WHEELING.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1681, 18 May 1904, Page 55

WHEELING.

(By “Austral.”)

-.*=- The recent display of motor cars and . cycles at -the Maribynong racecourse} Melbourne, was a great success, and is yet another proof of the interest taken hy all classes of people in the growth of ' automobilism. The turnout in the parade, when 40 cars took part in a brake test, at about 20 miles an hour, quite equalled many displays of a similar kind in England. _ As a proof of the great control which present-day means has given ' drivers over their powerful vehicles, it may be mentioned that the three- winning cars, at a given signal in the stoppage test, pulled up respectively inside 12£ yards, 14 yards, and 15 yards’ distances. Another notable thing with regard to this meeting was that, although over 30 cars and ' cycles competed in some dozen events, there was scarcely a single instance of breakdown. Owing to a-. sudden failure of the brakes of his motor-car, Mr Robert Harper, M.P., and his daughters had .a narrow escape from being severely, if not fatally, injured last Monday week, reports the “Australian Cyclist” of April 7th., The party were descending' Mount Macedon when the car ran away, and dashed down the hill at a tremendous pace. Mr Harper stuck to the steering wheel, but when half-way down, a vehicle appeared in the road, and in the attempt to avoid a collision the car was upset in a side drain, the - occupants being. thrown out and severely shaken. Mr Harper sustained a sprained ankle} but- is progressing favourably. The car was greatly damaged. At the Rare des Princes track lately, in Paris, a 1000 kilos bicycle race was * run off, all the cracks competing. The event resulted in a win for an Italian named Muller. This rider made out a programme for a steady gait throughout, while the better men were outsprinting each - r other, he kept to his schedule, and won in the fast time of 29 hours 15 miiiutes. The'distance, 621 jniles, is marvellous, considering that human pace only was allowed. Henri Oissac, of Paris, who is the S resent recognised motor-cycle champion aving met and defeated allscomers in the Brassard matches at -the Velodrome d’Hiver, and accomplished faster times than any other in the world, is anxious to crowd sixty miles into the houi% and is having a special machine built for the purpose (says a London paper). He already holds the hour record with a score of 54 miles 550yds, but this performance he accomplished during a cycle race in which he acted as pacemaker to “Tommy” Hall, when the latter set up the world’s cycle hour record, which still stands to the credit of the little Poly. boy. Now Oissac is of opinion that 60 miles is within the reach of an expert driver, and he means to be the one to do it. Jack Prince, the great American sports promoter, contemplates a trip to Australia, according to “Bicycling World,” which states:’ “Jack Prince is the. latest to announce that he will join the ranks of the American invaders of European cycle racing. “Senator” W. J. Morgan, who has just returned from - Florida, tells of the veteran promoter's plans. In the spring Prince intends to sell out his interest in the South and go to France. He will take with him two of the best American pace followers, and two large motors to furnish pace for the riders. After the outdoor season is over for the French and other tracks, Prince will • take his men to South Africa. He has had some correspondence with promoters at Capetown, Johannesburg, and Pretoria, and has assurances that his men will be kept busy.. When the season in South Africa is finished the party may go to Australia,' as the European pace-followers who went there winter before last had a very . profitable journey.” The crack American racing motorist, Barney Oldfield, has been establishing some further wonderful records at Los Angelos, California. Oldfield, on an '"unbanked circular cinder track, succeeded in cutting the world’s one mile track record down to 54 4-sths sec. He also covered ten miles in 9min 57sec, the intermediate times for the miles were as follows:—I min !4sec, 56see, 55 3-sths sec, 55 2-sths sec, 55sec, 54 -4-stha see, 54 4-sths see, lmin 3sec, Imin 4sec, lmin 4 2-sths sec, —a marvellous piece of driving on an unbanked track. The dates of the world’s' bicycle this year have been fixed. There will be three days’ racing -—the 3rd, Bth, and 10th of 'September. The mile distance, which, of course, will be the tit-bit of , the carnival is likely to come off on the last day. It -will ibe interesting to learn how Major Taylor gets on at the. championships this year.' For some time past these important events have taken place on foreign soil, where Sunday is generally the important day upon , which the mile is run. As the Major does not ride on Sunday, he haa consequently been debarred for over four years from taking part in the coveted race. As

no' Sunday race is allowed in London, the venue of this year’s world’s races, Major Taylor has now a chance of recovering the coveted’ title of one-mile champion of the world. -, Henri Fourneir, the crack French, motor car driver, and winner of many great events, lias been giving' Ms opinions on motor matters generally. He believes that France still leads the world in the automobile field, and thinks the Gordon-Bennett Cup (now held by Germany) will be won this year by a French representative. Fournier himself will drive a; Hotchkiss car, constructed after his own designs. Respecting American motors, Fouraier considers they have many weak points, which will have to be corrected before they can hope to compete with the best French makers. Germany, he thinks, is well in the van, and the honeycomb radiator, first adopted by them, has made their* influence felt throughout the automobile world, this type of radiator being practically universal on all up-to-date automobiles the world over. The car of the future lies in the simplicity of its mechanism, a reasonable price, and the ability tp operate without undergoing a laborious course of instruction. Fournier’s GordoiPßennett racer is an eighty horsepower car, with four cylinders, and lie expects it to clip off miles in from 35 to 40 seconds. It is a racer pure and simple, with a long, sharp prow.