Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-12
GOLD WILL BE USED =
JUST LIKE WATER
EoUIPPlNG NEW SPEEDWAY AT
INDIANAPOLIS
When Completed Track viii Have Cost
Close to $3.50, ,ooo-New Rules
for Racing and Aerial
Contests Next

Gold, as water, 10 be poured oilo
the Indianapolis motor speedway. The
management have decided to spend
S15O,000 more on the famous track that
has already cost over 100000 to date.
One hundred thousand dollars of this
amount will go to making the track
a perfect one, as a new surface will
have to be laid, and this will be done
in a thorough manner before cars will
again be allowed to circle the track.
With a perfect surface the driver will
not have such difficult task in COW
er:ng long races and in this manner
reduce the possibility of accident.
Another scheme that will be tried
will be placing a sand cushion around
the outside of the track as well as
along the inside. This will be a strip
of sand fifty feet in width, so that II
a car should, in any manner, lose the
course, it will be impeded in the SAND,
and in this way 1T will be Impossible
for the cars to reach the fence. low
guard rail will run around the entire
course from the outside, while the
fences will be placed fifty feet back OF
the guard rail and on the extreme edge
of the sand cushion. Spectators VIII
be perfectly safe outside of this dan
ger zone. Two additional grandstands
will also be built, so as to accommo-
date every one, as the large crowd OIL
close to forty thousand on saturday
the 21st, oVerflowed the STANDS thal
were capable of seating $4,000.
These improvements will start at
once and it is calculated that the
track will be ready by october l. A
special series of rules are being drafted
by the speedway management to gov
ern the races on the speedway course.
All events of over 100 miles in distance
must be driven in the form of relays
AS soon as a driver covers 100 miles
the signal system will be used as the
car approaches the tape, a number VIII
be suspended from a wire running over
the track, and the driver Will Know
nv the number that he is called from
the track, and the next time around
he will stop at the pit, when a new
driver will be substituted. Inc drlVer
who has finished the first hundred
miles will then be submitted to med
ical examination to determine whether
or not he is fit to take UP the race
when the substitute is signaled at the
end of the next 100 miles. While the
driver is being changed the techmcal
committee will examine the tires OF
the machine to see If they are NJ
for additional service, though IN t1e
last events run at the speedway II
hard on tires.
Tn addition to the new stands, new
track surface as well as the SAND cush-
ion. an elaborate score board system
will be installed that will be in keeping
with the timing device which was SO
successfully operated when the great
est race meet in the world was run,
August 10, 20 and 81 A tunnel to per-
nit cars to pass under the track during
the time that the races are beng run Is
also to be built, while a suspension
bridge will be built for the same pur-
pose.
The two bridges crossing the track
will be widened while two add1tlonal
restaurants and refreshment STANDS
will he built on the infield and the
others made larger.
Two new garages will also be bullt
to accommodate racing cars as thS
large main garage and htteen snall
garages proved too small at the recent
meet, where the greatest field OF cars
in the world contested. AS soon as
the contractors decide how long the
necessary repairs will take, the extern
sion will be applied for and the next
meeting will be under way. The prin-
cfpai event at the next meeting Will De |
for the Wheeler-Schrebler trophy |
which was not decided at the last meet |
This event was called off at the end or |
the 235th mile. The distance Of TINS |
event will be as first planned, 800 miles.
The cars that took part in the unfin- |
ished race will be admitted to start In
the new race without additional entry |
fees, while the same rules will prevail,
which indicates an additional field.
Aitkens' time for the first 100 miles
of 91.41 $40 proved the time to be the
fastest ever made on track or road, and
with a perfect surface as the completed |
kr.o oh 11F;n all records VIII sure |
ly fall for the entire distance. The driv
ers will be given fifteen days of un-
practice over the course so
as to become familiar with it, and a
meet SURPRISING in every detail the
first great opening will be presented. SO
carefully were the outsiders looked |
after at the opening meet that hun
dreds of rooms that were listed at the
information headquarters were not
used. The hotels proved ample for
every one and box seats were to be
had up to the start of the races. With |
the additional stands it will be un-
necessary to make reservations of any |
kind for those desiring to attend the |
Speedway events, while the usual, a |
starte at noon, IL o'clock, will prevail.
On account of postponing the great |
twenty-four hour race that was to have |
been run in September the manage
ment is looking for an attraction to fill |
in the September date with and have |
decided to hold a three days carnival
for aerial craft. Balloons, dirigibles and
aeroplanes will form the September
card and it is proposed to hold the
greatest event ever promoted for this
fvue of machine ever held in the world
$4,000 in cash will be offered and as
much more in bonuses for records,
while efforts to secure two or three of
the wonderful European machines