The Washington times., 1911-03-30
SPEED KING GIVES
WIFE MUCH CREDIT
Grant Says She Helps Him
In Training for
Race.
By HARRY WARD.

No driver in the automobile racing
game has achieved greater success than
Harry Grant.
He has the unique distinction Of hav-
ing won the Vanderbilt Cup race, the
blue ribbon event of American automo-
bile sports, twice in succession with
the same Alco car, popularity known as
"Old No. 1S." Grant attributes much ot
his success to his wife.
she is Of great assistance to me in
the preliminary work of a race" he
says, ''and gets out every morning dur
ing the practice with a stop watch to
time my work, and has frequently rid
den ninety miles an hour with me. She
sees all my races, but she never wor-
rieS. Perhaps 1t is because she knows I
never take unnecessary chances.
when broke a chain in the Lowell
road race 1t was reported at the grand
stand that my car had overturned, that
my mechanician had been killed, End
that was badly hurt.
They tried to keep it from Mrs. Grant,
but In some way the news reached her.
She absolutely refused to believe It,
saying that she knew it must be a mis-
take. Almost identically the same thing
happened at Savannah. 1 was particu-
Iarly careful to report back to the
grandstand exactly what had happened,
but in some way the report got around
that we had smashed into tree, broken
up the machine, and were badly in
jured. She sat through this race with
this information, but again she was not
disturbed by 1t.
yes, I have had fairly coed success
as a racing driver; 1 mean financially
as we'll as In the winning of races. A
lot Of the boys, you know, particularly
the younger fellows who have won
much more than have, and It pretty
difficult to hang on to it. It's a case
Of easy come and. easy go. / wouldn't
advise young fellow to get into the
racing game much before he is twenty
two years old. 1t stands to reason that
a man has comparatively little judg-
ment below that age, and it is Judgment
and head that are needed on the race
track quite as much as anything else"
Grant has done no road work this
year, and will not undertake much
training until about two weeks before
the 5OO-mile international Sweepstakes
race on the Indianapolis speedway Me-
mortal Day, when he will 60 to the
Indiana capital to do most Of his train
ing on the speedway.
With the coming OF spring and the
subsequent increase in touring the mat
ter of good roads is once more brought to
the attention of motorists says Gem
eral Manager Walter E. Flanders, of
the EMF Company, makers of the
EMF and Flanders motor cars. Good
roads and the improvement of the high
ways are the paramount issues with
motor car owners. Without good roads
touring loses most Of its fascination.
The whole country is stirred as n<Aer
before relative to this great question.
Each automobile association, club. and
individual owner should take to heart
this great question of road improvement
and do his utmost to further carry on
the improvement Of our highways"
The first model Chalmers torpedo
roadster was received in washington
today and delivered to L. B. Schneider
by the Zell Motor Car Company. II is
finished in black and green and is one
Of the latest torpedo designs.
Benjamin F. Guy has placed an order
with the Commercial Automobile and
Supply Company for an EMF '30'
touring car, fully equipped.