NEW WORLD'S RECORDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22166, 20 July 1935, Page 11 (Supplement)

NEW WORLD'S RECORDS

ENGLISH RACING DRIVER JOHN COBB IN UTAH Six world's records are claimed by John Cobb, a prominent English racing driver, who attacked existing records at Salt Flats, Utah, last week. He covered 152.11 miles in an hour, which he claimed as a record. He also claimed world records of 154.46 miles an hour for 50 kilometres, 153.5.3 miles an hour for 100 kilometres, 153.24 miles an hour for 200 kilometres, and 150.60 anc\ 152.05 miles an hour for 50 and 100 miles respectively. The car used was Cobb's 500 h.p. Napier-Railton, which was slightly modified to suit conditions at the Salt Lake beds of Salduro, where the attempts were made. Cobb's team mates are C. Dodson and T. ltose-Richards. Reid Railton, who designed the car, also accompanied the party. The most important alteration to the car was the fitting of a 100-gallon fuel tank, which carried the stream-lined tail. It holds fuel to run the car for four hours. As the weather was likely to bo intensely hot, the driver's cockpit was carefully heat-insulated. Another modification made in view of the un-

usual conditions was tho fitting of special front cowling to prevent salt being thrown up from the front wheels. Previously the huge Napier-Railton had never been driven fiat out. Originally it was built for record breaking work at Brooklands and on it Cobb succeeded in raising the lap record to 140.93 m.p.h. There is no question that the car was on that occasion much too fast for the track, and its flat-out speed has been estimated at 180 m.p.h. Previously, with tho exception of the land speed record, the five kilometres, five miles and 10 kilometres

held by Sir Malcolm Campbell, and the 10 miles by "Wizard" Smith, all the world's records were held by foreign cars and foreign drivers. Cobb, Dodson and ]?ose-l?ichards were determined to collect all those between 10 miles and 24 hours for Britain, and to use a British car for the work. The three adventurers, with their mechanics, reckoned to spend about a week or ton days on the job of driving the car round the ten-mile circle of sun-baked salt which comprises the track.