Cycling and Motor Notes

Otago Witness, Issue 2988, 21 June 1911, Page 75

Cycling and Motor Notes

BY DEMON.

FIXTURE. September 2.—Timaru-Christclmrch Race.

Mr Robert Turnbull, late of Wanaka Station, and who is going north to reside at Napier, has purchased the threc-seater 18 h.p. Buick- car formerly owned by the Rev. Mr Burgess, of. Naseby, who_ has been transferred to Banks Peninsula. Mr Fred Cooke went up to Naseby at the end of last week with a new twoseater Buick car, which has been bought by Dr Lillie. Mr Cooke reports the roads in good order, with the exception of a piece of road near Sweetwater Creek, Dunback. No indication is given the motorist of the proximity of the rough road here, and before he knows whore he is he is into some 2ft of mud. Several of the creeks were high in flood, but the little Buick safely forded each one of them, Mr Cooke reporting a non-stop run both ways. Mr Cooke came back in Mr Turnbull's newly-purchased Buick. Mr Cooke, of the local firm of Cooke, Howlison, and Co., says he is very favourably impressed with the ideas embodied in the Wood-Miln motor tyre. Descriptions of this tyre which h' . come to hand from England state that it is built of_ very strong fabric, while the outer rubber is mixed with fine particles of steel, and the two then compressed. The tyre, which is reported to have a rough surface, something after the stylo of sandpaper, is said to be non-slipping. These tyres will no doubt in due course make their appearance on the local market. The police are now requiring that all motor-car owners should affix tail lamps on their machines. The demand for kerosene tail lamps, as a result, has been so great that it is said there is not a, spare one to bo secured in New Zealand. This scarcity, however, will not last long, as a further shipment of lamps should shortly come to hand. Some of our cars have electrically-lighted tail lamps, but most motorists consider the kerosene lamp just as convenient, and considerably cheaper. ber of motor cars in use in the United States to-day is 440,000 : estimated mileage in the year, 4,015,000,000; estimated horsepower, 11,440,000: estimated value, £100,000,000; petrol consumption, 236,000,000 gallons. It is not stated who was responsible for supplying these figures—presumably someone with plenty of time" on his hands. The idea of cutting out a number of teeth in the front sprocket has been revived in England this .year, and considerable discussion has ensued on the subject. It is not a new idea (says a writer in the Australasian) ; some 15 or 16 years ago wo tried it in Melbourne, cutting out alternate teeth, but without any perceptible advantage. Some English cracks assort that a sprocket so treated gives smoother running to the chain, while there also is less friction. In the wheels that have been tried as much as two-thirds of the

teeth' have been removed. One would think, however, that a chSin running on such a wheel had need keep very true to pitch; otherwise it would mount the sprocket easily. cycle match which is shortly to take place in London between J. B. Derosicr, the American speed king, and C. R. Collier, the fastest motor cyclist in England, it is interesting to note that Collier recently won a very fast one-hour motor cycle race at Brooklands (Ehg.), he winning easily after covering 63 miles 735 yards in the 60 minutes. This mileage is almost 20 miles less than Derosier's hour record of 83 miles 135 yards, but Collier's ride was accomplished on a big open track, across which swept a strong wind, and in a field of 19 contestants, whereas Derosier's performance was accomplished on a comparatively small wooden track on a picked day as regards weather conditions. Both cracks use twin-cylinder machines, the Americans being more powerful than Collier's, but the Englishman will probably have a special machine constructed for his forthcoming match against Dcrosier, who holds all the world's motor cycle records from one to 100 miles. An exciting and plucky incident occurred during a recent motor cycle road race held in France. One of the competitors, Duvernois, arrived at one of the petrol depots before he was expected, and, in the excitement that followed, in filling up his petrol tank a considerable quantity of petrol was spilt over the machine and on the ground. The first explosion of the engine, as the rider ran alongside of the machine previous to mounting, fired the petrol fumes, and the machine and ground

i were instantly in flames. Spectators and ' assistants scattered in fear, but Duvernois I stuck to his machine and tried to beat , out tli- flames, and then, seeing that his j cftcr- were in yain, he coolly shut off ! the ■ Irji, ran his machine to the top of r. iiui a few yards off, vaulted into the saddle, and free-wheeled down a "steep, incline with the flames roaring out behind him, and kept going antil the spilt petrol , burnt itself out. Ho then turned on the petrol tap, the engine fired, and he was off again at racing speed as if the incident had never occurred. j In the Berlin six-days' race, which " was won by Rutt and Stol, as a team, Macfarland and Moran (second) wero neatly outwitted by the winners. It appears that at four hours to go, Rutt was given a large banana, which was eaten hurriedly. Shortly after he became ill, and subsequently unconscious from cramp in the stomach. Later, after being almost delirious from pain, the doctors present decided to apply the stomach pump. Meanwhile his partner, Stol, held their position on the track —they were leading by three laps—and kept, pegging away for three hours, while Rutt "rested" for the j 'final sprint, as it was given out. His ! ability to finish fast and strong kept the , whole field in check, for they knew that if j the sprinting began, Stol would call on Rutt, after his three hours' "spell,"' for : the final dust-up. During the last halfhour Rutt came out, looking hale and hearty, with a bright red flush on hig cheeks; they had been rouged. But no i one knew that he could barely hold him- ' self upright. He made a few rounds on the machine, trying to smile, and, although [the wary "Mac." thought something \va»

amiss, neither ho nor the rest of the contestants cared to start a sprint. Hence Rutt and Stol won, although the latter said that if the fast work had commenced, he couldn't have lasted a mile. When Macfarland learnt of the ruse, it is said that "the air became thick, and the lights of the dressing-tent burned blue." ing district there are upwards of 60,000 motors 'registered.

The Isle of Man, the smallest unit of the British Isles, is the first to' abolish the speed limit for motor •cars. A good example is set for the rest of the United Kingdom.

_ The Victorian Railway Commissioners have ordered three petrol-driven motors and carriages l combined, for use on the lines where the traffic is light Five others are on order for the Queensland railways.

The worm gear transmission is regarded by some motor manufacturers in too*h Europe and America to have a bright faiure. It makes for quietness, taking the last sound out of the automobile," as one espert puts it. The cause ■ of that remarkable aoci<lest on the Brooklands track, as recounted tho other week, when, a racing car left the track and hurtled through the air for a. ©onsiderable distance, is thought to have lean due to .the inability of ihe driver (Mr Wilkinson) to reach the brake and clutch pedals at the critioa.l moment. It seems fchiit the car was generally used by a very tal man, and Mr Wilkinson, being short in Sbsture, a couple of cushions were used to keep him well forward. These are supjKsed to away —shaken out by the extraordinary pace —approaching 90 Dales an hour, —which practically left him with, little or no control over the car. The number of cyclists in France last year was 226,357 more than in 1909. la that country all cyclists are taxed. In ISft, when the tax (of 12fr) wa3 imposed ; , tfasre were 203,026 cyclists. Mv 1898 the tolal was 483,414-. Then came' a. reductkai in the tax of 50 per oent., when 836>360 cycles were registered, and oy 1906 Iks number has swelled to 1,794,755. A further reduotion of the impost—to 3fr—in 1937, was responsible for a further increase, 2,159,740 being recorded ; while last year ihsre were 2,697,407 cyclists in the Re«uMic—a number nearly equal to the population of Paris. The cyclists of France Jlkss contributed the sum of £323,688 to the »a2k lal exchequer in 1910, as against £72,SbO T lB years ago. Not infrequently (says the Motor) we hear of oars by good makers giving dis■Btisfaction to their owners and of such «!B2S always, or quickly, "going wrong." Wisn such a thing occurs it usually becmnes a contest of assurance between the jfjnaEufaoturers and the chauffeur. But Wben we take an occasional ride the cause ta aften apparent. For instance, a knocksQg in the engine, or a rattle in some part ©F ihe mechanism is noticed . It mav not fj© .great, but the ear of the careful user ijriJl at onoe detect it. If ha knows the Srk-gr well enough ho may remark to him 15$M3r< it, and may very likely get some such

reply as, "Oh, that's not much. It has been like that for a longr time. It is all right." Or, "Oh, yes, I know; I will have a look at it when I get time." Now, here is the secret of a lot of motor car troubles which occur. It is easier to put off to another time that which should be done to-day. People often remark upon the regularity of running of railway engines, and as they do not seo what goes on behind the scenes they are apt to conclude that a railway engine will run far a twelvemonth without attention, except oiling up and supplying with fuel and water. But the secret of the regularity of the operation of our railways is to be found in constant care and unremitting attention.

Absorbent cotton wool impregnated with ordinary rubber solution and allowed to become "tacky" is said to make an excellent stopping for small cuts and punctures in covers. It should be packed into the hole with a bodkin or similar steel instrument, preferably with a blunt-t>ointed end, as this is useful in "testing out" a piece of the tacky wool of suitable size, and also for probing for the dislodging any small stone and attendant grit embedded: in the rubber. With a little practice one can fill up these cuts very rapidly, and this packing, which should not project above the tread, will not come out. It prevents water reaching the canvas. Before applying the cotton wool the cut should be thorougtly cleaned, treated with napphtha and given a coat of rubber solution.

C. B. Schneider, the Australian cyclist, is to ride at the Rover meeting in Birmingham next Saturday (says an English paper), as also are W. J. Bailey and Victor L. Johnson; and there may well be interest beyond the ordinary evinced. The Australian is, I am told, a real tiptop wrestler, and if the times credited to him. awheel are to bo relied upon he is no dunce at cycle racing. Talking of wrestling brings to mind a happening at Kidderminster sports a year or two ago. Certain Lancashire "champion " wrestlers had been engaged to give an exhibition during the afternoon. It was particularly " exhibition " stuff, and the crowd were not at all pleased. Watching the wrestlers, however, was a local racing cyclist, and he offered to take on the batter of the exhibition pair. And then wo had some wrestling, if you like. The impromptu bout was right and away better than the tame display by the professors, and the crowd fairly rose at it. When the cyclist rose it was seen—very clearly seen, too, —that he would need to purchase a new racing outfit.