The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-05-22

Tom Kincaid, the well-known racing
driver of the National car and holder of
several records, recently gave out the
the following informal interview show
ing how a racing driver regards his
dangerous but fascinating profession.
for IL training, technical knowledge
coupled with practical skill. attention
to the most minute details, and consci-
Gus rover gained through a combina-
ton Of natural aptitude and experience
are essential elements, surely the driv-
ing of a racing car should be properly
classified under that term
THE thought in the mind OF man
driving a powerful car in competition
is to win the race. Ways and means
are purely secondary considerations.
To get out in front and stay there; to
get every ounce of energy in your car
converted into speed; to feel the tri-
umph of victory at the end of the race;
this is the one overmastering feel1ng
that possesses the successful racing
driver After the start of race IN
which I am driving my mind is con-
tinually focused on the car. Every fac
ulty is alert, every nerve atfngle- Here
is where the racing instinct comes into
play. The driver must be able to feeI
trouble before it fairly starts. If the
engine becomes overheated he must be
| instantly aware Of ii through the sense
of smell. The slightest knocking Of
| the cylinders is instantly conveyed to
his brain by an almost abnormal sense
/ of hearing. If every part OF the COM
piicated mechanism of the car Is work
/ ing smoothly there is nothing to worry
/ about.
Watches the Tires.
Before starting in a race 1 carefully
look over every part of the car, paying
particular attention to the tires. Very
| few people are aware of the tremen-
| dous strain on the tires Of a racing car.
! On a mile track an exceptionally good
| tire will wear out before fifty miles are
| Travelled. The wear begins at the CEN
| ter of the tread and works straight
! downward through the fabric toward
| the outer edge. After even a short race
the tires are too hot to be handled. If
| a tire goes out while the car is running
| at high speed a death-like grip must
| be kept on the steering wheel. Super
| human strength is necessary to prevent
! the car from being ditched. If the
right front tire goes out while making
a turn on a circular track the centrifu-
| gal force is almost certain to send the
car straight through the outfield fence.
| Racing generalship is an important
| feature of the game / am always
thinking of how to avoid pocket and
| to get and keep the lead at all costs.
! On a mile circular track l hold the car
at an angle of forty-five degrees in
! making a turn and use the inside fence
! as a guide. A car running at eighty
/ miles an hour can be stopped on a
/ track within a quarter of mile. After
/ one becomes accustomed TO high speeds
/ seventy-five or eighty miles an hour
! does not seem to be faster than sixty
| mo driver on a circular track in a
long race can tell how many laps he has
| covered after the first two or three
His mind is too pre-occupied with the
! car and the race. A careful inspection
| of the brakes by the track officials as
| well as the driver should always be
! made Just before the start. On my car
| I never use a fan for cooling the mo-
| tor. All racing drivers, of course, wear
| goggles, and on tracks whose longest
| direction is from east to west q special
| 1y designed French google is desirable
as an added protection. A car running
| at top speed has peculiar swaying
motion, which must be reckoned with
in steering. Track racing must always
be the most exciting branch of the
| sport In II are combined all the quail
! ties which make the business of a rae
ing driver the most fascinating in the
world"
Kincaid will drive at Indianapolis on
! Decoration day. He will also compete
| this year in the Atlantic Grand Prize
and Vanderbilt cup and the Fairmont
Park, Philadelphia, contest.