MOTOR CAR SPEEDING

Northern Advocate, 11 February 1931, Page 8

MOTOR CAR SPEEDING

CAPTAIN VIEWS. CANNOT EQUAL AIRPLANES. TRIALS VERY COSTLY. (Hritish Official Wirolew.) (Received 9 ; a.m.) RUGBY, February 8. In an interview Captain Campbell said: “I am not satisfied with the present motor car record of 245 miles an hour. But I do not contemplate any more record trials soon., There is plenty mpre speed in the Bluebird, but trials are extremely expensive. “Perhaps, if I can find some millionaire who will help to finance sueh an undertaking, I shall try for the 300 miles mark within the -next few years. There is nothing that ,1 should like to do better/’ Captain Campbell added: ■, “I .have no fear of trying-for, 300; miles.: : I.am what you call a fatalist. I get absolutely no sensation or thrill while travelling at so fast a speed.” Captain Campbell established the midget record in a class H oar, made by the Austin Company of England. At the National Physics Laboratory at Teddington there ha‘s ( been erected a. variable density tunnel, for the purpose of research. The construction, of. the tunnel, which'was carried out by Messrs. John Brown, of Sheffield, marks a distinct advance in technique.

To withstand) high. ' pressure, the tunnel is composed of the largest hollow steel drums in the world. It has withstood 1 a pressure of 550 tans to the square inch. The chassis and body of the Bluebird car, in which Captain Malcolm Campbell set up a new record, were subected to; exhaustive tests of this kind. It is anticipated that research

in the new tunnel will yield information, of great value. “Motor car speed, can never equal airplane ; speed,” said Captain Campbell while packing to return homeward. “You have the simple reason you cannot build an auto that is stable enough and streamlined enough, and there is no known course suitable to. permit a land speed that can ever approach the possible airplane speed. Given sufficient money to build a proper car and'a perfect course, I could drive that machine to equal the present world’s airplane * record, but with the same money put into an airplane I could fly infinitely faster.”

NINETY-MII/E BEACH.

ADVANTAGES , CLAIMED.

SYDNEY, February 9.

Discussing Captain. Campbell’s m'otorin£. records! at Daytona Beach, Mr; Norman Smithy, in an interview, said his own attempt at Ninety-mil© Beach, New Zealand, would have some advantage, because f the New Zealand beach was 1000 ft. wide at low tide', with 36 miles of perfectly straight run, whereas Daytona Beach was only nine miles long and 100 ft. wide.

Consequently “Wizard” ’ Smith hopes to eclipse Captain Campbell’s achievement.