Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-30
TRACY TALKS Of
SEVERE AUTO RUN
HOW IT FEELS TO GO NINETY
MILES AN HOUR
Successful Driver In the Vanderbilt
Elimination Race Describes
Various Phases Of
WhirI

Special to The Herald.
NEW YORK, Sept. 29.-"Daredevil'
Joe Tracy this afternoon gave to a
reporter his first story of how and what
one thinks, feels and does while driv-
ing an automobile at the terrific clip
he did when he won the elimination
race for the Vanderbilt cup over the
Westbury course today, going 297 miles
In little over FIVE hours.
Most of Tracy's thoughts, In spite of
the fact that he had to guide his ninety
horse power locomobile SO that not
even a swerve Of even O. hairs breadth
interfered with the ninety-mile-an-
hour pace at times developed, we're for
Miss Milllcent Taylor, the girl who
promised to marry him IL victory
should be his.
Yes, l did think mostly of her"
said Tracy and the smile that ac-
companied the words was both remin-
iscent and tender.
IT took breakfast with Miss Taylor"
continued Tracy. I'VE had long chat
Fabout the race. She feared there would
be some accident to me, but 1 assured
her 1 would be as careful as such a
race permitted.
Then gave her blue handker-
chief. She was to wave this from the
grand stand every time / passed.
"Of course you know that at the ter
rible pace at which one drives a rae
ing car, one cannot distinguish faces.
But 1 could see the flutter of the blue
handkerchief and you may be sure It
cheered me on to renewed effort every
lap.
Carries Good Luck Token
81 had another blue handkerchief
which told her L would wear around
my neck, both for good luck. as it was
the same color as hers, and so that she
could easily see me.
But in the little bit Of excitement
that came over ME as started, L for
got to put the handkerchief around my
neck and stuck it in my pocket. Enough
|of it stuck out to bring me good luck
and also for the good girl to see.
II want to say right here that I had
the best mechanician on the course
with me. That was AL Poole. He was
taught what he knows in the Mercedes
factory In Germany and there is not
much about machine that he does not
know.
1--WE always carry several cakes Of
chocolate with US. Whenever / got dry
or a little exhausted AL fed me with
pieces of chocolate
''I never took my two hands off the
wheel during the whole time of the
race.
I'VE only made one stop during the
ten laps. That was in the sixth time
around at Lakeville. We stopped three
minutes for some hot coffee. We both
needed it and it did wonders for us
freshened us up a whole lot. The only
accident we had was the breaking of
an oil pipe in the first round. But that
did not make us stop We had some
rubber hose with us and AL fitted some
of this around the broken copper tube
and that did the business.
Car Stands Severe Test
1.-THE car and 1 are both fit to go into
another race tomorrow.
81 made up most of my time on the
|Tive-mile stretch of the North Hemp
stead turnpike near Roslyn. 1t was
there that 1 let the machine out and
got ninety miles an hour out of her.
Although she is registered at only
ninety horse power she can develop as
much as 110 horse power. / only used
her full capacity occasionally through
the race.
"Well, now I have won my race, !
will claim my BRIDE added Tracy.
Miss Taylor was the first to greet
Tracy as he finished first in the big
race.
She threw her arms around his neck
as he slowed up his car just beyond
the grand stand and chen expressed her
confidence that he would win the con-
test with the three foreign teams In
two weeks.