MORE SPEED EXPECTED

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 869, 13 January 1930, Page 10

MORE SPEED EXPECTED

“WIZARD” DISAPPOINTED WITH MILE RECORD READY FOR TEN MILE RUN (SUX Special Representative) KAITAIA. Today. "Saturday's run was disappointing. I was aiming at a speed above 146 miles tin hour, and with more favourable conditions I feel I would have dono better,*’ said "Wizard” Smith, commenting upon his achievement in setting a new one-mile record for Australia and Now Zealand in his car, "Anzac.” Smith tells a-vivid story of his successful attempt. ' Visibility was good when Don got the car started, and I fully expected a good run. although I knew the beach was not at its best. 1 took a preliminary spin up tho beach to warm the engine properly. The wind * had slightly ruffled the sand, and here and there I could see shells of toheroas on the surface, and I was a little afraid these would cut the tyres. "I drove the 'Anzac* to a point about a mile and a-half past the actual starting post, as I reckoned I would need all that distance to hit top speed. There was a. fresh wind from almost directly ahead. As we hurled along, I could feel its pressure on my right shoulder. "My impressions were rather brief, but most exhilarating. The yellow hags at intervals along the beach showed up like a blurred line of yellow, and gave no trouble in keeping a straight course. "The car handled well. She was steady as a rock, and, most of all, Don Darkness had succeeded in making her well balanced. DANGER FROM GULLS "There was an immense black wall to one flank, which looked like a mass of people, but turned out to be a flock of gulls. Fortunately they were off tho track, for these birds are slow in getting over the ground, and if 1 had hit it would probably have meant disaster, as we were travelling at 155 miles an hour when passing' the post. "The mile had also to be covered in the opposite direction, and the speed of both runs averaged, to establish a record. I had covered, only a quarter of a mile when the cai* ran into a drizzling rain. Visibility was blurred, and I had to lift my foot from the accelerator and slow down to about 130 miles an hour. It would have been sheer madness to have raced on at top speed. Xearing the finish we passed clear of the mist, and I was able to open up again. Over the last 200 yards I picked up 100 revolutions, and this brought the average for the mile to a shade over 24 seconds. "I intend to have another go at the mile before I leave.” Although the “Wizard” showed much keenness in establishing a good time for the mile, Saturday’s run could be regarded more in the light of a trial for the attempt on the more important world’s 10-mile record. The car has really been designed for this purpose, and consequently cannot be compared with Sir I-lenry Segyave’s "Golden Arrow,” which was built for the purpose of attaining a lively clip over one mile only. The 10-mile record stands equally high in the estimation of both engineer and designer, for, apart from the speed, it spells endurance.' "Wizard” Smith is confident that in the attempt on this record he will maintain as good an average as he did over the one mile on Saturdav, and possibly bettdr.

The world’s 10-mile record is at present held by M. Maychand, who drove a Voisin car on Monthlery track at the speed of 133.54 miles an hour. WEAR ON TYRES After Saturday’s run the "Anzac” was towed to cover about 30 miles along the beach, and yesterday a party ° ut ma ke another inspection ol the track, and to examine the tyres. •1? ~each had changed considerablv with the overnight tide, and was in perfect order. Smith announced definitely that he would attack the 10-mile l ecord before "Wednesdav. The tyres were cut a” little, but the pulling b up. eVeS that this m Although the tyres are very wide n d ,. We . re pumpec l to llolb pressure Sfter th fi "°A Ukl b -? Seen ° n tSe b “nch tI . • Anzac r '- l cerl over were two inch whfe S t A llneS i- no more than an " According to the revolutt ‘™ 1 3 ° f tlle engtne and the size of the tyre, there was practically no wheel--Pln or slip, less than one-tenth of 1 pe.r cent being recorded. This bears out Sir Henry Segrave’s remarks that nTs’ten 83 u han , 1 per centra,though it is generally held that there is ifleast a 5 per cent, loss 13 at