Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-05

sioner of motor vehicles OF Maryland to
President Taft without cost, as an act OF
courtesy due to the chief magistrate or
the nation. regardless of the law.
In the interim Sheriff Welt OF Mont
gomery county made q diplomatic move
by stating. that neither he nor his depu-
ties would halt government machines"
=.
Dirt is frequently carried into the bear
ings because CRIME gets into the grease
and small oil cups and as the oil finds 1ts
way to the interior the CRIME goes along
with it. One way to prevent this Is to
obtain 4; number of hollow rubber balls
Of a size lare enough to allow the cups
10 fit them snugly. Enlarge the hole in
the ball sc that the ball can be forced
over the cups and get a tight grip on the
bottom part. This will give an absolutely
tight covering for the cups and il the
rubber IS painted the same color as the
car the balls will not be unslghtly.
4
Il is expected that at the next meeting
of the Automobile CLUB of Washington
a secretary-treasurer will be elected. At
W. Hamilton Smith. a popular motorist of
this city, was unanimously elected to the
Office, hut owing to his numerous duties
he was forced to decline the nomination.
X
The testimonial to Lewis r: Speare of
Boston. Mass, formerly president of the
American Automobile Association, which
will be given him in recognition OF his
services for the two years he was at the
head of the organization. will be present
ed to him at tho banquet OF the Bay
State Automobile Association February :,
at Boston, Mass. The affair will be at
tended by Gov. Eugene n. Foss. Mayor
Fitzgerald of Boston and President Rob
ert b. Hooper of the American Automo-
bile Association. The latter will make
the presentation to eX-President Speare.
II a motor does not start readily, due to
not getting rich enough mixture at
slow speed of cranking, tie a small bunch
Of waste with wire close to the air In
take of the carburetor, then prime by sat
urating the waste with gasoline. The
added vapor will make the starting easy.
The annual almanacs and reviews Of
various papers, in naming the champions
of tho year In different lines of sport,
seem to disagree as to the automobile
champion Of tho year, milford. Grant
and Bruce Brown being variously given
the championship. This is due to the
fact that the big road and track events of
the year have been held under such wide
ly varying conditions. For instance. the
grand prize race at Savannah had no
car restrictions beyond the requirement
that the car must have a reverse gear and
be propelled by a gasoline motor. The
race at Paramount Park was run under
the same conditions, but cars were d.
dided into five classes. The Vanderbilt
race was n free-for-all, but limited to
cars under 600-inch piston displacement.
The two races at Santa Monica were di-
vided into one for strictly stock chassis
cars and a race for cars of any size or
horsepower, as in the grand prize at
Savannah. The Elgin race was limited to
cars of 6OO-inch piston displacement, but
conformed strictly to stock car rules.
The National stock chassis road cham
pionship title was officially awarded to
the winner Of this race. and 1t was the
only event which. strictly speaking, car
ried with it championship honors.
The Vanderbilt race, through its past
history and Importance, has been looked
upon as ono Of the greatest road races OF
the year, but close followers Of the sport
know that its Importance as a champion
ship event has declined.
Every road race of the year except the
two at Santa Monica provided a different
winner, SO that aside from the official
tho Elgin race it is impossible to say
which event really conferred any degree
Of championship honors.
Entries for the Mardi Gras speed car
nival, which will be held in conjunction
with an automobile show February %, %
and 81. continue to pour in. Up to date
fifteen of the leading drivers OF America
have entered the meet, while the absolute
assurance Of ten more entries has been
received At the show twenty-five motor
car and fifteen accessory exhibits will be
shown in the grandstand building of the
track.
of Caleb Bragg. Lewis Strang, VIII Jones'
Louis Larsonncur, Walter Donnelly,
Harry Endicott and partner, S. L. Speer
and James Benzie a number OF other en-
manager Of the New Orleans Automobile
Club, today adds the following: Maison-
vile. Miller. Ireland, III. 4. Pennebaker.
Louis Disbrow, Arthur w. Greiner and
johnny Aitken.
+
Where does the daredevil automobile
race pilot come from? This is the ques-
! ton asked by hundreds Of the spectators
who see the motor masters of today rush
madly around the great road courses and
speedways of the nation in quest Of honor
and gold. The answer is seemingly SIM
pie, yet with it comes the statement that
race drivers are born, not developed
| through mere Skill and mechanical
knowledge.
The average race driver who is seen in
] the space-annihiiating monsters which
careen wildly over the tracks thinks no
more of sending his steed along at the
death-inyiting pace than he would of
! driving a touring car through the city
| streets-in many cases not half so much.
The fact oftthe matter is that tWo-thirds
or more Of the racing drivers OF today
were city traffic drivers Of yesterday
| men who turned on the taximeter when
you entered the taxicab at hotel or depot
and carried you safely through the
crowded City streets to your destination.
| City traffic driving. and especially taxi
dare-devils who thrill thousands with
their dashes over the race courses in
quest of gain. In Indianapolis now there
are fully eight or ten men who are COM
, petent to take the biggest speed cars over
q race course in competition with the
worlds greatest pilots and with marked
degree of success.
The greatest drivers of today have been
| traffic and demonstration drivers. Louis
Chevrolet drove traffic in New York city
| for five years: his brother Arthur did the
same. Victor Hemery drove traffic In
Germany many years before he raced q