THE MANGERE SPEEDWAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20217, 30 March 1929, Page 10 (Supplement)

THE MANGERE SPEEDWAY.

SOME FAMOUS TRACKS. ' The opening meeting on the Masgtsre tpeedway last Saturday prorsuced - which fully justified the attendance c. 9000, and when the track is opened next season it should lurnr-n en : <- vrhich will draw gatherings c. 20.000 people. Considering that the meeting was Experimental and that both the organisers and the competitors were novices at this class of sport., tr.e meeting was very encouraging. i'--weather laid the dnst rather too well and the track would be at its be v. <» spectacular pojnt oi v.ew v - ....... coating of dust. Given t.c.-, » 1.-~e banking, and a better surrace, s. .way must hold public u.t..-:e-t-Mr. G. Heaaing proposes to term a smaller fmilo track _ir.s:oe Y '- ~ Ij-milo circuit. It t.v.s can_ inotor-car events c-.testing and prolonged s>:idci;r.g v. --- -° spectacle. , _ Some of the most j-'.ptsisr .r-..-.s in the world are cn:y nan a [•-- lap. The racing is, o» matter of sheer speed. -v dirt track provides a spectacre rathc-r a circus ring. it is a of excitement. The curves are sharp and the cars race up to sweep around or ah. wise in s.;Cw-rs dust. Sue 11 oars require ;erni:c^ac:i. oration rather than tee capacity <•;-» or 100 miles an hear. la America short lap dirt tracks have reruitea in tn= development or a<lap:« chassis. Th/i- lowest pr-.cea 10-r-„n -:r cars make very suit at .-!e ■- quired so that o::en tee gear_ ra-io c-i----be quite low to keep tne engine j* irjg" near its ma-imum at wr.ai &: = -j~~ really very higa road ST-:e<^ Sluggish cars are net for tee cat track. Tbev might nave 3, of speed on the straigr.t, r.a; _ti.ey never get into their striae cn na.i-. r _—e Fairly close-ratio two-speed gears wi.n lightning change ny: a..y meet tue Requirements 'of the d:rt traoi. A very light vehicle with a very low gear mav reveal the flashing acceleration demanded but there are limits or violent wheel spin results. Fine wire mesh is often used for radiator protection against hying stones. Dealers in the Gmted States, who make a specialty of equipment for '• hotting up" cars for dirt tracks, ofier special front arid rear axles and springs to allow the chassis to he in relation to the centre of the car, the idea being that the weight of the vehicle arid driver shail be as near as possible to the inside of the track to minimise the risk of overturning.

All these points do not. of course, sp r , y to the track which is to be further developed at Marigere. V< ith a lap of this length and easy bends the speedway with an ultimate width a lOOit. will hold speed approaching TOO m.p.h. 'lhe distance of 1£ miles is ideal for a saucer tracks, some of the most spectacular circuits in the world being about this sizeBrooklands track has a circuit of about 2J miles arid the lap record is 1.31j? m.p.h. The width of the track is 100 ft. and the maximum height of the banking is ft. Brooklands track cost 50,000 arid it was openc/J in 1907.

In IC/09 the first American surfaced track was opened at Indianapolis. It has a circuit of rule:-:, is brick paved, and is 50ft. wide on '.he straights and 60ft. on the curve;. Tracks were opened in Chicago and New York Lut they did not survive and a 2j-m:ie board track at Cir.-cinatti went into the receiver's l/ands in '1319. A track at Kansas City also became bankrupt. The Indianspohs track is. recognised to i.e "he fasteat in America, although there are board surfaced tracks at Culver City. Fresno, (."harlot Us, Aitoona. Salem, Laurel, lialtirriore, Fukon and Atlantic City. There is a very good one-mile dirt track at Syracuse. Ihe J-; e."!.0 track is a one mile circuit. Laurel IJ, rn-'es, and the others v.ith the exoept.on of Indianapolis, s.re ail 11 neiies. There are six tracks <-n the Continent exclusive 'of the testing tracks of the Opel and Fiat factories. Tne fastest is that at ilontlhery, near Paris, it has a 1 j rniie circuit of reinforced concrete with very high banking. .Already nearly £2.250.000 has been invested in this track and the seven miles of road;; which encircle ft. ' Brooklands track probably ranks second to Montlhery among the European tracks, The Monza tra»-k in Italy is third. It is a figure H speedway, the total distance being 6-j miles. The Miramas track near Marseilles is just over 3. miles per Jap and the straights are 53it. wide. The Sit.ges speedway near Barcelona is a mile circuit of reinforced concrete. The Marouhra track near Sydney is apparently a little on the small side for idCal racing. The Jap is only lof a mile, and Ihe surface is concrete. The track was designed for speeds up to CO m.p.h. find there was a fatality at the start three years ago. There were complaints that the track was carrying speeds considerably over the safety margin, and (he lap record is 101 m.p.h. The .Motodrome' Melbourne, is only one third of a mile in circumference and lias proved suitable only for Hie small 7-10 h.p. class of car. The lap record is 03 m.p.h. Australia has several other tracks, one of the best being a half mile red cinder track at Newcastle. 1 lie Culver City, I.', mile, and Laurel, 11 mile, board tracks, appear to be the fastest in the world. The former has been lapped at 130/, m.p.h., and the latter lias permitted the creation of a JO mile record at an average of 135J, rn.p.li. 'J he Culver City circuit is banked to the extraordinary limit, of 45 degrees and the Laurei circuit banking is no less than 48 degrees. WHITE LINES. The Auckland .Automobile Association has been endeavouring for vine lime to tecure the substitution of while lines for 1 fie traffic dome, at, the intersection of the Croat Soul h Road and Manukau I load. The dome has already been unco moved, and it, appears impossible to centre it reasonably under the conditions which prevail at this junction. It, is possible to have traffic converging from five directions on this corner. If the Creat South Bond and Manukau Road met. at right angles and there was not the' additional complication of St. Mark's I'oad and Fairfax Road, a dome' might sulliep, but, under existing conditions truf'ic frequently cuts inside ihe dome. Tim inlerrsection ua~; inspected this week l,y city traffic officials and representatives of Iho Auckland .Automobile Association, and it is hoped that yliito lines will be given a (rial.

THE OFF-SIDE RULE. The possibility of the offside. or righthand rule being adopted in (Jreat Britain 6eeins ns remote as ever. The regulation was nationalised in New Zealand last year, and 'traffic authorities arc observing a growing tendency for inoro caution at corners. The Ministry of Transport of Great Britain recently considered suggestions for' the application of the off-side rule, and the proposal was rejected in favour of the main road rule. It lias been * suggested that signs should be erected in Becendnry roa.ds indicating tho approach m3 i U rou^G - The difficulty with main f ,° r „P"°rity is that it is often the?cWa • to apprr/iato jslmikr \vi|tl!^ nS °* iutciaect ' n S roads of " A.