MOTOR-CYCLING

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21707, 14 February 1936, Page 19

MOTOR-CYCLING

CORSAIR CLUB

FIXTURE? .

• ■ ■i: ■ 1 fv' • M .'i .!■ .!'■ r 1 V, ■[ • ' : February 16—Sports day. Oust.' r March I—Excursion to Hokitika- - March I— lmportant mystery run. . March 10—Opening carnival dance, ■<; March 13—Sports day, March 29—Motor Sunday. - April 11—Excursion to. Dunedtn. , v April 10-13—Excursion to Auckland,

■ Because of the bad weather last week-end, the motor camp had to'be abandoned,' tout it is probable that a suitable date will toe found for it later in the season. ! - On Sunday the first sports run. of the season Will be heldi when points for the following cups will be awarded: Herb Moore, for sports and attendance; Nimiera, lor sports; Clarke Memorial for sports attendance for riders with Pirate plates; Enfield, for women, attendance and sports. It has not yet been decided what the Brlttenden Cup will be awarded for, but attendance will definitely count. The venue for Sunday's run will be Cust Domain. Members will meet at the depot at 9.30 a.m. as usual. It has been decided to hold the Moeraki T.T. races earlier this season. Thf> date will orobablv be March 15.

CANTERBURY AUTO-CYCLE CLUB

FIXTURES

February 28—-Flying half-mile championship (road). February 29—Beach races. March 14—Hill climb championship. March 28, 29—Two-day social trial (Ak&rofl)« April 10,13—New Zealand Grand Prlx road race.

An excellent programme of events has been arranged for the flying halfmile road championships, to be held on Sunday, February 23. All classes of machines will be catered for from 2(50 c.c. to unlimited, including petrol and dope classes. Clutch and flying start events will also be held. The road will toe the same on which this event was run last year, and it is ip perfect condition. An innovation for this year is that events will be run both ways and an average taken of the tlnles. This will be an all-day meeting, and hot water will be available at a small charge. . Many members are confident of exceeding their last year’s speeds, and at least one member anticipates beating the 100 mile an hour mark. The highest speeds for last year were put Up by A. Lamport and W. Nelson, with a speed of 84.1 miles an hour.

PIONEER MOTOR CLUB

FIXTURES

February 15—Beach races. New Brighton, ■ .. February 27—Meeting, motor commit--tee. February 29 — Grass-track meeting, March 6—Evening beach meeting. March B—Motor Sunday. . March 21—Championship hill climbs. April 19—Major trial, May 2—Grand National scramble.

BEACH RACE MEETING

Arrangements have now been completed for the very important beach meeting, to be held to-morrow afternoon, on the south side ot the pier. This has been possible only through the courtesy ot the New Brighton Borough Council and the enthusiastic efforts of the New Brighton. Business Men’s Association. Through the Business Men’s Association two trophies have been given lor competition at the meeting, the donors being Mr R. I* McCormick and the Apex Ice Cream Company. The programme of tour events is one that will bold the spectators* interest throughout the afternoon. ... . The Mayor of New Brighton has given the patrolling stewards the power of beach inspectors, which, in conjunction With the sound system, should ensure efficient control ot the crowd. The first event, to be started by the Mayor of New Brighton (Mr E. L, Smith), will begin at 2.80 pan. Officials and riders must be present by 2,15 pan. The riders are also reminded that In no circumstances will the starter wait for late comers to the line. The fastest machines in Christchurch will be seen on the beach. The entry list contains the best-known local riders, among these being; J* Hockleyi L. C. Evans, W. Nelson, A. Lamport, A, Laurenson, R. Drummond, J, Laurenson, and N, B. Newton. Grass-track Meeting The grass-track meeting is arousing much interest among local and ! outside riders. As the event this year will be fun under A.C.U. rules, riders must be registered. Those not already registered are reminded that their registration must be completed four days before the close of entries—that Is, February 15. A programme of six events should draw the best of the South Island riders, providing as exciting a day's rating as has been seen for some time.

WHEN TO BRAKE

A good driver will never brake when cornering unless it is necessary to prevent an accident. With four-wheeled brakes the steering may become completely ineffective if the brakes are applied hard on a curve, and no matter hpw the steering wheel is turned the car will continue straight ahead. This is caused by the front wheels locking and skidding, in which case their angle does not affect th» direction in which the car will move. Should a tyre burst or suddenly deflate avoid applying the brakes if possible, as it will only aggravate the car’s tendency to swerve and become uncontrollable. Just take the foot off the accelerator, and concentrate on steering the car until the speed has been- reduced below 25 miles an hour, when hiiolrec nan Ha armUftrf ffftntlV-

MOST DANGEROUS DRIVING AGE

What is the most dangerous age for driving a car? —„ . The Procurator-Fiscal of Dunfermline, Scotland, says the dangerous age is 21, .. . Young men of that age, he said, when one was being prosecuted for dangerous driving, were more willing to take riskßi ■ * ■ ' An American authority formerly said that the safest driver was the young girl with red hair, between 17 and Yet though elderly motorists are seldom accused, as a class, of careless driving, when it comes to pedestrians (as well as the dangers that give rise to the saying) it might well prove on close examination that “there s no fool'like an old foot,’ 1 Three years ago there were 581,000 motor-cars in Germany. There are now increase of 249,000, Figures issued by the Economic Intelligence Service of the League of Nations show that the British motor industry has led the world in recovery from effects of the depression., - .

PICNIC EQUIPMENT

Motorists who set out almost every week-end on a picnic excursion or a visit to a surfing beach have learnt the wisdom of reducing the worries of camping and cooking to a minimum, so that such duties mako but little inroad upon their leisure time. t A suitable picnic case or basket can be fitted quite cheaply with screw-top bottles, sandwich boxes; and other containers for food, One or two vacuum flasks for tea, sdufi, or other beverages complete the outfit. A fairly large tent fly Is very useful as a coyer lor the car and as an awning, , whlctr can be supported on two or three light poles, to form a shady “verandah extension. It is best to have an amply large tent fly, which will cover the car from front to rear wheels, and to arrange it so that when it Is. desired to use the car or a space of ground alongside it as a dressing-room the awning posts can bo quickly lowered.

SATURATION POINT

Are we approaching saturation point in car: ownership? Formerly it was calculated to approximate to the number of incomes of more than year, but present figures suggest a year as nearer to the minimum, and oar ownership is still increasing, . The possession of a car is being increasingly regarded as a . business necessity, and in some - countries dispersion ,of population Is, resulting in co-operative ownership of cars by persons whose homes are some distance from -rail and bus routes. The magazine, “Modern Transport, suggests that it would be rash to forecast any .particular saturation point so long as trade Continues to improve.