Speed Record May Be Attacked Here

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 944, 10 April 1930, Page 6

Speed Record May Be Attacked Here

KAYE DON INVITED RUN ON NINETY MILE BEACH The famous motor racing driver, Kaye Hon, has been invited by the Auckland Automobile Association to make an attempt on the world’s mile land speed record at Ninety Mile Beach. Mr. Don is at present at Daytona beach, Florida, awaiting favourable conditions of sands and weather, to enable him to make his attack on Sir Henry Segrave’s record in his new machine, the Silver Bullet. Advice was received at a meeting of the A.A.A. Council last evening that the world’s fastest speed over 10 miles, set up recently by Mr. Norman “Wizard” Smith at Ninety Mile beach, could not be recognised as an official record. Regulations issued just prior to the attempt laid down that the run must be made in both directions and timed by automatic apparatus correct to one-thousandth of a second. The conditions regarding a local record are not so exacting, however, and the association was asked for full details governing the attempt, in order that the smaller claim might be considered. “We should be pleased to hear full details regarding the beach,” continued the letter, which suggested that, from reports circulated in England, the stretch of sand is unequalled elsewhere. Record-breakers overseas might be encouraged to come to New Zealand, but the provision of special timing apparatus costing £l5O to £2OO would then become necessary

A copy of the letter is to be sent to Mr. Smith, who, according to Mr. A. Grayson, president of the A.A.A intends to make a further attempt at Ninety Mile beach shortly. He will bring his own timing apparatus. The proposal to Invite Mr. Don to run here was advanced' by Mr. George Henning, who proposed- that a cable be dispatched immediately. There is a suggestion to ban further speed attempts at Daytona, as the many thousands who use the beach -daily are inconvenienced seriously, and it will be necessary to find a new speed track. “The Silver Bullet has cost £29,000 to build, and the designers would not count a few more hundreds of pounds if there was any prospect of success,” said a member, urging that the claims of the beach to consideration be sent to the authorities overseas. The racing men would be pleased to go anywhere for such a surface as Ninety Mile beach provides. A cable inviting Mr. Kaye Don to come to New Zealand, and assuring him of the co-operation of the A.A.A., was authorised.