Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-14
RULES FOR THE
ALTADENA RACE
MOST RIGID REQUIREMENTS
EVER DRAWN
CARS MUST BE STRICTLY STOCK
OR BE REJECTED
No High Explosive Mixtures Allowed
in Gasoline, and Notary Will
Swear All Dealers to
AffidaVits

Those autoists who still believe that
a road race of stock cars" and espe-
cially a hill climb, properly conducted
under rigid rules rigidly enforced, is q
reliable index of the qualities Of COM
peting cars will have no fault to find
with the very studied rules prepared
for the coming Altadena hill climb,
which is scheduled for a week from to-
morrow, February %. Providing the
doWnpour of rain only moderately dis
continues, there appears to be but little
doubt that the event will come off ON
scheduled time, as the course is along
a steep grade, the road being of a hard,
oiled surface, which makes it almost
impervious to wet and which sheds
water almost as fast as it descends.
To w. K. COwan, manager of the
event, who was chosen by the Automo-
bile Dealers association of Southern
California to control the climb, and to
William K. Reuss, who was selected by
Mr.. Cowan to assist him and who has
proven a master of details, the en-
thusiastic thanks of the entire trade
of Los Angeles must be given for their
IainStaking effort in endeavoring to re-
habilitate this classic hill climb of
Southern California and to restore it to
what was originally intended by the
dealers association in framing this an
nua1 event.
"Stock Car" the Keynote
BY the very language of the articles
which originally brought this climb into
existence, this annual event was i'll
tended as an honest test of "stock cars"
of all classes and sizes i'm climbing
grades, in order to assist the buying
public to d conscientious conclusion as
to the respective merits of the cars rep
resented by Los Angeles dealers. 1t is
a matter of more or less common gossip
throughout the trade that these original
purposes of the race have gradually
been lost sight of from year to year.
until they apparently did not figure iii
the remotest way in the minds of many
of the dealers, who naturally were all
intent on winning the climb at what
ever sacrifice.
To correct this condition of affairs,
Messrs Cowan and Reuss have framed
a set of rules governing the forthcom-
ing event which are said to be the most
strict of any rules ever promulgated
for any hill climbing event in the
United States. Weeks have been de-
voted to the preparation of these rules,
and it is said they were not adopted by
the dealers association until after d
prolonged debate on the part of some
dissenting dealers, who felt that the
rules had been made too rigid. Mr..
Cowan, however, is said to have frankly
stated to the association that, unless
these rules were adopted, he would not
consent to act as manager of the event
and the rules were thefOre adopted in
toto.
Friction Not Unlikely
1t is not unlikely that, despite the
strict drawing of lines, there will be
many serious disputes between man
ayers and dealers at the time of the
race before all cars are started on
their way, as the custom has been quite
generally adopted in all racing events
of even stock cars to deviate in a mea-
sure from strictly catalogue specifica-
tions in entering cars for 'stock carr
events, by the use of highly volatile
mixtures with which to supplement the
explosive qualities of gasoline used III
races, and by recourse to other similar
methods to enhance the chances Of the
racing dealers. Manager Cowan insists
that the most scrupulouS care will be
taken by him and Mr.. Reuss to check
mate any of these methods if attempted
on the day of the race, having gone SO
far as to provide for additional sup
plies of pure gasoline which will be
available at the starting point and
which, if protest is made by any con-
testing entrant, will be used to fill the
tanks of the competing cars. In former
years it has been the custom to pull
mufflerS and tenders and otherwise to
transform competing cars from actual
catalogued stock cars into semi-racing
machines. This practice will not be
tolerated, the managers declare. in the
race next week, and in the smallest de-
tail the catalogue description must be
adhered to or the car will be denied the
privilege of starting.
No Protest Runs Allowed
No cars will be allowed to run, under
protest, but wherever the results have
not been adhered to the car will be
rejected. In case the managers are in
doubt regarding any point concerning
catalogue details, notary has been
provided who will be required to swear
every dealer on such points, and il is
said that, if affidavit is improperly
made by any dealer, punitive measures
will be taken against him in the asso-
citation and his resignation from that
body will be demanded.
1t is the general belief that the entry
lists will embody a larger number of
cars in every event than has ever been
recorded at any previous year of this
event, although no definite idea, of this
fact can be gained for several days. as