Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22
de PALMA AWARDED
1912 CHAMPIONSHIP
Forsook the Mile Dirt Track
for Greater Road
laureIS.

To Ralph De Palma is awreded the
1912 road racing championship. For sew
eral seasons past he has been acknOwl
edged the mile track champion, but during
the last year De Palma did no mile dirt
track driving and instead won greater
laurels, the road championship. Viewed
from any angle, there is absolutely no
questioning his right to the title, for he
started in more road races and Won more
victories than any other driver. Out of
five starts he scored four first places-the
light car race at Santa Monica, the Elgin
national trophy race. the Elgin free-lor-
all, and his greatest victory of the sea-
son, the Vanderbilt cup race triumph.
The only race in America in which he
fell short of victory was in the interna-
tional grand prix at Milwaukee. in which.
while running second, he collided with
Caleb Bragg. the winner. on the last lap.
The only road race of the year in which
De Palma did not start was the Tacoma
event. Next to De Palma in the number
of road victories is Teddy Tetziaff, who
won the Santa Monica free-for-aH. the
Tacoma ffee-fef-all, and the Tacoma
heavy car race, but Tetzlaff entered six
big races
De Paima's only appearances. aside from
the road races mentioned, Were at the Los
Angeles motordrome where. he. broke
worlds records, and won other events,
and also in the memorable 5OO-mile race
at Indianapolis. Followers of racing are
familiar with the story of how De Palma
began breaking all worlds records at the
fifty-rnile mark and kept on breaking
them until the 475th. They also recall
how he was preparing for Whirlwind
finish and a S3OO0O victory when on next
to the last lap he was eliminated by
l.
victory to Dawson. Unfortunately for De
Palma, the contest board cannot allow
him the new worlds records he created
the technical ground that he failed to
finish the race, although there was never
any questioning the fact that his aver,
age was considerably faster than any
other driver had ever travelled on a speed
way. Up to the time he was eliminated
De Palma's average was better than
eighty-tWo miles an hour. two miles an
Drove Mercedes Car.
In the Elgin. Vanderbilt cup. grand
prize and Indianapolis races, De Palma
drove a Mercedes car. At Santa Monica
he piloted a 800 cubic inch class Mercer.
Contrary to rumors, following De
Palnna's unfortunate accident in the
grand prize race the road champion will
go to Europe within coupe of weeks to
obtain a, new fast car for the 5O0-mile
race May 30. At the time De Palma
was breaking worlds track records by
the dozen during former seasons some
discussion arose in racing circles, and the
opinion was voiced that great track
driver was never good at road work. De
Palma absolutely exploded this theory,
not only the past season, but in previous
read classics. For instance. in 1908, in the
arand prize erace-the first big classic he
drove-De Palma made the three fastest
laps OF the race in a field composed of
the pick of the worlds greatest
foreign and American drivers. and
,ost. out with oiler trouble. He
scored his first road race victory
at Riverton l.. l., in the fall of 1909,
and i'm the 1910 grand prize race he
was the most feared driver In the con-
test and looked like a sure winner. hav-
ing "a two-minute lead on the field, when
on his next to the last lap a cylinder
cracked. Nineteen eleven saw De Palma
score second in the Vanderbilt cup race
and third in. the grand prize race at
Savannah. His four victories the past
season caused practically al of the ex-
perts to concede De Palma to be the
greatest of road drivers, in addition to
being the peer of them all at track work.