ENGLAND TO AUSTRALIA

UNCILANU 1.0 AUSTIPAILIA IDAUTICUILAIPS CU AM1Y JCIFINSON’S CILEAT FIICLIL

THERE have been several flights to Australia during the past few years, all of them examples of pluck and skill, but none is more deserving of the general acclamation that has been accorded than the nineteen-days trip of Miss Amy Johnson on a D.H. Gypsy Moth. When Miss Johnson set out from Croydon on May 5th, she expressed the intention of breaking Bert Hinkler’s record of 10,400 miles in 15i days, and while she failed

to do this, she set up a new record by covering the 4,140 miles to Karachi, India, in 6 days (Hinkler took 8 days).

On the first day she reached Vienna (780 miles) without incident ; on the next, she arrived at Constantinople (790 miles). From this capital, after a delay through a minor defect to her machine, she set off for Aleppo, 550 miles distant, in bad weather. A difficult task faced her on nearing the Taurus mountains where visibility was very bad, and she was compelled to fly through dense clouds. On the following day she had another trying time on her hop of 470 miles to Baghdad, when weather conditions were so bad that she had to put her ” Moth” down in the desert. The next day (May 9th), saw Miss Johnson continuing to Bandar Abbas, and on the next, she reached Karachi.

In spite of the strain which she had undergone during the six days, she set off again on the morning of May 11th, this time escorted by an R.A.F. machine and another “Moth,” piloted by Wing-Commander Crosbie. She landed at Jhansi en route for re-fuelling and later reached Allahabad. From there she went on to Calcutta, and thus completed a round 6,000 miles in eight days. It was after this that the plucky girl-pilot met with

THE SOUTHPORT “100.”

ONE of the featureg of the Southport M.C.’s 100 mile race on May 24th was the introduction of the modern system of handicapping, on a capacity basis, by giving the smaller cars credit for a certain number of laps at the start. The handicapping was well calculated and produced a good finish. T. Thistlewayte in his big Mercedes led off the mark and proceeded to give an exhibition of very fast but steady cornering. The field contained several Brooklands habitues who had ventured northwards to see what they could collect, including J. H. Bartlett and A. F. Ashby who collected first and second places respectively in the 1100 c.c. class. Bouts on his white 2-litre track Sunbeam started

her first piece of really bad luck. When some ten miles from Rangoon she was unable to pick up the aerodrome and landed at Insein. She got down safely but, in taxi-ing, ran into a ditch, and turned her machine up onto its nose, with the result that the propeller and one wing was damaged ; this mishap took two days to rectify. On May 16th, after her ” Moth ” had been taken to Rangoon, Miss Johnson took off once more with the intention of flying to Bangkok, Siam. It was raining

heavily at the time and general conditions were bad ; and when the Dawna Range was reached, she had the greatest difficulty in picking up her course owing to thick clouds. Eventually, after several hours, a railway junction was sighted, which ultimately put Miss Johnson on the right course for Bangkok. Thereafter she aimed for Singapore but bad weather again delayed her and she had to land at Singgora ; on May 18th, however, she arrived at Singapore, landing O.K. on Seletar Aerodrome, where a new wing was fitted in place of the one damaged at Rangoon. Monday, May 19th, saw Miss Johnson in Java, after a perilous flight over the sea, sometimes at an altitude of only 6 feet from the shark-infested waters.

She was now nearing the final stages of her journey, with 950 miles separating her at Surabaya from Port Darwin. The 750 miles hop from the former stopping place to the island of Timor, occupied twelve hours and after landing at Atambua she prepared for the last stage to Australia.

With the weather threatening and 500 miles of open sea ahead, she took off and reached her goal on Saturday, May 24th-19 days after leaving Croydon.

well but retired before half distance. The ultimate winner proved to be T. G. Selby on a 2-litre Bugatti, who was just able to get home before being caught by the Mercedes, after a really good race.

The organisation in spite of the enormous crowds of spectators was first-class, and showed again that the Southport M.C. know their job.

RESULTS. 750 c.c. Class.—P. Stephenson (Austin 7). 1100 c.c. Class.-1, J. H. Bartlett (Salmson) ; 2, A. F. Ashby (Riley). 1500 c.c. Class.—B. H. Davenport

(B.H.D. Special).

2000 c.c. Class.—T. V. G. Selby (1995 e.e. Bugatti).

Unlimited Class.—T. Thistlethwayte (7100 c.c Mercedes).

THE IICLUBS1 AT BROOKLANDS.

CHEER.Fr 14 lack of formality was the keynote • of the meeting of

May 24th last. A varied and interesting programme was open to the members of any recognized motor club. Teams from the J.C.C., the M.C.C. and the Brighton and Hove M.C. competed for the Stanley Cup for the highest aggregate marks of the meeting.

The M.C.C. team consisting of H. J. Aldington, T. H. Wisdom, and E. J. Kehoe proved victorious and hold the cup for a year. The other two teams tied for second place.

Other events included a Morris-Cowley Handicap and a hill-climb.