CYCLING & MOTOR NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13996, 31 August 1907, Page 14

CYCLING & MOTOR NOTES

Br Demon. ' 'According to the Sydney Mail the exNow Zealand cyclist-"Dick" Arnst, who has been in-Now South -Wales for some months past practising the-art "of-sculling, is undccidod what to do flt-'prescnt, He has no prospect in rowing, as no one appears ready to givo him a match.' If- nothing turns up during; tlio next few days.Arnfit will probably drop out of sculling for tho time being. Referring to the abandonment of tho Timaru to Ohristclmrch Road Race tho cycling contributor to the Australasian states, inter alia, that, "taken all round, the racers from that colony [N.Z.] have proved to be above tho average quality of all the men engaged in the Warrnambool to Melbourne Bond Race," ■_ Major Taylor, the once-famous American sprint cyclist, wlio is at present competing in Europe "against tho world's best sprinters, is reported to bo fast getting into form. Ho recently met Van der Bohni, of Denmark, in three contests, and won each time. He will visit Australia probably in December if his form keeps up, -Mr S. F. Edge, the leader in the English motoring world, was born in Sydney in 1663, and weiit to England four years later. Between 1687 and 1893 he carried off all the chief cycling honours in road and path events and hill-climbing competitions. Many world's records' wero credited to him, including 100 miles in shr Gmin. -Even now lio has not forsaken his old love, and when training for any big event, such as tho tlordon-Bennett race, which lie won in 1902, ho puts in a lot of work on his cycle. -At the recent world's championships, run in Paris, the English rider Leon Meredjth won the 100 kilometre amateur championship for tho third time. Time, lhr 28min 52 2-sscc.

— Don Walker, at one time well known

on Australian racing tracks, and wlio some years back competed at tho local Caledonian Gronnd, lias, had his life disqualification removed by f.ho L.V.W. The disqualification was imposed for competing at an unregistered meeting.' When Prinec Ranjitsinbji, as lio was known on the cricket field, returned to his own country as ruler lie took with him a. Lancaster car, with, which he scored tho maximum marks 'in . tho' Delhi-Bombay trials, and won other events.' He has now ordered from the London agents two 28-li.p. six cylinder cars, which will be lavishly decorated in Oriental style. The, Sultan of Johore, who made a tour of Australia a few years ago, owns 17 motor oars. Tim world' 6 unpaced record for an hour's track ride lixt lieou raised bv a Frenchman named Berthef, who covered 25 miles 16)0 yards, or 670 yards more than tho previous record. This rido wa6 accomplished on tho Buffalo track, Paris. A Gerious accident has occurred in tho Criterium de France, which is the first half of a double-barrelled tourist jpotor contest organised by the A.utotnobilo.Club of France, and held on French' roads. Two cars collided, five people being killed and $wo others woro seriously injured. Tho event under notieo was to bo spread over four days, tho route being from Paris to A 7 ichy, thence to Bordeaux, Nantes, and Trouviile, a total distance of ,992 miles. Tho contest was not a speed one, the required average to qualify in' tho second half of tho conic?!, tho coupe do la Prcsse, having been 25 miles an hour. Tho oontest was opened only to touring cars, and tho power of the competing cars was kept down to reasonable limits by a restricted petrol allowance of gallons for over)' 100 kilometres (62& miles). — In a recent- hill-climbing contest near Heidclburg, Melbourne, tho gears used varied from Min to 92iu, but the average size adopted was about 80in. A head wind was blowing when tho event was run off, and tho winnor (A. W. Moore) put up a remarkably gocd performance. Tho hill chosen -is ono of the stiffest around Melbourne, with an average gradient' of about 1 in 8. The winner, .who used a 74in gear, with 6iin crania, covered the distance (1050 yards) at an average speed of about 15 miles an hour. Ono of tho "wires" which cair*} through to Lo Matin recording thtf- progress of tho cars in the Peking-Paris race, llie telegram was forwarded from Nijni-T'dinsk: Our journey bccomes more and more difficult owing fo the rains, We arc running through endless forests of pine trees, but the slippery ground in continually causing skids. It is a miracle that wo have met with no serious accident, Wo aro haying an extraordinary recoption. from the inhabitants of the villages and townships through which we pass. The entire population turns out lo watch our arrival, ajid many climb hills in order to keep us in sight as long as possible. We arrived at this place at 10 o'clod: on Monday night (July 8). Warnings have been givon to the motorists that, the forests wo are passing through in this part of Siberia aro full of eonviots of all classes, both criminal and political. Formerly these eonviots were sent by the Russian Government to the island of Sakhalin, but since that island has beeomo partly a Japanese possession tho convicts have been sent to this, part of Siberia. Another warning' given is that further on in tho province of Tomsk tho sparsely inhabited plains contain many places that serve as refuges for outlaws. Tho Government advises motorists to bo well armed.

——Tho Earl ot uaiocion nas just been convicted by the Herts magistrates for furious driving. This being tho second conviction for tho same offence within the past few months, the Earl was finod £30 and costs, and £5 with costs for not produoing his license, and in addition his driving license was suspended for six months. At Horsham last December the defendant was fined £25 and £9 costs for driving to the common danger and £5 for not producing his license, and hie license was suspended for three months. If the noble Earl, who is but 22 years of age, goes on like this he will find fast motoring a pretty oxpenflivo pleasuro before ho has done with it. — Owners of 53 motor cycles and 27 motor cars have registered their machines with the Ashburton County Council since that body's by-lnws regarding thecontrol of motor ear traffic camc into operation.

The Automobile Club of America, it. 16 elated, has presented medals for bravery to twojNew York motor cyclo policemen for slopping with drawn revolvers a car that was travelling at over 50 miles per hour through the city.

THE GRAND PRIX MOTOR RACE.

Particulars of this rucc have reached us by mail. It was won, as will bo remembered, by Nazzaro (F.I.A.T. car), with Sisz (Renault) second and Ruas (Brasier) third. Tho course was circular, with Dieppe (France) as headquarters, of 75.9 kilometres circumference, which lioxl to bo covered 10 times, making a total of 769 kilometres—roundly, 480 miles. Tho race was ono for speed, and eorae great racing resulted. Tliorc was also a ■ petrol allowance. equal to 9.47 miles per gallon, and at tho finish Nazzaro had sufficient fuel for another 30 miles. Theirty-seven of the 38 entrants started,''but soven hnd withdrawn at. half-distance, while only 16 finished. Lancia, a (lashing driver, of whom wo have read before, also in a TM.A.T. car, was much fancied all

through, but in the last lap he had engine troubles and fell out of tho contest. Nazza.ro completed 'the distance in 6hr 46min 33scc, or at-tho tremendous pace of 70 miles an hour,-which included many stoppages for petrol, changing of tyres, etc. His oar was rated at. 130 h.p., and had :i. four-cylinder engine, with 180 mm boro and 150 mm stroke." Sisz, 6econd, took 6hr 55min lOsec; and Baras, third, 7hr smin ssee. while tlio last two oars to finish required over .10 hours, to compass the distant*.

: Thus one newspaper writer who witncsscd the race:—By.the timo the sovonth round had begun Durav was well ahead, Wagner having fallen behind. Nnzzaro, Lancia, and Sis?, were driving at furious speed, but were behind. Every moment cars thundered past • the stands, but the paco' was', so' great- that it was impossible to see the numbers. At the end of the eighth round tlio excitement, was tremendous.; Lancia had lost his place, and Sisz,, on a Renault',: seemed likely to be tho winner, ajvd- was greeted with roars and

cheer*. the genprai .wish ' being to see a French car \vin,. Sisz shot'by the winning post amid frantic applause. But Nazzaro, who had 'started nine minutes lator, was close behind. His car' roared..past long

before the nine minute kid elapsed. Tho Frenoli look their defeat in tho most sportsmanlike manner.

THE 24 HOURS' MOTOR CAR RECORD. '

Interviewed since hie great record motor drive-of 1531 miles in the 24 hours, S. F. Edge states that he is of opinion the figures will be lowered during tho prexnt year. _ Ho himself has already offered tho proprietors of the Brooklands traek £1000 for tho use of their track next year, when ho intends endeavouring, with Napier cars and Dunlop tyres, to drivo 100 miles an hour for 24 consecutive hours. Next lime, however, special racing: machines would bo used instead of the stock pattern road vehicles.

The following table giving tho time in minutes occupied in round distances will make readily understood the marvellous nature of Mr Edge's achievement:— 50 miles ~. 42 min 40 2-5 sec I® „ 85 „ 132-5 ~ 500 ~ 4JQ if 25 1.000 „ „ 894 „ 15 2-5 " 1,500 „ 1.3G0 ~ 15 „

A supply of petrol sufficient for 12 hours' running was carried on tho car, and, other {han those for tyre changing' there were comparatively few stoppages. Somo were for water and other replenishments of tho engine, others for refreshments, during all of which tho motorist would reclino on a rug to ease his back. After driving 17 hours, Mr Edge made a. complete change in hiG clotiiing, which was done during one of the necessary stoppages. At the same time a bat whioh had been caught in tho radiator was extracted.

From time to time during the run Mr Edge had to stop for a chango of tyre or wheel, and on ono occasion a wheel was changed 111 21 seconds. Tho average time for change of tyro was under one minute. In connection with the remarkablo record set up, _it is of interest to record that tlio previous 24 hours' world's record wos held by a six-cylinder Ford, which 011 Juno 24 last at Detroit, Michigan, ran 1135 miles in 24 hours, officially observed by the Automobile Club of America.

AUSTRALIAN RIDEKS IN AMERICA. Under the heading "Who's Who at Salt Lake City," an American paper states that A. J. Clark, the Victorian, is in the tat form, and so many were of the opinion that 110 "could rido rings around Lawson" that tho latter grew testy, and nullod out a hundred-dollar bill and' bet Clark that ho could beat him in any kind of a raeo, and at any distance. The money was not covered, however, so the affair blew over, but it- is .stated that one of iho attractions to come will be a match between tho two.

A a recent, meeting in Salt Lake, Clark ehowed his ability by winning two races— a half-mile handicap and a three-miles lap race, breaking a world's record for the shorter distance. In this particular race Lawson was 011 10 yards from Kramer and Clark,' but this marl: did not suit him. and ho scratched for the event. Right, from the jump Kramer paced the "Kangaroo Rocket" (as Clark is called), but tho middlemarkers used the same tactics, and tho pace was very When Kramer brought Clark within striking distance, 110 sat up, ami, as t'be Yankee seribo put it, "Clark streaked around tho top of tho saucer like a tom-cat full of bird-shot, and tho longmarkers got a. whiff of real speed." Tho timo for tho half-mile was S3 l-ssee. In the threo miles lap raco, Clark and Kramer were not the only two. teaming. The paper says that "there were enough combinations to win an election,, but somehow or other they missed fire." N. O. Hopper (a Sydney Thousand winner) was taken out by ono Hollister at four laps to go, when Kramer, with Clark hanging on, challenged, and a fierce sprint for position resulted. Kramer prevailing, and, letting Clark through at the right moment, tbo Victorian's burst of speed took him over the tape a winner, with Hopper second, Pye third, and Lawson fourth. The time was fast~6min 8 1-5&2 C. CHARM OP MOTOR-RACING. Motor-racing has a charm of its own, says the Daily Mail, reporting on the race meeting on the Brooklands track on July 5. At tho starting-gate are half a dozen black specks half-obscured by a trailing cloud of blue smoke, A white strip of webbing flies up, a fiag drops, tho bell at the telegraph post tolls languidly, and the specks are moving, slowly it seems, up tho course. Every second increases their momentum. They disappear for a moment, but. just behind the members' stand is a gap of a 'hundred yards or so, and it is here that the first view is to be obtained.

" Snick!" The car is past before you can read its number—in a few seconds it is dinging like a fly on a wall to the banked curvo, and half a dozen other cars in furious, thunderous pursuit. There is a long view of them—fay. 40 seconds—while they flash down the mile-long track by the railway, and then they have disappeared behind tho bushes. Then they become specks again, yet moving with incredible rapidity to the "fork," then—the same thing happens all over again.

As a rule, one car takes a, long load, sjk] the rest form a procession, strung out in one instance for a mile and a-lialf; but, oncc, in the race for the Byflcet Plato of £550, spectators had the oxoitomont of a ding-dong race, when first Jarrott and then Newton led, until, turning into the straight for home, Jarrott took a lead and. was winning all the- way. Then, with the winning-po6t not a dozen yards off, Newton came like a bolt from .the blue, and made a dead-heat of it. To prevent the possibility of the judge making a mistake in tho placing of the ears, an oloctric rccordcr is fitted in the judge's box, and when a car passes tho winning post a click is lieaTd. The fact that onlv one click followed in the Byfleet Plate when tho two ears pa-wod the finishing post, is proof positive that tho race resulted in a dead-heat.