MOTOR & CYCLING

Taranaki Daily News, 1 August 1931, Page 4 (Supplement)

MOTOR & CYCLING

MOTOR RACING. AS SPORT HINDRANCES TO POPULARITY, THE ' MATHEMATICAL NICETIES. (London Motoring Correspondent.) Motor sport in the British Islands ought to claim a large share of public attention, yet it is notorious that, apart from interest in such an event as the Tourist Trophy Race, lovers of spoi t do not permit themselves to be unduly stirred by races at Brooklands, at Photnix Park and at other places. Even m the Tourist Trophy Race, winch has •been held for the .last two years in Ulster, does not . create the mteiest to which it is entitled as a road race. Certainly there is little to complain of on the day itself, for those who take the trouble to< travel to the Ards Circuit for the race are motor racing enthusiasts, and they can be relied upon to enjoy themselves. But they form only a small section of the community. A race such. as the Tourist liop y should be the affair of all lovers of sport, not of a .minority. But motoiin<r enthusiasts have'the advantage over ordinary people in that they are well up in the intricacies of handicapping. They are not beset by the conviction that in a race of any description the do they 6cc anything incongruous in tlm best man ought necessarily to win, noi • circumstance that a small -c a Pa e of about 70 m.p.h., should be able, to wrest the laurels from giants that can flash by at double the speed. But the ordinary individual ponders these matters and decides in many cases that the mathematical niceties of motor-racing are too much for him. He promises himeelf that one day when he has time ho will try to unravel the mysteries oi motor-race handicapping and try to take a keener interest in that form ot to much sympathy with the ordinary motorist who feels he ought to take a greater interest in the ..portinn- aspects of his hobby, but is baulked by handicapping systems which make at possible for those Davids of the motorjng world—the baby cars—to whack veritable Goliaths. • Obviously it is difficult to arrange a race on other .than a handicapping basis, but to my mini t ie whole system of motor-racing ought to be remodelled. The organisers of motor races base their handicaps upon golfing competition methods when a much bettor way might be to emulate boxing contests. . Golfing competitions are difficult enough to the uninitiated with the differences in handicaps and the fractional method of computing strokes; but laps, engine capacity and the other , factois that come into consideration in fixing motor racing handicaps are even more difficult to grasp. The average motorist goes to. a motor race for sport. He is given instead arithmetical sums and engineering formulae. I have suggested boxing as a form of sport upon which organisers of motor races might model themselves. In boxing you do not pit a lightweight against a heavyweight and say to the heavyweight: “You will only punch with your left and you will avoid your opponent’s jaw.”. Boxers are matched in thejr various classes. But at Brooklands and at other races “Kid Lewis” is pitied against “Camera,” yet we have a win by “Kid Lewis,” which, as Euclid would say, is absurd. HANDICAP REVISION. Possibly motor races of the Tourist Trophy type cannot be organised without some handicapping system, but I certainly believe that much moi e intel est would be generated in motor sport if races were run strictly on a class basis. Heavyweights should be pitted ' against heavyweights, middleweights against middleweights and lightweights against lightweights. Then the iininformed lover of sport might be induced to take' a greater interest in motor racefi* Failing some such change, the next best thing would be to revise handicaps in such a way that the little cars would be put “in their place.” Recent performances by the smallest types of car suggest that they are under-handicap-ped? They'have highly efficient engines nowadays but their size seems to secure for them undue sympathy. Handicappers have an almost sentimental attachment for these ‘gallant little chaps in a big race, but what about then bigger brothers? Are all the other members of the motor family to be sacrificed always in. the interests of the spoiled “babies?” Some of the makers of larger carsx who. have hitherto partlcinated in the majority of important events are becoming restive, and it is possible that they may withdraw altogether from racing because of the piesent system of handicapping—a course which would tend further to destioy interest in motor sport. A few words ought, perhaps, to be said about road trials of the LondonEdinburgh typo which, presumably, also have some claim to come under the heading of motor sport and, incidentally, also share in the apathy with which such. sport is regarded in Britain. My own opinion of such trials in recent years is best expressed when I say that I consider they ought to come under the heading of joy riding rather than sport. I would, however, make a reservation as to the merits of the hill-climbing, testa during this years London-Edinburgh run. The results will show that about 30 per cent, of the cars taking part in the trial failed to climb Park Rash, a gradient of considerable steepness and bad surface, situated in Yorkshire. Such a percentage of failures cannot be considered high, and in any event the failures may have been due to driving faults of temporary loss of engine power. But the fact remains that they did occur, at a time when manufacturers tell us that the modern car will go anywhere on almost any kind of road. It must be understood, of course, that makers of cars do not officially participate in trials of this description, and that they are not, therefore, responsible for failures on'hills or anywhere else. At the same time they cannot be divorced from all concern in these failures. Whatever the explanation of the failures —whether the driver: did not fully exploit the power possibilities of the engine or the power-unit itself was not up to the requirements of that particular hill—the demand nowadays is for cars that will not let down even the inexperienced motorist if he should happen to come in his travels upon an out-of-the-way, freak hill. It is up to makers of every kind of car to see that their products fulfil the elementary function of a car, which is to go forward, whether slowly or quickly, no matter what the steepness of the hill, if such a hill, can be climbed by other ordinary cars

TWENTY-SEVEN THOUSAND MILES, MILEAGE OF 270,000 MILES. A REMARKABLE Out of the Canadian North-west there came recently a Buick sedan with a roadage of 270,000 miles, and still going strong. It is a 1923 -seven-pas-, senger model, owned by J. C. Hart, service man for a threshing machiue. company, who came out of the North-west to visit his parents in Detroit, and lias since gone back there still driving his dependable and long-lived car. Save for new pistons and pins, installed in 1927, and a new rubber mat. for the driving compartment, the car is just as it was the day it left the factory to pile up the immense mileage of something more than 11 times around the Equator. , : Hart’s territory includes Manitoba,’ Saskatchewan and Alberta. It is 1500 miles in a straight line from east to west, but his journeyings zigzag considerably, as he goes from farm to farm in his service work. Sometimes he carries as much as 1000 pounds of tools and'threshing machine parts in the rear compartment. ..The car has the original body and roof covering, fenders, rims, wheels. Even the clock on the instrument, panel is still going well. The up- • holstery and run in the rear-are worn, .but serviceable. “l~expc' , t to drive iny •1923 Buick two more years, to make it an even ten,” Hart told a Buiek official, “and then get a new Buick.” .< MAKING MOTORS MIND. HELPFUL HINTS. .(By W. B. Franklin, service manager of General Motors New Zealand Ltd.). Holding-a Steering wheel is an art in itself, For the best control at high speed the two hands should grasp the wheel at points approximately opposite each other. The palm of the left hand should be under the rim with the fingers gripping upwards, thus allowing the left arm and hand to serve as a brace. The palm of the riglit -hand should be on top of the rim, with the fingers gripping downward, thus affording the greatest and most quickly available leverage. For the most comfortable position both hands should rest lightly, with palms down, on the lower section of the steering wheel. Driving with one hand, or steering by holding the spokes of the wheel, may be resorted to as an occasional measure of comfort, but it is bad practice owing to the fact that it makes close control of steering difficult in an emergency. The oil filter saves wear by preventing foreign matter such as dust, carbon, grit and sand from mixing with the oil. Motorists will be interested to know just what an oil filter is and why it should be renewed after 10,000 miles of driving. The oil .filter consists of. a rectangular bag, made from special flannel, with the nap side forming the inner wall of the bag. The bag has an inlet channel which connects with a series of other channels running the length of the bag. The oil is thus filtered through the channels in the bag, the dirt remaining on the inside of the channels and the clean oil feeding back to the engine. This filtering bag is rolled up and fits into a metal screen, which is placed in a cylindrical metal container having inlet and outlet connections to tho oil supply. As much as two pounds of sludge, including much abrasive matter, is removed from the crankcase oil by the oil filter in 10,000 miles of average driving. The removal of this foreign matter from the oil saves wear and thus minimises need for replacement of various working parts of the engine, With the oil filter the oil is filtered progressively and through a filtering area of GOO square inches. The filter functions at high efficiency until every inch of the filtering area has been finally filled-with residue, which occurs abbut every 10,000 miles of driving. Thon tlie oil filter cartridge should be replaced, which will make the oil filter as good as new again and ready for 10,000 more miles of service. The motorist should not neglect to have this servicing done at an authorised service station. “TEST YOUR NEW CAR.” SOME SUGGESTIONS. The vast majority of new-car buyers appreciate, expert advice in assisting them in making their selection, but where this cannot be obtained suggestions may aid them. “Request a demonstration so that you can actually drive the car and learn its performance characteristics before purchasing,” advise General Motors engineers. “Remember that the new car should ride and drive easier than your old one as it should represent new engineering achievements. For this reason it is advisable to drive the new car for several miles to become accustomed to its ‘feel’ before starting to test its ■performance. “A. paved highway with light traffic is best for testing speed, braking power, engine smoothness at various speeds, acceleration and quietness of Operation. Where steep grades are accessible, hill climbing abilities may be tested. Flexibility of transmission and its ability to shift smoothly from high to second gear, so that tho braking power of the engine can be used on down grades, also can be tested on the hills. “A stretch of rough road will quickly disclose roadability, riding comfort, steering ease and body construction. A final drive in traffic, testing brakes, acceleration, gear shifting and steering ehse should give a motorist a good idea of car performance.” WORLD TOUR COMPLETED. POLISH BOY SCOUT’S DRIVE. George Jeliuski, Polish boy scout, recently reached Detroit, Michigan, the lust stop on ,his trip around the world. Two years ago this intrepid young man set out from the motor city behind the wheel ’of a Buick sedan which he has now driven through 27 countries covering over 100,000 miles. Sailing from San Francisco in 1928, Mr. Jeliuski first visited Hawaii, then China and India. From Colombo he went by boat to Franco and motored all over the European continent. The car in v.'hich the traveller made his globe-circling journey now bears the insignia of 30 automobile clubs in Poland, France, England and the Far East. The car is equipped with radio and the rear seat is so constructed as to be easily converted into a bed.

THE CAR’S SAFEST FACTOR. VALUE OF ACCELERATION, Speed and motor-cars usually are associated with the idea of a better than mile-a-minute pace, which is a, wrong conception, according to Mr. L. L. King, production manager of General Motors New Zealand Limited. He holds • that the true definition of a. speedy car is one that will “give you the rate of speed you want when you want it.’’ And this rate of speed may be as low as 15 miles an hour. "What the majority of motorists really desire when they ask for speed is acceleration,” saya Mr. King. “They like a car that is “speedy” throughout its entire range, one that instantly will respond to the throttle whether going at 10 or at 50 miles an hour. That is acceleration. Acceleration riiay.be termed the antithesis of speed; inasmuch as acceleration usually tends toward safety while speed, in itself, is usually associated with lack of caution. A car with good acceleration is comparable to a nimble-footed athlete who can quickly shift his position when an emergency exists. “When necessity requires, two safety methods usually are open to motorists. One is to stop and the other is to increase speed. Sometimes it is advisable to apply the brakes; again it is bettor to increase speed, providing the ear in question is one that will respond without hesitation. “To sum up, safety on the highway requires good brakes, a car capable of rapid acceleration and a driver with equally rapid mental reactions.” TRADE IN PHILIPPINES. DEVELOPMENT of roads. The present highway. system in the Philippines traces its beginning.; to the.: •Spanish conquest of. 1542. During the 17th and 18th centuries, in the sections of the islands where the Spaniards concentrated their main efforts, military roads of lasting benefit were built. By I'Bs'B in many parts of the islands fairly good ..roads were maintained and horse-drawn vehicles were used for passengers and freight. These roads naturally stimulated trade relations ' between the local communities bn the larger islands and had a beneficial influence on the development of the present growing land transportation system. No systematic plan of development was followed, however, and it was only during the last years that a definite road system has been built. The plan of the Philippine bureau of public works is to develop a patjpnal system of truck highways and a network of roads feeding them, in order that native products may be transported cheaply to the important trade centres, and that merchandise from these trade centres can secure effective distribution throughout the islands. At the end of 1929 there were 6760 kilometers (4200 miles) of first class highway, 3630 kilometers (2256 miles) of second class highway, and 2250 kilometers (1308 miles) of third class highway, making a total of 12,649 kilometers (7854 miles) of. roads in an area of approximately 114,000 square miles/ In 1910 the total length of roads was only 5599 kilometers (3479 miles). In addition to these roads there is a fairly well developed system of . trails leading to other arteries of transportation. On these trails one may still see merchandise being transported to and from remote villages on the 'backs of men. At the close of 1929 there were 17,031 permanent bridges and culverts throughout the islands, which have greatly increased the effectiveness of provincial highways. The total annual expenditure on roads and bridges reached a new high level in 1929, totalling 15;679,013 Philippine pesos (the peso equals 50 cents), as compared, with 13,884,383 pesos in 1928, 12,075,300 pesos in 1927, 9,220,529 pesos in 1926 and 8,967,899 pesos in 1925. From 1910 to 1924 inclusive, the annual expenditures averaged 6,658,796 pesos. Animal-drawn vehicles are still ah important transportation factor for the provincial resident or “tao.” The bull cart, drawn by a carabao, is commonly used to transport farm 'products to tho market, as' well aa for passenger transportation among the , very poor Filipinos. The horse-drawn vehicle is, however, more popular for the latter purpose and one finds the “carromata”. or “carretela” in common use throughout the islands. The horses used for these vehicles are rather small, but are surprisingly sturdy. It is a common sight to see a carromata loaded with six or seven Filipinos and considerable produce being drawn at a good rate of speed by a horse which is almost lifted from the ground by the weight of the load. BRAKE ADJUSTMENT. CORRECTION ON THE ROAD. . Although there is perhaps no subject appertaining to motor-cars which has been the source of so much discussion as brake adjustment, it is probable that not one car in ten has the brakes properly adjusted. Thia is not due to carelessness or ignorance, but because the adjustment is a tedious job. The trouble involved in jacking up all four wheels, when only one jack is available is quite enough to make the average motorist put off the evil day as long as possible, and when the work is finished it may be only a matter of weeks before tho brakes need further attention. ; ■ Here la a rough-and-ready method of adjustment: After running downhill for some distance with the foot brake on, feel each brake drum; it will be found that some are hotter than others, the difference in temperature indicating which of the brakes is out of adjustment. Tighten the adjusting nuts where the drums are cold; this should be done by easy stages, say, one or two turns after each run. This procedure should be carried out on different runs until all drums warm up at approximately tho same temperature. Thia method, in my experience, is very effective, as the adjustments are made under running conditions. If, when testing, there are no hills in the vicinity, similar results ca- be obtained, of course, by driving with the foot brake slightly on, care being taken not to overheat the drums.—The Autocar.