MOTORDOM

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 812, 5 November 1929, Page 7

MOTORDOM

By

HEADLIGHT

on twho

MOTOR-CYCLING FIXTURES November s.—Annual meeting of Sports Club in Chamber of Commerce at 7.30 p.m. . November 6.—Cinder track riders' registrations close with Auckland Speedways, Limited. ! November 9. —Opening of Wellington cinder-track stadium. I November 15.—Entries close for Mangere meeting at 4 p.m. November 16.—Grass track meeting at Wliangarei, postponed from Labour Day. November 17.—Sports Club races at I Muriwai. November 23.—Auckland Auto Racing Club’s meeting at Mangere (two motor-cycle events). November 23. —Opening of Western Springs Stadium. December I.—North Shore Club’s beach races at Orewa. December 7. —Grass track races at Takapuna. ! January 25.—Car and cycle l-aces at Muriwai. March. North Shore Club's championship'meeting at Orewa. March.—Grass track races at Takapuna. Note. —A meeting tonight of the bodies concerned will discuss a proposal to combine the meeting at Mangere set down for November 23 with the Takapuna meeting arranged for December 7, on which date the races would be held. SPORTS CLUB NOTES ANNUAL MEETING TONIGHT The—annual meeting of the Sports Motor-Cycle Club will be held in the Chamber of Commerce at 7.30 this evening. It is hoped to cut the business fairly short to allow a run to Mount Eden and One Tree Hill, where members will view the Guy Fawkes celebrations. The run will include visits to other points of interest. Muriwai Race Meeting Although the Whangarei grass track races which were postponed from Labour Day are now to be run on November 16, the Sports Club’s beach meeting will be held at Muriwai on the following day, as arranged. The club will lose four riders through this arrangement, but considers this better than disappointing others who have already arranged for the trip. Club Run to Orewa The North Shore Sports and MotorCycle Club’s run to Orewa on Sunday was quite a success, about 12 mem- ! bers and a number of friends taking part. The road to the beach was in j excellent order, but the sand itself i was too soft for fast work. The club’s j handicap meeting will be held here on ! December 1.

DIRT TRACK RACING AUCKLAND SEASON OPENS SPLENDID TERMS FOR RIDERS The opening of the Auckland dirt track racing season will take place at the Western Springs Stadium at the end of the present month. This track passed the requirements of the Auto-Cycle Union aiid the Dirt Track Association of New Zealand, which lays down a minimum of 440 yards as the limit of safety. The Auckland Speedway Company has been duly registered with the association, and is affiliated with the Auto-Cycle Union. It will therefore be the only track in Auckland on which registered A.C.U. riders will be permitted to compete. This stipulation does not, however, apply to Mr. George Henning’s speedway at Mangere, for this comes under the specifications of a grass track and does not conflict with the cinder stadiums. A very liberal allocation lias been made for prize money, and in addition competitors will receive various I:, . ol } us Payments. For instance, men riding off the scratch mark will receive £lO a night; one second man £4. two second men £2 and three second men £1 a night. In addition to these all unplaced riders will be paid a minimum of £2 a night as an allowance with which to keep their machines in order. Still more attractive are the regular weekly payments which will ®be made in connection with the holding of the gold helmet and gold sash records. The privileges available to riders do not end here, however, for a system of exchange has been arranged with the Southern clubs, and this week three Auckland riders, W. Allen, A.

Mattson and J. Garmson, have received financial assistance to enable them to compete at the carnival week races at Christchurch, starting on Saturday. Practice will be commenced at the Western Springs Stadium within a fortnight, on November 16, and riders are advised to register immediately so that provision may be made for adequate training before the opening night. The Auckland Club does not intend to make any charge for training, which will be carried out under the supervision of the track manager. Mr. J. Kay. Mr. A. Spragg, president of the Auto-Cycle Union, has commented very favourably on the dirt track organisation and considers that the promoters have given the union every facility to protect the riders. REO’S RECORD LONG-LIVED TRUCKS Too-frequent statements by calami truck manufacturers of ‘‘long life,” ‘‘last longer,” and “longest lived,” without sufficient proof to ; uphold these statements, have killed their effect in the minds of prospective truck buyers. As a result of this, the publication by the Reo Motor-car Company of figures based on sale* and registration records comes as most refreshing news to many buyers of commercial vehicles. The figures offer definite, concrete proof of long life. A totally disinterested statistical firm recently went back into the history of Reo speed wagons and checked sales and registration figures together. They found these remark- ! able facts: — On July 1, 1928, there were 96,481 Reo speed wagons registered in the United States. This was 4,756 more than had been sold in the United States during the entire six and a-half years from January 1, 1922, to July 1, 1928. Ninety-three point two per cent, of all the Reo speed wagons sold in the United States the previous seven and a-half years were still registered on July 1, 1928. Eighty point 3 per cent, of all the Reo speed wagons sold in the United States in the previous eight and a-half years were still registered on July 1, 1925. And 50.8 per cent, of all Reo trucks sold since 1913 were still registered on July 1, r 1928. Such a long record is both a tribute and a reward to the pioneering* cf Reo engineers. For it was Reo, back in the first days of truck industry, who first put speed into commercial transportation; first offered trucks equipped with pneumatic tyres; introduced electric starters, lights, among the first hydraulic four-wheel brakes and other passenger car features in trucks; pioneered the sixcylinder idea in this field; balanced weight, and other outstanding advancements which are today accepted as a matter of course in the industry and have largely been adopted by all builders.