RISKING LIFE IN A MOTORBOAT.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 301, 19 December 1931, Page 18 (Supplement)

RISKING LIFE IN A MOTORBOAT.

“ I have found that motor-boat raoing provides more thrills and excitement than any other sport,” said Count # Johnston-Noad, the famous pilot, who has won records and trophies in many * countries. “ Although a racing motorboat does not travel as fast as a car or an aeroplane, the speed seems much greater because of the conditions. One hundred miles per hour on the water is equivalent to about two hundred miles per hour on the land, for all conditions except wind pressure. “ ‘ What is the greatest thrill I have had?”’ Count Johnston-Noad smiled. “ I have had so many. But probably the most exciting race in which I have taken part was in 1924, when I was competing for the Duke of York’s International Trophy in Torbay. “ I won the first race for Britain, but the conditions on the second day were terrible. A heavy sea was running, but I set out determined, if possible, to win the trophy. The wind was so strong that, before we had gone far, the beading round the front of the deck was ripped up and blown over our heads! Danger of Speed. “ Then the petrol pipe was broken by the strain. My mechanic bravely volunteered to hold the broken ends together while I piloted the crippled Miss Betty. We knew that if we could go round the . course at all we should probably win. But luck was against us. -* “ At that moment some warships returned to Torbay from exercises, and the wash flung our little boat into the air like a cork. We came down with a thump and sprang a bad leak. Fortunately the spectators saw our plight, and we were rescued just before Miss Betty sank. “ I was more fortunate in 1928, when I won the coveted trophy, and now it is my ambition to break the world’s speed record on the water. “ The only real danger of high speed on the water is that the pilot will be thrown out at a bend. The rules insist on every competitor’s wearing a lifebelt, and this ensures that he floats, even if knocked unconscious by the impact. “ I have been lucky enough never to need my lifebelt, but while racing on the Thames on one occasion I had a narrow escape. My boat was travelling at a high speed when the rudder fouled a cable or obstruction of some kind. “ We were near the side, and the boat went straight up the bank, hit some iron railings, and bounced back into the water! It all happened so quickly • that I had no time to act, and in any case I could not have done anything, * and it was sheer luck that I escaped injury of any kind. Sea Racing. # “ When racing on the open sea, unpleasant conditions are sometimes encountered. A strong head-wdnd with rain makes piloting distinctly uncomfortable. The drops of water strike your face like bullets, and may cut the skin. But whatever the conditions, motor-boat racing is always interesting' and often exciting. I have been doing some flying recently, but it seems very tame! ” . Count Johnston-Noad is the founder of the Outboard Racing Club, and he v/as asked to say something about this new sport. “ Outboarding is a sport for every one,” he said. “ Whereas racing in highpowered boats is an expensive hobby, an outboard costs much less than a car, and is cheaper to run. Moreover, • the engine unit is detachable, and the boat can be hitched up behind a light 0 car for travelling from one part of the country to another.”