Car Economy Run Will End At Auckland Today

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28128, 17 November 1956, Page 2

Car Economy Run Will End At Auckland Today

(From Our Own Reporter)

ROTORUA, November 16. At the end of the third day in the 916-mile Mobilgas economy run this evening-, the Sunbeam Mark 111 car of S. B. Gibbs and S. G. Cameron (Auckland) was leading on points for the £5OO sweepstake prize. The cars wejre driven today from Wellington to Rotorua. Tomorrow, the cars will leave Rotorua at 7 a.m. on the final stage of the run to Auckland by way of Hamilton. The first car is expected to reach Auckland at noon. A special prizegiving function will be held -in the evening. Today’s 317-mile route was the toughest section in the whole run. The only all-woman team, comprising Mrs M. H. Horton and Mrs Z. Duncan (Dunedin), has now moved into third place in Class B with their Borgward Isabella. Expeditious Unloading When the inter-island steamer express berthed at Wellington shortly after 7 a.m. today, the economy run cars were the first to be unloaded. A well-drilled team of the sponsoring company’s employees, together with shipping company staff, set what must have been a record by unloading the 34 cars in an average time of 45 seconds for each. Immediately after being unloaded, the cars were flagged to start the first North Island section of the run from the inter-island wharf to Paekakariki. The chairman of the Greater Wellington Road Safety Council (Mr W. A. Simpson) acted as starter. After breakfast at Paekakariki. the cars were driven through Levin. Shannon, and Palmerston North to Taihape. where the competitors had lunch. At 1.15 p.m., the first of the cars left for Rotorua over the most difficult section of the whole run. Climbing to more than 3500 feet on the Desert road, the route led to Taupo, where the cars were refuelled. The cars reached Rotorua at intervals after 5 p.m., but the difficult section resulted 'in time penalties being imposed on many drivers. The country covered today had been difficult, and very different from that encountered on the first two days of

the trial, said the Transport Department’s official • observer (Mr A. J. Edwards) this evening. Today, each driver had to exercise more than usual driving skill to reach his destination on time. Drivers had to keep their speed well up to the open road average, and on good stretches were travelling at 50 miles an hour. Mr Edwards expressed his admiration of the skill displayed by the competitors, and especially their competence on the difficult sections. Even at the end of the third day, the spread of points between placed contestants in tne sweepstake and individual classes was very even, said the chairman of the board of stewards (Mr P. L. Lupp). No penalties had been taken into account. Two Punctures On the highway from Wellington to Rotorua, two cars had punctures, misfortune which may count heavily against them in the final results. Just as he was preparing tc leave the Paekakariki check point, the driver of the Standard 8 (N. J. E. McNaught), found one of his rear tyres deflating rapidly. He lost four valuable minutes changing the tyre. The other puncture was experienced by C. D. Kilpatrick (Austin A5O), at Taupo. Provisional placings at the end of the third day’s journey, are:— Sweepstake: Sunbeam Mark 111 (S. B. Gibbs and C. G. Camerson, Auckland) 1; Wolseley 6-90 (C. W. Barrett and G. D. Malcolme. Pahiatua) 2; M.G. Magnette (J. K. Hussey and H. G. Doig, Wanganui) 3. Class A: Standard 10 (W. 1. Brown and D. D. Kilkelly, Invercargill) 1: Morris Cowley (G. M. Townsend and A. I. Mathews, Wellington) 2; Morris Minor (P. C. Bridgman and B. J. O’Rourke, Hastings) 3. Class B: Sunbeam Mark 111 (S. B. Gibbs and C. G. Cameron) 1; M.G. Magnette (J. K. Hussey and H. C. Doig) 2; Borgward Isabella (Mesdames M. H. Horton and B. Duncan. Dunedin) 3.

Class C: Wolseley 6-90 (C. W. Barrett and G. D. Malcolme) 1; Austin 105 (E. R. McMahon and W. T. Hudson, I Levin) 2; Jaguar Mark VII (C. V. Neale and D. A. King, Nelson) 3.