The Washington herald., 1912-05-12

> Rogers
: New York baseball rams, through IN,
; Efforts OF the New York Mail. have ex.
pressed their appreciation OF the year,
OF spIendid performance OF Cnrsty
Mathewson OF the Giants by presentins
him with a Columbia Silent knight au-
I tomoblIe. The Knight car Is known
abroad as the motor car Of Kings, as II
: is said that every royal house OF Europe
has az least one Knight motor in It's
automobile stable. No New Yorker Will
: admit that Mathewson Is less than king
OF them all-nence TINS seIecuon seems
especially appropriate.
Uneonhrmed rumors are floating in
America to-day that the racing Of auto
mobiles is on the decline. but an ex-
ample of the fact that Il win continue
to exist and not become memory is
shown by the present status Of the game
in Europe.
France, the mighty nation that nursed
the sport In 10 infantile days. will again
engage in speed contests with Italy and
Germany in 1872 The Grand Prix over
the Dieppe course viii see this trio Of
speed motor producing countries fighting
| for race supremacy, and will mark the
! Ie-entry of the famous French Darracu
/
Worlds records will probably with
stand the assault on them In this race,
owing tc the distance being LOO miles,
but these two French cars are going to
make the famed Italian and German
teams exert every energy 10 win the
greatest Of the Old World classics.
The Dieppe course win hardly admit
OF the setting Of a new worlds road race
record, as it is full Of short hills, abounds
d, rarfWa Ifrar NNUV-V
the Santa Monica, where Harvey Her.
rick in the National averaged 7LsS miles
an hour, when he made the worlds new
road race record October II last, or the
Boessia circuit, where Navarro in q Fiat
made the record that stood so long This
VIII work together to cut out higher
speed than the present mark.
However, IL will be the first severe
test Of the new long stroke motor. Wire
wheels, new designs in brakes and
clutches will be put through the gruel-
ing ordeal of LOO miles over the road,
and engineers on both sides OF the At
lantic will await the results of this race
more from a technical than from a SPORT
ing standpoint.
The famous Lorraiue-DeItrich will re-
enter the racing game after an absence
OF several years. The drivers have not
yet been announced, but have It from
David Bruce-Brown, who has Just re-
turned from Europe, that the great Hem
cry, Of Benz fame, will drive one Of the
mounts. I have also heard that the
Baron Turkheim will make a great ef-
fort to have drivers the equal of the
Great Duray and the ever-sensational
Gabriel
The Fiat makers have planned to win
the race at any cost, and the make up
OF their team bespeaks victory. The
great Frenchman, Louis G. Wagner; the
American-born Italian, Ralph de Palma,
and our own David Bruce Brown COM
prise the trio. These three drivers are |
probably as good a team taken as a whole |
as II is possible to form in the world |
to-day, and make a formidable counbi- |
nation Of mechanical knowledge and |
driving skill. Considered as a team, II |
would be difficult to find a trio Of driv- |
ers to compete with them in a long dis |
tance race.
The famous Wagner, with his marvel
Gus all-around knowledge OF motors and |
speed-driving, has but one drawback. |
That is his violent temper, which It seems /
is almost impossible for him to curb when |
the race is at a crisis. Ralph De Palma,
with his deep mechanical knowledge, is
one of the most sensational
drivers that ever sat behind the steer
ing wheel Of speeding motor juggernaut.
He has been peculiarly unfortunate in
never having won a road race Of major
league Importance, put his record on
tracks and speedways speaks for itself
IN these events he stands in a class by
himself.
His performances at the wheel of the
entry, the same make of car
that he will pilot in the next 5OO-mile
race at the indianapolis Motor Speedway
May %, is still fresh in the minds Of the
race followers, for he drove remarkably
weIl in the last Grand Prize and Van
derbilt at Savannah with this car. and
showed marked ability in keeping his
car going.
In David Bruce-Brown the Fiat has to
my mind the most natural driver in the
racing game. With-his dash and fire,
coupled with his knowledge Of motors. he
8 the equal Of the famous Szalzer. His
ability to drive road races will stand
lim in good stead and his wonderful
1hysique vii make him a contender from
to end The racing fans know
What ce-Brown, born the heir to mil
ions, has done. He has finished in every
ace he has entered during his career
.xcept the last Vanderbilt. He has won :
he American Grand Prize twice, in 1910 ! =
It the wheel of Benz, and in 1911, driv- I
ng monster Fiat. He has defeated in q
hese races such pilots as the French 7
INerB wagner, victor Hemery, De n
'alma, and the Americans, Burman, Null v
ord, Hearne, Bragg, Disbrow, Aftken, 4
.engle, and Dawson. He finished third d
n the first 5OO-mhe race at the Indianap-
lis Motor Speedway. 1t might be noted
hat this is the first time that the Old a
World has ever placed American drivers :
I the wheels of European cars in the J.
ig classics Of the Continent.
Bruce-Brown also told me that while
e was in Europe he saw the new racing b
reations of the Loraine-Deitrich and
hat TO his mind they are wonderful Ii
reductions of the speed inclined automo- n
lie engineer. He also stated that the .
reneh firm had obtained one Of the en- -
ineers from the Benz factory at Mann
elm, Germany, that had produced the
amous speed monsters that hold the s.
records and that had thew "
ad the time TO build another car thew s
'ould have made entry to the 5OO-mile
ace at Indianapolis, and probably sent 4.
he famous Hemery to defend their col "
RS on the brick oval n
With the Lorraine-Deitrich and the