ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM VARIOUS SOURCES

ITEMS OF INTEREST

FROM VARIOUS SOURCES

N,vv, Brooklands Rules.

AREVISED edition of the Racing Rules and Regulations has been prepared by the Brooklands Automobile Club and approved by the Royal Automobile Club. All races at Brooklands during 1931 will be subject to the new conditions. The majority of the old racing rules have been incorporated in the new series and the following are among the additions :—

Cars Ineligible.—Cars manufactured more than ten years ago are not eligible for Brooklands Open Meetings unless the race regulations for a particular meeting make special arrangements to the contrary.

Medical Certificates.—-The authorities reserve the right to require a driver to submit to an examination by the Track Medical Officer before participating in a race.

Smoking.—Smoking whilst racing or practising is not permitted. An offence under this rule would, of course be extremely rare, but there have been instances in the past of a driver commencing a lap at speed without noticing that he was smoking a cigarette at the start.

Eye Protection.–The wearing of goggles or some other form of protection for the .eyes is now a compulsory measure. Safety Lines and Flag Signals.—The necessity for driving within the allotted “

safety” lines at the Fork is the subject of a new regulation, but this is not a departure from the supplementary blstructions which were issued at some of the 1930 meetings.

Drivers must be acquainted with the mewling of the various flag signals as laid down in the International Sporting Code.

The drafting and final approval of the new Supplementary Regulations is the result of careful observations by the Track authorities and the Stewards during 1930. The increasing popularity of the Brooklands Motor Course has brought into being circumstances which were not apparent when the original rules were made or when amendments were incorporated in the past.

Lord Wakefield and Ulster T.T.

FEW men have done more to encourage speed contests in this country than Lord Wakefield of Hythe, whose donation of 21,500 to provide the prizes

for the R.A.C. Ulster T.T. races has been recently announced. He co-operated in Sir Alan Cobham’s

flights to Australia and round Africa. The Wakefield Gold Trophy for maximum speed of motoring now held by Sir Malcolm Campbell was donated by him, of course, and ‘Miss England II,” has cost him £40,000. Lord Wakefield has done all this tin.grudgingly because he believes that the winning of the speed records in air, on land and in the water has national value

to Britain in increasing our prestige in the eyes of the world.

For example, Lord Wakefield demonstrated his faith in the value of speed victories by his purchase of the Golden Arrow, Segrave’s famous car, which he sent on tour round the world. The car created tremendous interest and the result was an increase for the sales of British cars wherever it went. Lord Wakefield has now sent the Golden Arrow to Buenos Aires, where it will carry on its good work as silent salesman for Great Britain.

For twenty years Lord Wakefield has been encouraging aviation. He has presented aeroplanes to many clubs in England and in Canada, Africa, India, Australia and New Zealand, and has given ten thousand free flights to children in this country.

Austin for Italian 1,000 Miles Race.

FOR the first time in the history of the world’s greatest road event— the Italian 1,000 Mile Race—a British ” baby ” car—an Austin Seven— will battle for the honours against the world’s fastest racing cars.

The Race commences on April 11th and is from Brescia, Northern Italy to Rome, and back to Brescia by an alternative route—a distance of approximately 1,018 miles.

The course is over the ordinary roads and a terrifically high average speed is maintained in spite of the fact that the roads are not closed to the public.

Last year’s winner—Nuvolari–averaged 62.41 m.p.h., including stops.

The Austin Seven which is competing is a standard supercharged sports model, and has been entered by the Austin Agents in Milan—Messrs. Nicholls Bros.

Service on the Continent.

NIOTOR trips abroad are growing in popularity. Custom and other formalities have during the last few years been so simplified that a tour in France is now very little more troublesome or costly than a tour, say, in the Highlands.

Till quite recently the lack of adequate service facilities discouraged many from venturing abroad ; but nowadays most of the more important concerns maintain well equipped service stations or agencies in the more popular touring centres.

Rolls-Royce, for example, have established no fewer than five stations in France and Spain. Those in Paris and Madrid are open throughout the year. At Nice, Biarritz and San Sebastian, stations operate during the respective ” seasons.” Service is available at Nice from November until April and at Biarritz and San Sebastian from July to October. There is, in addition, a well-equipped subagency in Barcelona. In Paris, Madrid, Nice and Biarritz the depots have been specially designed to handle Rolls-Royce cars and all repairs

are supervised by engineers trained at the company’s works in Derby. Each station carries a large stock of spare parts and can immediately undertake almost any kind of repair. New and larger premises have been opened in Nice to give still better facilities to Rolls-Royce owners wintering on the Riviera.

Activities at Cricklewood. not be known that

IT may not be generally known that within about the last twelve months very considerable extensions have been made at the Bentley Works at Cricklewood. These include a large machine shop, which at the present time is working night and day upon the new eightlitre chassis.

Formerly the chief components of Bentley cars were made, to the very closest limits, by specialist contractors. For this reason they were sometimes referred as an assembled” cars. Now to a very big extent all cars are ” assembled,” and in this there is nothing whatever open to criticism.

Bentley Motors Ltd., felt, however, that in so highly developed a chassis as the eight-litre it would be desirable, if only in the interests of economical production, to have every process under their own immediate control. They have accordingly installed a machining department which in every respect is the last word in modernity. In these days of industrial depression it is pleasant to know that it is kept 100 per cent. busy.

Reducing Wear and Tear. are as

MORE motorcycles are damaged as the result of inefficient lubrication than are smashed in road accidents. Replacements may cost as much as, or more than repairs arising out of an accident—and every penny of the cost must come out of the owner’s

must come out of the owner’s pockets. One cannot insure against wear and tear.

Many a raw beginner ill-treats his machine through sheer ignorance of the vital importance of keeping it well supplied with oil. Many a seasoned driver, on the other hand, ill-treats his machine just as badly through mistaken “economy.” He buys an unbranded lubricating oil instead of a guaranteed proprietary article on which one of the national concerns has staked its reputation. He may save a few pence per gallon on oil but inevitably he will have to spend several pounds in repairs and renewals.

Beginners and old hands alike will pick up many useful tips in a handy little booklet, “Motorcycle Lubrication Simply Explained,” issued free by C. C. Wakefield & CO. The author is Mr. B. H. Davies, the well-known writer on motorcycle topics.

With the aid of numerous diagrams, he discusses the various lubricating systems now in use, and then goes on to explain the working of each component, the engine, the transmission and so forth, with hints on how to ensure maximum efficiency.