NEW LAND SPEED RECORD

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21418, 9 March 1935, Page 15

NEW LAND SPEED RECORD

SIR MALCOLM CAMPBELL'S ACHIEVEMENT ANOTHER ATTEMPT STILLTOSS IBLE rߣss association —bt j:ls<:teio TELEGKArE—CUPVRIC.HT.I (Received March 8. 5.5. p.m.) DAYTONA BEACH, March 7. Sir Malcolm Campbell, in his racing: car. Bluebird, to-day established a new land speed record of 276.816 miles an hour for a measured mile. On the south-bound run Sir Malcolm reached 272.727 miles an hour, and on the return trip, with a favourable wind, 281.030 miles an hour. It was a last-minute sortie and a last minute decision to wait no longer for the sands to smooth to the perfection needed. "I haven't decided yet whether to stay and try to lift the record higher," Sir Malcolm said, as the 50,000 people lining the course cheered him. The run was as dangerous as any he has ever made here. The smooth rubber surface of all six tyres of his car was literally burned away, and the casing hung in shreds like strips of torn burlap. Parts of them were worn to within two fabric layers of the inner tubes. Condition of Track "The run down was splendid," said Sir Malcolm Campbell, "but coming back was simply terrible. The beach for six miles at the souih end was very rough. I had to get up speed there, so I simply irod the accelerator down to the floor ar.d held on. I could feel the tyres going but it was all right until just after I left the measured mile, when I hit a huge bump. The wheels wrenched over and 1 thought I was gone. It was terrifically close. Just as the left wheels readied where they seemed to be touching the soft sands, they came back, and every- ' thing was all right. I hurt both ! wrists pulling the car back." Sir Malcolm broke four world's speed records. In addition to the mile lie averaged 276.160 miles an hour for one kilometre, 268.474 miles an hour for five kilometres, and 251.396 miles an hour for five miles. ' Time for Runs Before , Lady Campbell would allow Sir Malcolm to make his run to-day she drove over the course in an ordinary car at eight miles an hour, and herself that it was in good condition. She then gave her husband the signal to start. The Bluebird, which had been completely overhauled, then started its southward run on a 12 miles course of hard white sand marked with black oil strips. It flashed by the racing tower like a cyclonic dust storm. Only the pall of dust raised by the flat-beaked Bluebird could be seen by spectators. When he completed the course Sir Malcolm was informed that he had made a record of 272.727 miles an hour, which is only 7-100 of a second better than his previous record. On the return northward run he extended the machine to make a record of 281.030 miles, which, computed with the southward speed, gives him a new record of 276.816 miles an hour. The time for the record mile was 12.81 seconds. Although she was pleased at the second effort, Lady Campbell indicated that it was below the mark her husband hoped to set, and he would probably make another attempt. Sir Malcolm Campbell has raised his own record, set at Daytona Beach on February 22, 1933, by 4.708 miles an hour. Before he left England for this attempt he expressed the hope of achieving 300 miles an hour. The 12-cylinder Rolls-Royce (Schneider Trophy* supercharged engine is the same unit as was used two years ago, when the record of 272.108 miles an hour was established. It has a total cylinder capacity of 36i litres, and an R.A.C. rating of 173.28 h.p., developing 2500 b.h.p. at 3200 r.p.m. This corresponds to a speed of 300 miles an hour on the top gear ratio of 1.19 to 1. The wheelbase is 13ft Bin. the track sft, and the overall sizes 28ft 3in by b'ft llin. Including lead ballast, the weight of the complete car is five tons. Sir Malcolm Campbell has always used on his speed record breaking machines Dunlop wheels and tyres.