Ail Extra 1000 h.p.

Manawatu Times, Volume LVI, Issue 7066, 27 January 1933, Page 5

Ail Extra 1000 h.p.

CAMPBELL’S HOPES OF 300 M.P.H Early this year Sir Malcolm Campbell will be taking his famous “Blue Bird” racing machine across from England to America, with the object of raising his existing world’s land speed record ,of 253.96 m.p.h. nearer to the coveted 300 m.p.h. mark. Since establishing his last figurps, Sir Malcolm has had his machine reconditioned to withstand the additional 10C0 h.p., which will be available in tho new engine that has been installed in the Blue Bird since its effort at Daytona Beach last February. On that occasion tho available power was in the region of 1500 h.p., but the Eolls Eoyco engine that has now been fitted in the machine will develop something like 2500 h.p. This great increase in power has necessitated the ucu/wmu of further weight, to prevent the machine rising off the ground, and it is anticipated that when the Blue Bird makes its next appearance on the Daytona Beach it will weigh about 44 tons. Needless to say, tyres are going to play a vital part in the forthcoming attempt, but Campbell will, again rely on Dunlop, who in the past have made tyres that fully met the terrific stresses and heat incidental to propelling a four-ton vehicle along a straightaway course at a speed of over four miles a minute.

What Sir Malcolm is probably most concerned about is the controlauiuty or the Blue Bird, when he lets loose an extra 1000 h.p. to the driving wheels, and whether there will be sufficient grip on the beach sand to enable the full 2500 h.p. to be transmitted through the driving tyres without wheel spin. Split Seconds Count. In connection with the forthcoming attempt by Campbell, it will interest many readers to mention the really small margin of time that exists between the present record .of 253.96 m.p.h.—equal to a mile in 15.17 seconds—and, say, 270 m.p.h., which calls for a mile in 13.3 seconds. A speed of 280 m.p.h. means a mile in 12.8 seconds, and 300 m.p.h. in 12 seconds. From this it will bo noted that in a jump of 46.1 m.p.h. from Campbell’s 253.96 m.p.h. to 300 miles, there would be a difference in driving time for the mile of only 2.17 seconds. Putting it another way, approximately only 2 1-5 seconds are available for Campbell in which to increase tho speed record by 46 miles an hour, from 253.96 to 300 m.p.h. These figures are illuminating, because they indicate what a small fraction of time is now involved in the capturing of this coveted honour. And it may easily cost from £IO,OOO to £15,000 to ocat Father Time to that small extent.