MOTOR RACE TO ROME

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 10 March 1934, Page 12

MOTOR RACE TO ROME

INTER-CONTINENTAL TEST. PROPOSAL MADE IN ITALY. A proposal made in Italy and which is said to be supported by Signor Mussolini and the Italian press is that a great international car race should bestaged, starting from New York and finishing at Rome. It is suggested that the land route should be from New York to San Francisco and then by way of China, Russia, and Europe to the Italian capital. At present the scheme is nebulous, but having regard to the present activity in the motor industry and the popularity of motoring Contests, there is some hope that it might be adopted. A somewhat similar contest was held in i 1907 in the form of a car race between Peking and Paris. On that occasion 28 entries were received, but for a variety of reasons, including the great expense involved and the perils to be met with on certain parts of the route, only five cars set out on June 10 of that year from Peking. These were a 40 h'.p. Itala, driven by Prince Scipiono Borghese; two 10 h.p, De Dions, driven by Mm. Cornier and Collignon; a 15 h.p. Spyker, driven by Mr. Goddard; and M. Pons Cental, tri-car. Both the Chinese and Russian Governments gave willing support to the enterprise and advance camel teams transported fuel to depots in remote, territories, such as the Gobi Desert. The itinerary selected took the competitors to Urga, Tomsk, across the Urals to Nijni-Novgorod, and thence to Paris by way of Moscow, Vienna, and Berlin, a total distance of about 6000 miles.

Early in the race Prince Borghese’s Itala asserted its supremacy, although with passengers and equipment it weighed about two tons. During the first 81 days it covered almost 2500 miles and secured a lead of nearly 700 miles from the other contestants. In the Gobi desert Pons’ tri-car broke down and had to be abandoned, Pons and his companion retracing their track on camels to Kalgan. Goddard also had trouble in the desert, .the petrol tank of the Spyker (a Dutch car) splitting. The two De Dions pushed on and for three days Goddard had a terrible experience. A nomad tribe towed the machine with camels for 24 hours Eventually help arrived —the De Dion drivers having reported the mishap at one of the petrol depots 120 miles ahead, and supplies were sent back on ponies. After many trying experiences and adventures. Prince Borghese reached Russia, and thereafter his progress across Europe was comparatively easy. Paris was reached in 60 days—an astounding achievement—and the winner received a. wonderful reception in recognition of his amazing drive. Some weeks later, the De Dions and the Spyker also completed the adventurous journey and thus concluded an epic contest that has never since been paralleled. A big international race round the world, as is now suggested, would he a different matter nowadays, for cars have improved considerably, while roads and tracks have, in most countries, been greatly improved. The route across China would still provide sufficient difficulties to try out the ingenuity of the drivers and the staunchness of even modern vehicles.