A.C.C. LAND'S END TO JOHN GROAT'S TRIAL&

Otago Witness, Issue 2734, 8 August 1906, Page 55

A.C.C. LAND'S END TO JOHN GROAT'S TRIAL&

The A CO. Land's End to John o' proat's trials, the most important ever organised by any body set aside for the encouragement of motor cycling, concluded at the beginning of last month, after a contest running over six days. Fifty-seven motor cycles took part in the run, ai.d £5 passenger carette and tricars. Four|*en motor cycles reached John o' Groats within schedule time, and lost no t»«arks oi the run. Ten machines secured 85 per cent, of the total number of marks,. while 14 other starters also completed the distance. . . , Several of the competitore in the tiial Rccomplished the total distance— sß9 n"-**"" in 46 hours' ridrag time, r/hbn was the minimum time allowed. Dealing with the motor bicycles * n a* Btarted, it appears (says the Motor Cycle) lhat seven dropped out as a result of v.hat may be termed external causes, suc-ft as colfislons or the like, which, might occur fco any vehicle. Four retired on accoant of breakages— two instances of burst cylinders, on* o£ a Bent connecting rod, and one other. Is it possible that the first fcfliee are* to fee traced to pre-ignltion, crlginar:ingr from excessive lubrication?- In three cases (not English machines) the magneto waa' complained of. Air to the rest, there appears to have been 1 no defect that need alarm a. rider of moderate experience, if we except the six cases retired for unknown reasons. With refgard to ignition, 58.5 per cent, of the' machines fitted with accumulators completed the journey, and 52.3 per cent, of ißose fitted with magneto- igmtion. As to the engines, 70.966 per cent, of the Bingte cylinders got througk, as against 38.46 per cent, of the multi-cyfinde? Btarters; and, taking power a<r an index, 88.88 per cent, of the engines rated at 3 h.p. or less reached John o' Groat's* and exactly £0 per cent, of the larger engines did so. It is especially noteworthy that of the machines that lost no marks 38.46 per cent, were of 3 h.pv or less, and 69-23 T>er cent, were of 3£ h.p. or less. Another point of interest is that 56 per cent, of the machines that started are of English manufacture, and 44 per cent were foreigners. Of those chat completed 1 the journey 63.75 per cent, are English, and 31.25 per cent, foreign. . Finally, four starters were fitted with some form of two-speed gear; one suffered by collision, and the other three completed the journey— two of them without the loss pf a single mark. These facts appear to give strong support to the view that moderate power and twoepeed gear form the beet combination for a motor bicycle, and- there are other points ■worth consideration also, but the lessons of the great ride will, doubtless, form a fruitful theme for discussion later on. On no previous occasion has such, genuine public interest been evinced io motor cycle trials as in the case of the Land's End to John o' Groat's ride. All along the route crowds gathered at the different towns and villages the riders passed through, and each arrival at most of the town* was cheered, tocncol children will also have good cause to remember the occasion,- as they were (riven a holiday especially to see the long une of motor cyclists p»s3. "Who was John o* Groat's, anyhow? asked an Auto Cycle Club official at the conclusion of the trials of a native of that part of Scotland in which the historic bouse vs situated. " I dmna ken," replied the Scot. "He was just a Caithness mon, I suppose." As a matter o£ fact he was a Dutchman who came carer- from Holland in the reign of James IV of Scotland, and purchased land on the northern shores of Caithness.