The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-06-29
ROBERTSON, WINNER <.
 OF VANDERBILT CUP

Julian Street Is a warm friend OF George Robertson, the winner of the Vanderbilt Cup last year, and prior to that event spent a week at Robertson's S training camp. He describes his ex- periences in the July American Maga- zine. Of Robertson and the reasons for his success. MT Street says: Tn appearance Robertson is a strap ping, handsome youngster, with deep chest and the limbs of a Hercules. His skin is clear and ruddy; his hair light brown, wavy and close-cropped; his eyes frank. blue and boyish. Energy and good nature hang about him like an aura His smile is wonderfully en- gazing and reveals a set of strong white teeth which any girl might covet. He is the sort of being one and energetic as a child. on the mo- ment of awakening; plunging without a shiver into icy water, and singing and whistling as he dresses An, me! It must be wonderful to feel like that! Robertson keeps his car as spick and span as his person, and it is interesting to note Gin view of the fact that there are ordinary chauffeurS who refuse to wash and polish their machines) that, though there were twenty men on hand to help him, he preferred to do all the work upon the car himself. Through the long tedious hours that followed EthTidge, labored; cleaning, adjusting. testing, tuning-up' the racer. When
 they brought her in, black and dirty, from the fresh-oiled roads, they wash
 ed her off with gasoline before remov- ing the grime from their own hands
 and faces. One might paraphrase Gil- bert:
 They polished up the motor so suc- That now they are the holders of the great V. C.
 ''For the Vanderbilt Cup is doubly the V. c. of American motoring. Driving, Robertson gives one the inn
 pression that he is a mailman, crowd ing his car to her maximum capacity. Nevertheless he has a head and uses
 it. His reputation as a dangerous driver is of double benefit to him, for it makes him a popular favorite with | spectators, besides making less experi- enced and more tinid drivers fear him. | He is one to be looked out for-turned | out for
 Imagine yourself driving a. racer at eighty miles an hour, taking the best of the road and preparing to shut off for a turn a mile or so ahead. Your
 then he leans close to your ear and bawls: Here comes Robertson!' Pres
 ently you hear the below of an engine | at your heels.
 "tRight up behind uSi' howlS your mechanician.
 | Meanwhile you are nearing the turn.
 You feel that you are being crowded
 into it too fast You hear the pursu- | ing engine roar, as Robertson throws | his clutch in signal: Clear the wayi' | You can't take the turn so fast; yet you fear to shut-off, lest he collide | with you His front wheels are within l five feet of your rear one. You think
 of things that he has done. Perhaps
 you hear him yelling something in a | voice that sounds a thousand miles | away, what with the wind and the roaring engines. You have heard that | he threw tools at men who interfered with him. You hope he knows that you don't mean to interfere. The turn | is close ahead He must be crazy to | rush at it like this. Will he kill him. | self, or, worse yet. kill you? Not if you can help it. And you can help it, | hy turning out, shutting off and apply ing brakes. As you do so a gray | streak shoots to your left, skids the | corner, throwing a wall of dirt into | the air, and in another moment is roar- ing off into the distance. It takes
 nerve to block Robertson