Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-21
WHICH HAVE WON FAME
Season Of Motor Car Racing and En-
durance Runs is Now Closed.
DEATH HAS CLAIMED IT'S TOLL
Manufacturers Have spent Large
sums I'm Promoting Races of DIFF
ferent Kinds to Advertise
Their Cars in Country.

AeEeht MINUS ~ AuhSEAhH
Their Cars in Country.
Another season Of motorcar racing and
endurance runs has gone down into history.
Taken all in all it has been a most au-
spicuous one. Long-standing records have
been broken and new ones established.
Death has claimed it's toll as usual, but
with a marked decrease over former years.
AS long as men have red blood In their
veins and a desire to go their neighbors
one better, there viii always be found a
few who will take just one more chance
with the result that the grim reaper adds
another to the list Of violent deaths. From
the early days Of motor building TO the
present time these races and test runs
have done more to bring the automobile
to the point Of perfection which 1t now en-
joys than all the other causes put together.
Each race and each run has shown some
weak points, and the builders have Inn
mediately taken steps to remedy this defect,
not only in the racing cars, but in the
stock cars as well. Each year has added
new strength and extra safety devices, but
It is improbable that Il will ever be possible
to overcome the skidding tendency when a
car tries to make a turn at the rate of
sixty or seventy miles an hour. The tours
and endurance runs have as a rule been
much longer than those Of preceding years,
and I'm the great majority Of runs during
the last season the number of cars finish
ing have been above the average. The
sporting events have been much more
numerous, with one or more road races,
hill climbs or reliability runs having been
pulled off in every state in the union. Sew
eral Neutrality-suspicious. races were held at
A. ~
attempts to break the record of LII miles,
but it was not until the last race that this
was accomplished. A Lozier, with Frank
milford at the wheel, crossed the line at
the end Of twenty-four hours OF nerve
racking driving, with 1,196 miles to its
credit. Fifty-one and one-half miles of
this distance was covered the last hour.
During the entire race the bonnet was not
raised for any purpose other than to oil
up. The other Lozier entered finished sec
ond, having made 1,169 miles.
Across h Country.
Another race which constituted a SUI.
preme test Of endurance on the part of
both driver and car was the transcon-
tin race from New York to the ex-
position at Seattle for the GuEgenheim
trophy. When the announcement of the
race was made in March there were no
restrictions as to size or power OF cars,
no schedules to make 1t a Joy ride, and
no limitations to handicap any entry.
Later the Manufacturers Contest asso-
citation passed resolutions disappearing the
contest on the grounds that it encouraged
the violation of the speed laws and that
the contest offered too much opportunity
for rebuilding cars en- route. The rules
were accordingly amended, and a daily
schedule as far west as st. Louis ar
ranged. West OF there it was decided that
the conditions Of the road would prevent
fast time. The rules were also revised
so as to insure against any chance of
rebuilding cars or replacing parts. More
than a score Of cars, had been promised
for this race, but when the time came to
start only six made their appearance-two
Fords, a Stearn, an Acme, a Shawmut and
an ITALIA. The start was made from the
city hall in New York on the afternoon of
June l. and Ford No. 2 finished in Seattle
twenty days afterward, having covered 4,1Ot
miles, most Of which were over roads OF
the worst kind.
Next to the New York-Paris race this
probably was the hardest road race ever
pulled off in the history Of the sport
The New York to Paris race was not
an event Of the past year, II was run in
the early part Of 1908, but up to today
this performance has never been euualed
The race started in New York, February u
1893, and at 8 O'Clock on July 80 the Thoma.
flyer, victor in the round-the-world race
arrived in Paris, sweeping through tn,
crowded boulevards Of the city escorted
by a great cavalcade Of automobiles. TIL,
entries for the race consisted Of thre,
French-made cars. one Italian, one German
and one American manufacture. Ever,
kind Of known obstacle was met and over
come by the men who drove these cars
Not only was there great honor in win
ming this race, but that any machine fin
ished at all is a feat that will live foreve
in the annals of motoring.
MRtsOn Wins Two Events.
Joe Matson, the nervy driver OF tn
Chalmer-Detro racing team, capture,
Two important events this year. Driyinl
a ChalmeTs-Detro so, against larg
fields, he won the Indiana trophy and IN
Nassau sweepstakes. Another perform
ance by a Chalmers-De Detroit car, which wa
made under the hardest kind OF conditions
was the run Of "Bluebird" from Denve
TO Mexico City, pathfInding for the flag
to-flag' endurance run, which starts mex
month. Practically all OF this journe,
was made through territory wher the au
tomobile had never been seen before. TIL
factory was 5000 miles away ana il wa
over a 1000 miles to the nearest garae
or repair shop. With the utmost conf
dence in the little car and his own ability I
get there somehow, Billy Knipper climbe
into his seat at Denver, and, after a SCI
les OF sandstorms, lost roads. and unforC