Cycling and Motoring Notes.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 15 May 1915, Page 4

Cycling and Motoring Notes.

« From the Duuiop Rubber Gouipuiiy oi Ausfcralaaiii, lor ihn week ending May Bth, iyis. It. Arnst- lias dfliintely announced his retirement a* ail oaixnan. Wtial a meteoric career tiii•- uporuniiui had'lie iiiat came into prominence in Australia in tiie Duniop Cu'h uig Waiiiiamboof' to Meluuiirne road race ill lt'Oii. wht'U ho paced lirotiier Jack to victory from sicraoh. the 105 miles being covered in the record time of 7 Hours 43 minutes. Turning ins attention totrack racing lie, in t!J0o, carried oil' the "Sydney Thousand ' -which iras worth £760 to the winner. Acyuatics next claimed his attention and much merriment was cau-ed in cycling and hculling circles when he announced his attention oi going through a course of training with a view to bidding for the world's Sculling Blue Riband. In le>..s than two years lie was champion of the world a wonderful feat. R. Arust hailed from New Zealand and come of a wondertul family which provided several very tine long distance cycle riders. Canadian Motor Cyclists are organising a 400 miles relay despatch ride across rough country trom Windsor to Utlawa, with a view ol impressing lh<■ military authorities with the value ot the motor cycle for every contingency. Nothing better ill ibis direction ha<s over been accomplished in the world than tlie great performance registered by Australian cyclists, motor cyclists and curisis in the Duuiop Despatch Contest of i'Jill, when Military Despatches were delivered irom Adelaide to Sydney, 11 -3'J miles, in tile appended times: Cyclists 09 hours 32 minutes: sr Cyclists 61 hours 50 iniiiuu <• Motor Curb l<i hours 44. minutes,. An idea of the tremendous growth oi the Motor industry in the United States ot America can be gatht-rcu from tlie tact that ill 191 j. sonic .1.200,OOO.OUO gallons ol petrol were us.-d in that country. In the same prrioii. England u.sed jusl ten per cent of that quantity. file American lyre uaue also niton! (Striking evidence ot the popularity of the auromobile : one big company alone sold over .t'1'j,750,001) worth of tyre* during its last financial year. Thirty-eight per cent ot the motor cycles in Russia were imported from England, twenty live per cent Irom Germany, sixteen per cent from America and the remaining twenty one p.-. cent had their origin in Russia and other countries. Friction drive on mi,tor cycles i:being tested in England. Th.-re seenis no inherent reason why this simple form oi transmission should no; prove practical and economical wiicn applied to a motor cycle. For light car mirk this system of pewer t rausmisMnn Improved a -success where adopted. A fine motoring record lia- .just been accomplished in Western Au.-tralin by *wo Perth motorists in Messrs .1. 1,. Bin-ton and C. Laiujdon who drove from Albany to Armadale. '_'38 miles. ov<"- all description* of p-ads arid tracks in the splendid time ol 7 hour.'-- 28 minutes equal to an average -peed of ; eye;. 3]4 iiiiles per hour. j It looks as if there will he a -horcI age of high quality motor cars in Au-tralia. from now <-uw!i rd.s. oivini', to j the man 111ac11 1 :*er - in England a.nd Europe unable to fulfil order-. | Even where they cnn. shipping sp a eo j now so limited that nis a diflicult matter to get em-s jo this country. In both directions matters are likelv to get worse before the year is out' .consequently intending purchasers of ear, "ill do well to "tret in early" and secure what they want at once. It j whs thought that relief in this direction would come from America, hut ; with a keen market in Furope. nud j better shipping.l'acifitie.s to that c-ountrv j appears to be little hope of America being able to tutly cuter for Austrfilnsinn requirements. Jt seems if theiv is .-oing to he a ' mild boom in eight-cylinder ears. The j subject is being dealt with to a con- ! .siderable extent in the motoring j papers. There are ten American firms | now producing them. and. it appears I that but. for war there would have | been several European eight-cylinders 1 on the market in addition to the eight- ; cylinder De Dion made in France, j hat a change a.s compared with the I position of affairs fifteen years ago! j The two-cylinder engine was criticised on account of the extra complication, while the four-cylinder ivas. as a rule, regarded with actual suspicion as being bound to give an. immense amount | of trouble, owing to the multiplicitv of I parts, and the difficulty in keeping the various cylinders, their valves, etc. ill tune. Times have changed since then, and a good engine gives little trouble, but when an overhaul does become necessary an eight-cylinder will nsiturallv prove more troublesome than a lour. It .seems that some firms are even discussing the question of using twelve-cylinder engines. Meanwhile, "■'we should think that the eight-cylinder is quite sufficient for ordinary purposes. . it undoubtedly has many advantages, j It takc.s up no more hpace than four, | and is lighter, power lor power, than either the six or the four, while, needless to say. it is bound to have more perfect balance and torque and to be smoother running, provided, of course, it is v, ell eon.structed. No doubt the i experience gained in building Aeroplane engines will prove of considerable service in perfecting: the "eight 1 ". Itis interesting, to note that the first I practical -eight-cylinder engine, Kvais; built in France by Messrs Charron. Girardot and Yoight. in '912. It was a T head engine with the eight eylinj dors fitting tandem fashion.