SPEED-MOTORING AND ITS OBJECT.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 22 January 1927, Page 15

SPEED-MOTORING AND ITS OBJECT.

Although ii. motor firm whose policy includes •racing on a big scale oiten spends £20,000 or £30,0U0 a year on it, tlie knowledge and experience ■ so gadnedi are .cheap at the price. For motor racing is more than a thrilling sport. It has given much in efficiency, comfort, and economy to every ear on the mad. ... The of competition brings the designer’s skill to a very high pitch, writes T. 0. Party Thomas, holder of world’s speed records in motoring, in the Daily Mail. Improvements are constantly being made, and no record remains unbroken for long. Once these improvements have been tested on the track, the manufacturer puts them at the disposal of his customers. Four-wheel brakes, for example, when first fitted to touring cars were a failure and were abandoned. The high .speeds of racing made them a. necessity, iso modifications were made until they were a success. Now four-wheel brakes are standard on nearly every ear, and racing has immensely increased the life of tyres. Even the mass-produced, low-priced car benefit®. Only the most effective valves, plugs, and other component parts are of any use to the racing' driver, and the high standard thus set is passed on to the public. The regulations, governing motor racing in the past were framed to. be useful to the industry as a whole. Hence the size of engines was restricted for the Grand Pnix and other important races. The. little engines permitted were brought to an i:j>s ton idling degree of efficiency, and as a. direct jesult there appeared economical light oars, whose performance equalled what was previously expected of mediumpowered vehicles. Unfortunately, this restriction has led the adoption of certain devices and “doped’’ fuel, and there is a fear that the practical side of racing will be lost sight of in a desire to. win races at any cost. This can be curbed by tightening up the regulations.