VALUE OF RACING

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 40, 10 May 1927, Page 10

VALUE OF RACING

INFLUENCE ON MOTORING Major Seagrave’s attainment of a speed of over 200 miles an hour on the beach in Florida lends interest to the following comment on motor record-breaking by Mr. R. E. Davidson, in the “New Statesman.” After stating that a sand beach run is necessary in order to attempt the world's flying mile or kilometre record, say four miles to work up speed and three miles to pull up in, Mr. Davidson says: “The personal ambition behind all such efforts would be thwarted if it did not chance to dovetail into the commercial interests of various firms who handle or manufacture commodities in daily motoring use. HEAVY BONUSES “For example, not so very long a?o a foreign firm of sparking plug manufacturers offered a certain driver the sum of £ 3,000 to obtain one of the principal speed records for them. A hitch occurred, the contract was never signed. But little though* will suggest that if smaller bonuses were simultaneously obtainable from a syndicate handling netrol and lubricants, a firm of tyre manufacturers, and people who make shock absorbers and pneumatic cushions, and other accessories, the total cash reward would cover the cost of assembling cheap, obsolete aeroplane engines into some sturdy chassis, and transporting the necessary camp of mechanics ard tools to a suitable beach. ft is fur* ther clear that if the record was obtained quickly there might be a verT handsome balance for the intrepid driver, in addition to the ' laurels which would ever afterwards adorn his brow in the opinion '•'* all y° un ® and foolish people. TECHNICAL PROGRESS

“It would be difficult to identify any very definite technical prog*** with the sand records, but from technical standpoint they must lumped together with all the track an<road record-breaking of the last i years, from which enormous technic*progress has resulted. Tyres in P&V' ticular have derived vast iro_ the exacting demands the racu* men. Time was when 3 000 miles *‘lregarded as a very satisfactory for a tyre running on a slow a lightly-loaded car. To-day w ’. miles is quite a moderate mileage ' a heavily-loaded tyre on a fast and 20,000 is often recorded. . f “The tyre companies put on ** thinking caps when the ra- in g ® ‘ took their best covers down to B r lands and reduced them to rars a very few laps. “A few years ago quiet touring seldom went abroad without a kit of spare sparking * - four plugs will last the averts • for three years. Oils have lar progress, though fuel re stagnant. “Steels owe something to I() suspension is under a mighty J it. Certain car manufacturers. ■ eschew this form of advertise u ~r are fond of denouncing it W» tn yer r tongues in their cheeks, knowi ag eV . well that their own cars would have been half so efficient D - c jn? but for the lessons which the men have learned on the tracK“On the whole, these I^ r .i C ab c stunts are no worse than an a gn y folly, no more objectionable «n other form of advertisement, an the special advantage that tn vide an outlet for the a< * ve . ye ]f>r spirit of youth, and tend to virile faculties in a percentag rising generation.”

When the water in the cooling-* eva* suddenly turns to steam, due gter poration or leakage, do not aa immediately to the radiator to engine, but allow’ it to drop finger* perature that will not burn tne ca reEven then, add water slowly. p to ful when removing the radiato gteaC! avoid being scalded by escaping Pouring cold water into the p a ke iy to an overheated engine is very oi cause violent contraction of P the cylinders and head that nia. r jjaP* in the formation of cracks ana l ruin these expensive parts.