The Lake County times., 1912-03-15
AUTO SPEED LIMIT UP
EXPERTS DISCUSS PROSPECTS OF
MOTOR CARS IN 1912 CONTEST.
Believe Entries In 5oo-MiIe Race e.
indianapolis Will Show Big In
crease Over Last Year.

What is the limit of speed to be at
tanned by the automobile. and when
will that limit be reached2
Experts have endeavored for years
TO answer this question and each sue
ceeding year has brought forth a new
answer until ii seemed that the last
word had been said. but again and
again some special speed creation has
upset all of the prophecies made as to
speed limitations, until now the wise
ones refuse TO make predictions. It
would seem that Bob Burman, world'a 0
speed monarch, had about solved tho
problem when he reeled OF dizzy
mile in 25.40 seconds on the Daytona
beach course, but now the intrepid
Michigan boy comes out with the state
ment that he will accomplish the
speed of three miles in a minute this
coming season.
1t is highly probable that human
endurance is the only regulator OF
speed which a motor car will attain
for the mile or two-mile distance, but
when the speed limit of motor car
for 500 miles comes up for discussion
another factor enters into considera-
ton. Last Memorial Day, at the In
dianapolis Motor Speedway, forty big
motor speed marvels started out to
: cover the five-century distance in a
contest with time and each other Ex-
perts said that seventy miles an hour
for the long grind would be wonderful
speed quality, while others thought
that sixty-hve miles an hour would
the winner might do seventy-two miles
an hour, and one or two. who were
said to be fanatics on the subject, esti-
mated the average speed at seventy
four miles an hour.
Ray Harroun and Cyrus .Patschke
in their Marmon Wasp covered the
500 miles in six hours, forty-two min
utes and eight seconds, an average
speed of 7461 miles per hour The
timing was questioned, but the War
ner instrument showed that it had
registered truly along with a half
score of the best watches, and the
record went down as a part of motor
car racing history.
Now comes another chance for the
experts to prophesy what will happen
when thirty big cars start out again
to do the half-thousand-mile route
over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
track next Memorial Day. The sec
ond annual 500-mile International
Sweepstakes race will be the contest
which will decide just what advance
ment the motor-car makers have made
as far as speed and endurance are
concerned.
IT is a remarka BILE condition that
none of the entrants this year SO far
has failed to state his belief that the
average speed of the race will be bet
ter than " or 7S miles per hour. They
are building their cars to travel al
this rate for the full distance and have
manned them with drivers who dc
not fear to send the metal monsters
hurtling through space at the rate ol
100 miles an hour II necessary to win
The Speedway race promoters have
anticipated the increased speed b.
making the qualifying requirement:
even greater than they were for las
year. every contestant who starts il
the race being required to make
full lap OF the two-and-a-half milt
brick track in two minutes or ct tn,
rate of seventy-five miles per hour
This will not trouble those who enter
however. for they know the require
ment and that they can meet it befor
their entries are made.
AS an example Howard Wilcox, in
big blue National. has been reelini
off laps at an average speed of abou
ninety miles per hour on the Speed
way course during the biting cold wiz
ter weather, and believes he can Goa
more speed out of his car when TIL
weather does not work such physica
hardship upon him. Others who hav
been working out theft cars have foun
that the snead renuirement is easy I