Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-21
BURMAN, AUTO
DARE DEVIL
MILD HAMMERED AS MISSION
AIRY TO CHINA
Never Has Time to Get Scared, and
Says Racing Has Done More to
Perfect Automobile Than
Anything Else

"Bob" Burman, daredevil automobile
driver, who is one of the men who has
been handling Buick cars at all the bis
race meets in the country this season
is in st. Louis, en- route to the race
meet at Dallas. Texas. next week
Burman holds the worlds record for
100 miles, made at New Orleans In Feb
ruary, his time for the distance on a
circular mile track being 102 minutes a
record which the other big drivers Of
the country have tried vainly since to
lower.
Burman is 25 years old and has been
driving racing cars for five years. lie
is as mild-mannered as a missionary
to China, in spite Of the fact that ne
drives a car at a mile minute speed
with the same Indifference to possible
consequences as some people nave III
going to a funeral.
mo. l don't get scared" said Bur
man in answer to question. uoh
get time. If anything is going 10 nap
pen it always happens before tls man
in the racing machine has time 10 get
scared. l was driving seVenly-IIe
miles an hour at Savannah early lhIs
season. when we butted into a tree.
4
wrist broken and one Of his RIBS shoFu
through his lung He was not feeHhs
well enough to get scared and toIsot
TO until next day. It took nm lour
months to get back into the car Wlln
me. but he is riding with me in All my
races now.
Public Likes Excitement
"Tbare Ie a mistaken impression as to
tho raae0,7 for racing automobiles. We
who race realize that the puplic sots
ia see the game for the excitement
The manufacturers of automoplles 20
into it for business reasons-lnat -.
they do it to show the puplic 'iiat 6 ~
an automobile can go IGO Iillies III ~ W
tba car that the same car can GER
toin1v peeotiate 1000 miles at touring
speed with perfect saIety' .,
",Tben TOO racing develops every
rveal, noint in a car. If there is single
soft, spot in the mechanism it shows
up in a race, and that is the
point the manufacturer Immediately
strengthens. Racing has done more
10 nerfect the automobile than any
otba,, feature of the business.
"Four years ago I drove in the first
+v-or+v-four hour race that was ever
ATTEMPTED in this country, on the old
Fair Grounds track in st. Louis, and
made SSS miles. The latest twenty-four
bour record, made on the Brighton
track, was 1191 miles, which shows the
marvellous development of the motor
car. for we were going at best speed
both times.
Il am having a special Buick built
for use next season that will open the
eyes of the racing world. 1t is to be
used only in special free-for-all events,
where a stock car is not specified. 1t
will have an eight-cylinder motor, and
f they will give me a track to hold it,
can make $50 miles an hour in it with
put trying The car l drive now is
strictly a stock car-that is, a car like
all the other cars of the same model
that is turned out.
There is a general impression that
a circular track is very dangerous for
racing. That is not my eX-
perience. l prefer a circular track
every time. on it the danger is entire
" up to the driver, and if he is careful
he can negotiate the turns so as to
prevent accidents This is not the
case in road races or on tracks of an
other shape. The ideal track would be
one absolutely round and a mile dis
tance. They are building such a track
AZ Newark, n. J. St. Louis should
have such a track. 1t would furnish
fine sport for the public and 1t would
help along the automobile business i'm
Burman has driven in and Won four
1O0-mile races since his record drive
at New Orleans in February, and will
drive in another and the hour, ten
mile. ive-mile and one-mile races az
Dallas, Texas.