The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-19
Burman's Fastest Lap.

DurmanS FaSteSt Lap.
 Burman, in a Buick, led at the end of the first lap, covering the distance in 23:1, the fastest lap of the race.
 Burman also led at the end of the sec ond lap in 49:46.
 Knipper, in a Chalmers-D Detroit, led at the end of the fourth lap in 1:46:27, two seconds faster than Matson's time.
 When 1t became apparent as the initial race in the two-days' contest drew to a finish, that the victory lay between Mat son, Robertson and Monsen, the affair in- creased in dramatic intensity. As each of the leading candidates was deserted on the hill top to the south, where the oil- stained road, fringed by two gray streaks of lighter earth at the side, seemed to meet the horizon, the cheers of the spec tators began.
 They reached climax when the grimy visaged pilots and their equally begrimed mechanics swept by the grandstand, in some instances neck and neck, and dis appeared upon the rise to the north.
 Even when the relative positions of the winners was known, almost to a cer- tainty, barring sudden mishaps, the en- thusiasm did not diminish until the last of the victorious trio had crossed the f1n- ish line and disappeared to weigh in.
 The race, which was an hour late in starting, owing to the belated arrival of the automobile trucks for the transpor- tation of the militiamen to their stations around the course, was finally got under way when Starter Frank Wagner slapped Maisonville, the Corbin driver, on the back and the machine shot across the line The remaining cars were dispatched at minute intervals.
 Strang Goes Down.
 Burman, driving Buick, was the early hero of the contest He covered the first lap in 23:41. the fastest time for one circuit registered during the entire race. His excellent work continued on the sec ond round he led the field past the grandstand in 49:46. He was put out of the running on the fourth lap by the loss of valve. After making efforts to re- pair the damaged part he finally volun- tarily disqualified himself by borrowing valve and coming into the grandstand where he left the course.
 The Fal car driven by Ruehl had the distinction of making the slowest lap of the day. As the other cars reeled off lap after lap the Fal car was among the missing but it finally hobbled into port having made the circuit In 8 hours, 40 minutes. Then Ruehl retired from view The second lap brought about the down. fall of Louis Strang who was undoubt- edly the favorite driver. because of his previous successes in other parts of the country. He covered the first lap in "A S-5, but half way round on the second he was put out of the contest by the sudden ne- cessity of using his brake when he found he had not room to go around the car ahead of him. He applied the brake so suddenly that his transmission gear was stripped from the rear axle. The fourth lap saw Chevrolet, the lone Buick survivor, but III fortune appeared for the Buick entries, for he too was forced out of the race by an accident shortly after laat tyip ha nAc went wrong and after vainly endeavoring to rectify it he left the course. In the meantime Matson who finished the first lap in apparently hopeless po- sition, was steadily forging to the front At the end of the second round he had advanced to fifth place in point of elapsed time and was running smoothly. He reg istered his best time on the third lap, covering the distance in 25:43 and this timely squirt placed him in first posi- ton on the course. He was closely pressed by his Chalmers Detroit team mates, Knipper and Poole Hardly min ute separated the three cars. Tho Exciting Race. Matson was forced to relinquish his lead for a brief period at the end of the fourth lap when Knipper forged ahead by the scant margin of two seconds, with Poole close third. From this time on
 
 ran with perfect precision and he was able to continue on the track without stopping until the end of the eighth lap when he halted at the repair pit to re- plenish his supply of oil, water and gaso- | line.
 The excellent work of Frank Vaughan, l his mechanic, at this stage, reduced the | loss of time to a trifle more than half | minute.
 l Matson's teammates were unable to maintain the terrific pace. Knipper | dropped out of the race at the end of | the fifth lap and Poole encountered many difficulties in his sixth round, after which | he was hopelessly in the ruck. The interest in the last lap centered l in the race for second place between | Robertson in his Locomobile and Mon | sen at the wheel of Marion. Interest | was augmented by the danger, never ab- | sent in an automobile contest, of the | breaking of the machinery which would I have put Matson out of his well earned place and given first honor to either Rob- ertson or Monsen. Robertson drove with experienced coolness and was well up at all times. In the early stages he was never better than hfth but after the halfway mark was reached he moved up to third place and he snatched sec l ond place from Monsen in a terrific bat tie on the last lap.
 Today's Great Test. Tomorrow's race will, it is said, be the most severe test of machines and drivers in the history of stock car rac- ing in America. Twelve cars-two Loco- mobiles, two Appersons, three Bucks, two StoddardDaytons, two Knox and a Fiat are entered. The cars are of 40 or 45 horsepower. The race is at IS laps 39559 miles-or nearly 100 miles longer than the Vanderbilt cup course on Long Island.
 
 Morris to Charleston