Sport in the U.S.S.R.

It is significant that Soviet News has issued in this country a lavish book on “Sport in the U.S.S.R.” Motor-racing isn’t mentioned, but motor-cycle record-breaking is, divided into men’s and women’s categories. The venues are at Moscow, Rostov and Kharkov, and the highest speed is 176 k.p.h. over a f.s. kilometre, by Shumilkin’s Kometa,-2. The best the females could do is 159.4 k.p.h., by Skobel’s B.M.W. Other makes mentioned include D.K.W., GK-1, Lorent, M1-E, M-80, Norton (hurray!), M-75, M1-A, and Harley-Davidson. Records are recognised for the fs. and s.s. kilometre and 50 kilometres. Motor-boat racing is also covered (outboards being referred to, delightfully, as motor-scooters), and altogether this is quite an enlightening (propaganda) chink in the iron curtain.