A MOTOR RECORD

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1851, 28 August 1907, Page 1

A MOTOR RECORD

(From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, July 5

“I am the first living thing, whether man, beast, or bird, who has ever kept up sixty miles an hour continuously, night and day, for twenty-four hours at a stretch. I am satisfied with that. I only wanted to be first.” So said Mr S. F. Edge, the well-known motorist, after alighting from the 60-li.p. six-cylinder Napier which he had just driven round the Brooklands motor-track for twenty-four hours on end, covering 1581 miles', 1310 yards. This represents an average speed of 65| miles per hour, and ranks as the greatest performance in the history of the motor. Mr Edge was accompanied on his great ride by two other Napier cars of the same class, which were, however, operated each by two drivers, taking spells of three hours each, whereas Mr Edge drove his own car throughout the whole of the twentyfour hours. Both these pacing-cars accomplished fine performances, the white, covering a distance of 1538 miles 160 yards, and the red 1521 miles 80 yards; but, of course, these fine performances, which easily eclipse all previous efforts, are completely overshadowed by the wonderful display of pluck and endurance shown by Mr Edge. The ride was started at six o’clock last Friday evening. It was beautifully fine from the start and right through the night, with scarce a breath of wind, and it continued so up to within half an hour of the finish. Then big raindrops betokened a coming storm, _ and almost simultaneously with his finish the rain came down in torrents, continuing for upwards of an hour. It should be mentioned that the official measurement of the track is 2 11-16 miles to the lap, a® measured 50ft from the inside edge. This distance was marked during the night by red hurricane lamps, outside which the cars travelled. It was a matter of considerable comment that the cement surface of the track failed to withstand the huge strain placed upon it, and cut up rather badly in places. Mr Edge,, however, regards it as wonderful that the damage to the cement was not far worse, considering the terrific test it was put to by three cars travelling nearly always somewhere about seventy miles an hour, almost on the same part of the track, and covering a total distance of nearly 5000 miles. He states that the damage to the track has been considerably exaggerated in the newspaper accounts of the ride, and he also denies that a spring of liis car broke during the twenty-four hours. He had no mechanical trouble of any sort. A curious incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning. A bat flew into the radiator of Mr Edge’s car, and the radiator had to be changed. Later in the morning the car killed some birds pecking at a biscuit thrown on the track. Mr Edge never showed any signs of distress. Now and then, when his car stopped for water, petrol, or fresh tyres, he got out and lay at full length on the ground for a few seconds. But he always seemed fresh and alert when it was time to start again. A rousing cheer at a quarter to four in the afternoon announced that Mr Edge had accomplished the feat which many had declared to be beyond human possibility, of driving 1440 miles within the twentyfour hours. Undaunted by the tremendous physical strain, he devoted the last two hours to improving his record, adding another 141 miles. When the car drew up at the finish many spectators expected Mr Edge to collapse. Instead they saw his stalwart figure, with a face so wind-tanned that it might have been carved from mahogany, stand up in the car and respond to the cheers of the throng crowding round the car by a vigorous wave of liis liand. I feel lutely fit,” Mr Edge remarked. Of course, I am tired, and I shall not be sorry to get some sleep. I am delighted with my record. I may be beaten, and I myself believe it possible to maintain a speed of even seventy miles an hour under perfect conditions.” The ride was a fine test of nerve and physical endurance, but the great point about it is that three British-built 6cylinder ordinary touring cars kept up a. continual speed of more than sixty miles an hour for twenty-four hours. It was really a great triumph for British manufacturing methods, and for those of the Napier factory in particular. Australia can claim some share of the glory attaching to Edge’s remarkable re

cord, for Mr Edge is an Australian by birth. It is, of course, many years since he came to England, and the Old Country can certainly claim that it was here he first made his name both as a cyclist and a motorist. Mr Edge was born in 1868 in Sydney. He was brought to this country in 1872, and between 1887 and 1893 he carried off all the chief cycling honours in road and path events and hill-climbing competitions. Many world’s records were credited to him, including London to York in 12kr 50min, and 100 miles in shr 6min. Even now he has not forsaken his old love, and when preparing for any big event, such as the Gor-don-Bennett race, which he won in 1902, he puts in a lot of work on his cycle, with an occasional turn at fishing” aa a relief.