THE MOTORING SPORT.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 955, 27 December 1933, Page 11

THE MOTORING SPORT.

A Fast Diesel Engine Performance. ; The sports section of the Canters bury Automobile Association will held i a hill-climb competition for cars on i January 20. Further details of the j event will be published next w-eek. Closed-in Record-breakers. The day of the open single-seater record-breaker seems to be passing, for recently the trend has been to enclose the cockpit with a cowl so as to provide uninterrupted streamlining. The “ Magic Midget,” the car with which George Evston and Denly have made history, has been enclosed in this way. The most recent records established by this car were secured by Denly for the simple reason that Evston was unable to get into the cockpit. A Hotchkiss record-breaker, which recently captured the six-hour record for the two-litre class at 101.50 miles per hour (also driven by Eyston) had a beautifully designed, totally enclosed, single-seater body placed to one side of the chassis. Another achievement was George Eyston’s record-breaking Diesel-engined car, which had a modernistic saloon body on it. The next world’s land speed challenger will undoubtedly be designed on totally enclosed lines. A Diesel Record. Many predictions have been made about the probable future of the Diesel or compression-ignition engine, and until recently it was thought that because of certain technical difficulties, such as fuel injection, power-weight ratio and lack of flexibility, “ C. 1.” engines would never challenge the petrol motor seriously, at least fast passenger cars. There have been many remarkable developments recently. New and better fuel systems have been devised, normal revolutions have been increased, and weight in proportion to developed horse-power has been greatly diminished. A successful and significant experiment has just been reported, G. E. Eyston, the prominent racing motorist., in a Diesel-engined car at Brooklands and with a flying start covering a mile at more than 104 miles per hour. The test was conducted under unfavourable weather conditions, so that tyres with heavy treads had to be used to secure proper road adhesion. Eyston has set a new figure for Dieseldriven cars. The record was previously held by C. 11. Cummings at 100.7 miles per hour. Cummings made his run on Daytona Beach in 1931, using a fourcylinder “ C. 1.” engine of his own design. Its capacity was 5900 c.c. and the complete engine weighed more than 30001 b. Evston’s car was powered with a six-cylinder “ A.E.C.” engine, which weighed a little more than 14001 b. The engine is manufactured primarily for use with heavy commercial transport, and has a capacity of 8850 c.c. At 2000 r.p.m. it develops 140 h.p. REPAIRING A BLOW-OUT. Many a good car has been delayed on the road through a blow-out in a tube and the lack of a spare. It is possible to mend a hole as big as four inches square if it is tackled in the right way. First of all, cut the jagged edges of the hole into as small a rectangle or square as possible. Then cut two strips of patching material about three-quarters of an inch wide, and wider diagonally than the hole by about an inch. Stick these across each other diagonally, fastening on the inner side of the tube. Cut an oval patch to cover the hole comfortably, and stick down in the usual way. This on its own will usually get you home, but to make doubly sure, if i the material is available, clean well rdund the patch and run a large piece of patching rubber right round the tube, covering the hole and patch, and fix it with solution. This is only intended as a temporary repair.