Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-27

n a HluSl b6 taken OH TO barney
II Oldheld for his wonderful work
IL of yesterday at Ascot park. Once
more this king of the racing track has
demonstrated that he is back once more
in bis old racing form, and he exem-
plified that fact so clearly and thor
oughly that there can be no dispute
about it. Incidentally. he smashed the
worlds record for fifteen miles on a
circular track by doing the distance in
1S:42 2-5.
Late Saturday night the writer was
with Oldfield, and he made this state
ment: II will own every record in the
world from one to fifty miles before
the close OF the year 1910 for circular
tracks, and am going to begin laying
them up now"
Yesterday Barney made his word
good again, for he asked the question
If any person present had the 15-mile
worlds record-the time for it-an1
being told that Ralph De Palma held
that record and his time 1851, the big
fellow told Manager Hempel that he
would go against that record right
then. And Barney interpolating this
number on the program when not
scheduled brought forth round of
deafening applause as the words died
in the big megaphone of Hempel.
To do this Oldfleld calculated that his
time must average 55 2-5 seconds, and
as he pulled his big Benz into the
straightaway for the trial that old
calm look of determination was seen to
play about the face of the famous
driver, while his good natured eyes lit
up with the confidence that he was
again master of the racing track.
Cigar still There
The big cigar was there as usual
The big Benz was there, too, and
actually seemed to realize the design
of her owner and never will she an
swer the call made upon her better,
truer or more satisfactorily than she
did in that fifteen miles of whirlwind
travelling.
Taking q turn about the track once.
Oldfield gave the starters the sign that
he was off, and down the stretch he
came, throwing great heaps of dust
and sand to the rear as he bore away
on the run. Shooting the first sharp
turn at 75-mile gait he caught the
back stretch at fearful speed and
marked up the first mile in 55 seconds,
Touching the car up little with the
second mile he made the mark In 54 40
seconds. and to show the consistency of
the man in his work held his car TO
that mark, or at least within three
fifths of a second of 1t, until the twelfth
had been coached on the time he was
making by Billy Pickens with painted
signs, gave the machine a little more
throttle and his speed became the cause
of rounds of applause from an excited
audience as the announcer told them
mile by mile what the car was doing.
At the end Of the twelfth mile Barney
again showed his marvellous general
ship on the track by speeding the big
Benz a little harder until his mark
dropped below the 81 limit and his
record was bounded by the 53 and 81
marks until the last mile was to be
made. when he shot the car into the
stretches at an S5-mile gait and held
ner well in to the seventies on the
turns and brought the huge machine
across the tape with bis mile track
record of yesterday beaten by fifth
of a second.
Establishes Himself as Peer
Oldfiel1 had added one more record
to his name. He had robbed in
1912 2-5 seconds the proud record held
by that most excellent driver, Ralph
De Palma, and did it on Ascot park
track with fifteen seconds to his credit.
1t must be remembered that Ascot
park track has always been devoted to
horse-racing and the bottom is not
even as good as the track at Santa
Ana, and for a man to go out and
take the worlds record from such a
driver as De Palma, surely satisfies the
most credulous that Oldfield is the
peer of all the racing drivers of the
world, aad that his claim will be made
good that he will own every track rec
ord in the world from one to fifty
miles, and this is but starter.
What an inspiration to the big fell
low also was the enthusiastic and bril-
liant crowd present. compliment to
the mans ability and the possession
of such car as the big Benz. The
reception given Oldheld Yesterday but
lContinued on ragc SeVeuI