International Motor-Car Race

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 22, 28 May 1903, Page 29

International Motor-Car Race

The Gordon-Bennett motor-car race, which takes place in .Ireland m .July, is ci eating a great amount of interest not alone in the United Kingdom, but also in E-urope and America, and will be the means of attracting immense crowds of \isitois to the Emerald Isle Jt will undoubtedly be the most interes-ting contest ever witnessed m that country Iho thousands of spectatoi-s will ha\e their choice of positions on both sides 01 the tun i.st — uiir l.\p ol which runs to a distance of 102 miles, so there will be no danger of overcrowding. Spec.,tators, however (says the 'Freeman's Journal') will do well to tamper then- cunositv w ith caution, for though if oidinar.v care is taken no pain can come to them, a little lecklessness may pio\e to ha\e exceedingly disagreeable tesults The motoimg journals, which 'are full of the i ace, .ill agree in enforcing this point. The duty of the gentlemen who will ha\e charge of the course wiil be to see that there ai c no animals on the road and that the public take up their position on the inside ol the li-iui"- This may seem an unnecessary precaution. but when it is takon into consideration that the roads are comparatively narrow and that on many stretches the cars will be travelling close up to ninety miles an hour, the risk of standing even on the g,rass edge of the road will be fully recognised As a matter of fact, it is not likely that anyone will want to stand there after the lirst cat has passed.

Tin. i ace it^cll will commence at seven o'clock in the morning, and in all probability will iinisli about i ]) in , as time will be lost in the controls The an angoments, needless to say, will be most elaborate. To begin with, there will be two head officeis of the course appointed lor every ten miles of road, one consisting of a member ol the^ local County Council, and another a member of the Automobile Club Those will have control of their own sections, and will have motor bicycle stewards to patrol the course vist before the race, and carry messages from the stewards m charge of the quartermile sections. Each ton-mile section will be divided into quai tor-mile sections, and each ol these quarter-mile sections will have two members of the County Council or gentlemen icsident in the neighborhood, and two members of the Automobile Club in charge

The start will take place at Rally shannon cross roads on the Athv io,id some distance Irom Old Krlcullen, and the first poition ol the race will bo near Castledei mot, Cailow, and Ath\, bac k to Balk shannon cross roads This road having been completed, the competitors will have to make the course ol the figure eight three times by Kilcullen Kildnie, Mnrvboio'. Stiadbally. Athv Old Kilcullen, Timolm Castlederniot , Cailow, Magenv Bridge Athv, are! Bally shannon cioss roads This ai l angement will uri\e sightseers on the str-etch of road between Old Kilcullen and Athv an opportunity of seeing the compctitois pass and repnss no less than seven times so that this area is certain to be the most popular point of vantage lor those who w ish to derive the lulle'-t eniovment possible from the exciting spectacle

As is already gen. >i ally known each count rv wiU be lepiesenitnl in the 1 contest by three cais, ma' ing a toial ol twelve for the four nationalities engaged, English, Fiench. American, and C'erinan i