Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-13
DE- ROSTER WILL
MEET DERKUM
TWO MOTORCYCLE FIENDS TO
RACE SUNDAY
COLISEUM MANAGERS FINALLY
GET THEM TOGETHER
Two Fastest Men in the World to Ride
for $500 Purse and to Decide
Question of Su-
premacy

Those who have looked forward for
weeks for a real race between Dare
Devil Derkum and lake De Roster, the
demon Frenchman, will hail with much
pleasure the announcement that these
two intrepid riders have been brought
together in an agreement to ride
match race next Sunday at the Colise-
UNI saucer track, this match to take the
place of the one previously announced
between Derkum and Samuelson.
At first De Roster declined to enter
into another match with Derkum, and
the natural presumption was that Jake
didn't have much appetite for the kind
of race as such a match would be with
Derkum astride of his powerful new
seven-horse power Reading Standard,
which has arrived from the factory.
There are hundreds of motorcycle
fans in the city who believe and have
believed for a long time that Derkum
could take De Rosters full measure and
show him the clear way across the
tape the moment that he had the right
kind of a machine. Derkum declined to
ride in any more contests until his new,
specially built racing machine or ma
chimes had actually arrived. The mo-
ment that he learned that he would be
equipped with a machine that was not
only faster and more powerful, but
also provided with many attachments
which make for convenience under high
speed, he lost no time in letting 1t be
known that he wanted De Rosters
scalp, and wanted it badly.
Then followed an effort to get the
two men together but Jake SHE'D away.
Many said it was because Jake was
afraid. Those who know De Roster best
felt differently. They have known that
De Roster for some time has been get
n
field, and have even limited that there
was a sweetheart back of Jake's ankle
ty to get away from the Pacific coast.
Thus, it was pointed out, if De Roster
were to meet Derkum in another match
race and, perchance, be defeated; and
if, incidentally, a new worlds record
were tackled up on the wall by Derkum,
Jake, under his instructions from his
factory, would have to stay just that
much longer in Los Angeles to recover
that record. His instructions are to
stay here until he gets all the records
for the Indian machine now held by
any other name plate.
Derkum says that next Sundays race
will add just one more record that Jake
will have to stay and fight for, because
of his avowed intention to bowl over
the worlds champion, and because of
| his confidence in his ability to do SO.
Whatever the outcome. those who
have seen these two men in fierce COM
petition, If only once, will know that
Sundays contest will undoubtedly
prove to be the most exciting event seen
in this city, or any other city, in a
long while.
The race will be by heats. the first
heat for six miles, the second for five
miles, and the third and final heat for
three miles.
Each heat will be credited the two
riders according to the point system,
the winner being given a higher num-
Der of points than the loser, thus who
ever wins the highest number of points
in the thre heats will be awarded the
race and the 5000 purse which the man
agement has hung up.
Because of De Rosters consent to
ride, Samuelson, who had already
agreed to ride Derkum, has withdrawn,
refusing to enter into a e-cornered
match. While race between him and
Derkum would have proven a very in
teresting and, no doubt exciting affair,
it could not have hoped to pull the
crowd that the announcement of the
De Rosier-Derkum race will attract.