THE R.A.C. 1,000-MILES RALLY.

THE first event of its type run by the R.A.C. has certainly proved successful from the point of view of entries, and by the time these words appear some 367 motor cars, less any non-starters, will be progressing round England from the various starting points.

The majority of cars are in the large class, Class II. up to 1,100 c.c., having 88 cars. The large cars have to average 25 m.p.h., and the ” 1100’s ” 22 m.p.h. All routes are approximately the same length, 1,000 miles. Starting to-day, the cars are due to finish on the 5th, the Torquay Headquarters being at the Palace Hotel. There are 20 control points to take care of the 9 routes, namely, Bath, Buxton, Cambridge, Carlisle, Cheltenham, Chester, Droitwich, Eastbourne, Edinburgh, Harrogate, Kendal, Leamington, LlandrindodWells, London, Newark, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Norwich, Nottingham, and Peebles.

Each competitor will have to report at four of these controls on his way.

There has been a great deal of controversy over the regulations, owing to the fear that the Monte Carlo business of changing gear ratios before the flexibility test might occur in some cases. Actually we think the possibility of such a thing, which is against the spirit of the rules, is very remote, and, in any case, the R.A.C. amendment, stating that all wheels carried must be the same size, and that axles, gearbox, and induction pipe may be officially marked before the start, puts the matter in order. rurther argument was caused by the admission of

fluid flywheels, but it would have been against the interests of mechanical progress to exclude them. The majority of entrants for this event will be in for it chiefly for the fun of the thing, and therefore are not unduly worried about the actual finding of a winner, and it is due to the fact that the routes are comparatively simple that finding a winner is a somewhat invidious business.

On the other hand, to start with a very stiff event would tend to reduce the entry seriously, and so reduce its interest to the public as a whole. What we should like to see as a successor to this event would be a rather longer route, including the tit-bits of all the well known trials courses in various parts of Great Britain, including the famous hills used in the Scottish Six Days. the Lake District, Peak District, and finishing up with some of the Land’s End hills. It would naturally be harder to ran, and the R.A.C. are doubtless wise in starting with something easier.

Most of the cal s in for the Rally are of normal type, but there are a few interesting departures which may be forecasts of future design. Of these the Gardner engined Bentley is probably the most practical demonstration yet conceived of the progress which has been made in Diesel engine design in the last few years.

There will also be one or two cars with flee wheel devices, while the regulations have proved a great encouragement to the fluid flywheel contingent.

A description of the event by one of the MoToR SPORT staff who is going through the event in a Talbot will appear, with the results, in our next issue.