Cycling and Motor Notes

Otago Witness, Issue 2996, 16 August 1911, Page 59

Cycling and Motor Notes

FIXTURE. September 7.— Tixnaru-Cbristcburcli EoacT Race.

BY DEMON.

On Monday of Show Week Messrs Cooke, Howlison, and Co. landed a Buick Model 14. It is the first of this type seen in New Zealand, and should fill the demand of a good , car at about £2OO. The engine is 12-16 h.p., water-cooled, dual ignition, mechanical force-feed lubrication ; hood wind-shield, speedometer, lamps, etc. —total weight, lO^cwt; cost, £220. The car will take the Mt. Cargill hill, with the exception of Hangman’s Gully, on the top gear. The reliability and excellent wearing properties of the Buick cars are making themselves known throughout Otago, with the result that during the Winter Show Messrs Cooke, Howlison, and Co. received orders for Buicks from: Otago Farmers’ Co-op. (two cars); Mr Stevens, Mornington; Mr John Wilson, Lauder; J. G. Ward & Co. (L'td.); Invercargill ; Mr F. Freeman, Abbotsford. Mr SHeddan, Balclutha, purchased through the same firm a 20 h.p. Ford, and Mr Christie, Ashburton, a 12 h.p. Metz. ——The Clement-Talbot belonging to Mr Neil Gilchrist has been sold by Messrs Stedman and Wilson to Mr A. F. Roberts, Teviot. This is the oar that won all the prizes in the reliability run at Christmas from Christchurch to Dunedin and back, including the 100-guinea cup. Mr Gilchrist is now anxiously waiting for his silent Knight Minerva, which should arrive shortly. ’Mr E. R. Jeffreys (Mount Royal) has purchased a model 46 Overland car from Messrs Wim penny Bros., while Dr Cleveland bias received his model bl Overland of 50 h.p. from the same firm. This latter machine has a new feature, the gat© change being placed in the centre of the car.

The Christchurch Automobile Association has decided to write to the Canterbury members of Parliament with a view to inducing the Government to introduce a Universal Lighting Bill. A 14-20 h.p.’ Siddeley-Densy car, last June completed a non-stop 15,000 miles’ trial on the Brooklands track. The task involved 50 days’ driving, with an average of 300 miles per diem, and at a pace which may be rougblv stated to have been well over the legal limit for road work._ It was a very fine demonstration of reliability. For the fifth year in succession Mr Platt Betts, the one-time famous pacefollower, has been awarded a gold medal in the London, to Edinburgh and back trial of the Motor Cycling Club for making the double journey in scheduled time, his car, as on the four previous occasions, being a Rover 8 h.p. The mileage obtained with Kempshall tyres has led the manufacturers to guarantee each tyre for a minimum distance of 3500 miles, from this date. Sir Charles Henry, M.P.. has preisented a bill in the English Parliament, the purport of which is to prohibit the letting, lending, or employing of a motor car for the purpose of conveying voters in parliamentary elections to or from the poll If it were passed into law, the owner of a, motor car would have to either walk to the poll or use a horse conveyance!

.... —Humber motor cycles had. quite a brilliant Easter Monday success when at the Shap Fell open hill-climb of the Westmorland Motor Cycling Club Mr S. W.' Phillpott, of Liverpool,’ an amateur, on a Humber 2 h.p. lightweight motor cycle, made the best ptrfcrraance on A.C.U. formula for the day, securing the Cro f t Cup. Another Humber lightweight also made the fastest time in the lightweight class, and bast performance on A.C.U. formula in the same class, securing the Humber gold medal, while others were first, second, and third in their class.

Further particulars are now available concerning the ocean-going motorengined ships which are being constructed in Germany. From these it appears that the total number of craft is eight, one

of which is being built by the Wes ear ship' building yard and one by Messrs Blehxa and Voss o.u the Elbe. The®© vessels ai\v for the Hamburg-Amerika Company, and will bo of 6500 tons and 5500 tons displacement respectively. On© is expected to begin her maiden voyage in December next. The larger vessel is to be equipped with two sets of Diesel motors aggregating? 5500 h.p., or sufficient to maintain a 14-knot speed. The smaller will have similar engines of 3000 h.p., yielding- a 12-knot speed. It :s expected that these vessels will be able to carry sufficient oil for a 6000 milep voyage, so that the fuel can be taken in at New York for the double journey across the Atlantic. It is expected that the economy in space, tonnage, crews, and fuel will compel the adoption of the oil-engined veasel by competing lines. not unknown in Australasia. In all the cases, however, the self-starting device is cast with the engine, and cannot be removed. A new celf-starter has been placed on the English market, which can bo fitted to any make of car. It can, be attached or removed in a very short time, without any alteration to the existing mechanism. This device consists of a small horizontal motor, with opposing cylinders fitted between the scroll irons of the chassis. It takes- the form of a block, into which neither water, dust, nor mud can penetrate. It is -perfectly smooth on the front side, but from the back emerge several short pipes. When, the motor is working, the self-starting engine can bo connected to the crank Uy a clutch fitted to the dashboard. Air is. compressed into a reservoir, and when the pressure is sufficient, the self-starter can be disconnected. By operating the same levejr when the car is at a standstill, tbfs compressed air supplies sufficient power to start the motor. As it occupies a very email space, and is easily detachable, this invention is coming into favour with European motorists.

From London to Turin (Northern Italy), a distance of 767 miles, was recently negotiated in a motor car in the gross time of 23hr 59min. The scheduled time for the fastest ‘boat and fastest train for this journey is 27hr 30min. The flying .mile of 31sec—equal to 116 miles an hour—recently recorded by Borodino on a 300 h.p. oar on Salt-bum Beach, England, will not- be officially recognised by the European motoring authorities, for, according to the latest ruling, a straightaway record will net be accepted unless'the drive is made in both directions, and the mean time taken to equalise the effect of the wind, and. this was not done. The huge monster used by Bordino has four cylinders, the bore and stroke being 190 and 250 millimetres —— A passenger motor car service is now running across Tasmania from Launceston to Hobart, a distance of about 129 mile®. As the fares compare favourably with the railway rates, and the time taken by the motor is just about the same, the service has caught on. Already several New Zealand riders have arrived in .Sydney—including two Arnst brother®, members of the same family as Dick a-nd’ J. Arnst, —and intend training for the Goulburn to Sydney road race. Motorists will bo interested to learn that the French firm Messrs De Dion, one of the oldest and best-known motor manufacturers in the world, intend marketing two models of eight-cylinder oars in 1912a 24 h.-p. and a 35 h.p. The cylinders will bo ranged in two nows of four, Y-shaped. T. Ellegaard, the well-known Danish crack, won the professional world’s sprint championship, which was recently decided at Rome, and thus equalled L. Meredith’s remark-able series of successes, foy this is the sixth occasion upon which Ellegaard has carried off this classic event. Ellegaard raced in Australia with fair success a few years back, and -despite his now being a fair ago appears to retain? his brilliancy OE the track. , > The French and. English motor journals are unanimous in describing the French light car race over the Boulogne circuit as a -magnificent sporting event, and absolutely the finest yet he’d in automobile history." Last week we -gave the bare result of this contest, but further interesting particulars are now available. The power of th« competing cars w&s riGstrictC'd foy cubic capacity o-f the engines, an equivalent of about "15 h.p. being permitted. Thirty cars started, and 13 completed the full course of 387 miles, and of these four "were British made. Tire race _ was held around a circuit of about 32.1 miles, which had to be negotiated 12 times. Many of the world’s most famous drivers took part in the race, including Hemery, Cl abri eI, W agnor, Duray, and last year’s winner, Zuccarelli. The strenuous nature of the race can he gauged from the fact that for the last 180 miles of the contest there were only two or throe minutes separating the first four drivers, and at the finish Bablot, on a Ddnrge, was only 71sec in front of the second man. Boillet, who in turn was on-v 25 seconds ahead of Thomas, who finished third whilst the fourth man was less than a minute behind. No wonder the event was regarded as a sporting success, for such a close finish over 587 miles is indeed remarkable, and only serves to demonstrate to what a degree of perfection the small powered car ha® been brought. Ih® average pace of the winner was over 54 mixes an hour very little behind the speed maintained by the huge monsters ranging from 80 h.p. to 120 h.p. that took part in the hip’ European road race five and six years back An interesting feature of the race was that the first four aw to finish were fitted with Enghsh-m-ade Rud p: c- W bit worth detachable wheels, which the French racing authorities only a few years back debarred on account of being deemed unsafe. <‘ Joy riding ” is carried to a fine art in America, where a number of mean and clever people sack to enjoy motoring free of all cosk_ The practice cf pretending to bo a likely purchaser of a car. and asking the manufacturers to give a demonstration of its powers on the voa-d, has been largely indulged in' by Now I York “joy riders” of the move _ impudent class, and, growing bold in _ their success, these people have cora-e to insist on long runs o-f over 100 miles before they will 1 accept any statement as to the ear’s merits. The New York motor dealers have now’ determined to stop this abuse, and the general rule has been introduced that | applicants wdio desire long _ trial trips on oars shall first pay a deposit to cover th<r expense of the trip in the event of no' i business being done. In this way it la , hoped to put a the rmpst troublesome and costly variety of “ joy rider,” ! and this individual in future will have to . be content with very short trips. In all, 567 motor cars and motor cycles are registered with the TTawke’s B-ayj County and 506 with the Napier* Borough Council,

TOURIST TROPHY RACE. The annual Tourist Trophy Race, the greatest motor cycle road event held in the world, was decided under favourable weather conditions in the Isle of Man {off the coast of England) Last month. The race was divided into two sections, Junior and Senior, the engines being limited ho 2| h.p. in the first and to 4 h.p. in the latter section. Both events wore decided over the same circuit on different days, the Junior being over four circuits, or a total of 159 miles, and the Senior five circuits, equal to 18? i miles. The former drew 34 starters, and resulted in _ a win for J. P. Evans from H, A. Collier,. The winner rode a 2'i h.p. twin cylinder Humber, and negotiated the 150 miles in the remarkable time of 3hr 37min 7scc, equal to an average of 41 miles an hour. Evans was easily first, with over 9min to spare. Twenty-one riders finished the course. The big event, the Senior, was expected to produce a groat match between C. R. Collier, last year’s winner, and Jake de Rosier, the American champion, but neither won, the event going to 0. C. Godfrey (3| h.p. twin Indian), who covered 187* miles in 3hr 56mm lOsoo, equal to an average speed of 47y miles an hour. C. R. Collier finished second only 63sec back, whilst lie Rosier was placed twelfth. Both of these riders wore subsequently disqualified for non-compliance with some of the rules of contest as regards re-filling petr ff tanks at points other than the appointed depots. Out of. 59 starters 28 the oou.ae. -this event produced a terrific struggle. At the end of the third lap (109* ml lee) the six leading positions were: —1, C. R. Comer (2hr 20min 46sec); 2, O. C._ Godfrey (2hr jlmin 52sec); 3, J. de Rosier (2hr Zimin 52960); 4, C. B. Franklin (2hr 23mm 25&ec); 5 A J. Moorehouse (2hr 26mm 45sec); 6,’ H. Lister Cooper (2hr 29min 8seo). 'Hie English crack now experienced a terrible bit of bad luck, for ho ran out of petrol and lost his position. At the end of the fourth lap (150 miles) the leading positions were:—l, 0. 0. Godfrey (3hr 9mm 12sec): 2 C. B. Franklin (3br 11mm 13soc); 3, C. R- Collier (3hr llmin 19sec); 4, A. J. Moorhouse (3hr 16min 12s©c) ; 5, H. A. Other (3hr 16min 12sec); 6, Hugh Mason (Shr 19min 44esc). r Phe final places were;— 1, 0. C. Godfrey (33 h.p Indian; 3hr 56min lOeeo); 2, C: R. Collier (4 h.p. Matchless; Shr 57mia 13scc); 3, C. B. Fianklin (33 h.p. Indian; 3hr 59mm 52sec): 4, A. J. Moorehouse (31 h.p. Indian; 4hr smin 54sec); 5, H. A. Collier ;4 h.p. Matchless ; dhr 9min 42soc); 6, Hugh Mason (4 hp. Matchless; -'hr 15mm Sseec). As Collier wan disqualified for technical broach of rules, all the placed riders moved up one, so that the American-made Indian scored a verifcabe triumph. All the above riders used twin engines.