SPEED RECORDS

Hokitika Guardian, 3 January 1930, Page 7

SPEED RECORDS

AUSTRALIANS TO ATTACK THEM

AUCKLAND, December 31

With a huge new racing car in which he will attempt to lower world speed records on the Ninety Mile Beach “Wizard” Smith, an Australian racing motorist, arrived in Auckland by the Mauganui to-day. He has great confidence in his car, a long golden machine, the graceful lines oi which alone seem to indicate power and speed. The car has been christened “Anzac.” Built by a well-knoivn Sydney firm of motor and aero engineers, the car lias a Cadillas chaissis and a 500 horse-power Rolls-Royce aeroplane engine. It was only completed about six weeks ago, and in tests It has attained a speed of 121 miles an hour on an open road and has accelerated up to 142 miles an hour in 1300 yards. It lias also touched a speed of 117 miles an hour in second gear on a straight course. “With the engine If nil out- I hope to touch 170 miles an hour,” said Mr Smith. “The records which-1 hope to break are the world ten miles record at present held by the French motorist Marcliand, who established a figure, of 133.54 miles an hour in a Voisin, and the Australian and New Zealand one mile record. I think there are excellent prospects of success. For the attempt on the ten miles record I shall need a clear run of 13 miles, one mile for a flying start and two miles in which to stop.” Mr Smith will probably make his attempt on the records towards the middle of the month. He is not yet, certain whether lie will make it at the Ninety Mile Beach or Muriwai, If he is successful and finds the beaches suitable for high speed motoring, a car with a 2000 horse-power engine will nrobahly he built for him in Australia. In this lie will attempt to break Sir Henry Seagrave’s record of 231.3 miles an hour over one mile and Malcolm Campbell’s world record for five miles. Air Smith has brought a special electric timing apparatus exact to a hundredth part of a second which will be used to time the attempts on the records. Mr Smith is far from being unknown in New Zealand. His record stamps him as Australia’s Iforemost racing motorist, and he has twice established speed records for the run from Auckland to Wellington.