LAND SPEED RECORD

Evening Star, Issue 23353, 24 August 1939, Page 12

LAND SPEED RECORD

BROKEN BY MR JOHN COBB SLOWED DOWN ON RETURN RUN Press Association— By Telegraph—Copyright BONNEVILLE SALT FLATS, August 23. (Received August 24, at 9.30 a.m.) Mr John Cobb broke the record with an official speed of 369.85 miles an Hour. On the first run be averaged 370.75 miles an hour, and on the return run 366.97 miles an hour. Cobb also broke the kilometre record with a speed of 369.74 miles an hour, the former record being 350.07 miles an hour. Ho said: “ Tho wind bothered me slightly as I reached the south end. I slowed down slightly. I knew I had gone fast enough northward for a record, so I wanted to be sure I would get back.” He added; “My motto is ‘ Safety first,’ even at six miles a minute.” Mr Cobb indicated that he might .try for a still faster time. [The previous record was 357.5 miles an hour, established by Captain Eyston.] [lt will ho remembered that last August Captain George Eyston (6,000 h.p. Thunderbolt) and John Cobb (2,000 h.p. Railton) were both at Bonneville, intent on increasing tho world’s motor record. Eyston succeeded in adding nearly 34 m.p.h. to his own record, established in 1937, by attaining a mean speed of 345.49 m.p.h. for a mile. Cobb, sitting in tho nose of his completely untried strange machine, then made his first effort on the classic record, and despite the fact that he had never previously driven at even 200 m.p.h., he amazed tho officials and his friend Eyston by covering the mile in both directions at the mean speed of 350.2 m.p.h. Cobb did not hold the speed crown long. Twenty-four hours later Eyston, who in the meantime had removed the fin from the streamlined tail of the “ Thunderbolt,” and also altered the nose of the body, streaked down the 13 miles hard salt straightaway, covering the centre mile at 356.44 m.p.h.. his menu time for the mile being 10.07 seconds, equal to 357.5 m.p.h.—46 m.p.h. better than his 1937 achievement As Eyston had so greatly increased tho speed of his monster 6J-ton machine through knowledge gained in his first efforts with that car in 1937, no doubt Cohb and Railtou hoped for a similar step up in the speed of the turtle-backed three-ton “ Railton ” due to improvements effected in the machine, which at its first attempt, gained for Cohb the honour of being the first man in the world to attain on land a speed of 350 m.p.h. In point of time there was very little difference between the two cars' last year—Cobb’s mean time for the mile being 10.28 seconds and Eyston’s 10.07 seconds. Tim “ Railtou ” is powered by two 12cvlinder Napicr-Lion aero engines in three radial hanks of four cylinders. Each engine (23,400 c.c. capacity) develops about 1,300 h.p. at 3,300 r.p.m. One engine drives the front wheels, the other the rear. Ice-water tanks are used to cool tho power units.]