The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-03
James Levy Tells Why Yankee
Cars Lost at Savannah.
Didn't Plan for Contests, Lack
Of Power, Poor Drivers.
NOTHING HAPHAZARD
Foreigners Went Alter Victory
in Systematic Manner.
Drivers Professionals Who Could
Stand the Strain.

Chicago, Dec 3-''There are good
reasons why American cars had no
chance to win the American Grand
PrixN race, or even make good show
ing in it," said James Levy. who re-
turned last night from Savannah, where
he saw the great thanksgiving day
automobile contest. won%by Wagner in
a Fiat.
"System, drivers and big horse power
constitute the advantages shown by the
Europeans over the Americans IN this
race. Nothing was done in haphaz-
ard manner by the foreign carmakers'
thew went after victory in a systematic
manner, and it was this very system
that gave them tremendous adVan-
4age over the Americans. Then. too,
+he foreign drivers were superior to
most of those who handled the AMER
can makes: they are professionals IN
training all the time, and aIter theY
had gone over the route a rev tunes
previous to the race they were ready
to make the circuit at top speed
Tremendous speed was made by these
gigantic machines in this race. The OF
ficial report showing an average OF o0;o
miles per hour is going some OF IIsei Z
but that is only a trif1e less than nan
as fast as some of those big cars went
when they had a straightaway stretcn
of some distance. was lnIorIneo by
one of the officials that on some OF the
hest portions of the road Nazarro'
Wagner and Hemery reached as h1gh
as los miles an hour at times ana reel-
ed this speed off for many miles at
time Such speed is almost lncompre-
hensible to our mind, unless We stand
close to q car that is making SUCH
time. Then possibly we may begin 10
realize that those automobiles We're go
ing faster than locomotives travel
@Handling a car going at this marv marvel
flf1rrc Of
drivers. and this told heavier on those
handling the American machines tnan
on the foreigners, who are tnorouS my
conditioned professionals TO guloe
machine around graded turns or the Mt
tIe twists in a Comparatively straight
course is a heavy tax on the muscles
of the wrist and forearm. Drivers III
these races found their WristS sWelInS
ND to twice their natural slze-DlsseA
than their arms-and they were com
neIIed TO stop and have their Wrists
1nassa ged. Just as the old-tihne plcycle
rider used to have his legs runoeu 1ul
ing a race In this, however, the Eu-
roDeans were not as much anected as
1vere the Americans. and our machlnes
lost much time on this account
saTo illustrate what this speed means :.
Erie. in his no horse power Benz, was
charging along at terrific speed When
y nortion of the thread of his front
wheel tore loose, throwing a tire. he
lost control of the machine ana the
whole thing was tossed in a pie by
the roadside In the wreck Erle vas Mas
rot injured at ALL but small portion
of that torn tire-thread was thrown up
into his face with such force that lc
smashed his jaw, broke his nose ana
cut his cheek badly a car ,,a g1ing at
such speed, striking slight unaulaLlon
in +T,e surface of the road, so slight that
- could scarcely be detected, would toss
the car up in the air enough 70 make II
jump Is feet. Rounding nan elN. su tt ~
gravel would be thrown 50 feet IN the
air-over the tops of trees and houses,
aNazarro took a chance and tried TO
make the complete race without O.
change of tires and it was this, pro6a,
bly,. that beat him. Scarcely stop dlo
he make, taking oil and water on the
fiv. But this constant speed, which
gave him a big lead at the start, many
wore down his tires. At the beginning
of the last lap he was a minute and
half ahead of Hernery, but when about
halfway around one of his tires burst
and he had to stop to put on a new
one. Instead of winning the race he
finished third. owing to that ndstor-