International Motor-Car Race

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 28, 9 July 1903, Page 4

International Motor-Car Race

The great international motor car race for the Gor-don-Bennett tropJiy, of which we hud heard so much duiing the past &ix months, came oil last week in It eland, and created great excitement, be my witnessed by immense crowds of people, including- numbers of \isno.s from Great Britain, United States, I'lancc, Germany, etc. As previously mentioned in the columns of the ' N.Z Tablet,' the staiting point was not lai liom the Curragh of Kildare, and \Mthin easy reach of 1 üblm The couisx' v. as in the form ol a figure H, the lap being over 100 miles, so that the sighU.eeis, who, we me informed, camped in thoir thousands all night along the line of route, had an opportunity of i-eeing U,e competitors pass at least thiee times. Th ■ B tl ll\ <-hannon cross roads, some distance from Old Kildillen, weie t he starting point, thence to Carlo\v, Athv, and tack to the Ballyshannon cross roads This road ha\mg been completed the competitors tia\ oiled, to Kilcullen Kildare Maryboro', Stradbally, Aihy, Old Kikullen. r l in.obn' Castledermot, Car low, Wawny Bi-idgc, AUiy, tl.eir arrival at the starting point completing the hip As the course was in the form of a figuie 8, it is casv to mcierstand how one of the French competitors lost his way. The Origin of the Competition. As many of your readers are not aware of the origin of this competition aid why it was held m lielend tins year the following particulars will be of interest. I\fr James Gordon-Bennett, the proprietor of the ' Vow Yot k Herald,' is a well-known figuie in tie Airei ican colony in Paris, and lor veiy many years pa-t his lo< ( . o f -\,uious branches of sport, and especially yachting and coaching, has involved him in tlx> expenditure of a great deal of enthusiasm and money When ai'tomob]!isr>r was in its infiancy some 30 years ago he was one of the fin-t to see its enormdis possibilities : and four years back influenced, perhaps' by the fact that one country alone soemtikl to be making great headway with motor-car c onstruction, he decided to offer a trophy for international competition on terms that would tend to remedy this

state of things This trophy took the form of a beautiiul and valuable piece of silver ware, of considerable size, representing a motor-car, and to this the name given was the Gordon-Bennett cup. The cup was presented to the Automobile Club of France, and the main points of the conditions governing the competition for it are that any recognised automobile club may challenge for it, and that the competing vehicles ' must be constructed wholly and in every detail in the country of the clubs they represent.' There are, of couise, many other conditions that have to be fulfilled, one of which I s 1 - he race shall be rim in the country of the club holding the cup. England won the trophy last year and consequently the race had to be run on this occasion in some part of the United Kingdom. Scotland was unsuitable, and the public authonties m England were not disposed to give any facilities for the contest, therelore it was decided to hold it in Ireland, where the county and Urban Councils not only gave permission to use the public roads, but assisted in every possible way in carrying out the arrangements and keeping the coiirse clear. b

Another condition of the contest is that the race shall be run over a distance of not less than 344 miles and not more than 463 miles. The competing v«.l icles must weigh over 7cwt 3qr 141 b, and must carry, seated side by side, at least two passengers, each of a minimum weight of list 31b, or, should the passengers' weight full short of these figures, the deficit must be made up by means of ballast. The vehicles must be driven by members of the clubs they represent, and the two seats must be occupied during the whole of the race.

Previous Contests

So far four races for the cup have taken place— one in each year of its existence. The first over the Parisi,yonS route, was won by Monsieur F. Charron, on a Panhard car of 24-horse power, the distance— 3s3s miles —being covered in UOhr. 36min. 23sec. In the following year, 1901, the course was from Paris to Berlin, and the winner, Monsieur Girardot. whose car was again a Panhard. "And last year the face took place over the Paris Vienna route, between Paris and Innsbruck,, when Mr S i' . Edge, on a Napier car, won the cup for England. This year Mr. Edge and Mr. Charles Jarrott— who won the Ardennes race last year, covering 318 miles in 353min. 39sec —each driving- a Napier car, represented England ; three Mercedes cars represented Germany ; Panhard and Moi-s cars were the French representatives ; and America sent two Winton cars.

Of the two English driveis — certainly the best who could be chosen as representatives— Mr. Edge is an Australian by birth, and until 10 years ago was carrying all before him as- a racing cyclist, both on the track and on the road. His car for the contest just concluded was one of 103-hoise power, and from which something sensational was expected. Mr. Jarrott took to automobilism in the same year as Mr. Edge, and on a motor tricycle won a five miles championship in Bniin. 11 3-5 sec so far back as 3 899 last year he finished second in the Circuit dv Nord race, won the Ardennes race — to which reference has been made above — and a little later, at Welbeck, brokie the kilometre record by travelling at a rate of 78 miles an hour. Tlis Napier car for the Gordion-Bennett race was one of 40-horse power.

The Result

For the race last week, the conditions were very favorable, the weatlur being splendid. Edge, an English repiesentative, on a Napier machine, led for the first two rounds, or about two-thirds of the course. It is said that his pace was terrific. A mishap to his tyre caused some delay, and a German car took up the lead. Jarrott, another English repiesentative, had the misfortune to have his <ar snap in halves owing to defective steering gear, with the result that the driver's collar bone, the only accident so far reported, was broken. Fi\e finished, .leai.tvy, the (krman, w ith a Mercedes car i covered tho distance in Kihrs l.">min , beating I)e Knyff' ot Fiance, on a Pnnhard car, by KUmin The latter lo^t time through taking a wrong turning. Farmnn, of Fiance, w.is ll^inin behind Knyff Gabriel was fourth. The distance covered was 373] miles, and the maximum speed attained was 80 miles an hour.