BROADSIDING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21217, 24 December 1930, Page 4

BROADSIDING.

By Skid.

Team racing, which was inaugurated at the Speedway on Saturday night, should prove a highly popular innovation with Dunedin broadsiding patrons. In addition to the interest attaching to the individual events and riders, the fact that teams are competing in, say, an interprovincial contest, lends to the meeting a greater measure of significance and raises- the enthusiasm of the crowd to a higher degree than could any contest merely between local riders. Although the riding on Saturday ■ d reach the highest standard, the fact that up to the second last race the issue still lay in doubt between the two teams had the effect of sustaining the interest in the events far beyond what would have attached to any ordinary series of races. The Canterbury team is to be congratulated on its victory. In Marsh and Canterbury had two great riders, noth of whom were superior to any of the Otago team with the exception of Mangham, who was really the hero of the eveuIt is a pity that Marsh was the victim,of bad luck on two occasions during the evening, In the seventh match he was in a winning position with a good lead, when he crashed. Again, in the first heat *>f the South Island Championship he was well ahead when engine trouble threw him out of the running, and deprived him •4L?*' C , ce of competing in the final with Maugham. Even as it was, sufficient was seen of him to convince most people that _he was a particularly capable and dashing rider, Lunn was the most successful of all the northern' team. The final of the South -Island Championship was the only race in which he competed without riding into first place—a record of which any man might well be proud. To him more than to any other rider Canterbury’s success was due. as of the total of 28 points compiled by the team he was responsible for no fewer than nine. Although the crash which befell him in the'championship race destroyed any prospects which he had of winning the event, it is unlikely that he would have succeeded in passing Mangham, as the latter, in addition to giving a more convincing exhibition of Broadsiding, had at the time of the accident a considerable lead which he was gradually increasing. Mangham, as has been said, was the finest rider of the evening. He won two of Hie match races, and would probably have accounted for the third but for the fact that a broken chain in the last lap, when he had a lead of 10 yards, caused him to fall out. It is a significant fact that his time for the ninth race was the fastest for the contest, whilst in the second heat of the championship event he was responsible for the best time for the meeting. Mangham is a dashing rider, who never loses his head, and his victory in the South Island Championship waa a very popular one. Of ; the other Otago riders Young and Nesbit were' probably the best, though, considering the standard of the Canterbury men. Blair and Pratt, did well, the former, indeed, being successful in getting into the championship race. Miller would probably havh been well to the fore but for the fact ■ that he experienced more than his share of bad luck. At the same time, to a' certain extent, Miller has himself to blame that out of three starts he failed to finish once. Although possessed of plenty of dash, and, with the requisite physique, he frequently displays a lack of judgment. He appears at times to be under the impression that the only thing necessary for the winning of a race is that he should open his throttle wide and roar round the course at the greatest possible sneed. He would probably do better if he used a little more caution an « common sense °n the corners.* There was nothing really outstanding about the previous meeting, although the times in several of the events were particularly good. . Indeed, Maugham’s time in the second heat of the Big Four Points Race was the best this season, whilst in the first beat of the same race nis tune was ajso within the best for Saturday night. Although the two Australians—Durkin and Hamburger—rode well, they were hardly Mangham’s match As was anticipated, the removal of a } ar K e quantity of cinders from the track naa the effect of speeding up the times the lighter covering which is now being used, the course, once If I 1?, 8 settled down, should prove one of the finest in New. Zealand, and it would not be surprising the track record was eclipsed _by either’ Greenwood or Burton within the next few weeks. Ford Motors (Dunedin); Ltd., have preIhTA *A £°m en to be the Ford Golden Helmet, for competition among riders on £he Speedway. The management has depided to match Young, m a series of races on - The winner of the match will hold the helmet until defeated at a subsequent meeting. mme S c * ng .Greenwood’s appearon Saturday night, various English riders will be seen on the local binder p nt | l! February 14, when ike first i a, i d j v j New Zea,nnd . will be - I 1 I? clud J e . d among those who will Fwfo-lir •& unedindurln K thaf time are ■Urogley, Evans, Kempster, and Bond. THE ENGLISH RIDERS. . The fact that at Mofiica Park on Satur--5?8 h * , Bu^ n and Greenwood, the A 4 E r g ,st TT nders * eaaily defeated the Australians, Unwin, Jones, and Durkin in 12 Se ßho«l 0 / r f cefi ’ winD - i s g by 40 Points to bils«e» d #i Ve B( T e ld \ a of their ««P«* I*l* 18,I 8, * These two, who are probably t£ e finest riders in the English team, should provide some thrilling racing when they visit Dunedin, and their appearance her t will be eagerly awaited by all who rake an interest in dirt-track racing. There can be no question that Burton and Greenwood are both, in the first class of dirt-track riders (eays the Christchurch fjess). Burton appears to be slightly the better rider, for he wap steadier than Greenwood, and more consistent. Both seem to make a point of diving into the i co , rt } €r >. and onc ® one of them io in the lead he is a hard man to displace. At the corners, they both keep the front wheels of their machines brushing the grass, while the slides are controlled and steady. The visiting British riders confirm the reports that the great popularity of motor cycling on the small tracks in England is due to the team competitions (states tbe Wellington Evening Post). Each track hat a team which engages in a match competition on the home-and-home basis. Then each track has its own social club. Members secure reduced rates for admission, and during the_ winter months conduct dances and socials, so as to maininterest in the sport. Most riders receive £7 a week appearance money. Kempster has received £5 a week since 1928, the money being paid all the year round. “Smiling Jimmy” also received as much as £IOO for winningjnatch races. Last year, however, his earnings averaged about £225 a week for 12 weeks. Other members of the visiting team have won big prize money, notably Burton and Kempster. Many trophies have also been collected by the visitors. . Those who came to New Zealand via Australia received some tempting offers to compete in the Commonwealth, but these, of course, could not be entertained as the tourists had agreed to compete this season under the auspices of the New Zealand Speedways Association. If the opportunity is offering at the end of the New Zealand tour some of them will probably make an appearance or two in Australia, but it will be necessary for the tourists to be back in England early in April, all having been engaged for next season’s big events at Home, where the opportunities of winning big prize money are, of course, far greater than in New Zealand, Many meetings are held during each week in England, and the attendances are exceptionally large—up to 60.000 and 70,000 in the case of international events. RACING IN BERLIN. It was two years since motor cycle racing took place on the Avus track,.Berlin, until the last meeting. That it drew an attendance of 100,000 on a Sunday, and a wet Sunday at that, is proof that the sport is not forgotten. Avus is an extraordinary track. It has two perfectly straight macadam stretches, five miles in length, joined at the end by two slightly banked turns. The track is practically level and has a wonderful, gritty surface, giving firm hold to tyres at speed even in a rain. The total length, including the loops at each end, is 12.2 miles. It is ordinarily employed as a toll road between Berlin and its outlying western suburbs. The tracks run parallel to one another and have a breadth of 26ft, as also has the grass track between them.