Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-30
SEGRAVE MACHINE
CALLED TOO HEAVY
American Design to Be Used
if Record Is Challenged,
Says Observer.

By the Associated Press.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. March
30.-If an American elects to chal-
lenge the supremacy of Maj. II. o. d.
Segrave's astounding speed record OF
203841 miles an hour here yesterday
he will follow the conventional Amer1-
can design rather than copy the sue
cessful British machine, in the opinion
of G. P. Harding, research engineer
Mr.. Harding, who observed the test
Yesterday for the General Motors Co.,
thinks the Englishman moved too
much iron" Maj. Segrave's automo-
bile weighs about four tons, has
length of approximately 26 feet and
an overall width of six feet.
The American design runs to the
least automobile weight with cores
ponding narrowness Of body. Many
successful racing cars are well under
two feet in width.
Would Reduce Weight.
1--WE believe the major retarding
factor in aerodynamics Is the vacuum
created behind rather than the front
be cut properly only by the narrow
design" Harding said. I'm my
opinion, the weight of the machine
could be reduced materially by the
other design, with an accompanying
release of power for speed.
Americans are not prepared to fol-
low Maj. Segrave in the use of two
motors, Harding said. The British
automobile is equipped with two IL
cylinder motors, capable OF gener-
ating 500 horsepower each.
Maj. Segrave's sight was seriously
Handicapped by the terrific wind
x,o1oal+ry ond cvaad which Ynado his
vision even with goggles nothing but
blur. He revealed after the race
that he drove the course blind"
after reaching the high speed ranges.
+ "That was one of my major wor-
ries," he said. II couldn't tell where
I was. One time came entirely of
the throttle and then realized was
still in the middle Of the course"
"Scaredn~ There wasn't time" he
said. 81 had a job to do. ! believe
/ could have gotten at least 10 miles
per hour more In a lesser wind and
think I could have handled 1t.
Even before time was announced
knew l had gone very quick and !
was almost sure had done the job"
Important Facts Developed.
The race against time developed
several valuable engineering facts, in
the majors opinion.
when the time comes that 200
miles per hour is the normal speed"
he said, there must be new sort
of braking system, a new steering
rig and different distribution Of
weight. With the present equipment
there Is practically no control over a
machine travelling at that rate of
speed. Or, at least, 1t answers SO
slowly as to make the controls all
but worthless.
"In the big skid. where they tell
me hit the flag posts, I'm sure had
the steering wheel locked right over
for long way before there was any
answer at ALL 1t looks to me now as
though some sort of oil brakes would
have to be developed for the high-speed
ranges. For the rest, I have no def
mite ideas, except that they must con-
troll the car more fully than present
equipment does"
At between a quarter and a half
mile ahead OF a machine travelling
200 miles per hour, Maj Segrave add
ed objects are outlined hazily, while
closer they are merely a blur. He saw
the three flag slaves struck by the
machine only at the moment he struck
them.
More Thrilling Than Flying.
but there is a lot bigger wallop In
fast driving on the ground than there
is in flying. Up in the afr. you have
the whole atmosphere in which to cor
rect mistakes. Below, you're limited
to one partial level and have obstruc-
tions to dodge.
Certainly, I'd be quite ready to do
It all over again If there were any ne
cessity. I was preparing to go back
at it this morning when we found the
brakes gone. Zone of his brake bands
failed to stand the strain of vibration
and intense heat from the stops aft
err each record run and he called fur
Their trials off after the second race.1
But the job Is done now. There is no
point In trying for your own record
.,,I,av, vrnhodv olsa fc avon close"