The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-08-22
ALL IMPORTANT SPORTS FROM EVERYWHERE
CAR DOPING" is
LATEST WRINKLE
Picric Acid in Oil Adds 27 Per
Cent Efficiency to the
Average Motor.

II seems that the Automobile asso-
citation is up against some more trouble
car doping" Some hints Of the prae-
tice have leaked out from the Indian-
apolis track. The Washington Star Of
fers the following, which viii be intes %
esting to the motor car driver and,
through analogy, perhaps to the horse
man:
A serious effort is to be made during
the next racing sea=on to prevent the
doping" of cars. This is one of the
most difficult subjects that the Autom9-
bile association has ever tackled and is
a matter that the general public knows
little, if anything. about. 1t is a fact,
none the less, that an automobile cen
be "doped" for a race just the same IS
a horse, and the result is about the
same. The machine, like the horse, may
win it's race and never be any good aft
erward, but the difference is that a big
firm turning out thousands of cars a
year does not mind spelling a few for
the sake of the advertisement that
comes from winning a big race or "a
hill-climbing contest.
Automobiles are turned out a good
deal more quickly than race horses. and
while giving dope to an old selling
platter is the last resort of the outlaw
track, a new automobile just out of the
shop, with a noted driver at the wheel,
may be dOped up for a single race ard
then relegated to the scrap heap VITA
out compuction, while the firm comes
out with a big advertisement Of how
its thirty horsepower car, regular stock
model" ran away from a bunch Of
fifty and ty-hOrsepOWer cars Of Op-
posing makes.
There are almost as many different
formulas for doping an automobile fer
a race as there are of doping a horse.
Most of the big race drivers have their
own formulas, but they are all dangeF-
Gus, all bad for the machine and they
prevent any fair judgment Of the rela-
tive merits of racing cars when all are
supposed to run on the same fuel.
Picric Acid Is IL.
The most effective dangerous and pop
ular dope is picric acid. This is the basis
that the British war office uses for the
manufacture Of lyddite shells and COrdIse
powder for the regular service rifle It
is deadly explosive, and the sole OBJ
ject Of mixing it with gasoline for auto
the explosion. Only a few drops are
used TO the gallon Of gasoline There
is no use in saying just how many, as
there are enough automobile fatalities
now without throwing additional tempta-
ton in the way Of amateur speed ma
MACS
a professional race driver, and one Of
the best in the business, in talking over
the matter said that they calculated on
getting 2 per cent additional efficiency
out of the average motor with the mag
imUm addition OF piCTiC acid that could
be used with reasonable safety. This
would bring thtrty-horsepOWer car Cd
to about fifty horsepower and. with 10
additional weight to carry, would uatug-
ally make the small. light car beat out
fifty or stxty-hOrsepOwer car on a hili-
climbing contest. The same racing man.
in talking over the latter, said:
Il have no particular ethical views on
the subject, and I guess I am willing 10
take about as many chances as the next.
but, from a purely practical standpoint
! would never use dope of that sort
in long race. It is good enough for
a sprint or up to, say. 100 miles. but after
that the harm it does to your engine
more than makes up for the initial advars-
tage.
Not for Long Races.
For instance, I would never done q
car with picric acid or anything or that
sort for a Neutrality-suspicious. race or an err
durance run, though in these long races
there is another sort Of mild dope that
/ have used with good results and wOuld
use again. That is simply lubricating OIL
mixed with the gasoline, about a pint u
five gallons. It goes into the cylinder
and gives you extra fabrication at the
top of the stroke, where the cylinder IS
hottest, and where you need il most.
There are some engines that will stand
more Of a heavy explosive charge than
others, and I have heard that I'm soma
cases the horsepower can be doubled for
comparatively short run; but you have
to remember that an extra heavy explC-
sion, while it means more power, means
more heat, and if you heat your engine
up to a point where there is autO-ignitiOa
Of the charge before the piston gets over
the dead center you are going to have
a back fire that viii wreck your machine
and probably send you to kingdom come
besides surely losing the race, which Is