Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-03
DRIVER STARTLES
THE AUTO WORLD
AMATEUR MAKES NEW RECORD
RUN
TAKES CAR THROUGH IN FAST
TIME
Pace Set by Fernando Nelson ls One
Which Autolsts VIII Have
Hard Time
Beating

Savannah, Ca, set a pace for stock
classes events that eclipsed anything
previously done and at Briarclin an
other mark was set for road racing
that marks a new era in that claSs
of sport, but It was Fernando Nelson,
an amateur sportsman. who has out
done the entire automobile world by
sending his big White steamer from
San Francisco to Los Angeles and re-
turn in record breaking time and get
ting the car through In such shape
that the performance might easily
have been Immediately duplicated.
At Savannah the cars stripped to
stock classes and ran in daylight on
a prepared course that was the most
efficiently patrolled of any course on
which a road race has been run. The
turns were banked and every precau-
tion taken to insure the safety of the
drivers and get the most speed out of
the cars, and the distance was 800
miles. At Briarcliff the road condi-
tions were not so good as at Savan-
nah on account Of numerous bad turns
and some soft places, and there the
cars were run 900 miles. In both
events the cars were entered by the
manufacturers and the drivers given
every opportunity to familiariZe them
selves with the road before the event.
In the. San Francisco to Los Angeles
run an amateur sportsman, and one
stock car that he had purchased as
the one car preferable for his own use
and with no other changes than to
add extra tanks to insure a sufficient
supply of gasoline and water for the
long stretches the car was sent over
q country road that led the drivers
through towns and cities. over nine
mountain ranges. through fords and
over bad stretches OF roadway and
then the trip of nearly 500 miles was
madc In a trifie more than seventeen
hours.
Offer Wagers
Believers in gasoline car superiority
offered wagers that the car could never
be taken back to San Francisco with
out thorough overhauling. but Mr..
Nelson left the car in the garage less
than two hours. where 1t was critically
inspected by experts and found to be
in as fit condition as when 1t left San
brakes frightened to take up the wear
of the friction that was generated
coming down and wit ha fresh driver
at the wheel the car was started on
its return trip. The only delays that
the car suffered were from outside
causes. such as teams in the way and
losing the right turn on a cutoff that
was taken to avoid a plowed UP sec
tion of the road. No trouble was had
with the motor, none with the trans
mission. none with the brakes or any
other mechanical part OF the entire
car. But more remarkable still was
the entire absence of tire trouble on
the fast trip down. Going back one
puncture delayed the car for five min
utes. which was all that was neces-
sary to remove the shoe from the
Goodyear quick detachable rim and
put In new inner tube
The same casing was nut hack on
nd the trip was made both ways on
the original set of Goodyear castings
that the car started with. So much
confidence did Mr.. Nelson have in the
Goodyear shoes that he carried only
one extra casing coming down and
Two were taken back, as 1t was hard
ly to be hoped that the original set
would hold up under the terrific strain
ana enormous heat of the fast run.
one or the greatest troubles that the