NEW WORLD'S RECORD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20472, 25 January 1930, Page 12 (Supplement)

NEW WORLD'S RECORD.

9' WIZARD " SMITH'S FEAT.

:iPLANS FOR THE FUTURE,

The first world's motor speed record to "be established in New Zealand was made by Mr. Norman •" Wizard " Smith, the :famous Australian racing motorist, at the 3S T inetv-Mile Beach, Kaitaia, on tlie nfterjioon of January 18. Driving his Polls 'Eoyce-Cadillac car, Anzac, Mr. Smith -covered 10 miles in 4m- 2 l-ss, which is •equal to a'speed of 148.637 m.p.h. The previous record stood at 133.£i4 m.p.h., ; and was established by the famousi French motorist, M. Marchand, driving a Voisin •car on the. jNlonthlory track, near Paris. •Mr. Smith bettered his time by ovor 15 m.p.h., and set a record which should stand unbroken for some time, as there is hardly another track in tho world ■where such a speed could bo successfully Mr. Smith was accompanied on ihis record-breaking run by Mr. Don IFlarluicss, tho designer of the car and the responsible for its construction.

The beach was in fine condition when jtlie run was made, and visibility was excellent, In order to help the driver to keep a straight course the beach was flagged at 50-yard intervals over the tenmile stretch, and at greater distances at tho extremities of the course. The car ;was given "three miles to attain top speed and Si further, three miles in which to stop, with the result that a distance of 16 miles was required for the attempt. The course lay between the flags and the hard sand at the'edge of the water. The event was timed by officials of the Auckland Automobile Association, four of whom were posted at the starting line and lour at; tho finish. As soon as the run was completed they met in the centre of tjio course, the difference in the times on the running watches being the time taken by the Anzac to complete the courses. The successful run was witnessed by ordy p. handful of people, as it had not been widely known exactly when the attempt would be made. Higher Speeds Possible.

On his return from Kaitaia early this week Mr. Smith stated that in his opinion it would be possible to make record runs at high speeds over all distances up to 25 miles, as there was 30 miles of absolutely. perfect sand. At the present time all attempts distances of more than five miles had been made on circular board or concrete speedways, but even tho most modern of these would hold caxs at not more than 135 to 140 miles an hour. On the Ninety Mile Beach a speed of 200 miles an hour could be safely attained and held', for 10, 20 or 25 miles, leaving sufficient distance to gain the full momentum and to pull up after the course had been covered. Mr. Smith's suggestion was that the Government should take a hand in attracting the finest overseas drivers, such as Kaye Don, to the Dominion, by giving the beach full publicity, and by organising an annual speed carnival with large stakes. The speed events would not be races in the usual sense, the cars being allowed on the track only one at a time for the sake of safety, and the decision being made'on the.times. Such prizes and the opportunities would attract many of the world's foremost drivers, and their presence ''would in turn provide much valuable publicity for New Zealand, and 'draw the attendance of hundreds of tourists. Returning Next Year. Mr. Smith added that he would certainly return:, himself next, year with a 2000 horse-power car, in which lie would attack the mile record of 231 miles an hour at present held by Sir Henry-Se-grave, or any record established by Kaye Don, who has just, finished a Sunbeam car in which he intends to race over the mile at Dayton a Beach in March. Mr. Smith said he hoped to attain a speed of 300 mile 3an hour. The Anzac will not run at the beach meeting at Muriwai today, but if conditions are favourable Mr. Smith intends to make another run over the mile some time next week. When the car was taken over the mile at Kaitaia its capabilities were not fully realised by either its designer or by the driver. Now that it has been fully tested Mr. Smith is confident that he will bo able to im--prove on his own Australasian record by a considerable margin. He had considered driving on the Oreti Beach in Southland, where the previous holder of the New Zealand mile record, Mr. C. W. F. Hamilton, drove his Sunbeam car at'109.09 m.p.h., but he has now decided to drivo only at Muriwai before leaving for Sydney on tho Maunganui from Auck-. land on January 31.

PERFORMANCE AFTER OVERHAUL.

Motorists are sometimes dissatisfied with the performance of their cars after an overhaul or decarbonising treatment, as they do not get the same power or acceleration as,'before. The reason is that no engine will give its best until; the rings of the pistons have settled to work closely on the cylinder walls and' the valves have become bedded down on Jtlieir seats. Also ; many engines give better power after there is a certain amount of carbon deposit on the walls and piston head. Let things settle down for about n couple of hundred miles and then adjust the valve tappets to get close and uniform clearance. It will then usually bo found that the original efficiency has liccn -regained.