HIGH SPEEDS

Sir, In your February issue I was interested and amused to read a letter from a Mr. A. W. Thompson of Melbourne wherein he commented upon the performance of the -blown 41 Bentley and made claims for his Master Chevrolet. Firstly let

me say as one who knows both the Great North Road and the Melbourne to Ararat journey that there is not the slightest comparison. The latter journey is throughout devoid of any real towns or villages except one, there are no concealed corners, high hedges, etc., etc. such as are encountered in English roads and comparatively speaking no traffic and no speed limitations akin to Belisha controls. Many long stretches of the journey consist of wide bitumen straights in which practically any speed is possible. The main town mentioned on the route is really only similar to a small English rural county town. Your correspondent did not say whether his journey Was from the Melbourne G.P.O. to the Ararat G.P.O. or from his outer Melbourne suburb of Essendon. The former distance as per R.A.C.V. and the Roads Board is 126.2 miles whilst the latter would be four or five miles less. I do not say that the journey could not be done in the time stated but I and many of my friends here think it open to doubt. In any case I would be very interested in following Mr. Thompson from Melbourne G.P.O. to Ararat G.P.O. in two hours ten minutes and also it seems a pity that he does not purchase a suitable car for racing at Cowes or perhaps enter his Chevrolet where such averages would certainly meet with success. I hope that I never meet Mr. Thompson on the road if he is so unobservant in this wilderness that he has not seen an AstonMartin, Frazer-Nash or an Alfa-Romeo later than a 1929 model—they are all here. There are Lagondas both 2-litre and 44. and many Bentleys of all varieties including the new 3k-litre models. The racing colony also includes blown 2.3 Targa Bugattis besides blown 1 I-litres, a Monza Eight and other unblown G.P.s all certainly a few years old but fit. There are three K.3s, one ex-” Bira ” now Melbourne owned and the race entries in.variably include another K.3 . from Sydney and a blown G.P. 11-litre Bugatti, and an M.G.Q. model. The Riley he mentions was a works Ulster car speci ally imported by the Riley Agents. I do not know the old Alfa he speaks of except two very ancient touring saloons. There is a blown 1,750 c.c. in Sydney, vintage ’29 approximately, and a blown 1933 1,750 c.c. in Melbourne. When one realises that an ordinarily good cheap racing-car in England costs nearly treble its English price -when landed in Australia and that there are fewer than six races a year, all on handicap with poor prize money, the dearth of good racing ears can be easily understood. I consider that the enthusiasm of the small few who race here is to be greatly commended because they are involved in a very heavy financial outlay with little, if any, return and. manufacturers’ support, either car or accessory, is noticeable more by its absence. The Cowes circuit is very poor

and fortunately the weather is usually kind otherwise the timekeepers’ logas well as the pit equipes in uncovered roughly made pits would be appalling. I am, Yours etc.,

MEMBER—A.R.D.C. Melbourne,

Australia. (If Mr. Thompson would like the address of this reader of “Motor Sport” we will forward any letter.—Ed.] * * *