THE A.C.U. AND SPEED CONTESTS.

THE A.C.U. AND SPEED CONTESTS.

Following the decision of the Competitions Committee of the R.A.C. declining to grant permits for any speed contests on the public highway, the Competitions Committee of the Auto-Cycle Union has passed the following resolution :—

” That this Committee, having carefully considered the difficulty of ensuring the safety of the public at motor cycle speed competitions on the public highway involving an excess of the legal limit of speed, are of opinion that until the conditions are changed all such competitions whether’ open ‘ore closed ‘ are prejudicial to the interests of the sport.”

The effect of this resolution will mean that not only will the A.C.U. not grant an open permit for a speed event or a hill climb on a public highway, but also will strongly discountenance any closed club competitions of this character taking place. Where speed events are held on private property or on sands, the Competitions Committee will agree to their being held, provided the Committee is satisfied that adequate and proper arrangements are made for public protection.

The A.C.U. regrets exceedingly that it has been found necessary to take this action, but it has been forced to do so, not only in the interests of the competitors and the sport generally, but also of the general public. Where speed competitions are held on public highways the public have definite rights and neither police nor officials have any jurisdiction over them. Owing to this difficulty and the increasing crowds which gather to watch these events, the danger attaching to them has become so great that the A.C.U. feels it impossible to permit of their continuance until organising clubs are able to devise methods which will positively secure the safety of all concerned.

THE ENFIELD CYCLE CO., LTD.

The chief interest in the Royal Enfield Catalogue is to be found in the specifications of the 21 h.p. O.H.V. Sports model, listed at 55 net, and Model 352, which is similar to the Sports model, but has a Super-Sports 344 c.c. double port engine ; the 8 h.p. Sports Solo, with a twin-cylinder engine of 976 c.c. capacity.

BARIMAR ACTIVITY.

A visit to Messrs. Barimar’s repair works in Lamb’s Conduit Street, London, W.C.I, gives a good idea of the business activity of this company.

There are departments specially eqipped for the repair of cracked and broken cylinders, crank cases, gear boxes, differential cases, shafts, etc. ; in another machine room gears are cut, cylinders reground, pistons machined, connecting rods made, and twisted crankshafts straightened and reground.

On another floor are motor car radiators and hundreds of damaged lamps, all awaiting treatment. New radiators of every type for motor cars and cycle cars in various stages of construction. Other sections of the works are specially equipped for the quick and economical repair of magnetos and accumulators, each department being in charge of a specialist.

THE TRIUMPH CYCLE CO., LTD.

The 1925 Catalogue issued by the Triumph Cycle Co., Ltd., is an attractive publication, giving full particulars of the various models of their well-known products, as well as full technical descriptions of the principal technical features. Readers will be particularly interested in the 4.99 h.p. O.H.V. machine, with two inlet and two exhaust valves. This is also supplied as a ” Super ” Combination, with a very smart sporting sidecar body. The illustrations in this Catalogue are very well produced, and give a very clear idea as to the sound construction of the Triumph machines.

The scarcity of really skilled mechanics in the motor repairing business is a thing which is likely to be felt very keenly by the sporting car owner who desires certain highly technical work to be done on his car from time to time. The whole trend of repairing seems to be in the direction of eliminating the good old-fashioned hand-work, without which it is practically impossible to get the best results in car tuning. Apart from the help given by sporting car manufacturers and their agents, the owner has to fall back upon his own resources for development work, which means that technical knowledge becomes one of th,e nlain factors of success.