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Particulars are to-fcLnd""f?wi America of the
great Indituwpolis =00 ihfles motor'car race, iKe
richest automobile track event in the world. A
brie! cablegram some necks back announced the
bare fact that G. Chevrolet bad •mm. Details to
hasd show Oiat this classic "500" attracted an
enormous crowd of 125,000 spectators, who Trere
naturally elated to see the blue riband motor
event of America iron by an American .driver,
with an American car.
***--*
In previous contests European drivers and care
'lave generally carried off the honors. Chevrolet
drove a "Monroe" car designed by his brother
The winner covered the 500 miles in o hr. 40 min.
16 sec., and had: 3 min. to spare at the finish.
His average speed Tas 8S.16 miles an hoiir, which
da not far off the record (S3.8i miles per hour)
for this race standing to the .credit of R. Be
Palma oat a. "Alercedes" in 1015. The conteA
proved that small engines of high efficiency have
as gre.it speed possibilities as the larger en
gines used in the past.
A French car—a "Ballot," driven by Thomas—
finished second. Three "Ballots" started, and
they ran second, fifth, and seventh, a fine per
formance, especially as De Palma, who won hfth
position, was 5 miles in the lead at 374 miles,
when his car caught Are. The flames were ex
tinguished, and he was soon og again, only to
have the same trouble again a fen miles further
on. These miscaps cost him the race.
* *_ . * *
A strange coincidence is that the same trouble
lost De Pabna this cte=ic event seven years ago,
his car, when well in the lead, oatdiing fire and
being burnt when 495 miles of the 500 had been
covered. Hie winning1 car's power unit was a
four-cylinder engine of 1S3 cubic inch piston dis
placement. The "Ballot" is an 8-cylinder en
gine of the earae displacement. The first prize
is worth £4,000, but many extra bonuses make
the event worth nearly double that amount to
the winner. i «■'
* * » *
An idea of the popularity of long distance
imotor cycle reliability. trials in England is
sho*-n by the that 320 entries have been re
ceived for the strenuous IS5 miles test from Lon
don .to Edinburgh. This .big entry draws atten
tion file enormous list o£ nominations that the
Dimlop Itubber Company used to receive for its
TVarrnambool-lfelbourne cycle race, the extraordi
nary total of 500 being Teceived on several occa
American aeroplane manufacturers ore calling
for legislation to prevent the dumping of Brrtisn
aircraft in America. ■ Their claim is that failing
immediate legislation British flying machine*
will moiwpolise the air, and t'ne American in
dustry sink to its pre-war insignificance. The
outcey of the American is worth
nothing if only in view of his
efforts to capture British Dominion motor
cur trade during- England's ahsence from the mar
ket os'ing to her war efforts. Free trade is a
fine thing when £t suits America's exporters, but
it hurts when their home 'interests are assailed.
* » * . •
A great deal of 'discomfort and fatigue in
driving i"s caused through heaw action of the
steering mechanism of some care. Of all the
controls about a car, the steering, belt® the
one in constant operation, should be the easiest of
manipulation. It is noticeable on quite a num
ber of American cats -that no attempt seems to
be made by the makers to cause tM road wheel
contact to ooiucide witH the axis of the steering
head. It is obvious that if the raid contact
point and the axis of the steering head do not
coincide a. considerable drag must be put on the
turning of the wheel sideways for steerage pur
poises.
♦ » * »
Then, "agate, it would seem that more attention
paid to toe design of the steering mechanism it
self—including the xheel heads, the links, the
worm gear, and (fc1 steering column—would add
to the ease of control. - Ball or roller bearings
Should bo provided wherever they are applicable.
Some would go the whole hog and provide ball
bearings and thrusts at top and bottom of the
steermg heads, at the heads of -the steering links
ard arms, and in the/worm or other irreversible
gear. Even the ronn gear itself oould be-made
much easier iby some such construction, eo shot*
the whole movement is transmitted through ball
bearings.' Such a steering mechanism might be
more expensive to manufacture, but there ia do
doubt that tfre result in added comfort, ease of
operation and efficiency generally, would amply
repay. jbe increased first cost.
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