New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-12-16
AUTO NEWS OF THE DAY
Plans Already Under Way for
Race at indianapolis.
INTEREST KEEN IN CONTEST
Three Entries Received-"Wlld
Bob" Burman to Have New
Racing Car.
INTEREST KEEN IN CONTEST

indianapolis. Dec 15.-The second annual
50-mile international sweepstakes race
scheduled for the indianapolis Motor speed
way next Memorial Day. will be greater
than the first II the interest which both
American and foreign motor racing stars
are taking i'm the contest bears fruit. Al
though the race IS more than five months
away. three entries have been received the
last being "A Fiat entered by the Pacific
Coast Motor Car Company, Of Los Angeles
with Joe Matson nominated as the driver.
The giant Italian car which Matson VIII
drive comes very near to the 6O0-cubic men
limit of the race, having $50 cubic inches
piston displacement Ii is the same car
which Matson drove in the Vanderbilt cup
race I'm Savannah and which was a formi-
dable contender until one Of the radiator
swivels was broken by the strain of max
ing turn at high speed.
Matson is a driver Of international repu-
tation. having driven Chalmers, Corbin
and other cars TO success in the past.
In 1909 he won the Massapequa event in
the Vanderbilt Cup race on Long Island;
he also won the Indiana trophy event at
Crown Point, Ind, i'm a Chalmers. Matson
has won many victories on mile tracks as
well as on the road, and has a reputation
for fearlessness and mechanical skill.
The winning Of the Grand Prize race by
Fiat carr driven by David Bruce Brown,
places these Italian machines IN the rank Of
the most feared contenders in motor racing.
The two other entries in the 500-mile
race were made by the Ideal Motor Car
Company, of indianapolis, which entered
two Stutz cars, nominating Gil Anderson
as the driver Of one and leaving the other
pilot unnamed. Because of the splendid
showing made by the Stutz in the last 800
mile race. these two entries are considered
important.
That the field will be by far the best
that has ever started i'm any event is
assured by the fact that $4,000 is TO be
divided among the first twelve cars TO
finish; the winner of the race to receive
$4,000. This is the richest purse that has
ever been offered for any contest of the
kind. Several OF the best foreign drivers
have become interested because Of the rich
reward, and are planning to come to Amer
It'd d. contestants. i Ills VIII Ot Nilt III -
great American track race in which the
foreign race drivers have appeared in large
numbers
From the standpoint of the motor en-
thusiast the race is certain 10 be douby
interesting because of the speed require
ments. Every car must show a speed Of
seventy-hve miles an hour for the distance
Of one lap of two and one-haf miles. After
this severe test, if there are more than
thirty cars ready to start. only the thirty
fastest in competitive trial will be allowed
to start the long grind
wild Bob" Burman will be here within
few days to try out a new car which has
been built for him by the Ohio Motor Car
Company. of Cincinnati Burman recently
visited the factory and accepted the car as
satisfactory while I'm Cincinnati. He ad-
vised the company to ship the car 10 the
Speedway, so that he would be able to give
il a thorough tryout.
II the machine comes M 10 the expecta-
tions of the builders and Of Burman it is
believed il will he one Of the fastest Ame~i-
can cars every constructed II is built
especially for track work. having an OK
ceptionally short wheel base and 6Oo-c"bc-
inch motor. If the car shows up in a sat
isfactory manner it Is probable that it will
be entered i'm the sweepstakes race.
Other tests are being made at the big
brick track day after day. and some of
them are proving exceptionally interesting
That the National Motor Vehicle Company
is out to win the next big speed event here
is evidenced by the manner in which How
ard Wilcox is testing out the big blue rae
ing machines over the brick course.
Wilcox has been making laps of the two
and-a half-mile distance in 81. which is at
the rate ninety-three miles an hour This
speed has been maintained for several con-
secutve laps
In test made recently Wilcox said that
he took the turns on the brick track at the
rate of more than seventy-fve miles an
hour without causing his car To skid i'm the
least This repudiates in a way the state
ment made by some drivers that the turns
on the course will not hold hiCh speed, and
Wilcox asserts that h. can make the turns
at the rate of ninety miles an hour without
putting himself or his car in danger
Another intere sting report made by the
National crew of drivers is that atmos-
Iheric conditions have caused the bricl,
track TO become more even than ever be
fore since its construction. Following it,
first winter, the Speedway surface was
somewhat irregular. but it seems that the
summer and cold weather so far this win
ter have counteracted this difficulty and the
big oval l. faster than ever before.