Motor Notes

Otago Witness, Issue 2663, 29 March 1905, Page 55

BY DEMON. At the meeting of the Council of tho New Zealand Wheelmen last Wednesday, correspondence was read from the Timaru Motor and Cycling Club in regard to the circumstances which induced it to abandon iis proposed sports meeting, to have been held next month. The club had put on a first-class programme, with the idea of securing the best riders at its meeting. Several of these riders, ho-vever, demanded free entrance for the various events, and t^is the club declined .o acoede to. The club considered the auction of the riders in question to unsportsmanlike that an »njvstioe. would be done to the sport if they submitted to th-air dictation, t.nd as a consequence they had decided to abandon the proposed sports meeting. At the same meeting of the league the Secretary said that he had received a telegram from the Caledonian Society at Stratford, stating' that Chalmers, J. Arnst. and B. Campion had refused to pay entry fees due to that body, and that he had therefore instructed the- secretaries of the Waverley and Masterton sports bodies. v here these riders proposed competing, to collect the Stratford dues before allowing j them to race. A later communication ] stated that the rider* appeared at the Stratford meeting l-eady to race, but as they would not pay their entrance money they were not allowed to start. They also di&suaded) a rider who had mounted fion- competing. During the discussion which ensued. it was stated that there were no rules which prevented riders from, asking for free entry, but that riders who were allowed to start without first paying entry fees could, in the case of their winning, be successfully protested against. It was unanimously dacided — "That this council expresses its appioval of the course followed by the Timaru Motor and 1 Cycle Club, and regrets that the action of certain riders necessitated th& cancellation of that club's meeting. Further, that the club should be notified that a new rulo to meet future cases will be forthwith inserted." Mr Boyd then gave notice to move— "That no rider shall receive appearance money without the express sanction of the council having been previously obtained.'' In the matter of the complaint from Stratford, it was decided to inforan the riders mentioned that th&y would not be allowed to raoe at other meetings until they had paid the amounts owing to the Stratford Society. 1 must compliment the governing body on the- stand which it has taken up in regard to the free entry and appearance money evil. From my own knowledge t linos it is a common tiling for the

socretai-y of a. sports body io receive com. [ munications from leading riders when a j race rr.eotiag is likely to be held, requesting i free entrance, and asking what terms the ] club is likoly to give for a rider doing this s or that performance — Tiding a paced mile, s trying to break an existing record, or piuk ting in nn ajjpearance at all. During the present season the leading ChristehiircJi t riders who have raced at sports meetings i in and outside the Canterbury province have in everj- instance taken away the major \ part of the prize money, as witness the , recent Dunedin Cycling' Club's sporrs, wheiv the two Arnsts and M. Randrup left very , l'ttle for the other riders. The great got! Mammon has indeed taken a firm hold of tho New Zealand 1 bicycle-racing man when, in addition to the races he wins, ho vants free entry and appearance money as well. The League of New Zealand Wheolnen has but to sticfc to its decision in regard to tho riders who refused to pay their entry m-mey at Stratford ro teach them a well-merited and deserved lesson. This evil has been in existence for a considci-able time now, an.'] has, I hope, about reached tho end of its tether. I hope, likewise, to s&e the motion standing in -Mr Boj-d's name carried, and then sports bodies will have some idea as to how they stand in regard to riders requesting concessions such as are now ueinsr called in question. Cyclists are reminded that entries for the Temuka Bicycle Club's sports close {on April 14. The prize-money is allotted j as follow*:— Championships-. Half-mile £7. j One-mile £9, Three-mile £11. and Five-mile £14. Handicap events: Half-mile £7, One- ; mile £9, and Two-mile £10. R. Arnst. the' New Zealand rider. won his opening haat in the Sydney Thousand Mile Race, from the 50yds mark, in tho past time of 2min 0 2-s=ee. The fastest time a; as put up in the heat won by Hoi--dpr. 90yds, who traversed the mile in lmm 57 2-ssee. The first day's instalment of the Sydney Thousand meeting produced a world's record in the time (lOmin 40 4-seei) put up by Bllegaard over five miles. The j winner was closely pressed by Lawson and j MacFarlnnd, who nnis-hed in that order. ! "Plugger"' Bill Martin left for America by the Sonoma, principally for the jji'rpose of straightening out some financial ] matters that are hanging fire, owing (o the ] death of a friend who was acting for him. | Darragon, tho holder of the world's i hour record, intends to wipe out Murphy's ' iocomothe-paced mile record of 57 3-ssec. Darragon prefers automobile pace, and wn* billed' to attempt the record at Nice this month. It is said that after hi« Europenn iour. just commencing. Major Taylor will in all probability revisit A\istralia.~ .Taequelin, the great French sprinter, is row "home training" at one of the German variety theatres The recent contests between the two visiting cracks. Ivor Lawson «nd T. EUegaard, carried out at the Melbourne Exhibition track, under the auspices of the Melbourne Bicycle Club, have proved that Lawson's win of the One-mil© World's Championship in England last year was no fluke. During the recent matches Lawson met Ellegaard 17 times, and finished in front of the Dane on 10 occasions. As the American champion, F. Kramer, is stated to be an infinitely better rider than Lawson, an idea can be gathered of the speed of ihe great Yankee sprinter. Kramer intends making a racing trip to the Continent this month, and! it will be interesting to watch his proarresi? in Europe Mr W. T.^Goodman, of jj »ssrs Noyes Bros., has purchased Mr Bockhab&rt's 8 horse-power De Dion Bouton toriheau car. «md both gentlemen drove through on Thursday last from Timaru to Dnnedin aq-ainst a gale in 10 hours. Mr Christie, Mayor oif Dtinedin, was also a passenger. The wind that prevented the holding of the Waihola regatta on Thursday last ' was indeed a tester for cycles, motor cycles, ' and motor cars, and the poor push -bike -e»ily ' managed to get along by hard plugging. As far as motors were concerned, it was a day for goggles and plenty of engine power, j The only motors at Henley and at Wai-

tola were Mr J. Gray's 10-12 horse-power Wolseley car. Mr W. H. (iroy's 8^ harpe-

power Darraeq. Mr Ward-oil S 6 horse-powei" Wolseley, Mr J. F. M. Fraser's twin-cylin-aered motor cycle, and Mr Dcd Bell's twin-

cylinde-red ditto, and all these report very heavy going and a severe battering. The Wol^oley car, diivon by Mr Payne, with the Governor's party aboard, did g-000 vrorK m taking her load of five persons out in an hour and a-half. Mv W. B 801 l was at tho wheel of Mr W. H. Grey's Darracq. This car seems to be going quictfr and rtronger than it used to, and H did good work against the gale. Mr Waidc-ll's little Wofccley car also did fine work, and =imply flon on the home journey, running before tho wind. 'Mrs W. H. Groy very graciously le-nt her Darracq car to drive some of the official parly between "Waihola and Henley, the governor lunching at Henley necessitating rhis. Mr "Davie" Wall, who has been training and racing at rowing and sculling during the pa^t few weeks, was out on Sunday o'; his motor cycle for a spin to Henley. Perhaps next week the "old will be. trying- hand an the tiller of a yacht. Tho genial L>avie acts in not a few capacities as a iport«man. Mr Arthur Rhodes «r>d party, of Chrisichurch, arrived in Dunedin on Friday last, having driven through from the former town in their fine 28-36 horse-power Daimler motor car. Mr Rhodes recently purchased thi« car in England, and immediately tour-ed through England. Scotland, and Wales, driven by Chauffeur Gande>rton, of the Daimler Works, Coventry, England. Mr Ganderton then brought the car out to this colony, arriving at tho beginning of th& year, and is still retained by Mr Rhodes as export and chauffeur. This car has a handsome, detachable top (at present detached), which completely covers in the tonneau passengers, while tho front seats are- covered in excepting sides. The frame of the chassis is of channelled steel ; whc-els, 34-in and 36in in diameter, shod with Collier tyres 42in by S^in. Th-ere is amplo accommodation for fven passengers. The ensrinA has four cylinders, with 6in =' roke and sin bore, developing from 28 to 36 hoi-se-power, and is* as silent and flexible as that of a steam car. All valves are mechanically operated, and the two-to-one gear has the larger wheol made wii h fibre cogs for silent running. The normal speed of the engines is 750 revolutions per minute. A fan is fitted to induce an extra current of air through radiators. There are four forward speeds and a reserve fitted. The -fioxibilitv of the four-eylindcrod engine is shown by the fact of the cii' bomg 1 ablo to move along as slo-iv a« thrco miles an hour on its top speed, and yet as fast c? 55 miles an hour if wanted. The engine* nvo vertical, and arr> ca*b in two pairs. The finish of the car .is in green, and the wheel base is exceptionally lonqj. allowing side to tonneau. This is beyond que.-iion the very finest car tho Golony has so far seen, and a similar one is owned by his Majesty the King. Zvlr Rho-fci's Diamler ?pv is fitted wirh'a single Bassemichpl trombk-r coil, with a "distributer" (on high tension current) feeling -each o* the four cylinders with tho spark. I understand that ihe duty on motor car tyros imported into this colony is to be removed.

Tho new regulations rogaj-ding pacing motor cycles on th" Pnri= tracks ar* 1 that they must noi -exec-ed 1651b in weight, ami must have certain size of tvr-c. wheel*, pulleys, and length of handle-bar. Without wind-shields, therefore, 45 miles an hour should be a g-oocl performanco. — -The real reason of the suspension of fl»e world's 100 kilometre champion, R. Walthour. has now transpired. It originated out of a dispute concerning the lap scoring in tho six-days* race at New T"ork, which caused him to withdraw from the contest, and to induce others to do the same. He supplemented this by endeavouring to form a rival association to tho American governing; body, who promptly took the bull by tho horns, and fined him Heiavily. with tho alternative of a yoar's suspension. Hence, if he wishes to race in Europe this summer, either he or his •employers will V>ave to put their hands down ■nretty dee-ply. It seems to me (says C. H. Larretce, in Athletic News] that Walthour's head lias been turned by his and. if .«o. h-e certainly should h"ave boon brought to hi= senses.

Frau Walter Rutt writos from Sydney to a German paper the party had had a right royal receotion from "our cousins down under." She say=; handicaps are the th.ingr in \Australin, and so thickly "sotrn" that men in the back ranks stand little chance of gettin? through. "In Europe."' the young lady goes on. "people are fond of saying- that Australian pathmen can't do much. Oh. can't rhey ! I wish some of our men could see how vre> race her©; they would then, perhaps, change their opinions. Here ir if : all out from start to finish. If a man won't lead he's disqualified for months. Pye and Morpran. the two be*t pathmen in Australia, were each fined £10 for not exerting themselves sufficiently to reduce the ?dvanTa^"e«i- against them in handicaps. T2]legaavd can't at all accommodate himself to -the. situation or the climate. My husband does better." Frau Rutt. refers to Don Walker as enjovingr in-' Australia the popularity of Arend in Germany, or of Jacquelin in France. He comes in for terrific manifestations of joy no matter whether he wins or not : in fact, the popular applause would seem to be in inverse ratio to his success for when, in a three-raos match with Megson. he ingloriously finished up second each time, "the crowd cheered him more than the viofcoi "

The variable sr.eed attachments and devices have not "caught on" in New Zealand to the extent expected. The extra expense- may b& the cause, but it seems to be more a matter of ignorance on the part of cyclists of th<> advantages derivable from using a variable speed gear. The initial outlay is only a matter of two i,r three pound?. Time will no doubt brins homo ths advantages of the change-speed gear to New Zealand riders. By the us& of the variable gear ihe cyclist can then suit his gear to th> prevailing conditions. If ho is travelling on a hard, dry road, as sometimes happens in winter, he can. use. his high gear with ease. If the roads are heavy, he will throw in his low gear, while with a three-speed gear he will be still better suited, as he can cope with practically all conditions of fine road and favourable wind, muddy road and head wind, and very heavy road with a erale.

Our visitors from Europe and the United States have not clone badly on Aus-

kalian tracks since th& commencement ol the piesenl cycle-racing season (says the Australian writer "Tangent). In the space of about five months Rutt, the Rhinelandor, has won ovsr £150; Ellegaard over £280, and Ivor Lawson £360; Floyd MaeFarland has secured £170, and Anderson, the Dane, £87. Perhaps the I*okal Auzciger, a Berlin paper, which recently stated that EUegaard and Rutt were disgusted with their trip, had not won £10, etc., will note- these figures, and reflect that the season is not .yet finished. Loc.il riders, too, have done

„well m some instances, notably A the brilliant young winner of the '■'Austral, who pockets nearly £500 up lo "date. E. A. Pye wins over £300, G. RMorgan £200, and George Farley nearly ;''JB24O. Sebeps gets under these figures, 'and 1 is closely followed by R. W. Morgan 'and O. A. Best. Don Walker totals ltss !4han £50, whilst A. E. Tame, M. Chappie, and A. O. Forbes figure among the twenties. \Among the "tenners" is Joe M-egson. \ — — The two motor cycles which went through the reliability test differed very ' jnuoh in the horse power of the engines. i.The one driven by B. James had a low,iw>wered engine— 2-h.p. — while tliat of V. •Gard's was 3^-h.p. Yet the former cam© ,*hrough the better, and won the prize. Over the very hilly sections Gsrd's engine Jgave trouble through over-heating, necessitating a dismount, as no impression could (Jbe made, at least not for long, by aiding lithe engine. Hence, to walk and push a treavy machine, some 1701b, up steep grades ' jiras fatiguing. The - lighter machine fre- - <niently outpaced the other, the pedals be-'-fing used to advantage, and while the higher- - Jjpowered motor made better time on the livelier roads, the easier running of the 2-Hlp. motor, especially over rough surifi'.ces, left the rider in much better condition at the. end of the day's trip. It was amply demonstrated that the high-powered motor cycle is quite unnecessary on the average Australian roads, while the cost ,~of travelling and up-keep in tyres is much reduced by using a cycle with an engine - pf moderate power. -.. In regard to the coming of the motor - Bar, the Sydney Morning Herald says : — Ip- - pi dentally, such traffic is calculated to bring k boon and a blessing to men in an unaccpected way. To it good roads are essen.tial. Now, good roads are as much a- matter of knowledge as expense. Road-making js at once a science and a fine art. "We may be sure it will be much more assiduously cultivated in a motor age than in _ the days of the bullock dray. The comEort and safety of dwellers in the country -'depend so much on the state of the roads bhat in this- respect alone the coming of the . Jiotor oar is likely to bring no little benefit. ( This year America is to lnafce a big -- Vttempt to be- lepre&snted in the Gordon Jjennett motor race, and three of the most expert drivers are now engaged in qualify-, Uig themselves for such a test, and improving-- their ears as to speed, durability and - . reliability. One of the- largest motor manufac- - hirers in Great Britain places instructions regarding the rules of the road on the dash- " board of every car sent out from the works. flThese include tha passing of cyclists, horse'drswn. vehicles, restive horses, and pedestrians, and whe.2 driving through towns and .villages and past residences abutting on the roadway. f_ Tyr3-repairiag by means of vulcanisation; especially with regard to motor tyre -- repairs, has become recognised as the only J>ermanently successful method and it has /ueen proved time and' again that the ordinary patching process by means of solution has a very short lease of life. Owing lo ,the -greater friction, motor tyres become exceedingly hot, which causes solution, if used in repairs, to melt and allow the patch tb shift. To effect repairs by vulcanisation • handy little appliances have been put on the market, several of which have proved themselves quite equal to the work required of them. ( As an instance' of the severe test lo whioh the motor cars were put in the ■ i«oent Dunlop reliability trial from Sydney to Melbourne, an extract from a letter jof Mr C. J. Glidde-n will suffice. This jgentleman left Melbourne for Sydney on ,'rthe morning that the deciding test to Baljlarat was started — the 4th inst. He followed -the Sydney road, and stopped at iEuroa on the first night, and reached Aljbury during the following day. In writing )to say that he arrived safely, he added: — r"I ha,ve motored about 40,000 miles, but the 101 miles from Euroa to Albury is the worst jn the civilised world. We have broken }pve leaves of one of the springs." Mr has loured practically all over the jßorld, and is therefore qualified to judge. f A, "second letter regarding portions of the /highway in "New South Wales is to the lame effect. Mr Glidden writes a long '.aitiele on every country visited, which is Published simultaneously in 38 papers .n America. I The somewhat sensational steps taken by the Automobile Club of France in regard to this year's Gordon Bennett contest still remain the chief topic of discussion in European, motoring circles. A 'general protest has been made to the club from almost every interested ■nation. France wishes to maintain her pre-eminence in the j automobile world, and, ,to say the least of it, she is adopting tinfair means to attain that end. In the Bennett Cup all countries are placed ion an equal footing as regards representation, and by all means let the race be run without the interference of any other contest. The Gordon Bennett Cup is the prize ".in the greatest race of the year, and every other nation but France desires to keep it co. The French Club will evidently not jbe dictated to by anybody, .and all information » received By the automobile clubs interested has to be sought from unofficial Sources. On the assumption that a report in one of the Fre-nch. dailies of fi, recent date was a true and accurate decision arrived at by the Automobile Club of (France, the Automobile Club of Great 'Britain and Ireland passed the following 'resolutions:— (l) _ That the principle of another race being run at the same time "Sand over the same course as the Gordon Bennett race will decrease the t interest r fcn the. Gordon Bennett race, and is bad in from a competing club's point of »ie\r; (2) that this club immediately send $o the ' Automobile Club of France a strong protest against any other race being held fen the same road and on the same day lis the race for the Gordon Bennett Cup; ,(3) that a copy of the protest be sent to {Mr Gordon Bennett, and also to all clubs Eligible to compete, together with an invitation to them to send a like protest to the Automobile Club of France. The com-

XaxVm *" rrt "r JAfiiflisd out t^M A trojjlix,

of such historic fame as the Gordon Bennett Cup should remain the "blue liband of automobile sport."

Germany is another country to protest against the proposal of the Automobile Club of France to decide the Gordon Bennett Race in conjunction with the Grand Prix. The English club started the. agitation, Switzerland followed suit, and Germany has gone a step further than either in threatening to withdraw from the contest unless the decision of the A.C.F. is reconsidered.

— — Mr James Gordon Bennett has expressed in the New York Herald his regret that the French makers had succeeded in compelling the Automobile Club de France to reduce a purely sporting question to a matter of business. Tho idea of the founder was to make a classic ''Blue Ribbon" trophy of automobile racing, and in fostering this sporting feeling the clubs would directly develop the industry.

— —The largest automobile show ever held in Great Britain was to be opened at Olympia 'ju3t before files closed. Every available inch of space was taken up, and every section of the industry was to be represented. It was -expected that the change of venue from the Crystal Palace, where the show had been held the two previous years, would result in a very much bigger attendance of the buying public. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders had spared no expense in making necessary alterations to the building, and in other ways Jbad taken steps to make this show the centre of interest. A commendable action on th c part of the committee was their offer of free entrance to all students of recognised engineering colleges and institutes. It was hoped that the King and the Prince of Wales, who both take a very keen interest in mo+oring, would pay a visit to Olympia during the show. Closely following this exhibition others were to be held in the chief provincial towns, commencing with Edinburgh and Manchester.

GORE CYCLING SPORTS

GORE, March 22. The heavy rain to-day caused the postponement of the Gore Cycling Club's sports. A cessation in the gale about 12 o'clock gave rise to the hope that the weather would allow the gathering to be held, but a continuance later on necessitated the postponement. Competitors had arrived from Invercargill and elsewhere. The gathering will bo held next Wednesday.

THE THOUSAND POUNDS RACE. SYDNEY, March 27,

The final of the Sydney Thousand Pounds Race resulted as follows : Lear (Victoria) 1, Hordern (New South Wales) 2, Ellegaard (Senmark) 3. The back division,, by fine pacing, got np with, the- limit men. M'Farland tired* with the pacing, and stopped when he looked a winner. In the last lap it was anyone's race, but Lear, who rode a well-judged race, won by inches. Ellegaard, who looked hopelessly out of it in the last lap, came with a great rush, finishing a length away, third. Time, lmin 56 l-ssec. Thirty thousand were present.