Los Angeles herald., 1908-11-09
HIGH SCORES MADE
IN MOTORCYCLE RUN
DERKUM RIDES TANDEM WITH
BEST RECORD
Score of Riders Make Run Without
PenaIizaton and Will Get Gold
Medals-New Rider Be-
comes Exhausted

An even score out of thirty-five start
ers in yesterdays endurance run for
motorcycles arrived at the club house
at the finish with perfect scores.
This is considered an exceptional rec
ord on account of the roughness of the
road and the many grades that had to
be climbed.
Promptly at a quarter past five the
first machines were started and at in
tervals of a minute pairs of riders were
sent away after the leaders.
Trouble began at the Newhall grade
and a majority of the riders had to
have help to get over, but all of them
finally were started down the other
side.
Less sand was encountered than was
expected, but several of the grades
made many of the riders dismount and
push the wheels up by hand.
Paul Derkum made what was prob
ably the most creditable score of any
entrant, as he rode a tandem wheel,
carrying j. Arthur Scott on the rear
seat. His machine made every grade
without walking, which was not done
by any other rider in the contest.
Derkum got to every control at least
thirty minutes ahead of time and had
to wait on the outskirts before he
dared to check in. He was forty-seven
minutes ahead at one control.
He and Scott rode a three-horse
power single cylinder Thor that was
strictly stock and got speed out of it
as high as fifty miles an hour recorded
on an accurate speedometer.
Through the Topango canyon he car
ried double all of the way except on
one very steep grade at the summit
where the Topango begins. At that
point there is a very steep grade that
is difficult for automobiles on the low
gear.
Derkum's riding was a surprise to all
in the run, as most of them were more
accustomed to watch him flying around
a circular track in record time, but
they found that he was as clever on
the road if not more so than on the
track. where he stands at the head Of
the professional list with an unaccepted
challenge.
A few minor accidents to wheels pre-
vented some of the riders continuing,
but most of them came through, even
though some were late.
One rider who had never ridden until
a week ago insisted on entering his
wheel and going, but he became ex-
hausted in the Topango canyon and
did not get in until too late to get G
perfect Score. He was the only rider
out of the seven on Thor wheels who
failed to lay claim to gold medal for
a perfect score.
Those VINO came in without being
penalized were James Leonett, c. H.
Jackson, H. Bothermel, H. e. Camp
bell, ]. K. OFT, c. B. Judson, G. Bray
lock, w. Zeigler, C. w. Risden, j. III.
Shafer, ]. Janeway, c. M. Frink, f..
Mcbride, L. L. Lyons, f. Knappe, II.
Stuart, H. Lightcap, Paul Derkum, M.
J. Graves and C. Baalke.
From the large number who finished
perfect it might be concluded that the
run was comparatively easy, but 1t was
not. The high scores were due more
to the excellence of the riding of the
club members as a whole due to the
many road runs that they make BIZ
weekly and to the fact that they are
able to keep their machines in better
condition on account of having the
benefit of the experience of the other
riders in the club.