Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-12
RACES FURNISH
AUTO GOSSIP
BIG MATCH CONTESTS MAY BE
ARRANGED LATER
RECORDS SHOW FOUR CARS OVER
SIXTY MILES AN HOUR
No Protests Have Been Recorded and
Results Will Stand as An
nounced--Annual Events
Assured

The sole topic of conversation in au-
, tomobile fandOm and along gasoline
row yesterday was the great road races
at the Santa Monica race course sat
urday. After the hustle and hustle OF
preparing for the race last week ana
the elimination of success beyond eX-
pectations the motor world yesterday
had ample opportunity to sit back ana
discuss the two big races III detail
The deeper into details the auto fol-
| lowers ventured the more impressed
were they with the idea that two of the
greatest events iIf the history of Amer
lean autumobiling had been carried out
by the Automobile Dealers association
OF Southern California.
The breaking of the fastest time rec
ord made in the Vanderbilt cup race
a year ago is a feat that doubtless VIII
stand long in the annals of automobile
history.
The results will be of great benefit
for in the first place it will give Los
Angeles a premier position in the au-
tomobile industry and stamp the city
as a great automobile metropolis.
1t also means that the Santa Monica
course must be figured as among the
fastest, If not the fastest, course OF a
similar nature in America.
The rule that only drivers who had
lived in California a year previous to
the race before the event was the
source of dissatisfaction to many, VINO
argued that it would disbar number
of crack eastern drivers who are at
present on the Pacific coast, and thus
detract from the speed that might be
made.
The discussion on this rule was so
keen that it became n recognized fact
that the race would be taken as cri-
terion of the merits of the eastern
and western auto drivers. The results
of the two races, but particularly the
"battleship" class car race, Is sufficient
answer to the problem and places the
western drivers in an enViable posi-
ton, and surely on an equal footing,
at least, with the eastern cracks.
Four Great Records
In the excitement following the big
race but one thought was uppermost
in the minds of the dealers and spec
tators, and that was that the Van
derbilt cup race record had been
broken.
But Yesterday a consideration of the
figures brought to light the notable
fact that four of the entries in the
heavy car class made records for the
entire course exceeding sixty miles an
hour. The official figures show that
the winner, the Apperson ''jackrabbtt, >
maintained a uniform average OF 64. "A
miles an hour, or one-tenth of mile
more than was negotiated in the VAN
derbilt race a year ago.
The Chadwick six, which finished
second, averaged about 62.2 miles an
hour; the Stearns, which finished In
! third position, about 60.17 miles an
hour and the Locomobile, which was
piloted INTO fourth place, about 6O.Od
miles an hour.
The feat of these four cars will
doubtless stand for a long time, and
has never been accomplished before in
American road races.
Proves Speed of Stock Cars
The race demonstrated for all time
that racing skeletons are not necessary
to furnish excitement for spectators,
and it was a triumph for the automo-
bile association that such remarkable
time was made by stock cars.
The speed of the lighter cars was no
less remarkable than that attained in
the big race, and the excitement and
interest were evidenced by the official
score which shows but fifteen minutes
difference in the finishing time of the
first four cars, a remarkable record In
a race of over 200 miles.
f. A. Garbutt, referee, whose ef-
ficient work on the course in running
the events smoothly and without hitch
was noticeable, in speaking of the
races yesterday, said: Il think the
races the greatest ever held There
was not a single machine in either
race that was really disabled and that
could not resume work with but minor
repairs.
"In previous road races I do not be-