MOTOR-CYCLING

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 21033, 8 December 1933, Page 6

MOTOR-CYCLING

PIONEER SPORTS CLUB FIXTURES December 9 —Beach races. December 16—Motor gymkhana, Kaiapoi. December 19—Meet ins* of Motor Committee. For the beach races to be held at North Eoach to-morrow afternoon by the Pioneer Sports Club, excellent entries have been received and there should be some very close and interesting finishes. The first event will be the four miles novice handicap, confined to those who have nob previously won a race on the beach. For this there will be a field of 11, the limit being 48sec. Unless anything unforeseen happens during the racing. Harrington, the scratch man, should just about get up in time to salute the judge, with the limit man, Buckley, a close second. Apart from these. Priest, on the 28sec mark, may create a surprise. This will be followed by the lightweight championship, over a distance of 12 miles, for which there is a field of three, comprising G. W. Hockley (2? O.K. Supreme), V. C. Browne (2J A.J.S.), and E. H. Buckley (23 H.D.). Should all go well on the journey, they will probably finish in that order. The present holder of the title, F. G. Le Vaillant, unfortunately is unable to be present to defend it. Fourteen will face the starter for the 16 miles open handicap, pride of place being occupied by D. E. Evans <3l- Rudge) and L. R. Harrington (3A O.K. Supreme), with the limit being set at 208 sec. On performances and with a good passage Evans looks the most likely, with Hockley and Browne filling the places. There will also be two light car events, the handicaps for which will be announced before the start. The first race is timed to start at 2.30. On the following Saturday afternoon a motor gymkhana will be conducted by the Pioneer Sports Club on the Kaiapoi Domain, in conjunction with a series of other sporting events, under the auspices of the local Beautifying Association. Those motorists wishing to take part in the gymkhana are asked to get in touch with the club's officials at the earliest in order to avoid disappointment. On Sunday the Ashburton MotorCycle Club will hold a series of grass hill climbs on the property of Mr Glasson, at Cavendish. These will be open to financial members of any motorcycle club affiliated with the North or South Island Motor Unions. No entrance fees will be charged. The run will start from the traffic bridge at Ashburton at 10.30 a.m. Full particulars concerning the various classes may be obtained at the office of the Pioneer Sports Club. CORSAIR MOTOR CLUB FIXTURES. December 10—Sports meeting at Cust December 12—Corsairs' "ati home." December 19—Presentation of trophies. The Corsairs have been unfortunate this season, in having the sporting programme curtailed by adverse weather, the last two occasions being a sports day at Cust. However, the Cust: Domain is the venue selected for the sports day next Sunday. A very comprehensive programme of motor sports has been arranged by the committee, as a grand finale to the 1933-34 season, and the competition

among the leaders in the Vimiera and the Pirate Cup contest, will be worth watching. The points gained on Sunday will decide the destination of both trophies. Since Mr J. Morris gave a trophy for the best time over five miles, on a grass track, nobody as yet has recorded a time, so the opportunity awaits all aspiring grass trackers on the Cust half-mile circuit next Sunday. As usual, the departure from the railway yard in Moorhouse avenue will be at 9.30 a.m. USE OF RUBBER AN INCREASING DEMAND With increasing use of rubber parts for motor cars the yearly output of from 30 to 40 rubber trees is required to supply tyres, tubes, and parts for each modern car. In 1925 the average car used about three pounds of rubber parts in addition to the rubber in tyres and tubes, while 1933 models carry from 30 to 60 pounds of rubber part's, according to research engineers of a big company. More than 90 per cent, of modern motor cars use at least 30 to 40 pounds of rubber made up into 11 or 12 classes of parts ranging from spark plug caps and door bumpers to torque spring insulators and engine mountings. Improvement in engines and fuels together with the introduction of new silent running tyres makes for extremely quiet operation, have necessitated use of rubber insulation to reduce body noises formerly drowned out by engine and tyres. Rubber insulation is also important! in breaking up synchronisation of vibrations and noises between engine and body caused by high speed performance and use of allsteel bodies. Prominent among uses for rubber in motor cars, other than in tyres and tubes, are floor mats, fan belts, spring bumpers, window channels, bushings, body shims and hydraulic brake hose. Unlimited possibilities for additional

rubber parts in the automotive held are seen by engineers. In a few years, they believe, more and more rubber will be used in body and fender construction. It is entirely possible that there will be more replacing of solid steel parts with rubber, perhaps replacing the car's entire spring niecfianism with rubber.