New-York tribune., 1909-06-20
CHEVROLET THE VICTOR
WINS STIRRING RACE IN
n BUICK CAR.
"Wcstern TdRderbiit' Contest for
Big Autos Uon By a Margin
of One Minute.

Crown Point. IND. June l9.-Louis Chevrolet, driv
ing 4-horsepower Buick car. won the cobe Cup
in the Western Vanderbilt automobile race. over
the se56 65 miles of the Crown Point-Lowen course
to-day ny the hs:r-raising margin OF one minute
and Eve seconds. Bourque in a Knox. who capt
ured second honors. made 50 desperate hid for
victory that not until the winning machine flashed
over the tape was the result al al certain in the
minds or the frantic spectators
i was eight hours. minute and thi-ty-nlne
seconds after Fred Wagner had uttered the word
CO.. 10 the ultimate victor that he crossed the
line FOR the last time Owing 10 the fact that he
was the tenth en;rant in field of twelve and
that Bourque crowded so perilously close to him in
3he final laps. the Knox car. No on the list was
the first TO pass the tape. the time being s'o-;i4
Al this time Chevrolet was somewhat near the
beginning 81 The long south stretch. with eight
minutes in which 10 seize tie prize As he hasheo
by the stations along this part Of the course me
news OF his location transmitted by wire to the
5udEes stand and through the watchers. "rouEHl
shen1 10 climax = enthusiasm All eyes were
turned 70 the wooded hilltop 10 the south. over
which the speeding car would be first disceTTled
but the wig-waggiug Of the red flags along me
route heralded The contestants advance even ne
fore he IN sight.
In The eleventh lap Chevrolet broke a TalVe IN
q Grinder in such = manner that il could not be
replaced and he forced TO run the rest o.
the day with three cylinders, which made his per
formance all the more remarkable. To offset this
misfortune in q measure. the superior skill With
which he and his mechanician handled the oil
cans during stop ri the repairing pits. in spec
tacular competition with the teams OF another
racer gained him time or immense value later IN
the day.
The race which showed average Of 1875
miles an hour. unusually slow for big cars
This speed was less than that Of the light power
machines in the Indiana trophy event yesterday
IN which the winner had average speed Of 5l-7
miles The big to-day. Il was expected, would
naturally exceed this figure. hut the trouble which
aessiied the drivers from the very beginning. to-
Eether with the fact the roadway at the turns
was literally cut 10 ribbons by the almost con-
tinuous performance Of the two davs' racing.
slowed down the heavy motors 10 2 most unexpect-
ed degree and upset all calculations
The most conspicuous feature OF to-day's race,
from g technical point Of view. the wonder
fully consistent performance of Chevrolet From
the start. when for six LAPS he ran neck 70 neck
with Denison. IN Knox. his speed scarcely varied
eighteen seconds Denison being put out Of the
running Robertson At the wheel of Locomobile.
took VI the task ~ heating the leading Buick. and
after running close second for three laps jumped
the n the tenth, and held twice around
again while Chevrolet fell hack.
Bouroue's performance. while not SO spectacular.
was steady and consistent. A. time he
worse than fourth. and in the thirteenth lap he
took the Lead for brief interval. dropping back.
however. 70 second place. which he held with
6osEed determination the end.
To George Robertson. the big blond fastener
who won the last Vanderbilt race, plotting one Of
the Loconohile entries. II was very hard race 20
lose but he lost II gamely. Robertson ran con
Eisteatlv apparently trying more m save his car
than 70 equal sone Of the spurts made by drivers
whose cars failed finish the contest. He was
never than fifth in point OF elapsed time
When Chevrolet's cylinder valve broken
Robertson assumed the lead and maintained II until
the thirteenth lap. when his magnetic troubles be
gan. At one time he had lead Of twenty-four
minutes. and il generally conceded that, bar
ring Just what did happen, he could not be beaten
But AZ Lowell halfway around the course, his
magnetic failed him and time was lost. He lImped
into the repairing pit, and more valuable moments
lost while a new magneto was installed and
tuned up. He started again, but had scarcely
crossed the tape when the sparkling instrument
failed once more. and Robertson compelled TO
stop and go back his repairing pit for further
overhauling- This him the However. there
balm for him in the fact that he finished third.
Trouble resulting in the withdrawal Of car after
car marked the from the start. half q the cars
dropping out before the finish. Florida. in q Loco
msbile his bad luck during tie first lap.
breaking Jack shaft. Seymour. driving an Ap-
person, was not much better Of. engine trouble
compelling him 10 quit the fourth round Strang.
in q Buick, the victim o. picturesque series OF
rishaps on the contrary stuck his task grimly.
Delays due 20 minor annoyances left him fun lap
behind the leaders al the beginning Of the fourth
circuit; in the NTH he compelled make
pairs on the south leg. Lowell. and in the
seventh and eighth laps he had the peculiar
perience OF breaking down in the same spot near
the head OF The ,Urse.
UndauuteG. he continued only to come in on the
next circuit with incapacitated mechanican.
Fred Kunze. who by the heat and
blinded by flying oil unable 10 go further.
Amid great cheering Strang led him the repair
pit took on another helper and of
again
The third car 10 quit the Buick. with
FurTnan At the wheel IIe ended his career so far
THE race was concerned in ditch the sixth
lap. with a ruined gasolene tank. He quickly
followed by Denison in Knox who forced
by engine trouble.
Niilers thirteenth lap fatal 10 his chances.
After mounting from seventh place AT the outset
10 fourth in the twelfth lap. both wheels of his
machine came Of the rough leg in this II
lucky round In the twelfth round Lytle guiding
Apperson. also gave up He had broken the
springs Of the car and had made four rounds
with the body resting the axle.
The spectators in the grandstand saw no serious
accidents. but shortly after the noon hour there
hit Of excitement when Englebeck whirng
by the close OF his ninth round made a fright
1ul swerve into the soft dirt a same place In
which Strang narrowly escaped disaster I'm the
Indiana trophy contest. Recovering control. how
ever. ti.e Stoddard-D Dayton swept on amid cheers
Probably the nsost serious affair OF the day oc-
CURED about O'clock. when Robertson's car skid
ded al The head OF the stretch. struck Theo-
dore Mueller the nagman at that point before he
could leap aside and broke his arm
The following table shows Cshevroiet's perform
once:
Lap. Position Time Lap, Position Tine
- -------- "a e, Io------ ---.---. s4:oI