24-1-53 26-1-53 26-1-53 WOMEN AT THE MOTOR-CICLE CONTROLS 237 WOMEN MOTORCYC Station, Wigram. ihis clubs meeting. Shove Miss M. Horgan. Left: Y. Burns LISTS showed their paces afternoon, during the con Diss T. Oliver winning the Cornering at speed during th who was the winner of this at the R.J.Z.A.F. abined motor-cycle • one-lap erent from he side-car racing is erent. MOTOR-CYCLE RACING RAIN SPOILS WIGRAM MEETING T. MCCLEARY RECORDS FASTEST LAP Saturday will be remembered by the organisers and supporters of the motor racing festival at Wigram for an unbroken series of disappointments. The sky was overcast and threatened rain long before the races were due to start, and compared with race crowds in other years, the number of spectators was discouragingly smallabout 3000. The races had hardly started when rain squalls made the watchers huddle down into their coats and look speculatively at their cars. The wind grew stronger and colder as time went on, and the showers became heavier and more frequent. 2.30 p.m. the track had a lot of water lying on it and, in spite of the non-skid asphalt surface, two riders had fallen off at speed. The big start-finish banner across the front straight was soaked and heavy, and it was pulled down to remove he danger of its blowing on to a competitor. Soon after 3 p.m. the officials decided to abandon the meeting. The races were organised by the combined motor-cycle clubs • of Christchurch i to raise funds for the International Air Race and the save the Kiwi Appeal, and it was expected that about £2000 would be raised. The two funds will be lucky, nowever, if they get £100 each. One of the first disappointments was the default of many fast machines and riders. There were almost no visiting riders-Les Lamb (Oamaru) was there with his 500 C.C. "featherbed" Norton, but he has almost become part of the Christchurch racing scene. There were races on the programme for women riders, side-cars, and auto-cycles, but none of these events drew more than a small entry. Gaps Between Races The weather would have been much easier to put up with if the races had been run off more smartly, but the intervals between events were often protracted. It appeared that each race was organised preceding event instead of during or before it. This cancelled out the advantage gained by naving a big number of short races. Another disappointment was the failure of the well-known Christchurch racing driver, Des Wild, to put in an appearance with his 1}-litre Grand Prix Alta car for the promised demonstration laps on the course. It was explained over the public address system that Wild had taken the car out for a tuning run early in the morning, and the magneto had disinteg-. rated at more than 100 miles an hour. Ihe champions of the motor-cycle, their perennial controversy with racing car entnusiasts, were sadly disappointed by the failure of their favourites to vindicate their claims. The fastest machine could not get within striking distance of Hec Green's record lap time in his twolitre supercharged Vanguard special at 82 miles an hour, nor of Les Moore's record average in his 2.9 litre P3 Alia- Romeo. Top-gear Advantage It is true that the motor-cycles had a corner or two more to get round, because of the rearranged course in front of the control tower, but they were able to use top gear more often and for longer periods than many of the Ieally fast raciS caral riders performed better in practice than in their laces, and Tommy Mc- Cleary's shiny, well-preserved TR A.d.S. seemed to get round fastes" 10t McCleary lapped once in 1min 42sec the 2.1 miles-rather better than 70 miles an hour (for which a lap of Imin 48sec is necessary). McCleary only started in one race, and he won it, covering the 6.3 miles (three laps) in 5min 30sec, at an average of 68.72 miles an hour. The fastest time of the day was Teturned by J. Kennedy (T100 Triumph), who just managed to get home in front Of D. Soanes in the first senior scratch race, with 5min 2lsec (slightly more than 70 miles an hour). Much was expected of the veteran rider A. G. Holland, who appeared for the first time with his 1950 junior Manx Norton. Holland was still completing the preparation of the machine when he arrived at the meeting, and even when he got going the motor sounded very flat. He filled no places and returned no fast times. Cautious Riders J. Swarbrick's junior "featherbed" NoTton sounded healthy. It was ridden by the young Leeston rider, Seiwyn Burt, and his caution got the better oi him. The other "featherbed" machine which appeared was Lamb's, and too, was cautious he crashed on the machine as its first race in the New Zealand Grand Prix last year, and he crashed again after. one lap in the Halswell Hundred, so perhaps it was just as well that he took no riSks on Saturday. One of the most entertaining races was that for auto-cycles. The winning machine (an ordinary bicycle with a tiny motor attached to the pedal sprocket) covered a lap in a little more than four minutes, averaging about 30 miles an hour. Considering that the lap was covered from standing start and included a slow bend, and that there was a strong wind blowing, the bicycle must have travelled about 50 miles an hour over part of the course. Results 500 c.c. Scratch Race.—First heat: J. Kennedy (Triumph) D. Soanes (Triumph) 2, I. McDowell (Triumph) 3. Time, Smin 21sec. Second heat: L Lamb (Oamaru, Norton) I, R. Proctor (Norton) 2, B. Benke (Norton) 3. Time, 5min 42 4-5sec. Final: Kennedy 1, Soanes 2, Lamb Time, 5min 36 4-5sec. 3 3 ce. Scratch A.J.S.) 1, W. Fabian (TR A.J.S.) Rush (B.S.A.). 3. Time, Smin 30sec. 250 c.c. Scratch Race.—T. Glassenbury Stirridge (Ariel) 2, R. (Triunish) (Velocette) Entwhistle 3. Time, 6min asec. Two-stroke Scratch Race (two laps).-R Parkinson (197 c.c. James) 1, L. Reynolds (197 c.c. Excelsior) 2, S. Harrison (197 c.c. James) 3. Time, 4min 30 4-5sec. Handicap Races.—First race: D. Brownlee (197 c.c. Excelsior), 10sec. 1; J. Ledgard (250 c.c. B.S.A.), 75sec, 2; S. Harrion (197 c.c. James), 60sec, 3. Time, 8min 2-5sec. Second race: B. Stewart sCr, l: P. Philips (B.S.A.), 40sec, 2; 2. McLaughlin (Norton), 5sec, 3. Time, 6min 48 4-5sec. Side-car Race (two laps).-R. Burns (Rudge) 1, K. Lipscombe (Rudge) 2, R.I Entwhistle (Rudge) 3. Time, 5min ilsec. Auto-cycle Race (one lap).-L. Alfrey (Cucciolo) 1. H. Harris (Cucciolo) 2. Time, Smin 47 4-5sec. Motor Scooter Race (one lap).—V. Wilson (Corgi) 1. Time, 4min 26 4-5sec. Women's Race fone lap).—Miss W. Oliver (125 c.c. B.S.A.), SCT, i; Miss Horgan (125 C.C. Royal Enfield), SCI, 2; Miss S. Robinson (197 c.c. James), 40sec, 3. Time, 3min 4TSEC.