Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-12
OLDFIELD WILL
BE SEEN HERE
AT ASCOT PARK
BARNEY HOLDS EVERY RECORD
FROM ONE TO FIFTY MILES
WILL BRING BIG 2oo-H. P. BENZ
FOR RECORD BREAKING RUN
His Fifty-Mile Record of 49 Minutes
and 40 1-5 Seconds Expected
to Be Lowered by
- Good Deal

Barney Oldfeld, a name to be reck-
oned with in motor racing, will be seen
in action at Ascot park Christmas, De-
cember 25, and Sunday, December 26
The worlds premier driver has estab-
lished many records the last three or
four years on all kinds of dirt tracks,
and in practically every instance these
records are still where Barney put
them.
From one to fifty miles Barney holds
every record except the one, five and
twenty-five, which De Palma now
holds and made possible only through
a specially built racer and made on two
tracks, st. Paul and Readville. Mass,
the two fastest mile tracks in the coun-
try. But this year Barney has a car
which Will enable him 10 outdo his
best previous efforts, 120-horsepower
Benz, German product which actu-
ally develops 200 horsepower
Several weeks ago Barney drove a
mile on three-quarter mile track at
San Antonio. Texas, in 5335 seconds.
This shows the way Barney is driving
and the wonderful car he now has.
What has Barney done this year?
Drove a mile at Indianapolis, a track
which has a very rough course in
43 1-5, the best time made at the Speed
way; drove a klometer in 26 2-5 sec
Onds. This is a new American track
record.
What has Oldheld done? Drove
mile on the Lowell course during the
road races in 80 Is seconds, the fast
est time of the meet and course, estab-
lished a new worlds record for speed
ways at indianapolis from one to
twenty-five miles. Time for the TWEEN
ty-five miles, q minutes 13 2-5 seconds
an average of so seconds per mile. Coma
sidering that his nearest competitor, De
Palma, I'm a Fiat, was two miles behind
this was a wonderful performance, as
his last five miles were driven ten sec
onds per mile slower than the firsC
part of the race. His time for the first
fifteen miles was at an average of 4j
seconds per mile.
Barney has spent n greater part of
the past season at the leading racing
centers OF the country. lie has met
and defeated the National team, CheV-
rolet and Strang of the Buick team,
and Christie with his new 200-horse-
power racing monster The last named
event occurred at Buffalo on the his
toric Fort Erie track, where Barney
defeated his old rival in straight heats
of a fve-mie race, and the time was
AT an average of "a seconds. Ihe Fort
Erie track Is absolutely fiat on the
turns, and Oldheld was only able to de-
feat Christie by driving the turns wide
open ana trusting to his heretofore
wonderful racing luck.
At Findlay, ohio, he lowered his own
mile worlds record from / minute II
seconds to / minute 3 seconds. This
was on a half-mile track. ncCcssitat-
ing eight turns for the mile. This track
record stood at Ill for three years,
and Barney's new races helped him to
reduce this record six seconds. This
figures to 600 feet faster time than the
previous performance
Manager Hempel of the Los Angeles
Motor Racing association is in hopes
that Oldfeld will go after all his old
records up to fifty miles Last sum
mer, when Hempel was managing Old
field on the eastern circuit Oldheld
stated that If he came to the coast with
his Benz racer he would place all rec
ords from twenty-five to fifty miles on
mile tracks where no one would ever be
able to displace them.
The track at Ascot park is noted for
its ease on tires. Driving at the speed
necessary to reduce existing records
the tire wear on the average dirt track
is terrific adm 1t is almost impossible
is terrific. and it is almost impossible
of tires at a SO or 54-second speed: but
conditions at Ascot are ideal and Bar
ney should have a fine opportunity 10
reduce his 50-mile record, which now
stands at As minutes and 20 Is seconds
This is at the rate of 5S 2-5 seconds a
mile