MOTOR RACING

Southland Times, Issue 22915, 13 June 1936, Page 19

MOTOR RACING

PROVIDES BETTER CARS ' AN INTENSELY FASCINATING SPORT I have often been asked about motor racing, ‘‘What is the good of it?” Whenever this question is put to me I won--5 der whether those who put it ever ask the same question about forms of sport, such as horse racing, yacht racing, and, in fact, any other form of competition, (writes Earl Howe in the Daily Telegraph Motoring supplement.) The answer is simple about all these e great competitions—it improves the _ breed. The same inquisitive soul will e usually follow up the first question by _ another: “Why do you go in for it?” _ My answer to that always is that I do 1 not personally know any other form of ? sport which can compare with the inr tense fascination of motor racing, or one B which calls for a higher degree of skill B and physical fitness. 3 Of course, there are several forms of s motor racing. Most of them I have s undertaken myself, but there is one I have never tackled, and that is an atr tempt on the world’s land speed rej cord. But I am certain that the won- _ derful feats of Sir Malcolm Campbell, j the late Sir Henry Segrave and others 1 call for just the same combination of . skill, courage, nerve and physical fit- . ness as in the other forms of motor j racing. J Tremendous Self-Control Needed. , Motor racing does not consist of just getting into a very fast machine and ” h° w quickly you can make it go. . The driver must at all times exercise t tremendous self-control; everything » depends on his judgment. He may, for r instance, find himself rapidly over- ; hauling another competitor. At the ’ s a me tbpe he can see, and he knows ; that he is approaching a bend or comer [ which has a very definite limit of speed; ar ?n excee ds the limit of speed he . will almost certainly crash. ! has to make up his mind, often in , the twinkle of an eye, whether it is i safer to pass the car in front, or whether he must wait behind until the corner is ; passed, knowing well that he is losing valuable seconds thereby. Another situation that continually arises in motor racing concerns how fast an open bend can be taken. Can the car, in fact, go round at full speed, or must the driver take his foot off? Probably the sort of bend I have in mind can just be taken at full speed if the driver is in exactly' the right position on the road, but notwithstanding the road may be 50 or 100 feet wide, there is probably only just a margin of ■two or three inches for the car’s wheels. If he is not in exactly the right position after the bend has been taken, a b a d or dangerous skid may develop. Inen, again, on the fast straights, with the enormous speeds of which the modern racing car is capable, ranging from 150 to 200 m.p.h., the wind has *> terrific effect, and can even cause the car to leave the road. Often the driver in a big road race must ask himself whether he can poss'ibly keep the car going absolutely at full speed and at the same time hold it on the road when there is a severe cross wind blowing. Sometimes when the day is very hot tar on the road will start to melt, and I have known a great many cases where at certain points the course has been little better than a butter-slide owing to liquid tar, and I have often known it thrown up by the wheels and go right down inside one’s overalls and down one’s shirt. At other times I have known it thrown up and be so hot that it has raised small blisters where it has lodged on one’s arms. Of course, the fascination of these great speeds is simply terrific. When I am in a race I usually know very well whether I have taken a corner well or badly, and I often spend some of the time during the race trying to improve the speed at which I can get round a particular corner. Some corners are most baffling, and I know a certain number of corners on various courses that I do not believe I have ever taken correctly, though I have gone round them hundreds, and indeed thousands, of times.

From the point of view of the spectator, racing can be wildly exciting, but a good deal depends on the nature of the race. Where a handicap is involved it is very difficult indeed for the spectator to follow the progress of the various cars, but handicap races really only exist in Great Britain. On the Continent nearly all races are scratch races, and it then depends very much on the length of the circuit whether the race is really good value from the point of view of the spectator or not. Undoubtedly the best race of all in the world from the point of view of the spectator is the sort of race that is held at Monte Carlo every year. Being an invitation race, only the best drivers are asked to take part. The circuit being a very short one, the cars are continually passing the spectator, and it is easy for him to follow their progress. Scenes of Enthusiasm. The scenes of enthusiasm which sometimes take place towards the end of the Monaco Grand Prix have to be seen to be realized. There are many other sorts of circuits in various countries, and in nearly every case the crowds that watch the race are colossal. For instance I have been told by the police authorities of Northern Ireland in past years that as many as 700,000 to 800,000 people turn out to watch the Tourist Trophy Race. I believe I am correct in saying that this is about twice the size of the biggest Derby crowd on record. The same is equally true of the Avus Track at Berlin and the great races on the Nurburg Ring, in Germany. I have said that to drive in a great Continental race demands a high degree of skill and nerve. |This, of course, is perfectly true. The race is usually very difficult from the point of view of the more temperamental performer. I have always considered that the first essential in motor racing was physical fitness, and the drivers who neglect to keep themselves physically fit are seldom likely to be very successful in a race. Some races make a far greater physical demand upon the driver than others. For instance, in the Monaco Grand Prix, even if the driver has trained really hard, he will usually find after 30 laps he is becoming extremely exhausted. The driver is usually able to get his second wind and so to go on, but as one who has competed for several years in this race, I know only too well that every year after about 30 laps I have wondered whether it was possible for me to continue. On one occasion, when I managed to finish the race, I was so exhausted that I had practically to be lifted out of my car. I am often asked which is the circuit which I like to drive on most. This is a very difficult question to answer. There are several circuits, nearly all of them different in character, which I like very much indeed. I am not sure that the Ards Circuit, just outside Belfast, is not one of the best. The Nurburg Ring, in Germany, is extremely difficult to learn and very dangerous if any mistake is made. The circuit at Pescara, in Italy, is a fascinating one, with huge straights on which any car can develop its maximum speed, and a very interesting portion with comparatively severe hills and many comers, all of them different. I had the opportunity of racing on New'Year’s Day on a remarkably fin. circuit at East London, in South Africa Which of all these circuits I like most I do not know. All of them are different. ?nd all have their attractions.