MOTOR & CYCLE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7057, 19 February 1910, Page 13

MOTOR & CYCLE

In answer to "Subscriber" Jack Arnst did win the race mentioned as well as tho big Warrnanibool to Melbourne road race. We regret tho other records are not available. P. Mutton, the New South Wales amateur cycle champion, who 'is to leaW shortly for abroad with a view to com peting in the world's championship at Berlin, will [make an attempt shortly on tho one mile amateur Australian peced record. He -will be paced by a powerful motor-cycle. On Wednesday J. Arnst rode over the distance of the Timaru-Christolrurch course in connection, with a challenge to A Birch, who withdrew after disqualification by the North Canterbury centre. Arnst is stated to have completed 'the distance in 6h lSJmin, thus beating all previous competition records, and faster than, the moßt recent time by 21Jmin. Concerning cycling generally, 'there ia an. idea prevailing that the wheel will oomo again (says an Australian exchange), that it will take a new lease of popularity and that th» sport will, phoenix-like, rise from tho ashes which never actually lost fire, but which axe merely smouldering owing to being badly served. There is nothing prettier in the way of present-day sport than a" well-con-ducted cycle race, where all the competitors are brightly cia-d and moving with a fleetness that is in itself characteristic of the age. While any opening to a return to these nvueh-desired conditions is not Tery clear with the type of professionalism now existent, it .is not too much to expect from a judiciously introduced and managed new amateurism; and amateurism, is the root of all sport.

American files bring full details of the six-days' race in' New York, which W. Rutt and A. J. Clarke won. The -race finished on December 11th. It was the seventeenth annual one.

The winning team covered 2660 miles and one lap, which is 77 miles less than the record made by MacFarland and Moran in 1908. The winning combination clinched first money, and all the praise that goes with a six-day victory when they stole the one lap that beat their rivals at 3.30 a.m. on tho last day. As a final thriller to the vast throng that jammed the huge arena, Ruttand Clarke rode a mile event to decide the superiority between the two. It was won by Rutt by a margin of six inches in 3min 16sco. The management divided SWOO among the riders. Rutt and Clarke received £320 for their share; Root and Fogler .£2OO, Walthour and Collins .£l5O, Hill and Stein £l2O, Halstend and Hehir .£IOO, Mitten and West £7O, and Lawson arid Demara .£4O. Mr C. Smidmore will shortly make an attempt to lower Mr G. G. White's motor-car record of 31h lDmin be tween Sydney and Melbourne. Mr Smidmore will drive a 3-1-h.p. Fiat. In 1891 the winner of'the Paris-Rouen race,averaged only 11.6 miles per hour for the whole journey. By 1898 the winner of tho race from Paris to Amsterdam and back had lifted the average speed to 26.9 miles per hour., In 1902 tho Cir cuit des Ardennes saw it rise to 54. The really modern period began in 1904, when in tho Coupe Florio the average speed soared up to 72 miles per hour; and in MOS the same race saw it stand at 71. Of course, on prepared tracks like that of Brooklands and tho wet sand on the Daytona-Ormond Beach, in Florida (II'S.A.). much higher speedß have been registered. The world's record was put up on the Crmond Beach by tbe-Starnley steam car, which ran the mile in 2Ssec~ a flight that has mot since been eclipsed. A WORLD'S RECORD. According to the 'Frisco "Chronicle" on December 25th: Barney Oldfield, driving his Benz racing machine, broke tho Coast record for cna mile on a

circular track by two seconds at Ascot Park, and established a, new world's record for five miles, in competition. Both records ware made in the five-mile raco vvith Ben Korscher, driving a Darracq. The time in this race was 4min 35sec, and 0 Mac Id's fastest mile was done in the final lap of tho raco, which was won by less than a. wheel length. Previous to tho five-mile race, Oldfield successfully tried to beat the track record of 53 3-ss.ee, mado by Ilughio Hughes in a Christie car. Oldfield's time was 53 3-5 sec. His fast mile in the race with Kerscher, in which the world's, record was broken, is within four-fifths of a second of the world's circular track record held bv Dc Palma in a Fiat. Oldfield states that ho expects to go out and lowor Do Palma's record.

FAST WORK AT BROOKLANDS. A new olass— 21-h.p., K.A.C. ratingwas- recently established at Brooklauds track. Almost immediately Mr A. J. Hancock.' driving a 20-h.p., standard Vauxha.ll chassis in racing trim, covered the half-mile from a flying start at at.OlS miles an hour. He also did ten laps at an average speed of 81.33 miles an hour, thus establishing "short and long" records for the class. As a matter of fact, he did more than this, as those extraordinary perfornianoes arc faster than the long and short records of tho 26-h.p., class, and the long record ii actually better than thht of the 40-h.p class. In other words, with a Win engine the Vauxhall has beaten the performance of engines with 4m boro amd sin stroke. Besides the two new records mentioned Mr Hancock made a very fine run over tlw flying kilometre at SB.2G m.p.h. Louis Strang, with a 23-h.p. Fiat car, broke the world's record for five miles, flying start, recently, nis time was 3min ITsecs ca.ught by the official electric timing ninoMne. Starter Wagner, at the trackside -with a stop-watch, pandit Strang's timo at 3min 17 3-sspe. Oldfield. in a Benz car, had held the record for five miles, no weut the distance in 4mm 11.30sce on this speedway last .summer. Tho timing niachlino registered three of straight five miles as he made two laps of the 2J-milo course. They were as follows: 10:02; 39:3G; and 39 :6G.

A REMARKABLE INVENTION. An extraordinary invention has just been placed on the British market. It is a new pedal-driven aeroplane oi the monoplane type, and is in appearance like a giant bird ready to take the wing. The framework of the invention is mainly composed of wood, but the central bar on which the saddle is mounted, .and certain of the supports, are of light steel. The wings from tip to tip. are 20ft in length, and sft broad, their total area being thus 100 square feet. The tips- of the wings are hinged, and can be lifted up and down, for steering while un the air; the control being from the handlebar. The tail at the back can be raised or lowered in the same manner. The purpose of the tail is the raising or depressing of the front of the aeroplane. When the tail is lowered the front drops, and vice versa. The propeller is ci wood, and is situated at the rear of the rider. It Js 4ft overall, and is capable, at a normal pedelling rate, of 600 revolutions a minute, and this will give a propulsive power equal to a 201 b pressure. The driving is by means of a raw- hade belt on to a belt pulley, and resembles a motor-cycle- drive. It is.geared up 5i to 1. The aeroplane is supported on two J»m cycle wheels, with two little auxiliary trailing wheels at. the back, to preserve its equilibrium before, it leaves the ground. The entire weight of the complete monoplane is between 501 b and GOlb. Wheni the latest files loft England the aeroplane had been tried only a couple of times, and.had risen off the ground and travelled some little distance. It was expected by the critics that if, instead of attempting flight from the road, it was tried from a steep incline, it would enable the cycle-aeroplane to at tarn considerable height, and do a big trip, as once in the air the pedalling would easily hring un the revolutions of the propeller to 850" a mirnito. The machine was to have been tried on the Brooklands track .this month.