GORDON-BENNETT CUP

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12266, 9 May 1903, Page 2 (Supplement)

GORDON-BENNETT CUP

ROYAL ASSENT GIVEN TO Tm. ENABLING BILL HB Ik the House of Commons on Ami m Enabling Bill for the'Gordou.B en i?> race in Ireland was finally pass J U P cheers, and received the Rova.l ~ . aiI1!( * Scott-Montagu is to be congratulate ' having so successfully piloted the «,/ a through. ' mea!^

The race is now an assured fact V >v remains, therefore, but the work of „ h . ;a g tion. The Automobile Club h 0 ganiSa " showing commendable energy in Ti" 61, " 3 ter, and it will be strange indeed atthe necessary details are. not fui lf al ' with and iv. order lon.' before th' a the race itself in July. * the %of The starting point for the race wOl K at Ballysbannon cross roads and iK » " length of the course is 350 miles, #} number of line straight stretches tn cross roads will be barricaded an hour f} ' tore the race commences. DeOne feature ol especial satisfaction « a fact that the competing cars will b j 8 in ample time, and will thus be nut I their paces and get into thorough » order. It appears that the Star Lfi! Company are unwilling to accept tie 2 iication proposed by the Automobile Oil to the postponement of the eliminating" tr g until June 20, and Insist on conformity t„ the original terms of the contract .v ? was to the effect that the competin, « * should be ready by April 10. jg%«* bile Club has therefore intimated that A original arrangement must stand good a that the cars must be driven to the club K noon on April 10 and there be examined £■ the representatives of the committee Th vehicles will then have attached to tfo;» frames the seal of the club, and will '„ weighed Willi a view to seeing that tIJ come within tho weight limit of sliehtlV under a ton. The eliminating trial will take place on April 25 at Welbeek, provid ed the Duke of Portland is willing v" car will be allowed to compete which is not ready by noon on April 10. In July, therefore, the car which wins theliminating trial will have been running three months before the day of the inter national race. This is the best earnest for the success of England that could have been desired, for a car of that type is not wound up to concert pitch in a week, while the greater the amount of practice the driver has before the race the better it will be tor himself and the car alike. The two Napier cars definitely chosen are already practically complete, and have been given their trial spins on the road. They will not be allow, ed, however, to compete in the Paris-Madrid race, nor will the car which wins the eliminating test, as the Executive Committee of the club consider that cars which are to represent the United Kingdom should not be subjected to the risks which must attend the running in a race of such magnitude and over rough country, especially seeing that the time intervening between the completion of the race and the date for the Gor-don-Bennett event is very short.