The Washington times., 1911-09-24
REFORM NEEDEDM
MOTOR CAR RACING
American Automobile Association Must Decide Question
of Contests Held on Dirt Tracks-More Safe
T. ity Is Demanded.
By HARRY WARD.

I he visited the plant Of the White Com
pany, and that of the Rauch & Lang
| Company, makers OF the Rauch d Lang
! electric. II found both factories hum
ming with activity" said Mr.. Garlock.
land the heads Of both plants expressed
the opinion that 1912 would be the great.
! est automobile year In Che history OF
the Industry"
Though Speedwell cars are given a
very thorough road test in process or
manufacture, the distance Of the road
test is greatly cut down by the install
Iation of what factory engineers term
a mechanical test,i said A. D. Loeffier,
president of the speedweil Sales Com
pany. =.
the car, the rear wheels are raised on
a revolving drum. The motor is start
ed and the gears engaged so that the
rear wheels revolve on the drum-a
brake on the drum providing friction
equivalent TO that of the road surface
when the car is travelling over the
road. This system has now been i'm
proved by making a slight change.
The rear axle is lifted SO that the
wheels stand clear Of the floor. Then
the live split rear axles are drawn
out, and axles with sprockets substi-
cts by chain drive to a shaft provided
with sprockets and brake the same
result is accomplished without tire
wear.
These methods of testing speedwell
cars suggest use Of the automobile
on the farm. BY a similar continuance
the farmer could use his motor car to
furnish power for pumping and running
various farm machinery when he was
not using 1t on the road. 1t is well
much more reliable and powerful than
the usual. type OF gas engine used on
the farm"
Eight entries have been received so
far for the Paramount Park road race,
fall in the Quaker City. The event Is
scheduled for two weeks from yester-
day, and in the past has always devel-
oped picturesque contest. Ihe enLy
list is limited to thirty cars, and the
experience of the past has been that the
bulk of them come IN late. The race
will be run In four divisions, according
to piston displacement. The entry zee
will receive $1,000. The grand prize Tor
the fastest time will be $500 In addi-
ton TO the 1900 class prize that goes
with II. The distance Of the race Will
be twenty-five laps OF an eight-mle
October 2, and will continue until the
morning of the race.
ITO make automobile racing valuable
to the prospective purchaser. the manu-
facturer should keep everlasttngly at
it," says George NJ. Dickson general
manager of the National Motor We
hicle Company.
There is a tendency on the part Of
some manufacturers not to enter con-
tests of any kind unless they are as
sured of a walkaway. In other words,
this means, IF we can't win, we won't
race Certainly this attitude is not con-
ducive to the progress of the motor car,
and more especially so because this !
spasmodic support usually comes In the
form of entries in special events. with
no support for the stock chassis events. |
After all, regardless of the fact that |
the big special races. in which motor |
cars OF unlimited power are permitted, |
may or may not be more spectacular |
than the stock car races the former do |
not have the value to the automobile |
owners and buyers. The cessation of |
stock car contests will remove the basic |
reasons for competition"
Miller Brothers, agents for the Ford, |
have been advised that a Ford car won |
the 666-mile reliability tour from Omaha |
to North Platte. Neb., defeating twelve |
other machines.