Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-06-13
OLDFIELD AT
NEW SPEEDWAY
GETTING READY TO ENTER THE
RACING GAME
DECLARES NEW TRACK FASTEST
IN THE WORLD
Racing Driver Looks for More Tracks
Like indianapolis Course to
Be Built in Other Big
Cities

Barney Oldfield, the champion track
holder of all circular track records
from two to fifty miles. visited the
great indianapolis motor speedway,
and was very elaborate in his praise
for the course. which he considers the
fastest and greatest track in the
world
This track will spread the name
and fame of your city to every point
of the earth where automobiles are
used" said Barney, while for a great
undertaking it surpasses even the ideas
that had as to what it was.
Il feel that this is the beginning OF
a series of such auto tracks that are
bound to revolutionize the racing game
and ! am glad that the car that | will
pilot for 1909 is made in your city, as
| will do all my preliminary training
here, as we'll as my testing OF my new
cars on your course.
"The Savannah course, the Wander
bilt course must give way to the new
style of .speedways, which is original
in indianapolis.
81 do not think that the engineers
| and the promoters of this track fully
realize the great speed that 1t Will
be possible to attain over the speed
way course. 1t would not surprise me
to see the cars travel at the rate of
| two miles a minutes before the sea-
son is over. While ] consider 1t supe-
rior in every respect to the great En-
glish course, Brooklands. and the great
roads of France and Germany are not
to be compared with 1t.
"Why, just imagined When a race is
| planned on one of the famous courses
| of Europe (by which l will mention
the Grand Prix or Dieppe circuit, the
Ardennes circuft, Gordon Bennett cup.
Bresica circuit Bologna circuit and
many other fast courses) the various
| governments allow from $4,000 to
100000 for the purpose Of preparing
the roads which may have become
damaged by the use of heavy vehi-
cles.
Greatest Course in the World
Compare such a course and so pre-
pared, with your wonderful speedway,
which will be for automobiles only,
with caretakers to take care of every
break In it's surface, while it VIII be
oiled and rolled to a billiard table
smoothness. The inferred result will
will be the greatest and fastest course
will be the greatst and fastest course
| in the world, and one on which the
| fastest car in the world can travel at
| full speed without danger to the spec
tator and but little to the driver, while
the dust that is so fatal on road racing
courses will be entirely eliminated.
1.-THE cost of this course-$350, 900
makes it a permanent speedway, and
as it is worked in shape 1t will become
/ faster with use. Another feature of
your course will be that the spectator
will get a full view of the contest and
the contestants at all times.
"Have you ever attended one of the
big road events in Europe? Well, you
see the machines start at intervals of
thirty seconds or more apart. After
the cars leave the tape there is a long
wait of several minutes before you see
any one of them again, and when you
do see them it is impossible to tell
who is leading, as they travel on
elapsed time, SO that no one but the
scorers and checkers can tell just
where they are placed.
CAS- for contest, it is rarely part
of the program, the cars usually pass
each other on parts of the course that
are nowhere near the grandstands and
| fly by singly when they pass the
stands.
! IAN the cars on the speedway can
| be started at the same time, so that
| the spectator can easily keep track of
| them and know every minute just who
is in the lead, while it is also possible
to see every car that Is on the track
during every moment of the race. Even
the great Brooklands course is not as
cleverly laid out as the speedway as
the spectator will see the cars pass
three times in five miles on the speed
way and the turns are SO gradual that
they can be easily negotiated at the
highest speed.
II expect to enter in all the speed
events and races held on the speedway
this season. In the fast events of less
than twenty-five miles l will drive my
big National racer, while in the long
distance events / will drive stock mod
els"