The Washington times., 1911-08-31
SPEED FANS HERE
GLAD KN|PPER' IS
IN SAVANNAH RACE
Daring Young Driver Was
In Munsey Tour Two
Years Ago.
By HARRY WARD

washington friends of William Knip-
per, the daring young automobile racing
driver. are delighted with the announce
ment that he will be a member of the
Benz team In the grand prize race at
Savannah in November Knipper drove
a car In the Munsey reliability tour two
years ago and made many friends dur
| ing his stay in this city prior 10 the
start OF the tour
His team mates in the biggest auto
mobile race Of the year will be wild
Bob Burman, whose record-breaking
stunts have earned Tor him the title of
Americas monarch of motoring" and
Victor Hemery, regarded by many as
the premier racing driver of Europe.
He1lery is now In Europe and will soon
return to this country with two new
racing machines. Burman is expected
to pilot the car with which David
Bruce-Brown won the grand prize race
last year, while Hemery and Knipper
will use the new machines.
A story is going the rounds to the
effect that President Taft win be hon
orary referee of the automobile races to
be held in Syracuse about the middle
of September, and that he will take a
spin around the mile track in Bob Bur-
mans D0-horsepower racer. 1t is said
Burman and the President talked over
taking a ride when Burman was in
Washington several weeks ago and that
Mr.. Taft caid he would go out with the
speed king some day. Burman will ask
the President to ride with him during
the Syracuse meet. 1t was at Syracuse
that DePalma made the worlds mile
L..
man cut last July to 1872 seconds. Bur-
man expects to reduce it still further
at Syracuse.
The announcement that Gov. Hoke
Smith. of Georgia, had entered a
Maxwell touring car in the Glidden
tour, and would make the entire trip
was received with interest by Wash
ington motorists. To Benjamin Bris-
Motor Company, belongs the distinc-
ton OF securing Governor Smiths
entry.
With the great wave of popularity
for the underslung type Of motor car
construction has arisen a question,
which to the uninitiated. may seem
would happen if a spring should
break? The frame work Of the un-
derslung car is slung below the axle,
as its name indicates. The natural
conclusion, therefore, is that If a
spring should break, the car would
Jar to the ground with more or less
serious results. In a. car of under
slung construction, there are four
sets of springs supporting the frame
at its four corners, with two points
of suspension at each spring. If a
spring breaks, therefore, the only re-
suit is a sag of perhaps two inches on
the side OF the broken spring. The
other seven points of suspension take
up the added weight imperceptibly.
In this car. however. the springs are
built particularly to stand the hang
ing strain placed upon them, so
spring breakage is reduced to a mini
mum. If two springs should break at
once. a thing practically unknown In
motor annals, the other six points of
suspension would hold the car up.
and keep 1t clear of the ground. In
fact, there is little possibility of any
dangerous accident happening when
using a car of this construction.
The Regal Motor Car Company, repre-
sented in this city by Emerson & Orme,
Is featuring the underslung type of
construction in its new models.