MOTOR SPEED RECORD

Taranaki Daily News, 21 January 1933, Page 8

MOTOR SPEED RECORD

MURIWAI BEACH TRACK. f SUITABILITY OF SURFACE. The opinion that Muriwai beach would be quite suitable for an attempt on the world’s land speed record is held by Mr. S. F. Edge, a well-known English pioneer motorist, who paid a special visit of inspection to the beach. He intends to recommend Muriwai beach to Sir Malcolm Campbell as soon as he arrives back in England. “It would be a very good thing for the Empire if the world’s land speed record were broken on British territory, Mr. Edge stated. “Sir Malcolm Campbell, with whom I am well acquainted, would, I know, be only too glad of the opportunity of finding a suitable beach for record purposes in some land within the Empire, and I am going to give him a very favourable verdict when I get back.” , „ . Mr. Edge, who is probably the farst visitor with an experienced knowledge of Daytona to inspect Auckland’s west coast beach, said that he considered Muriwai was a first-class track. He had arrived there at low tide, anjd had driven about 15 miles along the beach, and as far as he could see there was not one single bump or anything else which would impede the progress of a car travelling at a high speed. The beach at Daytona, he considered, had slightly more resistance to the wheels of a car than Muriwai, owing to the sand being a little softer and less tightly packed. Drivers who were intent on a world s record at Daytona were forced to keep almost at the edge of the water in order that the wheels of the car might be on the hardest portion of sand. At Muriwai, however, there was ample room as far as width was concerned, and the 20 mites or so in length would be more than sufficient for the fastest car. Discussing the relative merits of the Ninety-Mile and Muriwai Beaches, Mr. Edge said that he had been informed that the surface of the former was even better than that which he had inspected, and if that was so it must be a perfect surface indeed. He thought that from the point of view of accessibility, Muriwai Beach would be far better, both for the racing driver and the public. “It is very easy to get there,” he said, “and the pub ic would be able to get an excellent glimpse of the speeding car.” Mr. Edge left yesterday by the Marama for Australia, and will arrive back in England in March. He intends to get m touch with Sir Malcolm Campbell 35 soon as possible. ,