The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-09-14
HE LOOKED BACK.
Dell Morrison, Motorcycle Rider,
Disqualified.
Appeals From the DECISION as
Unfair.
CONTESTS EXCITING.
The Lawrence Man Carried Off
the HOnOrs.
Twenty-Five Mile Race Was
Especially Thrilling.

u AS1 W. CAAOC lieu LUZ AISl nOnOISs
Cooper took three firsts and Morrison
took three firsts. The last races
miles-has not been decided. Morri-
son came in almost two seconds ahead
of Cooper but the judges disqualified
| him, saying that he looked back. Nor
rison is an honest hard working and
steady driver and he has appealed the
! disqualification
Now it has developed that Cooper
also looked back. Elliott, the classy
| driver who entered most of the races,
says emphatically that Cooper looked
back at him during the race and
| beckoned him ahead. Others in the
race say the same thing.
The board of judges will decide to-
| night who is entitled to this race
Morrison or Cooper. The winner of
this race will be the winner of a ma
jority of the first prizes given and thus
| the hero of the day Morrison won
| the state amateur championship on a
! ten mile clip.
The pop pop motorcycle races at
the big half mile track the first day of
/ the state wide fair were good enough
to have been placed on at batter day.
The entries were classical, the ma
chimes were in excellent condition, the
faces were close and hair raising and
although the time was not record
breaking, it was fast enough to make
many a person in the grandstand hold
corners and brushed their shirt sleeves
against the fence.
Dell Morrison of Lawrence was the
real rider of the day. He is steady.
never skids, starts out ahead of them
all and keeps up a pace on the curves
as well as on the straight stretch. He
doubles his body into an acrobatic ball
and rests his chin on the handle bars.
His fast little machine works without
a jump and every adjustment is per-
feet. Together with considerable -ex-
perience Morrison, although only a
young fellow, is able to capture all
state and even honors.
At the races during the opening of
the fair Morrison won the amateur
championship of the state, the best
mile against time, and the first five
mile event. Cooper of Topeka took
close second honors. winning most of
the other races. Cooper is young
lad and with a good machine for all
races he would have made some rec |
ords yesterday. He changed machines
in almost every race and the variety of
the power and the shifting of the han
die vars caused him to do considerable
skidding at dangerous times.
The 25 Mile Race.
Probably the greatest race of the |
day was the final of the day-the rs |
mile-or fifty laps around the race
track. This is a long distance and as |
a general rule leaves crowd pretty |
restless before the race is over. But |
the twenty-five mile event Monday |
kept the crowd on its toes for the
whole thirty-five minutes of it's exist !
ence. Four machines started at the /
crack of the pistol. Dell Morrison in
his Indian, Court Elliott in his " In
dian, Ralph Cooper on machine be-
longing to ]. NJ. Meir, a Thor 6, and |
w. E Janicke in an Indian 5. Nor
rison jumped in the lead with his ma
chine sparkling before any OF the other
racers. Cooper came right behind him
closely followed by Elliott and
Janicke. For five miles, or ten laps,
these four races tore around the race
track and each held the same position
as at the start. They were making
mighty fast time and the creeping of
first one and then another upon the
man ahead kept the crowd wild. On
the first lap of the sixth mile Janicke
dropped out. His bike not work
ing right and he realized it as soon as
he made the first turn being overlap
ped. For five more miles the other
three air cutters tore around the track,
first skidding and throwing the dust
all over their machines and again hug
cling the white fence at the curves.
Finally Morrison, closely followed by
Cooper, overlapped Elliott at the tenth
mile post and Elliott was out of the
running for first honors.
Then the real fight for first place be-
gan. Morrison was at least quarter
OF a lap ahead of Cooper when the last
been webbing badly at the first turn
and was not able to keep out of the
deep dust on the edge of the track at
this place At times when it looked !,
as though he had made The first curve
in fine shane he would swerve out into
the dust, lis handle bars wobbied and
at times it looked as though he would
fly off from the right of way. But its
only took about three miles TO calm
the plucky rider down. He seemed to
realize that he was losing time and
hugging the fence a little tighter he |.
lodged the dust holes. On the straight
laps his machine crawled upon Morri-
son and as soon a S he took the corners
and smell lis gasoline. At the thirtieth
lap the race was nerve racking. Both
men were using every bit of speed in
their little pops and their turns and
dashes past the grandstsnd were mar
yelous. Coming around the second turn
to lean at a dangerous angle-but the
tires stood the racket.
To make a long series of hair raising
nnd nervous event into a short story
Ing his machine over the line. Morri-
son had looked back during the latter
part of the race and he was ruled
out for this reason. The last lap made
tie crowd crazy-Cooper gradually
climbed upon his rival all around the
course and came in just a few lengths
behind. The crowd was with Cooper
turing the whole race but the general
,pirsiou at such a rate he should have
Won the race. But it was against the III
tiles and Cooper may be the victor.
The Ten Mile Race.
The ten mile state championship race
!, as ais, of the nervous variety Nor
'ison with his ever steady hand and
he easy hum of his machine under
perfect conditions won this rather
,asily. In fact the crowd left him out
If their interest keeping their eyes on
elliott who started in the race next to