A NOVEL RACE.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 May 1923, Page 1

A NOVEL RACE.

SYDNEY, April ID

Misfortune has overtaken the attempt of two Sydney motorists, Messrs J. Burton and J. Bradley, to race the express trains across Australia from Fremantle in the West, to Sydney in the Blast. The path of the groat trans-Continental railway is at any time a hazardous one for a motorist to traverse, the tracks being of the roughest, water always scarce, and little variation in a weary waste of many hundreds of miles, save an occasional camp of Idacks, who speculate in gibbering wonderment at anvone choosing the hardships and dangers of such a mode of travel when the train would serve their purpose. In taking their high-powered Yauxhall ear over to Fremantle, preparatory in the nice home, the motorists hail a perilous experience between Port Augusta and the West Coast of South Australia, and fmmd it necessary, after having undergone terrible hardships through lack of water, to return to Adelaide in order that repairs might be effected to their machine. They were more success! ill at their second attempt, and Fremantle was reached in safety. An time was lost in getting ready for the next trying task, and the motorists lelt I" remantle on their long trek, a "eel* last Saturday, at *1 a.in. Hv train the journey to Sydney occupies TOO hours -In minutes, and all went fairlv well as lar as Fuel a, when they had covered 93A of the 1 7.10 miles to Port. Augusta, after which travelling would have been comparatively easy. At Imiclii they were a little behind their scheduled time, which they accounted for b.v having to traverse rough country with limestone outcrops, varied with roots and stumps. I hey were, however, 141 hours ahead of the previous motor record time, and considerably ahead of the train time. But when a little distance out of Kucla thev crashed badly, narrowly escaping with their lives, and the hold venture had rehietautlv io he abandoned.