UNIQUE EVENT

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 144, 16 December 1930, Page 13

UNIQUE EVENT

MOTOR-CYCLING TEAM

TEST RIDERS PROM ENGLAND

An event unique in the history of motor-cycling is the visit to New Zealand of a team of six riders specially selected by the Auto Cycle Unipn (England). The main object of the visit is a series of Test matches on the cin-der-tracks, iv which the visitors will compete with New Zealand's best riders under conditions similar to those in which England recently met and defeated Australia in a series of five Tests on Home tracks. The British team arrived in Wellington to-day, three members —B. Frogley, J. Kempster, and Il'. Bond—by the Marama, and the other three —G. Greenwood, C. 1\ Burton, and N. Evans—by the Corinthic. Frogley" and Kempster, who were married just before' leaving England, are accompanied by their wives. The visiting motor-cyclists are- amongst the foremost competitors on England's "dirt-tracks,"' and three of them represented England in the recont Tests with Australia. "The success of the new sport in England is due undoubtedly to team racing," remarked Koger Frogloy. "A league championship is held, and it is run on similar lines to the football competitions. It is exceedingly popular, and is to be carried out in an even bigger way next season." . The average length of the tracks in England, he stated, was about a quarter of a mile, and the average speed attained was about 45 miles per hour. On the quar-ter-mile track at Stamford Bridge the fastest speed, for a lap was about 48 miles per hour, and for four laps about 46 miles per hour. Progley, who captains Crystal Palace, had the distinction of representing England in four of the five Tests. Jim Kempster, who has captained Wimbledon since 1928, competed in four of the Tests with the Australians, and captained the British team in two of those Tests. He and Frogley were two of the most outstanding performers when the sport was introduced to England, and Ivempster was the first English rider to -win an international trophy, this success being achieved when the first Australian team visited England. Since then he has had many notable successes, as also have other members of the team. He and the other visitors who saw the local track to-day expressed'" the. opinion that it compared very favourably with those in England. I'rauk' Bond is the Southampton representative in the party, and he has been a conspicuous performer for his league team, which put up a highly croditable performance in finishing Becond to Wembley in the championship. Apart from two riders (Elder, of America, and Hanson, of Australia), .the Southampton team was made up of local riders, whereas the Wembley team included stars from various parts. Bond was captain of Southampton for a time. Burton is regarded as one of the best riders that England has. produced, and he, of course, was also a Test representative, competing in four of the five Tests with the Australians. His successes include the winning of the Liverpool and Leicester championships. Greenwood and Evans represent Wembley, the champion league team of England, and they, too, are. credited with many fine performance's.