CHAMPIONSHIP HILL CLIMB

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26397, 16 April 1951, Page 3

CHAMPIONSHIP HILL CLIMB

L. MOORE BREAKS RECORD

The veteran Christchurch speedway rider, L. Moore, scored another motorracing success at the Canterbury Car Club s championship title hill-climb meeting on Saturday. He drove his supercharged 2.9 litre Grand Prix Alfa-Romeo up 1.6 miles of the Governor’s Bay road tc the Sign of the Kiwi in Imin 4871 sec, breaking T. Sulman’s record by 1 sec. Moore’s effort was surprisingly good, since his car’s clutch was gripping so fiercely that he was unwilling to use all the motor’s power in sudden acceleration, for fear of damaging the rest of the transmission. Even so, the Alfa-Romeo left a long black trail of burned rubber on the road surface where it was accelerated out of each comer into a straight. Moore won the Katterine Challenge Trophy, held by the club’s hill-climb champion, and the Drewery Challenge Cup for his class (2001 to 3000 c.c.). R. Shand (Railten) took second fastest time to beat J. Tutton (XKI2O Jaguar) by ,36sec, and win his class (over 3000 c.c.) in Imin 55.165ec.

The day was marred by engine failures in several of the fastest cars. P. Hoare’s supercharged Vauxhall special had transmission trouble on the starting-line, and H. Green’s Standard Vanguard special sheared the supercharger drive. M. Jeal’s tiny M G. special was asked for too many revolutions, and a connecting-rod appeared through a hole in the crankcase. Results:— 501-750 c.c.—B. Jonathan (Austin). Time, 3min 48.535ec.

1101-1500 c.c.—E. Judd (M.G. T.D.), 2min 20.855ec, 1; J. Roud (M.G. T.C.), 2min 32.13 sec, 2.

2001-3000 c.c.—L. Moore (Alfa-Romeo), Imin 48.715ec, 1; D. Rutherford (Willys Special), Imin 56.45ec, 2; M. Winterbourne (Studebaker), 2min 41.81 sec. 3. Over 3000 c.c.—R. Shand (Railton), Imin 55.165ec, 1; J. Tutton (XKI2O Jaguar), Imin 55.525ec, 2; Miss N. Blackburn (Buick), 2min 33.555ec, 3. Reliability Trial Yesterday the club held a “round the suburbs’ reliability trial over a 30-mile course. Included in the trial was a regularity test (to maintain a given average speed) from the foot of Dyer’s Pass road to the Sign of the Kiwi. Sixteen cars took part. The following were the results:— Miss J. Clark (Singer), 79 points lost, 1; J. Callinan (Austin), 81 points lost, 2; Miss N. Blackburn (Buick), 82, 3; L. Kerse (Fargo), 95, 4; B. Joyce (Hillman), 120, 5; L. Lester (Hillman), 126, 6.