MOTORING & CYCLING

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1393, 4 January 1917, Page 28

MOTORING & CYCLING

It is reported that flying from the trenches in France to London and back again in the same day is becoming a not uncommon experience for officers of the British army. The story is told of how a soldier recently left the trenches in France early in the morning, took a Turkish bath in London some three and a-half hours later, lunched at one of the leading hotels in the British metropolis, and returned back to the trenches in the early evening.

Receiving wireless messages on board aeroplanes has heretofore been almost impossible because of the intense noise of the engines and propellers, and the faintness of the signals in the telephone receivers. With a view to making possible the reception of wireless signals by aviators, - two Americans, Messrs. Cutting and Washington, have developed a brass helmet which, when worn by aviators, is said to eliminate effectually the noise of the engines and the propellers. The helmet covers the head of the wearer and rests on his shoulders. A telephone receiver head-band is worn in the usual manner. Virtually, the wireless operator is now using a sound-proof booth.

A well-known firm of English carburetter manufacturers, i eplying to a motor cyclist who was in some difficulty with the engine of his motor cycle, the tendency being for it to knock on the slightest provocation, state that contrary to the usual impression held by motor cyclists generally, a high-gear ratio always means a heavy petrol consumption, simply because the engine is running on too rich a mixture nearly all the time in order to prevent it from knocking, and it is frequently found that with single-cylinder side-car outfits the speed, as well as the petrol consumption, is vastly improved by lowering the gear ratio. They express the opinion that in the case of a side-car machine any top gear ratio higher than 5 to 1 is excessive. We agree with this view if it is confined to single cylinder machines of from 3% to 4% h.p., but experience has shown that gears higher than 5 to 1 can be safely employed with a big twin engine, whilst some long-stroke singles of 5-6 h.p. rating give most excellent results with a top gear of about 4 to 1 and a side-car attached.

In most European countries, the ruling bodies of motor cycling sport recognise no distinction between amateurs and professionals. In some Australian competitions there is a separate class for private owners, but as far as the ruling bodies are concerned there is no subdivision. In America it is otherwise, and the Federation of American Motor Cyclists included in the programme of its championship meeting at Columbus a series of championships for amateurs. A spec ; al prize was offered for the best performance amongst the amateur riders, of which John Hess was declared the winner. Now comes the news that protests have been lodged, and the chairman of the competition announces that cross-accusations place the amateur status of all the competitors at Columbus in doubt. ’Twas ever thus. America had better fall into line and do away with the distinction. There is no need for an amateur class in a form of sport that is purely mechanical.

It is not so very long back that a sensation was provided throughout the motoring world by the late Percy .Lambert, when he negotiated 103 miles 1470 yards in 60 minutes on a Talbot on the Brooklands track, England. Now this wonderful speed is exceeded in competition with a number of contestants on the track. When J. Aitken, on a French-built Peugeot, recently won the Hackness Trophy on the Sheepshead track, New York, he covered 100 miles in 56 minutes 37 seconds, equal to 105.9 miles in the hour. The intermediate times afford a fair idea of the remarkable speed maintained throughout the contest The first 10 miles took 5 minutes 39 seconds; 20 miles, 11 minutes 5 seconds; 30 miles, 16 minutes 28 seconds;

40 miles, 21 minutes 52 seconds; 50 miles, 27 minutes 22 seconds (equal t) 109% miles per hour); 60 miles, 33 minutes 49 seconds; 70 miles, 39 minutes 33 seconds; 80 miles, 45 minutes 16 seconds; and 90 miles in 50 minutes 54 seconds. Had Aitken been pushed towards the latter end of the race, he would certainly have beaten J. Chassagne’s world’s hour record of 107 miles 1672 yards, which he only missed by the narrow margin of 7Vi seconds.

We have from time to time urged the desirability of the fitting of larger wheels to motor cycles. Small wheels lead to an excessive amount of vibration, and anyone who has ridden a machine fitted with 28tn. wheels must have realised that they are far more comfortable when ridden over bad roads. Twenty-six inch wheels have become standard on all British-made motor cycles, and two-strokes are almost invariably fitted with even smaller wheels. Riders of pedal bicycles have long since recognised that 26-inch wheels are not worth the saving in weight that is effected by their use, save on almost perfect road surfaces, and we feel pietty sure

that in course of time motor cyclists will arrive at the same conclusion. For Australasian conditions, nothing smaller than 28in. wheels should be used, and then in conjunction witn large-sized tyres.

In England a law has been passed making it compulsory that a light shall be carried in front of any animal or animals on the roadway. If the herd exceeds more thorn 20 head of cattle or 100 sheep, a second lamp must be provided. If similar provision was made in this country it would add to the safety of travelling on our roads during night hours and be greatly appreciated by motorists and cyclists.

After making a record run from San Francisco to New York, as mentioned in these columns a few weeks back, the six-cylinder Hudson car, with the same three drivers, was driven back to the Pacific Coast. The car remained in New York fourteen hours and twenty minutes, and the return journey was made in five days seventeen hours and thirty-two minutes. The record run had taken ten hours less, but a longer read had to be traversed going west owing to bad roads. The mileage was 6952, a daily average of about 700.

The total number of motor cars and cycles in Christchurch is estimated at 1216.

Dr. and Mrs. Ewart, of Wellington, have been making a motor tour of the South Island.

At a meeting of the Wa s mairi County Council the matter of dazzling headlights on the North Road was referred to. A letter had been received complaining about the above. Mr. T. D. Boag asked that the council should first compel all people using the roads at night to carry lights before it proceeded against people whose lights were a little too bright. There was more danger occasioned by the large number of unlighted traps and other vehicles about at night.

The history of the work of the British armoured-car squadrons now operating with the Russian Grand Duke’s army, when permitted to be told, will show a record of endurance and cheerfulness in adversity worthy of any section of British aims (says the “Westminster Gazette” in an issue of September last). Organised and commanded by Commander Oliver Locker-Lampson, M.P., the unit consists of a large number of powerful armoured cars and complete equipment. Its hundreds of officers and

men include individuals not only from the United Kingdom, but from practically all the Dominions.

A difficulty arose in connection with the Pioneer Motor Club’s recent single-geared trial and petrol consumption test, says the Christchurch “Sun.” The petrol consumption test points were to have been awarded on the A.C.U. formula. One of the riders stated that he had a copy of the formula, but he is not now able to find it. Two others were obtained, each of which produced exactly opposite results. One gave the high-powered machines a walk-in, while the other placed the low-powered mach'nes likewise in this position.

Dazzling lights were the cause of an interesting case in the Timaru Magistrate’s Court the other day. A constable gave evidence that he saw the defendant, who pleaded not guilty, driving a car along Stafford Street

towards George Street. The lights were, according to the evidence, sufficiently dazzling to interfere with approaching traffic. The counsel for the defendant stated the section required that there must be approaching traffic. The constable giving evidence had previously stated that there was no approaching traffic, and that defendant was on his right side. The counsel for the defendant continued that the prosecution would have to show that the light would affect the vision of approaching drivers of vehicles. The lights in question, he said, did not throw a light across the road, but a narrow beam straight ahead, so that approaching vehicles on the right side of the road would not be affected. The defendant stated that the council’s own small omnibus had lights of exactly the same size. Another witness deposed that the lights were perfectly reasonable. The magistrate dismissed the case.

“To give you an idea of the immense growth of the motor industry,” said Mr. H. A. Fox, who has just returned to Wellington, “I will tell you of an experience I had in Chicago. In

company with a friend I motored through the parks of that great city on a Sunday afternoon, and as we were returning we passed such an immense number of cars that I decided to take a tally. In one minute no fewer than 45 cars passed. As another instance of the tremendous number of cars in America, the number on my friend’s car was 238,000. This represented the State of Illinois alone. It is expected that there will be five million cars running in America by the end of next year”