COMMONWEALTH FUEL

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 20, 23 July 1927, Page 18

COMMONWEALTH FUEL

OBSERVATION ROAD TRIAL : A 24-hour car trial, the first of its': kind, in.' Australia, is to be carried outi next month by the Victorian Light Car Club. ■" The- test will be for both de-' pendabijity.-and petrol consumption for cars having "engines of less than 200(V c.c, and all cars will run on C.O.E. Aus-tralian-made motor spirit. The routs will be of. 490 miles, from Melbourne through Werribee, Geelong, Colae, Cam-' perd6wn,-&fortlake, Skipton, Ballarat,: Yea_, Alexandra, Marysville, and Lily* dale. The petrol used will bo supplied' by the Commonwealth Oil Eefineriesi! and issued to the competitors at setcentres by officials of the club. The; petrol consumption test will forco the 1: competitors to ;run to a specified time; schedule throughout the various stages,' of the day and night drive. Failure! to comply with the schedule or to equaV the minimum set petrol consumption; will result'in 1 disqualification. When; a contestant uses up his fuel allow- 1 ance he will automatically drop out of tho .test. „, . .; Tho competing cars will run in "A"! (750 c.c), "B" (.1100 c.c), "C" (1500 i c.c), and "D" (2000 c.c.; classes. Tho 1 speed, schedules adopted are "A" and' "B" classes 23-25 m.p.h. and "C" and; "D" 25 to 3.7, m,p.h. for the complete test. To make 'all cars compete on a basis of equality, each^'must weigh IP ewt per 100 c.c." fully loaded with driv-' or and passenger, but without petrol or' spare water. The penalty for failing to; make this weight will bcoue. mile per' hour added to" the" speod schoduio'for 1 eaclj ewt or part short. A petrol formula, 1 has been adopted, one gallou per 100 e.cj eugino capacity, plus 3i gallons.. This 1: sots tho petrol consumption of tho competing cars at "A" class 45J m.p.g. ; ; IB" 34.5 m.p.g.; "C" 27 m.p.g.; and: D 21.3 m.p.g., with varying mileage,' for ears of capacities ; lntervening be-' tween tho class limits^' ~. Competing cars will "have their tanks; sealed at the start, and the only spare petrol allowed to be vc&iried rath be a two-gallon soaled can which can only bq put into tho tank at an official control^ and itscotttontß;cQniO'Hl the allowance for tho compldto tcst^ " Tho cars will run in touring trim, with hoods, guards, and screens littcd,. and. «o attachments other than the'stSMa'/d'hot and extra air fitments will bo allowed on the engino. Check control cards and sealed watches will be issued 1 by officials at each control. Aftor tho trial tho cars will bo tested for. mechanical condition and drivability,-and-will be penalised for faults or 'dofeets which demand immediato attention, or are of a nature not remediable by attention from tho owner-driver. ii Competitors who complete the course on time, without Joss of points, and on' tho allowance of petrol, will recoiv(j special gold trophies donated by thii Commonwealth Oil Eefineries. ; Tho club's object in holding tho trial k to have an official and public demonstration under most stringent road con» ditions of day and night driving on; C.0.8. spirit to prove its equality with imported fuels.