Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-27
DARRACQ MAKES
TRACK RECORD
KERSCHER AND HERALD'SAUTO
MAN MAKE. 1T IN :52
Scraping Splnters from Fence on
the Turns Going at 75-MiIe Clip
and 95 Miles on the
Stretches

Although unfortunately the time
cannot be made official, as the lscord
was made only in preliminary practice,
there was made at Ascot park yester-
day the track record by Ben Kerscher,
the wild Dutchman, in one of the three
miles covered in that practice spin on
the Darracq.
Just before the car was to take he.
place on the track for her number on
the program Kerscher decided to take
run round the track 10 try her out.
and, inviting The Herald representa-
tive to ride with him, his seat was
taken at the side Of the gentleman with
a specially brilliantly Illuminated pair
of red hose purchased for the occa-
sion, who was TO handle the throttle
The Herald has persistently claimed
that the Darracq is a totally unknown
quantity as to speed, and this fact was
thoroughly made known yesterday IN
that three-mile run. Starting out the
driver hewed the turns at terrific
speed, and in the second mile leaned
over and asked in his broken dialect,
How do you like the way she is
going?" why you are not goins at
all. Is that the best you can do?' was
the response. No" said Kerscher. Il
dink she can do a leetle peter. maybe
and, giving her another notch, the
freak shot into space at lightning
speed, tearing into the stretches at
eighty-fve miles an hour, ana The
Dutchman never Stacking up except q
very little on the turns, never a speed
less than seventy-five miles an hour
on the curves, and crossed the tLpe in
So seconds, the record time for Ascot
park track.
1t is impossible TO describe n cars
speed on a circular track going as that
car was on that mile, the others ali
being within the So mark; and to look
at whirling car turning the corners
as Kerscher does does not in the least
tell the OnloOkeT the experience of sit
ting in the machine going wide open as
fast as the Darracq can travel. At
the far corner of the track it is very
rough and cut up badly. To avoid
this and to keep the machine from
overturning he holds her close to the
fence on the pole line; and TO see that
fellow trim the spinters from the rails
end posts is a caution! He is the mas
ter of driving that freak. Short as is
her wheel base, she bobs and squirms
under her terrific power, while her pi-
lot steers her rear wheels with his
steering wheel and skids her about as
a Slole Oh the ice.
His nerve never leaves kerscher He
smiles as his machine wiggles about
the fence posts. AS he clears into the
stretch his good-natured face breaks
into a smile s he chats and says,
THAT is a pretty short turn to make
going so fast and the track as rough
as it is, amt it?"
Eighty-five miles an hour affords but
a mite of time to witness what is COINS
on about one in the car. The grand
stand heaves in sight and is passed be-
fore one can think, almost, and the
fences look like a writhing snake as
curves are made with but a few inches
from the hubs.
Those who witnessed the drive of
Kerscher in that preliminary run yes
terday will agree that the Darracq, as
claimed by The Herald, is a monstrCus
freak in appearance as well as in par-
formance. Twelve years old, this
mighty motor has carried the car To
victory i'm classic events, and it would
appear that she is i'm better condition
now than ever before, which is due 20
the knowledge and teaching Of the
past master of automobile knowledge,
Barney Oldfeld.