WALLER AND JONES

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 101, 26 October 1934, Page 9

WALLER AND JONES

FOURTH TO FINISH

M CGREGOR'S PROGRESS

FITZMAURICE'S IDEA

• (BriltslJ Olllclal Wireless.) (Received October 26, 11 a.m.)

RUGBY, October 25.

The fourth place in the speed contest of the air race from England to Australia was taken today by Cathcart Jones and Ken Waller, who in a de Havilland Comet reached the finishing line at Melbourne at 2.54 p.m., local time, or 4.54 a.m. G.M.T. '

No other competitors have yet reached the Australian continent.

The fifth position is still held by McGregor and Walker, New Zealanders, in a Miles Hawk, who are reported to have left Batavia for Darwin, via Koepang. Hewett and Kay (New Zealand) in a D.H. Dragon, are following them closely, and have arrived at Batavia. In the handicap event ihe result is still open. Ay\ unofficial check in Melbourne indicates that Scott and Black won both speed and handicap, but under the rules of the race they cannot receive the prize money for both. Jones and Waller entered for both events, their allowance for the handicap being only 36 minutes, as compared with 35 hours 22 minutes 12 seconds allotted to McGregor and Walker, who are at present in the fifth position.

According to a. report from Melbourne, Cathcart Jones and Waller, who completed the 11,350 miles journey from England in under five days—a time which, until a week ago, would have smashed all previous records—may attempt a speed flight back to England in their de Havilland Cqmet in order to establish a fresh record for -the double journey.

Meanwhile, Colonel Fitzmaurice, who withdrew his Bellanca from the race because he wanted to carry 8000 pounds weight of petrol, when his American certificate of airworthiness authorised him to carry only 5000 pounds, lias now passed the necessary tests with the former amount and may leave Lympne for Australia tomorrow in the hope of breaking Scott and Black's time for the journey—7l hours.