“ WIZARD ” SMITH’S RECORD.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 19093, 28 January 1932, Page 5

“ WIZARD ” SMITH’S RECORD.

SIDNEY PRESS APPLAUSE. HONOUR SHARED BY MANY. 1 1 United Press Association—By Electric < Telegraph—Copyright j (Received January 27. 7.30 p.m.) j . SYDNEY. January 27. i “The Sun,” in an editorial, applaud•• < ing “Wizard” Smith’s achievement, ; says: “The honour is shared by the sponsor-guarantor, Mr Stewart; Mr Harkness, and every workman aiding < in the car's construction. To all these . men, the Australians owe more than a : debt of gratitude. Through such deeds, • the world gets to know and respect us.” 1 I < “CLOSING DOWN” FOR WEEK. BEACH NOW UNSUITABLE. By Telegraph—Press Association KAITAIA. January 27. Once again the Ninety Mile Beach will be a scene of inactivity for about 10 days, and most of the officials have | left to return to Auckland. They will j come back about February 3rd. and it ! is understood that an attempt on the ' flying mile and five-mile records will j take place between February 4th and | 6 th. This decision was reached late this j afternoon, when it was found that the ; tides were unsuitable for an attempt j before then. Low water is now late in the afternoon, too late for runs, and the beach is too wet in the morning, so it has been decided to pack up and leave this evening. The “king” tides, the highest of the year, are due between February 4th and 6th, and it is hoped that the beach will be right for the big attempt then. 1 The beach post office-is closing till the , officials return. There was no activity at the garage i to-day. Smith is taking things easy j after his gruelling run yesterday. HAMPERED BY WET SAND. HIGHLY PLEASED WITH CAR. j ~ “ ! rJy Telegraph—Press Association ; NINETY-MILE BEACH, Jan. 27. i Hurtling along Ninety-Mile Beach yesterday afternoon, "Wizard” Smith raised the world’s ten-mile speed record by a substantial margin, beating Marchand’s time by just on 20 miles an • hour. Smith’s average speed was 164.084 miles an hour, the average time for the two runs being 3 minutes 38.401 seconds. He did the first run in 3min 59.9455ec, and the second in 3min 18.858 sec. Conditions were not the best for the attempt, as most of the beach was very wet and slow. There was only a slight westerly breeze, but visibility, especially, on the wet sands, was not good. Al- ' though Smith was not in favour of ; driving on wet sand, he decided to make the ten-mile attempt, but he stated afterwards that he would not undertake a further speed attempt with the beach so wet. The course was flagged on the shore side for a stretch of about 18 miles, and the car was towed to the northern end ready for the run south. After a final inspection of the beach, Smith climbed into the small seat, the engine was started, and, with cries of “good luck” ringing in his ears, he set out to beat Marchand’s 137.2 miles an hour. In an incredibly short time he passed the first track switch and was on the track proper, with his foot hard down on the accelerator. The car screamed past the centre post travelling at nearly 200 miles an hour, and hurtled on towards the last switch, sending up huge showers of spray. The first run 'over, Smith travelled easily to a dump well down the beach, where an inspection showed the rear tyres cut by toheroas shells. The damage was not severe, but experts advised that the wheels be changed. The car was reloaded with petrol, and the return trip soon com- “ menced. 3 As the car was flying past the track i switches for the second time, the enr gine was spluttering as the car vanished in a cloud of spray and smoke. The spluttering could be heard a long time after the “Enterprise” was out of sight, but this was not the fault of the engine, Smith explained later, but was due to the fact that every now and then he was forced to slow down, as he found it difficult to see through the sand which sprayed the windscreen, and he added ’he would not attempt further records on the wet beach. One experience was enough, he said, and his drenched clothes and sand-bespattered face were silent witnesses to the fact. He was more than satisfied with the car's performance, and expressed cont fidence that he could travel fast enough 3 to annex the record for the flying mile. a Everything went perfectly. he said, = with not a hitch in the whole race. The efficiency of the gearless transmission system pleased him immensely, and he predicted it would be a rule for all cars sold shortly. The Raysola igniS tion system, he said, also contributed | largely to the efficiency of the car. Although it was unofficially known that he had broken the record about 8 I o’clock, no definite times were worked j out until nearly midnight. Smith sat

- '• up with the officials engaged calculating, while Mrs Smith spent the time r . with friends in a tent near the garage. ** Smith was a happy man when the - official times were known, and. with 3 the strain of waiting over, knowing he i had broken the record by such a large 1 margin on a beach which must have \ slowed him up considerably, and he is l looking forward to assaulting Camp- • bell’s time for the flying mile.