyclist in the world at the present time who could have ridden and won the race as Davisdid by making his own pace from start to finish." As in the other events in which he ran, the Norwood man seemed to put the whole of hie energy into the race, and yet he finished not the least distressed. Almost immediately after winning the big race he rode in the S.A. team race, and won with the greatest of ease. Regarding his past performances, Mr Richard Davis, who is a member of the Norwood Club, first learnt to ride a bicycle in the latter part of ISS4. In March of the following year he rode in the two-mile maiden race with 100 yds start, and in the three-mile open handicap, 400 yds start, and won both easily. This was at the Norwood Club's sports. During the same year he rode in several events from handicap marks, but without success. In March 1886, he won the mile championship of the club, and ran second in three-mile open handicap from scratch, afad the same day won the five-mile championship of South Australia easily. During the same year he rode at the Caledonian sports in the one and three mile handicaps as scratch man, and gained third place in the mile and eecond in the three miles, the time for the latter distance being Bmin 48sec—the then Australian record. At the Military Sports the same year Mr Davis ran second in the one mile, and won the three miles, beating his previously-made record for three miles byllsec, or Bmin37sec, During October of the same year, at the combined sports of the South Australian Cricketing Association and Cyclisos' Union, a two day's meeting, he was very successful. On the first day he won the mile championship of South Australia, and ran second in the five-mile handicap from scratch. On the eecond day he won the ten-mile championship of South Australia in 30min 42sec, last five miles being the only, competitor left in the race. On the same day he ran away with the mile handicap in 2min 46see, and also won the three-mile handicap from scratch inßmhi4Ssec About this time Mr Davis retired for a time, but was induced to return to the path again in September, 1887, when he was beaten in several events by C. R. Wood, of New South Wales. A month later Mr Davie once more got to breaking Australian records. He ran recond in a half-mile handicap in the time of lmin 15 4-oth sec, Australian record; second in. the mile handicap—time, 2min 39 2-sth sec; and first in the three and five mile handicapstime, Bmin 27sec, and 14min 27sec respectively, both being Australian records.

Mr Davis commenced the present year auspiciously by winning the first one milo championship of Australia—the flr.it event of its Rind run in the colonies. The first heat was covered in 2min 38 4-sth sec, which still etands as the Australian race record. On the same day Mr Da* Iβ was beaten in the Vive Mile Championship of South Australia by Mr J. W. Busst. On January 28th he rode in one, two, and three mile handicaps, and won the two latter from scratch. On March 31st he won the half-mile championship of South Australia* and ran second in the three mile handicap, being beaten by Mullins by half a foot, Davis's time being B«uin 22sec— another Australian record. On October 6th last he was unplaced in two two mile handicaps, but won the ten mile championship of South Australia in 28min KJJsee, another Australian record; A week later Mr T. Busst defeated Mr Davis in a special mile race, and also in the intercolonial scratch race, and ho could only get fourth iv the three-mile handicap, which was won by Brandenberg with 480 yards start iv Smin 3 «J-sthsec. On October 27th won the one-mile championship of South Aunt- .ilia in 2miu 45?jsec. On the 9th of the present month was again successful, winning both one and three mile handicaps in Adelaide. Last Saturday Mr Davis ran third in the Invitation Scratch ltaco, first in the Inter-Club Race, and capped all his previous brilliant performances by winning the Austral Wheel Race from scratch in the grass record time of ninin 38 3-sth sees. Mr Davis la sft Oriin in height, aud scales 10at 7lb. Regarding last Saturday's big race, when Mr Davis left Adelaide ho was not over-sanguine as to hia chances, but after seeing the splendid condition of tho track, and finding his time improve, and his friends feeling great confidence in him, ho says he went to the post fully convinced that he could win, and he did.