A 300 M.P.H. SPEEDWAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20402, 2 November 1929, Page 12 (Supplement)

A 300 M.P.H. SPEEDWAY.

AMBITIOUS BRITISH SCHEME.

After having driven at over 200 tn.p.h. ; en Davtona Beach and in South Africa on bard baked fiats, Captain Malcolm Campbell is endeavouring to promote the building of the fastest course in the world bo that all record breaking will take plai.e in England. Sir Henry Segrave holds the flving miie record at 231 m.p.li., Campbell holds the five mile at 212 m.p.h., and a huge car is being built for Kaye Don to attempt to improve both performances. One of the problems of its design is ihe construction of a braking system which v.-ill allow a four mile a minute machine to pull up within the confines of the beach. There is certainly a demand for a stretch which will allow this record breaking to go on. The natural courses stem to have reached their capacity, and from both an experimental and a spectacular point of view a developed speedway might not be altogether t unjustified. A long, flat stretch of marsh, seamed by rivulets, dotted with ponds; such is the site foi the proposed world's sp«fedwav south-west of Skegness on the shores of the W r ash. Briefly, it is proposed to build a course 15 miles long and 200 yards wl( h~ on which attempts on the world's speed record may be made. It is intended that this course shall be of a permanent nature and unaffected by weather conditions or i suggestion is that there should be a concrete road 100 ft. wide down the centre of this 200 yds. speedway, the remaining area being firm ground on which the/ driver would have a chance oi recovery should he get into difficulties, while there would be the minimum danger to spectators, who would, in any case, be •on top 'of the protective sea wall, on which, incidentally, it is suggested to build a grand stand four miles long in order that spectators can get front seats. Features of this astounding project are that the preliminary outlay is estimated at h?lf a million pounds sterling: the main track will be 15 miles dead straight, and owing to -Us concrete surface it will bs the fastest 15 miles in the world: the granH stand will accommodate 200,000 people partly under cover. Iwenty-one miles of specially surfaced roads would have to be constructed, thus giving employment to 30C0 men for 12 months. Finally, it is estimated that between 7000 and 8000 acres land will be reclaimed. Captain Campbell has made exhaustive investigations and hopes to start this scheme moving. A correspondent- of The Motor who surveyed the area by aeroplane says: " There is no doubt that here is a piecii of land which is apparently useless for any other purpose, but first it must be: protected from the sea. It is likely, indeed, that the speedway, except at its extremities, will actually be built up on the 'firm, sandy foreshore, with the result that the marsh behind can be drained and eventually-made into arable land. Frojn the air one can see clearly a sea bank, in itself a monumental work, built by the ancient Romans with primitive implements. With railways, steam navvies and and all the resources of modern engineering skill, it should be possible to build a similar sea bank in a very short time. It is estimated that the proposed sea bank would have to be about 21ft. or 22ft. above the ordnance datum, in order to guard against heavy seas and spring tides. This bank, therefore, while being well' above the low-water mark would in places be half a mile or so below the present high-water mark." BOMBAY DEVIATION. A number of cars got into difficulties in the soft clay on the Bombay deviation on MoLday. One troublesome spot developed close to the intersection with the metal road to Pukekohe. Some rf the bogged cars held up traffic for some time. Motorists are warned that the Bombay deviation is officially regarded purely as a fine-weather road, and everything is left to the discretion of drivers. In fact, from the manner in which the approaches are lefi with an occasional " closed" sign lying about, it appears that the route is not legally open, in spite of what custom indicates. Last year there was some complaint from motorists when this road was not available in fine weather. Something more decisive is wanted. Motorists are often deceived by the approaches. and they tear the road into furrows through lack of experience on clay surfaces. If the road was used very cautiously it would afford a fast-glazed surface during most of the summer. The trouble is that the temptation to travel on it is too great, and several times during the season many days are spent " in, smoothing out damage done in a few hours. MOTORS REPLACE CAMELS. When the Ruwallah tribe of Bedouins in Syria, a tribe that numbers several hundred tents, breaks camp for the day's march to new water holes, the camel of theijr chief, Nuri Shalaan, is prepared with the due pomp and ceremony for the journey, and leads the long procession, but Nuri Shalaan himself steps into a motorcar, and, driven by a member of bis tribe in the same flowing robes and kaffeh as himself, he speeds across tha desert holding a hunting rifle on the lookout of gazelles and other game. The radiator cap of his car is hung *-ith blue beads to ward off the influence of the evil eye, and in this respect he is not different from the great majority of Syrian car owners, who almost invariably placi_ at least a few blue beads on their machines for the same purpose. Practically every car used in Damascus bears these charms, which are usually the only risible link, aside from the occasionally picturesque native costume of the chauffeur. between the stark modernity of the car itself, and the ancient streets through which it passes. MOTOBLESS BERMUDA With the motor vehicle reaching into 'darkest Africa and farthest Asia and the islands of the South Seas, it seems almost incredible that one highly civilised corner of the earth has never felt the pressure of rubber tyres. The British colony of Bermuda has consistently refused' to permit the operation of motor vehicles. Horses and carriages serve the residents. At present Bermuda is working on a railway to serve its abbreviated area, but the road is not yet complete. A bill was introduced in the provincial House to perinit the operation of a few motor buses to supply general transportation until the railway is ready to do so. This bill was Bternly voted down and Bermuda still remains motorless. SIGNALLING DEVICES. 'An Auckland motorist has attached a iignalling device of his own design to a icar. The apparatus is rather unusual, in-as-much that it embodies two small lamps, a red light to indicate the arm lip and a white light to show the relative position of the pivot. A lever is mounted on a quadrant on the steering column and there are four positions for ahead, right turn, left turn, and stop. The Bsovements are effected with a Bowden Bible, the lights cutting in automatically I<mp til except the ahead position*