New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-05-25
V0RLD'S FASTEST CARS
READY FOR GREAT RACE
c.idav Will Bring Decision Of
: so0.MlIe Contest on Indian
apoIiS Speedway.
ruRoPE MAKING BOLD BID
vour Foreign Countries Will
rrv for Fortune in Cash
Prizes Against Best
American Machines.

,,..onolis. May 4-Probably the
'"1 automobile race ever staged in
I'D will occur here next Friday
VIZ approximately thirty of the fastest
q, existence will contest at 500 miles
20 me brick-hoored motor speedway
w. ,housaud dollars. Of which S2o'Wt
80 90 ~ the winner. is the prize official
stake. but there are additional
IDS available for the winner If ms
bappens TO carry the proper equip
ant 10 open the purses of liberal acces-
-, manufacturers.
-, nresent indications not less thar
..aoo. nersons Will witness the struggle
I, hrsins and steel for the mastery IN
classic race. Already the approach
- .o,test has drawn hundreds of out
enthusiasts 70 the city. and during
-. week the rush will grow greater. unu'
:. ,s-ees on congestion next Friday morn
=. Local hotels have proved totally
'"saeouat. 10 the demands for rooms. ana
-. .,tizens Of indianapolis have thrown
-, their homes TO the strangers \
.i.,o system Of distributing lntoTma-
-, ,nsures the accommodation OF ali
.b, amply 10 the race authorities Tor &C.
.,r,r,oda,ions on the nights previous TO
the race.
r,idavs struggle. to a greater extent
40, in anv Of the previous races, VIII
nc q strict division of interest EURO
,.sn cars and drivers against the hnes'
,-oducts and creates, pilots OF TINS couh-
~ France England Germany and lta!y
an h, represented. not only by their pest
.,esd creations. but 10y the pick OF their
s3vsrs They Will line up against hrid
!, Americans who have studied the speed
vsv ever since il was built ana VINO De
1--we their cars are fast enough to set al
raugbt Che foreign flyers.
Europe places her dependence on the
psugeots the French-built machines that
,ripmphed in the last Grand PriX. Ihey
are TO be plotted 10y GouX and ZucarreIh'
Who are conceded to be- among the great
s,t drivers OF the time. This par II -
believed. will be the favorite team among
betting men when the cars race the
starter There are others. No one knows
INST how fast are the trio Of lsotta ma
chimes 10 be handled by the famous
Trucco. Harry Grant and Teddy Tetzlan'
Then there are the English Sunbeam, III
ersny a flyer. e BroOklands reports are
correct; the Mercedes kpiSht, Win fhe''e
at the wheel and the Schroeder Mercedes
10 be driven by Ralph Milford.
Pacing the formidable representation OF
,oreien products. America will depend on
the Mercer cars. of which three are en-
tered: the stutz. also with three entered
three Case machines. and NUMBER Oh
snsc,arlv built racers Of which little Is
known. The three makes named are ue-
nendable and will be we'll handled by
men who know every brick in the speeo-
way and who will be quick TO take al
vantage Of any little slip that the TOT
signers may make
Ralph de Palma, Caleb Bragg ana
Spencer Wishart will drive the MERGERS
and they are bound TO give a good ac-
.ount of themselves. The same may DE
said OF the Stutz drivers. Anderson, Merz
and Herr. who are perhaps more tamil
lar with the speedway than any OF the
other entrants. OF the known quantities
IN the race these two makes are held IN
The highest esteem among American
cars
The unknown quantities are the Hen
derson. which Billy Knipper will handle;
he Keeton. built by Bob Burman' and TO
be driven By him; the three Cases, "hich
are understood 10 have been campaigneu
loo much 10 be dangerous; the Mason
Special and others Ii is just possible
hat the winner will turn up among
.hese. but If IL does, all ideas will be
)yerturned
The greatest race in speedway history
VAS that Of May 30. 1872, with its finish
Of greatest excitement and deepest inten-
sity. when eighty thousand persons, sa-
tiated with a day OF racing thrills, saw
Joe Dawson in a National, by persistent,
careful driving, win first place and the
po0 prize.
There has never been such thrilling
end 10 a race, never such tragedy as
Ralph De Palma, driving Mercedes
suffered. for with the race practlcdlly
won-he had but two laps to go and was
ten miles ahead-the Italian was put out
Of the race when his car went bad
through engine trouble.
The condition, stipulating a maximum
piston displacement Of $50 cubic Inches
and a minimum weight OF 1900 pounds
makes the race Of Friday one approach
ing stock car requirements. Freak speed
creations we're the feature of the l9l2
race. But this year the cars must snow
seyenty-fve miles an hour for one lap OF
two and a half miles TO quality WIN the
thirty fastest being allowed to start.
What speed these marvels VIII snow Is
the question of the year. In 1911 Ray
Harroun, driving a Marmon, showed an
average speed OF 1851 miles Dawson
wiped that of the boards with 1877 miles
an hour. and De Palma was going even
faster. In the coming race an average OF
eighty miles an hour is not Improbable
indeed, many good judges except 10 see
The winner forced 10 even a faster pace.