Better Performances

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17917, 22 October 1932, Page 9

Better Performances

THE advance of the sports car or road-raring car, especially the smaller British 'varieties of the species, as disclosed in the Ulster Tourist Trophy rare ir August, is positively amazing, writes the motoring correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph. The Rileys, of course, were the shining example. ' Omitting GiUow and Dixon and their laps at 77 ni.p.h. on the ground that neither finished (though in Dixon - « .use that was not the car's fault), Whit, croft, the winner, who drove to schedule throughout, averaged for the whole 30 laps a- speed faster than that of the best, lip by a Riley 12 months ago. and Dixon’s new lap record for the class -s actually 40see. better. Incidentally it is sxec. better than Birkin’s lap record or a 41-litre Bentley in 19301 The M.G. Midget new lap record :s .Usee, better than last year's, and in practice IL C. Hamilton achieved lap speeds of 74 ni.p.h. and over. BHati Lewis and his Talbot, on one lap beat Bor/acchini’s record of last year on his , ur-ec.charged Alfa-Itomco, and, as related. Birkin cut that record down see-i-nc by second until he left it tit Qinin. 51 sec., or 14soe. better.

Now if all these marvellous perform atices lrul been done bn a trank, or even on an easv broad road, with not too iininv lends, thev would mean little V

tin. life of the average owner-driver. But thev were made on one of the most difficult road circuits known, full ol twists and turns, winding (limbs and descent-., ith-at lest the skill of-the driver apr! the road worthiness as, well as the speed and reliabilitv of his ear to the utmost.

The better performances are due in part In higher tint out speeds, which are only indirectly of use to the ordinary man on the' ordinary road, and :n part t r let ter brakes, better steering, better nad worthiness-- and that is of tie, greatest value to the ordinary man, because the knowledge acquired in I lie* lafuries from road racing is quickly translated into improvements in their standard models. Primarily the ears did faster laps because; they wore able I > take the corners faster and lost, less time braking: