THE SPORTS CLUB.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19502, 4 December 1926, Page 12 (Supplement)

THE SPORTS CLUB.

THE HILL CLIMB. The hill climb held on the slopes of Mt. Roskill last Saturday was marred by rain. The conditions necessitated the postponement of the faster and higher poweied classes until today. The hill itself was very spectacular as a course, but would probably have been better if a little less risk had been imposed on the machines. A suggestion has been made that the angle "at the top of the first steep pinch should.,be reduced by making a cutting not, less than three feet deep to" avoid. the L;id bump before striking the final climb It is possible that this will have been carried into effect before the remaining classes aro run today. Jhe smaller powered machines did not face the uili and even the side valve engined 2§ h.p. found the task too much, with one exception (A. J. S.). The defeat of Staig, the holder of the 550 c.c. championship, and Goodwin, the N. Z. 350 c.c speed champion, by Fletcher was not decisive, only one-fifth of a second separating the three riders. To Fletcher and his Res Acme, a new British machine making its initial performance in Auckland, credit must be given. The club officials deserve credit ior the manner in which the event was organised and the hill cannot be criticised too severely as only those who have had any thing to do with the sports know how difficult it is to find a really suitable course. Today the 3£ h.p. and 5 %.p. and open classes will be contested. Now is the time to give the engine a final look over before the holiday touring. Chassis should be examined, grit washed away, and the rollers well lubricated Tyres should be examined and any cuts vulcanised. It might also save a lot of trouble to see that 1 any patches on the tubes are holding well as long trips* on the hot summer roads tend to lift insecure patches. Brakes, * hubs and general bearings should not be forgotten and the wheel spokes trued and tightened. LOITCx DISTANCE RECORDS. . Record breakers have been busy in England at the end of the season, Marchant, riding a 2| h.p. Chater Lea sidecar outfit, raising the hour record to 82,29 miles Another remarkable perfor mance was that of G. Johnson with a 1| h.p. Francis Barnett, who covered 100 'miles in 1 hour 36 min. 53.5 sec., which equals an average speed of 61.9 m.p.h. for the - distance. RSQOKLAKDB CHAMPIONSHIPS. The season in' Britain closed with the Brooklands speed championship. The weather was perfect but the entries much smaller than last year. -There were no records broken. The results were ? 350 c.c. W. Marchant (Chater Lea), 53.9 m.p.h. 500 c.c. A. Denby (Norton), 95.5 m.p.h* 750 c.c. C. Staniland (Norton), 98.8 m.p.h. ■ '■ - ,1000 c.c. J.-Wright (Zenith). 600 -' c.c; (sidecar) V. Horsmaii (Triumph), 81,24 m.p.h. . 1 1000 c.c. (sidecar). E. Baragwanath (Brough Superior), 85.43 m.p.h. THE NEW MOUNT. When travelling on the road to-day it is getting more and more accessary . to possess a machine which will respond to every emergency caused by " that other fellow," for no matter how' well you re spect the laws of the road, there is always "the fellow round the corner," Matters which should concern the prospective buy ers of a motor cycle are:L Slow running (to ensure safety in traffic). i 2. . Rapid acceleration (giving immedi ate response to the throttle which is often so necessary in a tight corner). 3. Smooth acceleration (without any tendency to. backfire or jerky stopping) 4.' Smooth-acting brakes (needing but slight pressure to apply, yet positive and effective). 5. Low centre of gravity (with this, skidding, the old nightmare of motorcyclists, is .practically unknown). NOTES. The Tourist Trophy races for 1927 have been fixed lor June 13, 15 and 21), A team of four ladies will ride B.S.A. machines in the principal events next year. During the British Olympia Show the A.J.S. firm disposed of ao less than three tons of catalogues, j. The Auckland Motor Racing Club will hold a meeting next week when the programme for next February's races will be decided. When Varzi recently won the Gran Premio delle Nazioni on a Sunbeam, some Fascisti made a demonstration, as they considered he should ride : an Italian mademachine. Little is hea,rd of motor-cycling in Brazil; however, a cable from that, country reported • that. Melai, riding a' Norton, won the 500 c.c. championship of Brazil. > 1 The Scott Trial, famous for its severity, was; this.year even more, difficult than in the past. The most notable performance was that by W, Evans, who rode a Triumph. An oil firm's recent analysis of carbon deposit in a motor-cycle cylinder revealed the following figures: Oil, 20.4 per cent. ; pitch, 4.1; carbonaceous matter, 67.44: and mineral matter, 8.05. _____ '' ' A return recently issued by the municipal authorities of Berlin shows a very large increase in the number of motor cycles in the German capital—from 9,068 to 16,030 in twelve months. Then? are now more motor cycles than private cars in the city.