CYCLING AND MOTORING NOTES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 21 November 1913, Page 3

CYCLING AND MOTORING NOTES.

(Specially Written for the Ago.) An attempt is to be made at an early date, by J. G. Ramsey, of Kadina. South Australia, to establish new figures'for the all day motor cycle road record. Last season Ramsey rode 710! miles in 24 hours, but as no notive was given to the South Australian Motor Cycle Club, the rido was not officially checked, and consequently was not recognised, although no doubt attached to its genuineness. Ramsey has made arrangements on this occasion for bis ride to !)o checked by the S.A. Motor Cyc'e Club. The course selected is on Yorke's PeninsuTa. Tho machine to be used is a "3f li.p. water-cooled "Lewis" shot with Dunlop tyres. The. existing official Australasian 24 hours road*record is 679 miles, established: by P. J. O'Brien on the Western District Road of Victoria last February.

F. White, the overlanding cyclist, who is now resident in Perth, has determined to make an effort to reduce Francis Birtles' Fremantle 'to Sydney and other intermediate records, towards the end of the year. White is now' training assiduously for his strenuous undertaking. The existing figures are Fremantile to Adelaide (1930 miles) 20 days, 12 hovirs, 35 minutes; Fremantle to Melbourne (2509 miles) 26i'. sh. 36m.; and Fremantile to Sydney (3077 m.) in 31d. 3h. lorn. These fine records were established in February, 1912. Previous to that White held them. Like Birtles, White has selected ..Dunlops tyres for the undertaking. The machine to be used is a Victorian built '.'Blue Streak."

The recent wonder record performances established by the "Talbot,"' •'Sunbeam" and <'Vauxhall" on Brooklands Track, England, are, it would appear, to be followed: by sensational attacks at Brooklands shortly bv two powerful foreign cars, one a 300 h.p. F.1.A.T., and the other a -200 h.p. Benz. The former is to'be steered by Duray, the famous French road racer, and the latter.by L. 6,. Hornsted, a popular English driver. PI unlisted, who has just returned from tho Benz works in Germany, says that though he has so far only been able to obtain 1600 revs oer minute from the engine, he hopes when his suggestions with regard to cams, etc., have been carried out to get 1800 revs. At the former rate the road speed is 130 m.p.h. It is also intended that the Benz shall improve upon its own world's record: for the half-mile, kilometre, and mile, from both a standing and a flying start, which were accomplished with Victor rTemerv at the steering wheel in 1911.

The rules and conditions governing the big Indianapolis motor track race, the richest motor event in the world, have been published" in America. The race is to take place on May 30th next. Several changes are being made in tho conditions, although as this year, it will be open to cars with piston displacement not exceeding 450 cubic inches, and a minimum weight of 16001bs. To further ensure the safety of drivers it is stipulated that all steering knuckles and tie rods must be new'two days before the starting of the race, while aluminium steering wheels will not be permitted. Frame hangers and steering mechanism will have to be passed by the Speedway engineer, while the drivers must furnish a medical certificate from the Speedway surgeon, certifying that they are physically fit to drive, and free from any serious nervous manifestations. The prizes, as before, will total £IO.OOO, the 'first prize being £4OOO. J. Goux, the crack French driver carried off thi-i year's event.

Some remarkable consumption figures are recorded from time to time, but it is doubtful if the result of a recent test held by the Sutton Motor Cycle Oub in England has ever been surpassed*. The winner of this test rode a 3£ h.p. twin cylinder "James" motor cycle over a 34- miles course, and his petrol consumption worked out at 334 miles to the gallon. The second man's figures, also on a similar make of machine, demonstrated that the winner's mileage was no fluke, for his fuel consumption worked out at the rate of 320 miles to the. crallon—both remarkable results.

it is anticipated that big fields will take nart in the forthcoming motor cycle reliability trials to be held from Svdnev to Melbourne; and Adelaide to Melbourne, at the end of the year. 'Hie Adelaide Club anticipate that at least 35 local riders will take part in the pioneer motor test over the Adelaide-Melbourne route, whilst at least a similar number of motor cyclists are expected to compete in the Svdney-Melbourne event.

Pacing crack riders with motor cycles must'be a very risky business. Three pacemakers to Paul Guignard, the leading pace follower in Europe, and holder of tho one-hour world's paced record of 63 miles 255 yards, have, been killed in turn while at their work. Peguy was killed at Spandau, Wolff at Dresden, and Lawson at Cologne. Deuilly, another of Guignard's pacers, fell and broke Ins leg."

The fastest individual record m connection with the Dunlop 100 miles relav despatch test has been lowered by the crack Western Australian rider. C. J. Senior, who rode his 10 miles out and home relay in the fast time of 25mm 17sec. This performance was recentTy recorded in the third attemot by the North Suburban Cycling Club, Perth, but their total time on this occasion was 4 hours 38 minutes 50 seconds, as against their previous best of 4hrs 34mm lsec. Senior, bv his fine ride, betters I. R. Munro's (Vic.) record of 25min 20sec,"by the narrow margin of three seconds. The merit of Senior's performance can be gauged' from the fact tfiat he averaged 2 min 32sec for every mile of his out and home journey.