Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-05-23
I'M Racesa o
Weeks Track
PAUL DERKUM
ISSUES LETTER
THANKS HIS FRIENDS FOR
THEIR GOOD WILL
FEELS DEEPLY PREVIOUS LACK
OF RACERS
Promises to Take De Rosters Measure
the Moment That He Has the
Machine That VIII
Let Him

Paul Derkum has issued a statement
to his friends which explains Itself
and which shows how deeply he feels
the many defeats he has suffered on
the local Coliseum track, due to hay
ing an insufficient string of machines
to ride.
The letter follows:
To my friends In Los Angeles and
elsewhere:-I desire, through the pub
lie press, to express my earnest APP
probation to all those friends who nave
been loyal to me and who nave de-
Tended me during the many weeks that
/ have been racing at the local Coli
scum saucer track,
| have felt as keenly as any friend
of mine could feel that 1 have not
been able to deliver the goods" as L
have wanted to and as they have
wanted me to, but have tried from
Sunday to Sunday to do the very best
that was in my power with the ma
chine l had to work with. This ma
chine was never intended for a racing
machine and should never have been
put on the track against machines thal
had BEEN built specially for racing
But the Reading Standard people We're
anxious to have me ride their machine
and to ride it to success, offering me
the best stock machine they mad,
while they hurried forward the con-
strlction of real racer The differ
epce between a racing machine ana
road machine lies more specially In
the capacity of tanks for both gasoline
and oil and in the manner of oiling
the engine and the gears while travel
ing at a high rate of speed. This diff
ference was in part eliminated by the
hurried construction of new tank
and the installation of additional
pumps. But the machine itself was
last years model and had had hard
usage before the effort was made to
convert 1t into q racer, and 1t mas
been my misfortune to either have the
machine go back on me on more than
one occasion, either because of an i'm
perfect oiling system, or because or
the breaking or loosening of the ma
chine at some important point as
result of it's previous hard usage.
For this reason, the public generally
has quite naturally grown to feel that
the fault was mine and has not under
stood that I was the victim of an i'm
perfect road machine, but partially
converted into racing machine.
| am still constantly working on this
old machine and believe that l have
located its every weakness and that
hereafter it will be able to deliver
the goods" even though no other ma
make good"
A new machine has arrived from the
factory, however and others are on
the way and 1 hope that from now on
there will be no excuse in the direction
of imperfect machines. I am working
hard every day to wear down these
machines, in order to eliminate the
natural stiffness, and hope to have
them in perfect condition by Sunday.
If this is so, 1 promise all my friends
that they will be fully repaid for their
loyalty and patience and for their
courage in. having defended me, as
firmly believe that 1 can defeat Jake
De Roster the day I have a machine
that will stand up under as hard work
as does. his three or four different
machines. If I do not defeat him this
coming Sunday, then I will defeat him
inside of a very few Sundays and when
that time arrives I hope to give my
friends the pleasure of seeing De
Roster trying to take my measure"
and having as hard work to do it as
they have seen me fight to do Mean
while, I again thank them all from
the bottom of my heart for their conf
dence and we'll wishes. Sincerely,
PAUL J. c. DERKUM.