1931-09-01 — Page 2

SPEED TRACK IN A MUD SWAMP.

SIR MALCOLM CAMPBELL'S EXPLORATION, WITH THRILLS IN SOUTH AFRICA.

HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1931

SPARKS

FROM THE PLUGS

Soon after, my return from the

Sahara I got a cable from the

was not good for the Cape coloured labourer. Dozens of them went

a vast, dried-up lake known na

HIGH AVERAGE SPEEDS.

FAST DRIVING: REGARDS" FOR USERS OF ROADS,

One sometimes overbears expert

NO

OIL TEMPERATURE REGULATOR

DEFIES CLIMATIC -

CONDITIONS.

and crankesse ventilator, the Buick engine is well-equipped for long service.

Buick ongineers this year have. produced a much more rigid chassis, the result of long study of chassis

trains

and str

atresses. The strength- Today's widespread use of the uning of the frame has been worked

facing the other way or even apply the brakes, he should keep "through" a hedge" in a field. T a keen look out ahead for, the best Rounding Ourves With Advantage. Part of the road on which to brake: -Sometimes, the surface, immediately If the corner to be taken is sharp before the danger point is shining it may necessitate changing down wet asphalt, whereas a hundred in order to make a fast getaway, in yards or so before reaching it there which which came all braking, should be is a good stretch of gritty or tarred mkörde over and a lower gear engaged bo, macadam. The driver will then Capo: Times," in South Africa, sick. The rest worked like herces enced and capable drivers express fore the band is entered, then all brake a little earlier so as to slow motor-car under all sorts of roadout scientifically. All brackets sup advising me that they bad surveyed to sweep away the black pebbles; frank disbelief of a fellow motorist's the way round the, curve, the driver down the car as much as possible and weather conditions, for busi porting the steering gear, spring But then we found that in addi- claim to have averaged, say, 40 cnu boneco exiting that he while he is on a surface which williness as well as pleasure, has tahackles, and bodies extend the full Vernouk Pan, luadròds of miles tion to the pebbles, there were hard (m.p.b. over a known stretch of road.leaves, it really fast and has had afford plenty of grip for the tyres. brought forward improved method; depth of the side members, making away up country, and considored ridges right across the track which Buch a motorist will exclaim. the car under perfect control all Keep the revs, up" is a good more dependable. The motorist strengthening prevents vibration in for making ears longer-lived and exceptionally rigid supports Thin it ideal for the world's speed ro had been chosen. In places they How you must have hogged it! cord attempt.

were 18in, high, and would havë

the time. This method of cornering matta for anyone seeking to main wants a car he can step into and the lamps, fenders and radiator, BO or Glad I wasn't with you" or has the very great advantage that, tain high average speeds. In other go fifty miles or five thousand with that the car drives smoothly and completely wrecked the car These make some had to be shaved down and then similar strain. For all that he has taking the corner too fast, it can fortable 40 on third and you without taking out of the car, the ing comfort at high as well as at other remark in should a skid be started through words, if your car will do a comout requiring emergency service and quietly, providing the utmost driv rolled flat.

driven for years and years and immediately be checked simply by

stamina necessary for scores of low speedko da On top of this the shortage of never had an accident, he has per lifting the foot from the accelerator, prosch, a hill, say, at 50 on top, do thousands of miles more water, dysentery; transport break-haps not the gift of maintaining a If the corner be entered too fast not wait until the speed drops to the powerful valve-in-head engine In the 1831 Buick straight, eight, downs, snakes, scorpions, and the high average speed. To him a high however, a skid is often provoked 30 or even 25 m.ph..but change adde immeasurably to the life of terrible heat caused endas delays, average must involve dangerous by braking, yet the speed of the down at, any, about 43 m.ph., so the car. This is the oil tempera has an exclusive Buick feature that But, worst of all, I discovered as driving, or, at the least, uzman car cannot be reduced without brak that by the time the car has lost equalize the temperature of the I ranched the course that the whole nerly conduct on the part of the ing

ture regulator, which tends to surface was studded with minute driver towards other rond users. particles of shalo, They were sind?

speed alightly during the interval engine oit nad the cooling water Whether the car is driven in the ler than the nail of one's little

A certain amount of knack is

required for gear changing vodheat of the desert or the cold of finger, but they would have cut the required in order to average high

would be doing the maximum comtically, keeps the oil cooled or warm.

the far north this device automa tyres of my car to ribbons. This spoods as a matter of course. It

fortable speed on third when the ed, according to the demand of the Bormed the final blow,

goes without saying that they must

place and the weather. With this be averaged with safety. Indeed,

once more engaged. feature and the air cleaner, oil filter nothing has more deletarious effect on one's averago than to bel

An ordinary sports car had been driven across it at soventy-live miles an hour, with the driver's hands off the wheel. It was anid

to be thirty miles long and twenty miles wide composed of sun-bakud roud and as fat as a billiard table,

Worth Trying.

Á guick-fire intorchange of cables took place. I determined to go out thors, if all the reports were satisfactory, and drive on it The late Sir Henry Segrave had beaten moby already arranging to drive at Daytona and, as I knew perfect- ly well that ho would eclipse the existing record, it was up to me to find a new track and go there,

A surveyor's report and set of photographs convinced he that the

However, I determined that, since we were there, the, show must go en. The only thing to do was

:.

other as quickly as possible goes to infinite pains to avoid doing any. thing which might attract the atten- tion of the people, or even of other motorists.

Folly of High Speed With Poor Brakes,

to put the coloured labourers on | held up and harangued for con- to picking out these particles ofsiderable periods by the arm of tho stone by hand, imagine doing this law. Therefore, the motorist who place was worth trying. However, over a track 19 miles long! It wishes to get from one point to an together with these favourable re-remed an almost insurmountable ports, came disquieting messages task. that the Pan was subject to mirages

However, thanks to loyal sup- which made tufts of grass look full port from Mr. Nesbit, the provin- grown trees, and produced lakes cial road engineer for the North and mountains, the a menors West Cape, and there, we man notice. However, thero is a draw-nged to get on with the task back to all things, and after weigh Thou, one day I went up in a ing all the pros and cons I made borrowed aeroplane to inspect the up my mind, to go. So, on the..

track. The machine had not risen 18th of January, 1920, accompani- more than 60 feet before she crash- ed by my wife, our eight-year-olded and was splintered to match sin and my fivo-year-old daughter, wood. My mose was nearly cut off, 1 loft Southampton in the Carnar both lips were split to the bone, von Cnatle for South Africa, and I got a terrific crash on the taking the big car and my ama head from the petrol rank on the private aeroplane.

"exact spot where the bonnet of a Vernouk Paz.

motor-car had flown cl at Brook ~Sergrave woe leaving for "Day.lands and hit me, only a year od Lone a fortnight later, and it look-fore, while we were travelling st

A

ed like developing into a neck-and-:100 miles an, kour,

"neck race between us at opposite

ends of the world.

On the face of it, the odds.seem- ed slightly in my favour, for where as Daytona Beach trials were to be held in the first week in March, it was hoped that I should have been able to put up a new record before then..

But there was one drawback, the first of many. I was to driva at an altituds of 3,000 feet above so level, and that is notoriously bad for carburation.”

In addition, I had been told that the surface of the track was cover- ed in parts by small black pebbles, like nuggets of coal, which would be most dangerous if one struck one at over 200 miles an hour. How- ever, the excellent sportsmen in South Africa who were making the arrangements had agreed to these cleared array by native lab-

It is essential that a car suitable for the job should be used. It is high speeds on a car with a low no good attempting to average maximum, poor brakes, an almost inaudible hom end springing as soggy as that of a sofa. Given the right kind of car with tyre pres sures, shock absorbers and brakes properly adjusted, the golden rule is" Keep going."

A far better average can be I cranted out of that aeroplane, maintained, sny, by driving at a feeling, as

as if the whole of South 50 m.p.h. all day long, except when Africa had kicked me in thetratha conditions compel a lower stomach:

speed, than by making bursta" at

Track Becomes a Swamp.

60 m.ph. or over, only to have to However, I got myself sewed up, brake heavily because one's sudden' and wired to Capetown for my acceleration has placed one in an own aeroplane. Major Miller, the unfavourable position behind a leading South African airman, flew slow-moving vehicle. The driver her up to the that afternoon. He should always look far ahead and minde, a perfect landing in a south-seize every opportunity. If he easterly gale, but just as we were pushing her into the hangar gust caught her, turned her side down, and our wing whacked mo on the head and reopened all the wounds. I went to bed and could not get up for three weeks.

wants to overtake a man in front, for instance, he start accelerating, changing down if necessary, even before he ran actually attempt the manœuvre. For instance, both cars may have had to slow down for s bend or because of some obstruc This was cheerful enough, but tention in the road. It is the man who days, later even worse followed. As ready to get away first who will terrific thunderstorm and torrents sain invaluable seconde in such a of rain swept the Pan. A tornado case, and deconda saved at the rate get of wind ripped overy tent but two of a good many per mile can make. from its moorings. The Pan was a considerable difference to the a son of mud, the camp a bedraggi-average speed over a run of 300 When I finally arrived, I founded confusion of sodden tents, soak that offers of every sort of help belongings and bogged vehicles, miles or so in a 'đây!"

The Inbourers were drenched, mistr poured in from every class of soable, shivering objects standing

A powerful horn, is very neces ciety in South Africa, Lorries, ankle-deep in slime. The truck itary a car is babitually driven

faat. motor-cars, rollers, a tractor, camp solf was under water. equipmant, and even a gramophone |

our..

ΣΕ

Good Show.

It is only fair to those in front to give them plenty of warning to get to their proper side of the road,

were offered is for our use, In On March 11. just as I was get addition, the Government of Southing better, down came another storm of rain That night, as 1 "Africa and other bodice put up was having dinner with my wife in here they should be, bot, alpel considerable sums of monry, which Capetown, celebrating my forty, so seldom art. Cornering should want far towards reducing the ith birthday, the telephone bill be done with cart Perfectly open enormous expense that this trip "Reuter a Nowa Agency speaking corners with nothing in view can, involved.

We thought you might like to of course, be taken on either side know that Segrave broke the re- of the rond, deriving the maximum cord at Daytona this afternoon.

Thon & foy seconds later came Possible help from the camber of the message

wald the road, which can be used in a "His average speed was 231.36 sense banking.

The art

Verneuk Pour, however, was son to justify its name, Verneuk moans cheat or humlug, and no place was botter named.

Diffenity after difficulty cropped up. First of all only about 100 men, out of the 400 required, could de; sound to the work." Appar: antly the climate at that sititude

immediately sent that splendia commering consists of entering sportsman a cabled message of con-curve slowly and leaving it fast.. ratulation, "Damn good show," One should never apply the brakes and hoped for the best Bist say "Chances? looked pretty thin, Soon when actually in the bead, or one after my wife returned to England, might end up most daiconcertingly

When approaching "a bend or cross-ronds or anywhere where cha tion is necessary, and owing to the speed at which he has been travel ling, the driver ands it necessary to clutch is

FORESHADOWING

For Service :

FIAT GARAGE:

50 Hannessy Road.

24821.

MOTORDOM'S

Positive lubrication, which in all added life to moving parts. The Buicks is literally sealed in, given

from injury by dust and water,

Front axle bearings, front hub scaling also protects these parts

hubs are well protected, the sealing bearings, rear axle housing and in the huba being accomplished by the use of felt. The self-energizing. four wheel brakes are totally closed The single univeral joint of the and ended with overlapping flanges Buick torque that houses the pro peller shaft is completely enclosed and automatically lubricated

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On the open road the silent third speed affords the most pleasant possibility of driving on hills, curves and when overtaking.

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Showroom VAL FIAT CARACESS

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